6.5c feeding issues after barrel change

[Olen_4504]

I found a similar thread from awhile ago but there wasn't a solid answer and his issue was slightly different. his rounds were nosing HIGH and getting caught.

I had a savage 10 in .308 that i recently swapped the barrel to a 6.5c. I haven't been able to shoot it yet (sunday hopefully) but I randomly got the idea to try cycling some rounds through it the other evening.

Roughly EVERY OTHER round, the base of the round gets caught TOO HIGH on the bolt face and therefore is pointing NOSE DOWN and binds up as you close the bolt. Then I have to take slight pressure off the bolt so the round drops flat then it will feed the rest of the way. the round feeds about 3/4 of the way into the chamber before binding. With a full 10 round magazine, it'll happen 3-4 times.

only work around at the moment is to just slowly close the bolt, slow enough that when the round clears the feed lips and (rather violently it appears to me) pops up, it gives the round time to 'settle' straight and feed correctly. But if I try running the bolt at a normal speed, I get the binding.

I am using magpul aics mags. I'm not sure if there is something I can alter on them to correct this.

seems to be a somewhat common problem with this savage actions and switching to 6.5. i was just unable to find a clear solution (if there even is one).

attached is a screenshot from a slow mo video where I was trying to see exactly what was happening. posting to show the point at which everything stops moving and is binding up. not the best angle but you can see the base of the round is HIGH on the bolt face and angling down into the chamber.

 

[Txhillbilly]

Adjust the feed lips on the magazine.
I didn't see you were using Magpul mags, so that won't work!

 

[Olen_4504]

Adjust the feed lips on the magazine.
I didn't see you were using Magpul mags, so that won't work!

I have one metal accurate mag I can play with. I tried a few things. But couldn’t get any better results. I flared up the front of the feed lips a tiny bit. Didn’t help. But may not have done it right

 

[AR.Bear15]

i have this very same issue with my rem 700 clone build. i can not figure out what is going on and so now i kind of just run with it. i have tried different mags, i have tried re-head spacing it. and still same issue...

 

[Olen_4504]

i have this very same issue with my rem 700 clone build. i can not figure out what is going on and so now i kind of just run with it. i have tried different mags, i have tried re-head spacing it. and still same issue...

Damn. weird. it's not a huge deal to work around while messing around at the range. I'm just worried about taking this rifle to a match and it giving me hell. I re-found that other thread from 2014 with the guy having the same exact issue. the thread just dies with no resolution.

 

[RFutch]

I am having the same issue with a 6.5x47 in a savage with CDI bottom metal. I started out trying a metal AI mag and a metal Accurate Mag. Bent the lips every which way possible with no luck. Switched to a Magpul mag and it got a little better but is still there. There has to be a fix for this so hopefully someone will chime in.

 

[Olen_4504]

I am having the same issue with a 6.5x47 in a savage with CDI bottom metal. I started out trying a metal AI mag and a metal Accurate Mag. Bent the lips every which way possible with no luck. Switched to a Magpul mag and it got a little better but is still there. There has to be a fix for this so hopefully someone will chime in.

This might sound dumb, and I’ve never messed with magazine springs but it’s just a thought, I could be way off.

What if you trimmed the spring down/compresses it more (weaken it a little) so it wasn’t forcing the round up so hard. Maybe that would cause it to not violently release after clearing the feed lips and bounce around all which ways. Idk just thinking out loud.

 

[RFutch]

The magpul mags do seem to have less spring tension than an AI mag. Might be worth a try.

 

[Olen_4504]

The magpul mags do seem to have less spring tension than an AI mag. Might be worth a try.

I have three magpul mags, I'll sacrifice one tonight and try a few things. will report back.

 

[redneckbmxer24]

I know this isn't going to be what you want to hear but feeding issues with straighter bodied sharp shoulder cartridges such as the creedmoor are very common in Savages. I'm not aware of a guaranteed fix outside of using a different action but you may be able to solve it or at least make it a little better by getting a quality metal mag and tweaking the lips if you need to. I'd get an authentic AI mag and if you need to bend the lips be sure to use an actual feed lip tool and not pliers or you'll just be wasting your time and damaging a good mag.

