Pretty big assumption just based on one symptom from a rifle not seen in hand.
It could be a lot of things other than headspace... the brass, the loads, the primers. 🤷♂️
Yep. Time to delve into it with a critical eye, in person. Long distance third-hand internet guessing won't cut it.
If in the end it does need its "headspace corrected" (probably not needed unless some clown simply screwed on an orphan barrel) it's a helluva task with a Savage lever gun if we're talking barrel work. But, there's a trick: mixing and matching bolts. Bolts were made in incremental lengths and fit-and-tried at final assembly in the guns at the end of the assembly line to create an acceptably headspaced product. Note that all bolts were the same regardless of caliber, within the respective models. Used/orphan bolts can be found. But it's probably not a headspace issue anyway.
