I put the Miculek brake on mine and it's a dream to shoot for a 308, I originally got the brake for my LR308 but never used it until I put it on my predator.
Finding this video very helpful. Any tips regarding adjusting the spring for trigger pull. Having problems with mine where it feels bound. Will only make 1/2 turn either direction.
Savage's accutrigger has always been a mistake. Other companies like mossberg, ruger, are using these saftey blades more often and its horrendous. The springs bind because i think they're too long and not strong enough. There are Gen 2 trigger springs you can by for the 110 models, i would try to sourcea stainless steel trigger spring. I made my own spring and tossed the original in the garbage. I find the blade spring binds more than the trigger spring. I wish there was an aftermarket trigger for the impulse.
First off thanks for the great video. I've been very intrigued by the Impulse.. But as far as I can tell, you still can't order barrel extensions on their own. It'd sure make for easy swapping and quick use of aftermarket barrels. I'm also a little discouraged by the fact that your extension is already showing signs of wear like that! How many rounds, both standard and higher pressure were fired to result in the wear seen in photos?
Hello. I emailed Savage about the barrel extensions as well. Savage did not reveal what alloy they actually use on that barrel extension however it does have a coating that I can only assume is a type of DLC but the company rep says it's bluing. The internal recess is a critical dimension and should probably be cut by a custom boring bar or CNC lathe by a professional if you intend to replicate it elsewhere. imgur.com/a/bLP3mbl I don't meticulously keep track of how many cartridges I fire but I'd say approximately 200 shots now. Most of them being hand loads, some of those approaching dangerous pressures. The initial depressions were made within the first 30 or so shots, since then I have not noticed any noticeable change in head space, wear, or POI. The ball bearings sit limp in the bolt head, and are only forced into place when the bolt is cocked. So when you fire and pull the bolt handle, the ball bearings slide over the extension and aluminum receiver on their own weight. I'm not overly concerned with the surface marks, as long as head space is maintained the action is quite safe and reliable. Metal on metal contact will wear any coating or finish eventually. If there was a significant failure to happen on the lock up then my face would have likely experienced it a while ago. Take a look at the primers, I've never seen them so flat before. I've dropped the powder charge quite a bit with the monolithic bullets and groups snugged up quite nicely. With the shorter barrel H4895 and H335 are getting faster velocities with lower powder charge weights compared to the IMR4064 type powders . Still, once I see that primer flatten out, I just pull the bullets. imgur.com/uYMcQpS
@@Spruce-Bug Thank you very much for the information and pictures. I Love my 110's and would like to support Savage for bringing an affordable straight pull to market.. But I might need to wait for more information and long term performance tests/reviews on this one! Probably just being overly paranoid ;) I'd almost recommend trying some HBN on your monolithics and barrel to bring down the pressures. You might have to add a bit of powder (if there's still room with those long copper bullets) to reach the same velocities. Happy & Safe Handloading and shooting to you :)
@@benbowditch9265 there are a few in this price range. At lest here in Australia. Buy everything iv seen savege has the potential to be the most versatile.
Sticky bolt extraction and flattened primer. The last shot was charged with 43.5gr of IMR4064. Also I had adjusted the bolt handle angle at a true 90 degree in the locked position, which rotates towards the rear when cycling the bolt and granting less leverage to extract. The purpose was to see how the straight pull would extract compared to the traditional turn bolt. It's obviously a bit more sensitive to hot cartridges, however I have yet to have SAAMI factory ammo fail to eject. Overall, I'm impressed with the ball bearing system. The only concern I have is headspace. At the end of the video, you can see photos of the wear in the barrel extension.
Thanks for the clarification. I saw the wear and it worried me, as I expect delivery on a paid order. I hope the barrel extension does not turn out to be a consumable.