 

[Olen_4504]

I know this isn't going to be what you want to hear but feeding issues with straighter bodied sharp shoulder cartridges such as the creedmoor are very common in Savages. I'm not aware of a guaranteed fix outside of using a different action but you may be able to solve it or at least make it a little better by getting a quality metal mag and tweaking the lips if you need to. I'd get an authentic AI mag and if you need to bend the lips be sure to use an actual feed lip tool and not pliers or you'll just be wasting your time and damaging a good mag.

Okay thanks for the advice

 

[Olen_4504]

Okay guys, update:

Precursor: When I first had the issue two nights ago I was running the bolt from standing beside the gun on my gun bench. I ALSO tried laying down prone like a normal shooting position and running it to ensure I wasn't just closing the bolt at some unnatural angle. I was still getting the binding consistently no matter which way I tried it.

So, with that said this is what I did today with the magpul AICS mags...(the metal accurate mag spring was too difficult for me to cut)

I slowly started trimming away at the spring to hopefully "weaken" it's upward force on the follower. i kept snipping one "loop" at a time until I felt it helped some. I was doing all the "tests" every cut while standing at my bench. and I was getting some inconsistent results. one 10-rd pass would have 1-2 failures, then the next without changing anything would have 4-5. So at 2 loops cut off I decided to lay prone again and try. I was running a whole 10 round magazine with no binding with moderate/fast bolt manipulation. so at this point I'm like "wow, I fixed it!!!!". But the only thing I changed was me laying prone as opposed to next to the bench.

but to confirm my results, I also tried AGAIN prone with an un-altered magazine. I was getting much better feeding this time, maybe 1 round would randomly bind.

whether it be self affirmation or what, I still FELT like the altered magazine felt a little smoother. So I cut one more loop out and kept running rounds through it. I could consistently get all rounds cycled with no binding.

So...conclusion is....if you are having this problem. I think the spring cutting is worth a shot. Have peace of mind that I cut three loops out of mine and the magazine functions perfectly fine still. so in my opinion it can't HURT you, but it MAY help you.

But at the same time, I was also able to cycle rounds in an un-altered magazine much better than I was doing the other evening while laying in a natural shooting position but still would get an occasional stoppage.

So i'm not sure if I actually did anything or not, but I'm telling myself cutting the spring definitely helped.

if you try it, and it helps you, report back.

(None of my little snips were strong enough to cut the spring, so I used a pair of bolt cutters)

 

[RFutch]

thanks.

 

[Olen_4504]

thanks.

Let me know if you try it.

 

[RFutch]

Let me know if you try it.

I might not get to it till this weekend. Just looking at a magpul mag though and pulling out a round by hand, there’s barely any tension there now. Is that how yours was before you cut it?

 

[Olen_4504]

I might not get to it till this weekend. Just looking at a magpul mag though and pulling out a round by hand, there’s barely any tension there now. Is that how yours was before you cut it?

Yeah there’s not much a difference between the two (uncut and cut) compared side by side. You can tell when loading it the cut one is slightly easier to load but they are both pretty light as far as tension. I think it’s just enough decrease in upward pressure on the follower so the round isn’t so violently pushed up and bouncing around catching on the bolt face as weird angles.

 

[ShtrRdy]

Does the tip of the bullet start up the feed ramp before the feed lips let go of the base of the cartridge?

 

[Olen_4504]

Does the tip of the bullet start up the feed ramp before the feed lips let go of the base of the cartridge?

I want to say yes without looking at it. But I’ll have to wait until I get home to confirm

 

[RFutch]

Let me know if you try it.

Chopped a 5 round Magpul mag today. Took 2.5 loops of the spring. Definitely helped a lot. I might trim it some more but I need to load some more before I do. My dummy rounds are kinda jacked up and only two of them are worth cycling.

Thanks for being the guinea pig and trying this first. I think we found a fix!

 

[Olen_4504]

Chopped a 5 round Magpul mag today. Took 2.5 loops of the spring. Definitely helped a lot. I might trim it some more but I need to load some more before I do. My dummy rounds are kinda jacked up and only two of them are worth cycling.

Thanks for being the guinea pig and trying this first. I think we found a fix!

Awesome! I definitely don’t think it’s a 100% fix but better no doubt. I shot today and only hang a minor hang up for a second, other than that it ran fine. Shooting prone and other positions

 

[Freediver111]

Following! haven't had this issue, but good to know in case it pops up.