16ga.com ~ View topic

Joined: 18 Feb 2015 Posts: 32 Location: SW WA state

Hello!

I have a Savage 720 that won't eject, and one of the first things that was suggested was to make sure I had a good spring in there, so I ordered one from Numrich and it's a good inch shorter than the one that my gun already had installed.

Can anyone tell me how long that action spring should be in that gun? I'm pretty sure the longer one is the correct one, but want to double check before I return the numrich one.

I did oil the tube and friction ring and tried to move the ring from end to end to see if that was the problem, but it's still doing the same thing. Shell won't clear the ejection port and the next shell tried to come up underneath.

Extractor and spring seem fine. Ejector looks ok.

Thanks and Happy New Year!

Joined: 13 Apr 2017 Posts: 180

What power shells are you using? The Savage might need 11/8 ounce loads to function. I have both a Browning and a Savage. Loads in either require adequate power, not light loads. 11/8 ounce works best.

Joined: 18 Feb 2015 Posts: 32 Location: SW WA state

hm... OK, all my 16 gauge shells are one oz of #6. I'll have to find some heavier ones and try again. My existing spring doesn't seem all worn out or bent. The new one just seems way too short.

AND I like the Remington factory 1 1/8 ammo as the hulls are a bit shorter Smile

Joined: 13 Apr 2017 Posts: 180

Might try the shorter spring to see how it works.

Joined: 03 Sep 2014 Posts: 406 Location: Rochester, MN

I have a Savage 720 in 16 gauge that exhibits similar issues.

The gun fails to extract Cheddite hulls regularly. It works much better with Federal hulls.

I had a gunsmith inspect the gun. He stated that its headspace is out of spec.

The Savage 720 has a single extractor while the Browning Auto5 has dual extractors.

I think this gun was not designed to fire shotshells with steel heads.

Joined: 18 Feb 2015 Posts: 32 Location: SW WA state

My dad used to have this issue with his Savage 775a in 16ga and he was told it was probably chambered for shorter shells. Years ago there was a guy back east somewhere (I think his name was Maynard) that supposedly specialized in correcting this and dad always intended to send the gun to him but he never did. I remember he took the gun to a number of smiths who said they could fix it but none ever did. Try using the shortest shells you can find; a little bit can make a lot of difference.

Joined: 09 Dec 2012 Posts: 739

are you talking about the recoil spring, under the forearm ?

If so, is this what you ordered ?

https://www.gunpartscorp.com/products/1408640a?_kx=REYPGdNI2BfTwXx-haBN82SqvFW064vLGXOE_LAee-M%3D.UTSAg3

There were guns set up for 3 shells and 5 shells. Also there is a particular order for the friction rings depending on light or heavy loads. Maybe repeating something that you already knew.

Here is a downloadable US Gov PDF that has a section on the 720. Friction rings and ejection issues are around page 217. Over on the left side of the page is the controls that will allow you to download the PDF.

This forum software won't let me attach it for you

https://archive.org/details/TM9-285/page/n217/mode/2up

Joined: 18 Feb 2015 Posts: 32 Location: SW WA state

Joined: 18 Feb 2015 Posts: 32 Location: SW WA state

Member Joined: 30 Nov 2011 Posts: 1753 Location: Minnesota

https://www.gunpartscorp.com/gun-manufacturer/savstevspgfld/shotguns-sav/720-2

Seems like there's a action spring inside the stock that can gum up over time. How long has it been since the action has been totally apart and cleaned and the stock off to clean this spring?

Joined: 09 Dec 2012 Posts: 739

Joined: 18 Feb 2015 Posts: 32 Location: SW WA state

Joined: 18 Feb 2015 Posts: 32 Location: SW WA state