Action holes to protect shooter?

D

docsleepy

Guest
I notice that my Savage rifle has two holes drilled in the action which appear to be there in order to release pressure if there were a case failure, and vent gas sideways rather than backwards.

I looked at some "benchrest" actions at my club, and I did not see similar pressure release holes.

Are these worth having, and if so, could they be added to a high dollar action?
 
Pressure release holes

I looked at some "benchrest" actions at my club, and I did not see similar pressure release holes.

They should...! Gotta vent the gas somewhere and AWAY from the shooter is best.

Savages have the raceways but also a baffle right behind the lugs that redirect much of the gas to the vent holes.

Remingtons and the like kinda get by with the "3 rings of steel" where the bolt face is shrouded in the face of the barrel tennon. This may help redirect the gas to the vent holes.

Remington clones (with raceways) and coned BF, most of the gas still will go down towards the shooter regardless of pressure release holes... Then the bolt shroud/baffle can deflect "some" of the nasty gas...:eek:
Halls and Bat 3-lugs GOTTA have the holes for venting....No raceways..!

cale
 
Take a look at Fred Barker's article in the June PS.

Good shooting.
 
Hi, I don't get that magazine; can you summarize his findings?

thanks
gordon
 
Remington 700's have a small hole in the front receiver ring. I've always thought it useless as I haven't figured how the gas once it's started down the open raceway is going to turn 90 degrees and go out the hole. It looks to me that any gas that's trying to escape the action will take the path of least resistance and go down the open raceway that's at least 4 times more area than the hole on the side of the action. FWIW, a 40XBR action that I have doesn't have the hole, while 700's do. It's my understanding that Mike Walker considered it useless and didn't put it into the 40XBR actions.
 
Don't know if it would have helped having relief holes or not, but my bloodied face would have probably guessed they would. Action did not have them, a custom BR action of course, but thank God I was wearing safety glasses. Right cheek, bridge if nose and forehead over right eye was bleeding pretty good that day, all from the powder!
 
On my 40x with the Savage bolt head conversion I added a hole right at the end of the bbl tenon, ie directly inline with the bolt face gap. It also helped that this 40x had a bit of corrosion on the exterior right where the hole needed to go.
 
No matter which action you have, a complete under standing of the current gas venting system is employed. Also you need to understand what methods are used to protect the shooter from gas venting. The best explanations I have ever found is what the designers had in mind. Stuart Otteson's books go into this for each action. Outside of this a degree in engineering would help.

Take for example a seldom discussed flash hole gas block usually on the firing pin. The bolt shroud as a gas block. There are more than just a few thoughts that have been used for many decades.

I have only seen a cure for one problem outside of the factory that really worked.
 
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