@@DanailYordanovDAN4 Hello. I would like to share something interesting that I have discovered since our last talk. With equivalent bullet weight, solid copper bullets cause higher initial pressures than traditional lead core bullets. I was using generic load data between equivalent bullet weight, powder type, and charges; all of the copper solid bullets were reaching almost 5%-10% more muzzle velocity. I suspect this pressure spike with the solid copper bullets is the result from the force needed to move the bullet from the neck of the brass case and into the rifling of the barrel. Cartridges with copper bullets, the primers are flattened almost 4 grains before the lead bullet cartridges reach similar pressure signs. The shots in my video are using cartridges that are within the 10% maximum cartridge pressure and was incredibly dangerous. Obviously no accident occurred and I'm impressed with how the savage hex lock action performed with these high pressure hand loads. Please do not replicate my charge weights, it is dangerous. I thought this new information would be interesting in case you decide to hand load copper solids in your rifles.
@@Spruce-Bug Hello! Thanks for the shared information! The shutter of the Heym SR30 is similar and for it I had watched tests with ultimate pressure to failure. It seems that this type of construction is very reliable.
@Spruce-Bug so I am getting two long vertical scratches and also big gouges in the middle of the brass. Ive always had feeding issues and the other day I could not eject a live round. Had to slam the buttstock on the ground and pull the bolt. Ive tried different mags and different ammo and it all ends up the same.
@@kerryhartman4497 Any marks on the case body indicates something contacting within the chamber walls, copper shavings can do it. You could clean out the chamber with a 12ga shotgun mop/brush. You won't hurt it, chamber walls are not intended to be smooth surfaces. Sticky bolt and stuck cases are obvious over pressure signs, check the primers of spent cases and see if the primer has cratering where the firing pin contacted it. It seems to me your chamber is fouled with something that is preventing the brass from expanding into the chamber walls during firing. I would strongly recommend running GO-NO-GO gauges into the chamber to verify proper head space or take the rifle to a gunsmith to have them check the chamber and headspace. Don't use the gun until you verify the chamber is free of oils, liquids, debris, and that the headspace is properly set. Savage uses the barrel extension to set headspace not the receiver. If you have Imgur, you can post just the link of the photo to help get a better idea of what's going on but from what you've told me. I'd bet money that something is wrong with the chamber.
Overall I'm quite happy with it. It's a novel design but savage did a good job. I've sent the barrel away to have another made for .358 Winchester. I'm not fond of the accutrigger but the sindered metal parts make it impossible to modify safely. There are no aftermarket triggers for it, and I doubt there will ever be. I've been replacing the springs to help prevent binding but it's not perfect. I did mark up the aluminum receiver taking the barrel out but aluminum is easy to scratch up. The ball bearings have worn a bit into the extension but savage claims it's not a problem and I've not measured any change in headspace. It's taken loads exceeding safe 308 pressures and definitely isn't weak. I have an Xbolt in 280AI that I like better but with a shorter barrel in 358win, this Impulse will be a real handy black bear gun.
@@bearfootbowhunter3054 perhaps the barrel extension itself. Unfortunately, savage refused to sell me spares. When the ball bearings of the bolt wear into the barrel extension, you're essentially mating the two together. You won't be able to reuse a barrel extension that has been threaded onto a fired barrel. If you do swap used barrel extensions, you risk loose headspace of the new barrel orientation where the previous barrel position mated the ball bearings. Basically, you'll turn 6 wear marks into 12. You might get away with it but with proper torque specs, it's a gamble to say the least. Other than that, possibly the 4 bolts that clamp the barrel extension. If you don't over tighten then, I expect you'll have no issues. The aluminum will scratch, no way around that. It's just the nature of the metal.
@@Spruce-Bug thanks mate , did you get barrel extensions made , if so what mettle did you use ? The wear seems to be a common thing with these rifles dont think it should efect it tho
Hi! thank you for the demonstration. I would like to know if the bolt can be further disassembled? If the bolt is malfunctionning or an internal part wears out, for instance the spring, could it be fixed?
