Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors Cartridge counter

Out in the woods this weekend I noticed that the cartridge counter does not "line up". I had 4 cartridges in the magazine and one in the barrel, but the counter showed halfway between 4 and 5. With 3 in the magazine it showed between 3 and 4. Is this typical?

Regards,
Mike

I don't know how typical it is but I have heard others make the same claim on the old forum. It sounded to be fairly common from the responses.

I had the same problem until I took apart the rifle and pulled out the spindle and put a little more tension on the spring. Then the numbers lined up correctly and it fed better. Rick

Thanks guys

Rick, how is "more tension" or any tension for that matter applied on the spring? Is it a torsion spring or an extension/compression spring arrangement? I haven't taken my spindle out, but would like to clean it. My concern is how you know when the tension is right. Thanks Dan

Its a recoil spring like on a lawnmower or other pull start vehicle. You apply preload to the spring then re-install rotar assm. into the receiver. There are several indentations (6???) in the lock plate that the rotar is affixed to that have to line up in order to put the rotar retention screw back through the frame. Tension is a trial and error thing, you do not want too much, 1-2 indentations ('bout a 1/4 turn or so) will probably do the trick.

That Sir, is most valuable information -- thank you. Think I'll go play with it while I listen to the President. Have a good one. Thanks again -- Dan.

I hate to sound stupid, but how hard is it to remove the magazine spool to do the tension adjustment?

It is not that difficult to take it all apart. I have done it too many times. The one thing to know is that the bolt through the spindle is a counter clockwise to tighten, or left handed, thread. Like RAM said, it is a torsion spring. There is a hole inside the end of the spindle that the spring goes into and a hole on the base of the spindle bolt plate that the other end of the spring goes into. Once you get it apart it is pretty easy to see the mechanics involved in tightening the spring. There are indentations cut into the spindle bolt plate (not the official name), maybe 5 or 6 of them, and a screw passes through the receiver and secures the rotor with the correct tension on the spring. Through a little trial and error you can get it right. One thing to be sure of if you reload; I thought I had a weak spring because the rounds were not feeding through my 30-30. I came home and put some factory ammo through it and they fed just fine. It turns out the clearance in the magazine was so tight that if the shell were not resized exactly back to the original dimensions, they would hang up on the sides of the magazine. I turned my sizing die in about a 1/4 turn and tried the shells again and they fed fine. Rick

And while its out don't forget to polish up that purty brass roar with some Mothers, or Flitz, or Semi-Chrome, or Top Brite...etc.etc.etc. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />