FTE with my Savage 99c in .308

Andronicus

Andronicus

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I have been shooting surplus 7.62NATO (Austrian Hertinberger FMJ) in my Savage 99c. It seams that after around 15 shots, it starts to feature FTE malfunctions. As this older gun is new to me, I have never fired .308 rounds, I can't tell you if it had this problem with .308 rounds. I recently inspected the extractor, and it does not have obvious wear.

Any suggestions other than not using my remaining 200 7.62NATO rounds?
 
I am 'plinking' shooting a 10" gong at 100m, so not precision and relatively fast, but not 'rapid fire' cowboy action. Shooting the 4 round magazine in 40-60 seconds (when shooting from a rest, you have to lift the gun to cycle the action), then a reasonable break while reloading and talking.

Doing some more reading on the internet, this seems to be a common problem with all but Remington and Winchester ammo. So, maybe I'm just SOL. Internet seems to suggest new extractor seems to improve but not fix the problem. The jammed rounds are in there quite tight. It takes a decent impact from a cleaning rod to knock them out (not a hammer).
 
With your left hand reach underneath and using the smooth back of your fingernails, put pressure against the exposed portion of the extractor claw and keep it from jumping off the round. Use your right hand to operate the lever and the extractor will stay on the round pulling it out, no rod necessary.
 
Some European loads are higher pressure than what’s loaded on this side of the pond, i had extraction problems with surplus ammo in my 99 as well, never had an issue with regular commercial .308 loads from rem win or fed
 
Nyksta said:
With your left hand reach underneath and using the smooth back of your fingernails, put pressure against the exposed portion of the extractor claw and keep it from jumping off the round. Use your right hand to operate the lever and the extractor will stay on the round pulling it out, no rod necessary.
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Thanks for that tip. I will try it out next time I am out shooting.
 
That ammunition is loaded too hot ( high pressure) for your rile. When I owned a Savage 99 that symptom would show up when I was developing handloads, well before the "book maximum" load was tried. If it was me I would stop using that ammo in that rifle. Your ammo is probably safe in other rifles, but not safe in your rifle.
 
its not a pressure problem, even low pressure ammo has extraction problems in 99s. the extractor claw is a very long thin piece of metal that is too skinny to maintain proper spring pressure.
 
Well - My own experience with Hirtenberger was that it was pretty hot. Combine that with whatever brass alloy and temper they use, and you end up with ammo that can bind in the chamber after firing. One may not notice this in a rifle with good primary extraction and a robust extractor, such as a bolt action, but the 99 is not strong in these matters. Cleaning and polishing the chamber may help, otherwise, you may have to switch ammo.
 
cosmic said:
Well - My own experience with Hirtenberger was that it was pretty hot. Combine that with whatever brass alloy and temper they use, and you end up with ammo that can bind in the chamber after firing. One may not notice this in a rifle with good primary extraction and a robust extractor, such as a bolt action, but the 99 is not strong in these matters. Cleaning and polishing the chamber may help, otherwise, you may have to switch ammo.
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I have 200 rounds. Can't just switch... Maybe I will sell either the ammo or the gun.

Any tips for what bulk ammo will work good in the Savage 99?
 
Well - Why dont you go out and pick up a cheap box of commercial ammo? If the rifle cant handle that, then you know you have a problem with the rifle, otherwise, its the Hirtenberger thats the issue...
 
cosmic said:
Well - Why dont you go out and pick up a cheap box of commercial ammo? If the rifle cant handle that, then you know you have a problem with the rifle, otherwise, its the Hirtenberger thats the issue...
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Cheap... .308 Commercial Ammo...? What?
OK, Cabela's has Herters brand for $1.15/round. That is about as cheap as it comes I guess.
 
Andronicus said:
Cheap... .308 Commercial Ammo...? What?
OK, Cabela's has Herters brand for $1.15/round. That is about as cheap as it comes I guess.
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I would go with one of the big name brands. You should be able to find Winchester SuperX, Federal Blue box, or American Eagle for ~$25 a box. If this starts happening after ~15 rounds, it might be best to get two boxes as you might not run into the issue on just one box.

I would also definitely try holding the extractor like suggested above. Knowing whether that works will help you trouble shoot this.
 
nomad 68 said:
you're using the wrong rifle for plinking. You'd be better off swapping it for a bolt action.
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How so? If it goes bang, its good for plinking IMO. Now, you might not want to use a high-end rifle for plinking due to the potential for wear and tear, but we're talking a $500-600 gun not some $5000 custom gun.
 
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