I have been trying to figure it out. The manual does not show you how. www.borchers.es/idb/manuales/savage/manual_savage_impulse.pdf There is a spring pin holding the bolt head lock plunger in place but I don't think that's how the bolt is further disassembled. If you reassemble the bolt without the bolt handle cap, and cock the bolt, you can see a cylinder pin holding the internal bolt linkage together. It's in there very tight. There is a hole sitting front of where the bolt handle slides in the bolt, that's where i suspect that pin can be punched through and out of the bolt body and the internals could be removed. I haven't tried to remove the pin as I don't have any tools that can help me reassemble the bolt if the internals are held under spring tension on that pin, which I suspect it might. I don't reside in the United States and shipping an expensive rifle bolt internationally is an unnecessary risk that I do not need to take. However, if I eventually figure it out I will be sure to notify you of how I did it.
Please let me know if the safety is metal or plastic. It seems to be metal in the video. On my 110 it is plastic, which brings down the perceived quality. For those not aware, the Savage Impulse uses the same size receiver for all chamberings. So for all except 300 Win Mag, the rifle is a bit longer and heavier than ideally necessary. I have never held one of these, but looking at the available dimensions, it seems possible that the receiver is a bit longer than should be necessary even for 300 Win Mag, which causes me to wonder if Savage might have 300 PRC in mind.
Thanks for the video, somehow my bolt head came off in the action. Your video helped me sort it out ☺
Great to hear! If you have any future questions, I'd be happy to help.
Holy cow man that looks professional as heck!!
Thank you my friend. I just set the camera on my head and sat very very steady. 😉
I call bullshit🧐😉
I put the Miculek brake on mine and it's a dream to shoot for a 308, I originally got the brake for my LR308 but never used it until I put it on my predator.
Finding this video very helpful. Any tips regarding adjusting the spring for trigger pull. Having problems with mine where it feels bound. Will only make 1/2 turn either direction.
Savage's accutrigger has always been a mistake. Other companies like mossberg, ruger, are using these saftey blades more often and its horrendous. The springs bind because i think they're too long and not strong enough. There are Gen 2 trigger springs you can by for the 110 models, i would try to sourcea stainless steel trigger spring. I made my own spring and tossed the original in the garbage. I find the blade spring binds more than the trigger spring. I wish there was an aftermarket trigger for the impulse.
First off thanks for the great video. I've been very intrigued by the Impulse.. But as far as I can tell, you still can't order barrel extensions on their own. It'd sure make for easy swapping and quick use of aftermarket barrels. I'm also a little discouraged by the fact that your extension is already showing signs of wear like that! How many rounds, both standard and higher pressure were fired to result in the wear seen in photos?
Hello. I emailed Savage about the barrel extensions as well. Savage did not reveal what alloy they actually use on that barrel extension however it does have a coating that I can only assume is a type of DLC but the company rep says it's bluing. The internal recess is a critical dimension and should probably be cut by a custom boring bar or CNC lathe by a professional if you intend to replicate it elsewhere.
imgur.com/a/bLP3mbl
I don't meticulously keep track of how many cartridges I fire but I'd say approximately 200 shots now. Most of them being hand loads, some of those approaching dangerous pressures. The initial depressions were made within the first 30 or so shots, since then I have not noticed any noticeable change in head space, wear, or POI. The ball bearings sit limp in the bolt head, and are only forced into place when the bolt is cocked. So when you fire and pull the bolt handle, the ball bearings slide over the extension and aluminum receiver on their own weight. I'm not overly concerned with the surface marks, as long as head space is maintained the action is quite safe and reliable. Metal on metal contact will wear any coating or finish eventually. If there was a significant failure to happen on the lock up then my face would have likely experienced it a while ago. Take a look at the primers, I've never seen them so flat before. I've dropped the powder charge quite a bit with the monolithic bullets and groups snugged up quite nicely. With the shorter barrel H4895 and H335 are getting faster velocities with lower powder charge weights compared to the IMR4064 type powders . Still, once I see that primer flatten out, I just pull the bullets.
