Savage B-Mag Maintenance

It’s possible I missed them, but I didn’t see rack after rack of rifles chambered for the exciting new and heavily reported upon Winchester Super Magnum (WSM) rimfire at the 2015 SHOT Show. Maybe that’s really not a first. If I’d been attending the first SHOT Show to follow Elmer Keith’s development of the .357 and .44 Magnum cartridges the same might have been said of wheel guns.

Once the dynamics of the immortal Elmer’s new rounds had created arising public demand for revolvers to discharge them, a little grass was allowed grow beneath the feet at Ruger and Smith & Wesson to design, develop, and bring forth revolvers capable of delivering the promised performance of both magnums. I did not attend the SHOT SHOW at which those subsequent offerings appeared initially. Judging by SHOT 2015, they are still going strong.

While that brief history of a cartridge preceding a firearm is true enough, what follows illustrates a reversal in which case a prototype rifle played a significant role preceding the cartridge by suggesting anew caliber. The story begins when I was attending a Ruger Armorer’s Training Program session back in the 1980s. A firm knock at the door interrupted the instructor. When he opened it, there stood William Bannerman Ruger holding a stocked rifle with a heavy barrel.

Apologizing for the interruption, he asked to show the class the rifle and stepped into the room. Displaying the small size of the bore hole centered in the oneinch OD barrel he announced to all present that small hole had the potential of housing and discharging 17 WSM cartridge.

In recent years I can recall no other new round receiving as much printer’s ink as the .17 WSM. the best rimfire caliber ever made. " So far," he continued, " I haven’t been able to convince any (expletives deleted) ammunition manufacturer to make it!" After thanking us for listening, William B. Ruger left the room carrying what most of those present believed to have been a prototype of a rifle chambered for .17 caliber. As they say, time passed. The persistent "Mr.

B."eventually convinced Steve Hornady, well established producer of ammunition and other gun-related products, to become involved. Inputs from Marlin R&D, a powder maker, and a team of Ruger/ Hornady engineers were formed and maintained. The result went public as the .17 HMR (Hornady Magnum Rimfire.) Since then, some industry wags have often referred to the round as the .17 Hornady/Marlin/Ruger.

The current onslaught of gun writer ink devoted to performance praise of the Winchester Super Magnum has had little to do with inspiring the .17 Wunderpill. The idea got started at Winchester. Partially due to their legendary rimfire successes, Savage was contacted to develop a platform for the WSM. A team of engineers from both companies worked together through thousands of rounds to design anew rifle around anew cartridge. A major concern arose among the Winchester people.

The rim of their cartridge was quite heavier than other rimfires. As you have noticed, most rimfire rounds get touched off by a rectangular-shaped firing pin, leaving a similar indent in the rim. Wouldn’t the thicker rim of the WSM present increased resistance to a rectangular hit that frequent misfires would result? Take a look at tip of the B-Mag hammer. It is round, not rectangular, at its impact point. After the design was proven by extensive test firing all concerns were eliminated.

The B- Mag and .17 WSM became a near instant success with its eagerly awaiting shooting public. There remained one problem. The rifles did not rest long in dealer inventories and the same scarcity crushing all .22 caliber ammo sales was the doing the same with .17 WSM food. Hoarding of all rimfire ammo and retail price gouging of what was available were the major contributors to the initial

Always depress the bolt release on the side of the receiver to extract the bolt completely. It’s quicker. shortage, which only intensified due to public dread of future ammunition restrictions being considered. Among these proposed "gun control" measures was the totally impractical laser micro-engraving of numbers on bullets. But that cockamamie idea has yet to become reality.

One significant reason is engraving numbers on any bullet would have to be so shallow that those numbers would be rubbed into illegible gibberish during a single trip down a rifled barrel. There is some good news. I was assured by more than one major ammo maker that the small caliber market is being leveled out. Rimfire is now coming off production lines in millions-per-day batches Availability of the .17 WSM isn’t totally out of the woods yet but has measurably improved.

