What to do (Savage M25 17 Hornet)

[bmoore]

So last January I got a Savage M25 walking varminter in 17 Hornet. I love it, its light, slim, points well, simple and it absolutely drives nails with any bullet and powder I have tried. I took a bunch of jack rabbits last year with it with very very few misses. One problem......it doesn't eject. It extracts fine but the case just falls off the bolt face over the magazine. I called Savage last January thinking "easy fix". They sent an extractor and ejector kit, springs, plungers the whole deal. Replaced both of them, same problem. I really don't wanna send this thing back, I love the rifle.

It really does not bug me too much to reach in and pull it out or just rotate the rifle 45 degrees when I work the bolt and have the brass fall out. I handload and kinda like that I don't lose any brass since I only have about 220 pieces of it. But in the back of my mind it kinda bugs me the rifle does not work properly. Anyone got any last minute advice to the problem? Should I send it back or just shoot it how it is? Thanks.

 

[ShadeTree]

A couple of questions. Maybe dumb ones, but just running stuff through my head, so here goes.

Is this always just single loading, or is it doing it when dragging an empty back across a full magazine?

Have you tried it with the mag just jostled loose from it's latch?

What I'm getting at is the mag might be sitting just a tad high and is pushing the empty case off the bolt face on return.

I had one here developing loads for it, great gun as you say. If I remember correctly it was an all plastic mag with a plastic catch at either the front or rear. If it by chance works with the mag slightly lowered, you could file the bottom of that plastic catch so the mag doesn't have to go up in quite as far before clicking over the latch.

 

[bmoore]

Great info.....but it does it single loaded as well with the mag out.

 

[ShadeTree]

Ok so not that. What about with a full magazine? Still does it?

 

[bmoore]

Ok so not that. What about with a full magazine? Still does it?

Yep. My best diagnosis so far is the bolt rail in front of the ejection port inside the receiver. It used to cut/put a small dent in my brass on ejection. It was super sharp from the factory. I filed it slightly with a needle file and seemed to stop if from putting the tiny "cut" in the brass. I think that may be what it the brass is hanging up on.

 

[ShadeTree]

Ok so not that. What about with a full magazine? Still does it?

Yep. My best diagnosis so far is the bolt rail in front of the ejection port inside the receiver. It used to cut/put a small dent in my brass on ejection. It was super sharp from the factory. I filed it slightly with a needle file and seemed to stop if from putting the tiny "cut" in the brass. I think that may be what it the brass is hanging up on.

Could be, sounds like you might be on to it. You probably already looked at it every way possible, but if you pull the bolt back REALLY SLOW, can you see at what point the brass is coming off the bolt face and what is causing it?

 

[ShadeTree]

BTW, whatever it is, I hope you get it ironed out. But to answer your original question, if it's primarily a fun paper puncher and not needed for quick follow up shots on yotes and such, I'd keep it even if it's not ejecting properly. You never know, a replacement from Savage might eject fine, but not shoot as well.

For what it's worth, the one I worked up loads for was the opposite. Ejected fine from what I can remember, but had feed issues feeding from the mag. You needed to hold up on the rear of the mag a bit to get it feeding in smooth if I recall. But like yours, it shot lights out. Fun rifle.

 

[bmoore]

BTW, whatever it is, I hope you get it ironed out. But to answer your original question, if it's primarily a fun paper puncher and not needed for quick follow up shots on yotes and such, I'd keep it even if it's not ejecting properly. You never know, a replacement from Savage might eject fine, but not shoot as well.

For what it's worth, the one I worked up loads for was the opposite. Ejected fine from what I can remember, but had feed issues feeding from the mag. You needed to hold up on the rear of the mag a bit to get it feeding in smooth if I recall. But like yours, it shot lights out. Fun rifle.

Thank you for the replies, I appreciate it. I am leaning towards that. It is such a great shooter and is just a fun, paper punching, water bottle blasting and varmint rifle.