imgur.com/uYMcQpS
@@Spruce-Bug Thank you very much for the information and pictures. I Love my 110's and would like to support Savage for bringing an affordable straight pull to market.. But I might need to wait for more information and long term performance tests/reviews on this one! Probably just being overly paranoid ;) I'd almost recommend trying some HBN on your monolithics and barrel to bring down the pressures. You might have to add a bit of powder (if there's still room with those long copper bullets) to reach the same velocities. Happy & Safe Handloading and shooting to you :)
@@benbowditch9265 there are a few in this price range. At lest here in Australia. Buy everything iv seen savege has the potential to be the most versatile.
Hello! What is the cause of the jam? Are the flares standard or reloaded? Are there any signs of overpressure?
Sticky bolt extraction and flattened primer. The last shot was charged with 43.5gr of IMR4064. Also I had adjusted the bolt handle angle at a true 90 degree in the locked position, which rotates towards the rear when cycling the bolt and granting less leverage to extract.
The purpose was to see how the straight pull would extract compared to the traditional turn bolt. It's obviously a bit more sensitive to hot cartridges, however I have yet to have SAAMI factory ammo fail to eject. Overall, I'm impressed with the ball bearing system. The only concern I have is headspace. At the end of the video, you can see photos of the wear in the barrel extension.
Thanks for the clarification. I saw the wear and it worried me, as I expect delivery on a paid order. I hope the barrel extension does not turn out to be a consumable.
@@DanailYordanovDAN4 Hello. I would like to share something interesting that I have discovered since our last talk. With equivalent bullet weight, solid copper bullets cause higher initial pressures than traditional lead core bullets. I was using generic load data between equivalent bullet weight, powder type, and charges; all of the copper solid bullets were reaching almost 5%-10% more muzzle velocity. I suspect this pressure spike with the solid copper bullets is the result from the force needed to move the bullet from the neck of the brass case and into the rifling of the barrel. Cartridges with copper bullets, the primers are flattened almost 4 grains before the lead bullet cartridges reach similar pressure signs. The shots in my video are using cartridges that are within the 10% maximum cartridge pressure and was incredibly dangerous. Obviously no accident occurred and I'm impressed with how the savage hex lock action performed with these high pressure hand loads. Please do not replicate my charge weights, it is dangerous.
I thought this new information would be interesting in case you decide to hand load copper solids in your rifles.
@@Spruce-Bug Hello! Thanks for the shared information! The shutter of the Heym SR30 is similar and for it I had watched tests with ultimate pressure to failure. It seems that this type of construction is very reliable.
Have you noticed any damage to your brass? I have the same rifle and it is putting deep gouges in my brass. Thanks.
Where on the case are these gouges showing up?
@Spruce-Bug so I am getting two long vertical scratches and also big gouges in the middle of the brass. Ive always had feeding issues and the other day I could not eject a live round. Had to slam the buttstock on the ground and pull the bolt. Ive tried different mags and different ammo and it all ends up the same.
@@kerryhartman4497 Any marks on the case body indicates something contacting within the chamber walls, copper shavings can do it. You could clean out the chamber with a 12ga shotgun mop/brush. You won't hurt it, chamber walls are not intended to be smooth surfaces. Sticky bolt and stuck cases are obvious over pressure signs, check the primers of spent cases and see if the primer has cratering where the firing pin contacted it. It seems to me your chamber is fouled with something that is preventing the brass from expanding into the chamber walls during firing. I would strongly recommend running GO-NO-GO gauges into the chamber to verify proper head space or take the rifle to a gunsmith to have them check the chamber and headspace. Don't use the gun until you verify the chamber is free of oils, liquids, debris, and that the headspace is properly set. Savage uses the barrel extension to set headspace not the receiver. If you have Imgur, you can post just the link of the photo to help get a better idea of what's going on but from what you've told me. I'd bet money that something is wrong with the chamber.
