Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Savage Arms new 'Impulse' cracked its casing!

Has anyone heard of this one? My brand new Savage Arms 'Impulse' (straight-pull bolt) kept jamming in the worst way -- the bolt would start to unlock and then freeze in the semi-unlocked position and could NOT be reseated or opened until everything cooled down. The local dealer and gunsmith examined it and found tiny cracks in the casing that apparently interfered with the bolt's ball bearing locking system. Savage is sending a new rifle replacement. I guess we'll see. An engineering design flaw?

Colonel...you have a lot more patience than I. Looking at the Impulse cutaway video...If by 'the casing' you are referring to an annular ring in the receiver that the balls engage...wild horses couldn't get me to pull the trigger. When I think of cracks, I think of brittleness. Is there a worse result in steel hardening than brittleness?

Hope you have better luck with the replacement. Edk

To me, things that have explosions inside them not far from your face should have a little history behind them. Those 98's seem to be coming on alright,

Sounds to me like you dodged a bullet, or rather the other end of the little bomb you were setting off. Good thing you quit when you did. Not sure what the casing you’re referring to is. As I understand it, the balls lock into a barrel extension (steel) and the receiver that holds everything together is AL-OO-min-um because it’s not under stress.

Now I’m certain I don’t want one. Good luck with your new one. Perhaps your experience will make them take a closer look at what they doing.

EDIT: Just looked at their cutaway, and it seems that the balls lock into some sort of collar in the receiver, not a barrel extension. I don’t care for that much, as it seems like a weak point.

Savage can make accurate guns...but for years Savage has been designing dangerous guns....look at the 110 ML they stopped production of.

I would be asking for a refund. There is no telling how many of those made it out of the factory with that issue as well.

This smells like a case of hydrogen embrittlement It's rare but real.....

I've told my story about Savage arms several times before so won't bore you with it now.....but there's no Savage guns in my house. I think the Model 99s were great guns before they started chambering them for cartridges with pressures greater than the .300 Savage....but today I wouldn't give a dime for a truck load of savage rifles.....

How would there be hydrogen embrittlement in a rifle? I have inspected for (and found) it in certain vessels here in the refinery.

Didn't expect it to be a problem in a rifle.

What is your basis for believing the 10ML was a dangerous design? I'd like to see some facts on this.

I too would be interested in how the 10ML was a dangerous design. Be well, RZ.

Unless the piece is chrome plated, it,s not hydrogen embrittlement. GD

Unless the piece is chrome plated, it,s not hydrogen embrittlement. GD

Colonel, help me out here. Are the cracks in the aluminum receiver that holds the barrel and bolt together?

Thanks.

You can have hydrogen embrittlement on steel that has never been chrome plated. Seen it many times on simple capscrews and bolts.

I don't get what the attraction is to straight pull guns. Over engineered pieces of crap IMO.

Life is too short to own an ugly rifle.

Some of the YouTube videos I've seen, I sure as hell wouldn't want somebody with one of those old Swiss K-31's popping away at me. They don't quite hold up to the 'Campfire' standard of 1/2" groups all day long...but still accurate as hell.
As far as ugly rifles go...the M-39 Finn made a lot Russian soldiers lives too short, and it pretty well takes the cake for ugly. Walnut and blue is nice, but I'll take accurate every time.

“Sorry! We haven’t got the money to R&D/produce a new Savage 99, like THOUSANDS of you have asked for in the last 30 years, but we managed to develop a $1400 straight-pull bolt action, that no one asked for, EVER!!”

Sincerely,
Savage Rifles

They didn't even develop it. It's a knockoff of a Heym bearing locked straight pull, and if this issue is any kind of general indicator, it's a poorly executed knockoff.

I would too. If the op wants a rifle with the straight pull design, he should buy a Swiss K31. That's a proven design and they are extremely accurate. If not, just learn how to use a regular ol bolt action. I wouldn't risk my life on a rifle like that.

dont see the attraction of a straight pull design


you give up the considerable mechanical advantage of a turnbolt for what cant be more than a Milli second gain in speed

Well done sir. If your day job goes to schidt, you have a place at the Babylon Bee for sure.

Its in the recess of the barrel that will contain the ball bearings that keep the bolt from going thru your forehead.

This isn't just Savage, it's every company making anything.

If they did produce a new model 99 it would probably cost about $2000 and few would buy them. The receiver and rotary magazine and other assemblies are very labor and machining intensive to produce. Pretty much why they quit making them.

The old Mannlicher M1890/1895 is a pretty solid straight pull design as well, but that 8x56R is pretty stiff recoiling, and there aren't many choices for bullets or brass these days, since they have an oddball diameter bore.

The 8x50R Mannlicher is a LOT more pleasant to shoot, but the rifles and brass are very hard to scrounge up, since most of them got rechambered to 8x56R before WW2.