There’s no way I can see either Winchester or Savage allowing their collective creations to vanish and predict along life for both. I further predict zero longevity for varmints out to 200 yards. All the aforementioned gun writer ink expended about the Winchester Super Magnum makes it unnecessary for me to repeat its performance data here verbatim.

In the unlikely possibility that ink has escaped your study, direct your browser to "Winchester ammunition" and seek out "Winchester .17 Super Magnum." Take your pick of data sheets and articles written in high praise, print them out and gorge. Among your customers, however, there will eventually arrive one bearing a B-Mag. To date, the rifle has never benefited from media coverage to equal that of the WSM. Never mind, as a gunsmith, what you need to know about the Savage B-Mag you’re about to discover here.

The former adjusting screw, which had a couple of indents into which the tool fit, has been replaced by a spring loaded wheel (A). The trigger guard pops up and taken off toward the front sight in preparation for stock removal. A A Closer Look I’ve always felt Savage and Ruger do a better job with their manuals than any other firearm manufacturer. With that praise having been given, I recommend you get ahead of the game.

Call Savage and request their manual covering the B-Mag, Mark I, Rascal, Mark II, and Model 93 rifles. Further, I recommend studying the sections dedicated to the B-Mag, which the owner of the rifle is never likely to do. I said study and there are several items you should commit to memory. Among those you’ll notice right off is the tang safety of the B-Mag. When B

it is positioned fully to the rear, the trigger is blocked and the bolt can be opened. This is exactly how the action should be maintained when the rifle is being loaded. Most newin-box rifles arrive these days without their bolts installed in the action. The B-Mag arrives likewise. There’s only one way to install it. Before doing so, check the four digits on the bolt. They must match the last four digits of the rifle’s serial number. If not, make no attempt to install the bolt.

Instead, call Savage, tell them what’s up, and they’ll let you know immediately what must be done. A mismatch of serial numbers demands Push the pin to the rear and remove the extractor. Cover the front of the bolt when you remove the tool. The extractor spring is still inside. Athat particular B-Mag should never have that bolt installed, let alone be fired with it installed. Let’s return to more positive things. The serial numbers match up.

With no ammunition in the rifle because the eight or ten round rotary magazine (owner’s choice) has been removed, position the bolt handle to 11 o’clock. Align the bolt release slot on the bolt with the bolt release in the receiver. Insert the bolt. Press the release inward. Push the bolt forward. Rotate the bolt handle down and let up on the release. Cycle the bolt a few times to make sure the release is keeping it within the receiver. B American Gunsmithing Association

The head and hammer area single unit. Dreamer that I am, I’m going to assume that the owner has checked the serial numbers, installed the bolt, checked the bolt release function, and handed over the B-Mag with the barreled action in the stock. To hell and risking a shot off toe with assuming. You place the safety ON, open the bolt, check the chamber, the numbers, and remove the magazine. Place one hand under the rotary magazine.

With your free hand, depress the magazine latch and eject the unit downward into your waiting hand. Leave the bolt open. Invert the rifle. Insert a flat blade screwdriver into the slot. Gently push inward while pushing downward on the retaining tab. When you have applied enough pressure the trigger guard will pop up from the stock. Grasp the guard and remove it forward, You are still looking downward into the stock. There are two screws securing the action to the stock. Loosen both with a 5/32" Allen wrench.

These screws are captive in the bedding pillars. Once the screws are loose enough to release the receiver there’s no need to back them out further and there’s no sense trying. Look for the Accu Trigger adjustment screw. I did an entire article on the trigger in the December 2004 issue. When I wrote that piece a special tool for the Accu Trigger came with the rifle. It was a knurled knob attached to a small OD tube with its end notched and fit inside the housing to either lighten or heavy up the trigger pull.

There is no such tool accompanying the B-Mag. I discovered the reason after a closer examination of the trigger assembly housing. There, under the extension at the rear of the trigger is what the manual kept referring to as a screw. It has no head or slots like a screw, but is round like a wheel. It revolves to the right or left like a wheel with scalloped wedges all around it and you won’t need any tool to adjust the trigger. To lighten, lift upward on the spring and rotate it clockwise.