Is the bolt handel ball threaded on ? Or is it all one peace
It's a 5/16-24 thread size. I haven't disassembled the bolt yet. Haven't figured out how to actually disassemble.
how do you find the rifle? is it worth the coin? yours looks really smooth have you polished it at all?
Overall I'm quite happy with it. It's a novel design but savage did a good job. I've sent the barrel away to have another made for .358 Winchester. I'm not fond of the accutrigger but the sindered metal parts make it impossible to modify safely. There are no aftermarket triggers for it, and I doubt there will ever be. I've been replacing the springs to help prevent binding but it's not perfect. I did mark up the aluminum receiver taking the barrel out but aluminum is easy to scratch up. The ball bearings have worn a bit into the extension but savage claims it's not a problem and I've not measured any change in headspace. It's taken loads exceeding safe 308 pressures and definitely isn't weak.
I have an Xbolt in 280AI that I like better but with a shorter barrel in 358win, this Impulse will be a real handy black bear gun.
@@Spruce-Bug is there anything that will get damaged or ware over time removing and replacing the barrels?
@@bearfootbowhunter3054 perhaps the barrel extension itself. Unfortunately, savage refused to sell me spares. When the ball bearings of the bolt wear into the barrel extension, you're essentially mating the two together. You won't be able to reuse a barrel extension that has been threaded onto a fired barrel. If you do swap used barrel extensions, you risk loose headspace of the new barrel orientation where the previous barrel position mated the ball bearings. Basically, you'll turn 6 wear marks into 12. You might get away with it but with proper torque specs, it's a gamble to say the least.
Other than that, possibly the 4 bolts that clamp the barrel extension. If you don't over tighten then, I expect you'll have no issues. The aluminum will scratch, no way around that. It's just the nature of the metal.
@@bearfootbowhunter3054 Here are some photos of the wear marks I'm talking about.
imgur.com/a/bLP3mbl
@@Spruce-Bug thanks mate , did you get barrel extensions made , if so what mettle did you use ? The wear seems to be a common thing with these rifles dont think it should efect it tho
Hi! thank you for the demonstration. I would like to know if the bolt can be further disassembled? If the bolt is malfunctionning or an internal part wears out, for instance the spring, could it be fixed?
I have been trying to figure it out. The manual does not show you how.
www.borchers.es/idb/manuales/savage/manual_savage_impulse.pdf
There is a spring pin holding the bolt head lock plunger in place but I don't think that's how the bolt is further disassembled. If you reassemble the bolt without the bolt handle cap, and cock the bolt, you can see a cylinder pin holding the internal bolt linkage together. It's in there very tight. There is a hole sitting front of where the bolt handle slides in the bolt, that's where i suspect that pin can be punched through and out of the bolt body and the internals could be removed. I haven't tried to remove the pin as I don't have any tools that can help me reassemble the bolt if the internals are held under spring tension on that pin, which I suspect it might. I don't reside in the United States and shipping an expensive rifle bolt internationally is an unnecessary risk that I do not need to take.
However, if I eventually figure it out I will be sure to notify you of how I did it.
Why was it having such difficulty extracting?
Because the reloads were at and above maximum permitted pressures.
Please let me know if the safety is metal or plastic. It seems to be metal in the video. On my 110 it is plastic, which brings down the perceived quality. For those not aware, the Savage Impulse uses the same size receiver for all chamberings. So for all except 300 Win Mag, the rifle is a bit longer and heavier than ideally necessary. I have never held one of these, but looking at the available dimensions, it seems possible that the receiver is a bit longer than should be necessary even for 300 Win Mag, which causes me to wonder if Savage might have 300 PRC in mind.
Its metal.