Savage floating bolt head question

[Tim Singleton]

I own a few savages and they are very accurate for what they are.
My question is on the floating bolt head. Is the design concept so the lugs can float to contact both lug surfaces of the action when fired? This has been my assumption.
If that is so doesnt it mean the locking surfaces in the action would still need to be true with the barrel threads from the factory to see any benefit from the floating bolt head?

 

[Robert]

I own a few savages and they are very accurate for what they are.
My question is on the floating bolt head. Is the design concept so the lugs can float to contact both lug surfaces of the action when fired? This has been my assumption.
If that is so doesnt it mean the locking surfaces in the action would still need to be true with the barrel threads from the factory to see any benefit from the floating bolt head?

I see this principle only as a machining simplification that the manufacturer turned into a selling point.
Such a bolt lacks rigidity and the only advantage could be the capacity to change case heads diameters.
I would not use the term 'floating'.
R.G.C

 

[savagedasher]

The bolt head make it easy for manufacturing . You have one body you can put many heads on. along with control feed and push feed .The head floats so it find a center on off center chambers. Many of the barrels including the pre fits the threads aren't in the center of the bore. The floating head helps to take to correct the problem. When the gun is fired the head adjust to load each lug with the same pressure. Larry

 

[Tim Singleton]

The bolt head make it easy for manufacturing . You have one body you can put many heads on. along with control feed and push feed .The head floats so it find a center on off center chambers. Many of the barrels including the pre fits the threads aren't in the center of the bore. The floating head helps to take to correct the problem. When the gun is fired the head adjust to load each lug with the same pressure. Larry

Exactly what I was thinking or had always thought. When I thought about as you describe the barrel threads prefits included as well as action threading arent centered to each other. It looks like the bolt head floating to come square to the locking surfaces could introduce more stress? Just thinking out loud

 

[BoydAllen]

Although much about the Savage undoubtedly came as a result of simplifying its manufacture, there was an unanticipated benefit, from the floating bolt head. It works. A friend who makes, benchrest actions, once considered adopting floating bolt heads, but discarded the idea because in his case, it would have complicated production, but they made a few, and he told me that they seemed to shoot just a little better. IMO the thing that holds Savages back is their whole fire control system. A friend who has a tunnel, used a Shilen action (threaded for their drop in, nut style barrels, intended for Savages) on a rail gun to do extensive testing of a new short range benchrest bullet. He will tell you that he was impressed with the accuracy of the nut type barrels, and if anyone would know, it would be him.