Savage 24

[Broken Wheels]

Guys, I have a problem with my Model 24 Savage in .223 over 12 gauge. I picked it up at the Mesa gunshow and the first time I fired the rifle portion the action flew open. Now I realize you can NOT use nato rounds in this weapon and only actual .223 caliber rounds and tha tis what I was using. Does anybody have any suggestions or possibly a gunsmith that wont "break it off in me" to diagnose this weapon? I appreciate anything you can do for me, Broken Wheels.

 

P.S. it is a serial # F098489 which they are claiming is a 1995 model.

[youngbuck]

accuracy speaks is at rio salado range. they are real good fairly reasonable, but slow at times. Kodiak precision is excelent and faster but may be a skosh more (just a WAG), youd have to call to find out. both do great work in NE mesa

[.270]

why can't you use nato rounds in it? the .223 rem and 5.56 nato are the exact same round. only difference might be crimped primers in the nato, but that shouldn't have any bearing on anything. sometimes you can see some excessive pressures when reloading military brass with the same load as factory brass because the military brass is thicker, having a tighter powder chamber and it causes higher pressures with like loads, but i've never seen that in the .223. happens a lot with '06 brass tho. i'd say the lock is bad on your gun. might be why it was for sale. they made several lock styles on those over/unders, what style does yours have? Lark.

[bonecollector]

I thought the 5.56 had more pressure than the regular .223? Some manufactures state that their weapons will only shoot the .223 and will not warranty if you use the 5.56 military rounds. I could be wrong though.

[.270]

most military .223 (5.56 nato) shoot a larger bullet and require a lot quicker twist in the barrel than most .223's have and the larger bullet won't hit worth a darn, but i can't see where a nato round would build up really high pressure. a .223 is a pretty small case and isn't known for making a lot of pressure. anybody else got any info on this? i'd never heard anything like this before. i shoot a .223 a lot and load hundreds of them every year and would like to know about this. Lark.

[More D]

5.56 is loaded to "slightly" higher pressures. But it is higher.

 

BW, if the failure is as bad as it sounds there might have been a different issue with the rifle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[akuritone]

I am a friend of Broken Wheels and another strange thing is it shoots the 12 gauge fine and doesnt break open the action. I suggested the possible 5.56 Nato thing because I had read that they are loaded for higher pressures to aid in cycling the action of semi autos.

 

Problem was, he was using standard rem 223.

 

Jeff

 

[.270]

i've looked at everything i can find and don't see anything about the 5.56 being loaded hotter. with the way liability is dealt with by attorneys, i can't see anyway this is gonna be the case. i have over a dozen reloading manuals, don't see anything about this in any of them. i load the heck outta my .223. the more powder i cram in it, the better it shoots. compressed loads every time. never even seen a poochy primer. i don't shoot 75 grain bullets, like most m-16's, but i don't see anyway a 5.56 nato load is gonna put out more pressure than a .223. no rumors now. i wanna know what the deal is. as far as the gun popping open, it's gotta be the lock. shotguns don't have near the pressure as a rifle. may have more recoil, but that is completely different than pressure. the top barrel is always the rifle on those savages, that could have something to do with it, but it still has to be a problem with the lock. be careful. Lark.

[azpackhorse]

The .223 Remington and 5.56 NATO are definately different. The 5.56 NATO has up to a 1/8" longer throat and a little more headspace than a .223 Remington allowing a higher powder charge. If 5.56 NATO rounds are fired through a .223 Remington chambered only rifle if COULD lead to higher chamber pressures.

If you are not sure then I suggest taking the rifle to a gunsmith and having the chamber gauged, it is a relatively easy process to ream the chamber of a .223 Remington to 5.56 NATO specs.

[.270]

now you're talking rifles, not ammo. the have a little longer throat to take tha longer bullet that m-16's use. m-16's also have a real fast twist to stabilize the the longer bullet. with different powders you can probably overload a .223 without a compressed load. nato rounds are made to shoot people in a full auto. they have FMJ bullets that are intended to make a cleaner wound and shoot bullets that won't shoot accuratley in most .223's. but they have the same case and case capacity. i can't see where you could load one hot enough to harm a bolt action. anyone know what the pressure reading actually are?

[azpackhorse]

Typical .223 Remington pressures are 55,000, 5.56 NATO pressures are 58,000 BUT if a 5.56 NATO round is fired through a .223 Remington chambered weapon the pressure could build up to as much as 10,000 PSI more than the recommended 55,000 PSI of the .223 Remington.

You are correct, the case is the same except for the thickness which allows a higher powder charge and greater velocity.

Honestly, unless you are shooting hot NATO 5.56 ammo, then you really have nothing to worry about but to be on the safe side you really should shoot the ammo that your weapon is chambered for.

[cactusjack]

The Savage 24 is a break-action. I know that when I was looking to get some WSM's cal. done for my Thompson Encore addiction, I was told that many of the custom barrel makers that had made them, wouldn't make anymore of them and even recalled some of the barrels. The pressures were too high and there was too much rear thrust for the break-action. Maybe that is the case here. Anyway, take it to a smith and have him check it to be safe. I have had a rifle blow up in my hands before and it isnt fun. Just sayin.

[roninflag]

call savage it should fire factory ammo just fine.