To increase the pull, lift and turn counter clockwise. Range of pull weight runs from 2.5 to 4 pounds. The spring must not be turned beyond these trigger pull limits. Check the pull after each adjustment. In another respect the Accu Trigger hasn’t changed. No replacement parts whatsoever are available but a request for an entire Accu Trigger assembly for any Savage rifle originally equipped with it will be filled as promptly as possible.

Beyond The Owner’s Manual In the case of a B-Mag, going beyond means disassembly of the bolt. You’ll be working on it from its rear to its front. I suggest you place each part removed adjacent to its presence in the drawing. After disassembly, you should end up with a 3D approximation of the drawing. Let’s begin building said 3D image. Back out the bolt cap retaining screw (7) and pull off the bolt handle cap (16). Reach for the snap ring pliers. Apply them to and remove the retaining ring (14).

It is possible you will find an irregular painted spot on the rear of the bolt. Leave it alone. It’s the mark placed there by the factory assembler of the bolt. Examine the cocking pin (4). It resembles a small dumbbell but one end of the pin has a larger diameter than its opposite end. Now examine the cam lock. Notice how the cut out in the lock resembles a figure eight. It’s larger at one end than on the other, just like the cocking pin.

When you compress the cam lock initially the larger end of the figure eight cut will surround the larger end of the cocking pin. Push down on the pin to remove it. In this disassembly the sear pin (5) could be pushed out as soon as the hammer is removed. In reassembly, after the rear assembly is holding together enough pressure must be placed on the cam lock to center the sear pin hole in the bolt body cut before the pin is installed.

My recommendation is to allow the sear pin to remain in the hammer until the time comes to rejoin the front and rear bolt assemblies. Doing so gave the rear assembly an assist at holding together until the actual mating takes place but does/did not eliminate the application of pressure on the cam lock to align the pin in the bolt cut. Right about now you have an option to consider.

You can postpone the assembly reunion, simply dump all components of the rear assembly onto a magnetized disassembly pad and move on to the front bolt assembly. If that be your preference, insert the tip of a dental or other small tool between the rear of the extractor (6) and the dowel pin (15). Push the dowel pin to the rear. Simultaneous with the push, get a hold on the extractor. Perhaps you haven’t noticed just yet but the extractor seats inside the recess at the back end of the extractor cut in the bolt.

Wiggling the seated part will unseat it, You have to be defensive now. An unthinking removal of the extractor will release its spring and the dowel pin to escape to a place only to be discovered after along, tiring, wearying hunt. Either set an escape-proof trap for the two potential fugitives or take a proven, effective, world-wide tranquilizer before setting off on the search.

I was just wondering, do you suppose it will ever come to be that the .17 Winchester Super Magnum will ever be nicknamed the .17 Winchester Savage Magnum? Despite the initials being the same… no way. AG

Savage B-Mag (Specifications may change without notice) 504 Scope base 506 Scope base screws 529 Swivel studs 555 Action screws 556 Stock pillars 10 Magazine assembly 12C Bolt handle 12CA Bolt handle cap 12CB Bolt handle cap screw 18 Stock assembly 19A Trigger guard 68 Front magazine mount 68A Front magazine mount e-dip 13 HAMMER 2 PC FIRING PIN 14 RETAINING RING 5/8" BOWED 15 DOWEL PIN 16 BOLT HANDLE CAP 17 BOLT HANDLE, RH 7 RETAINING SCREW 8 FIRING PIN RETURN SPRING 9 BOLT HANDLE RETAINING PIN 10 MAIN SPRING 11 EXTRACTOR SPRING 12 FIRING PIN 2 PC 1 109691-17 WSM 2 BOLT, CAM LOCK, RH 3 MAIN SPRING RETAINER 4 COCKING PIN 5 SEAR PIN 6 EXTRACTOR