Customer brings you a Savage Model 110 chambered in 7mm Remington Magnum. The rifle appears to have been poorly maintained. Customer states that the rifle has been “misfiring a lot, lately”.
Upon further conversation, you get the additional information from her:
●By “misfire”, she means that the rifle does feed ammunition, but does not discharge a round when the trigger is pulled. She states the problem has been intermittent but getting worse.
●She has tried multiple brands and models of ammunition but has not noticed a difference from one to another.
(Safety)
1.How would you safely remove/clear the magazine, chamber, and barrel of ammunition and
obstructions?
Starting by making sure the firearm is on safe, I would then remove the feeding source to ensure I am not loading more ammunition in the process. I would then rotate the bolt and pull it rearward to expose the chamber of the barrel and make sure there was no live ammunition present. Finally, I would use a bore light to be sure the firearm is free of obstructions.
(Initial Inspection and Diagnosis)
1.What action type is the firearm in question?
Bolt Action
2.What is the most likely type of failure (failure to fire, failure to feed, etc.) the customer is
describing?
The most likely failure on the firearm is simply a dirty firearm. If the problem is intermittent and continues to get worse and worse than it is likely the components of the firearm are moving sluggish due to carbon buildup and the more it is fired the more it continues to build up carbon on key components.
3.What test(s) might you perform to verify the customer’s complaint? Why would you choose
this method over others?
A cool trick I learned years ago was to put sticky paper on the back side of a snap cap so you can see the punch of the primer without having to head to the live fire portion of the testing yet. If I get different results on the multiple firing pin strikes, then I can begin to focus there.
(Detailed Assessment)
1.If a component were damaged, what component would be most suspect and why?
I believe that if a component was damaged in this case scenario, then it may be the firing pin. It is possible that the firing pin is there but broken in the firing pin channel. This means the hammer striking the rear of the pin may push the parts to the appropriate distance to strike the primer on the round but in some cases it would not. It is also possible that the pin is not broke but rounded off or compressed and again is giving the user intermittent firing.
2.If the part you identified above needed replacement, where might you find a replacement and how much would this component cost?
Assuming it is the firing pin that was damaged and not just a dirty firearm, Brownell’s and other companies do not carry the firing pin for the Model 110 chambered in 7mm as far as I could find. This would be one of those times I would reach out to the manufacturer and find the correct part needed. They may have more insight on the issue and be able to help but they should definitely have the correct part.
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