wbm, that is good to hear. Seems to be a lot of animosity towards the savage but even though I haven't had much time with this rifle and am not satisfied with performance at this point I really do like the rifle. It is pleasant to shoot, I like the trigger and the action isn't bad. Oh yeah...I think it's a cool looking rifle despite what others think. Basically I need it to perform as I'm getting attached to it.
the Savage is far from my favorite action (I like Hi-Walls and Lo-Walls and Ruger #1's). The 700 Remington is OK, and I have one that I consider my favorite hunting rifle. But it's also not the most accurate, yet it does everything I want well. So be it!
Savage actions are hard turned on CNC lathes. Nothing new under the sun as I did it thirty years ago (maybe even longer). Are known for their straitness out of the box, due to the process set up by a process engineer. Barrel nuts are here to stay, and they are not a Savage idea by the way. They have advantages can cannot be approached with a shoulder seated barrel, but the big advantage is cost. If you understand mechanical engineering, you know the advantages and disadvantages.
Back to hard turning and a touch on gun drilling (yes I've done that as well). I've hard turned American Steel drill bushings many times. All it takes is a diamond or (in my case) a ceramic insert and about 1200 rpm. Don't let a chip hit you! Savage uses 4350 or 4360 pre-treat steel (per Bob Greanleaf) for their actions. That's probably about 32rc, but they may spec it 28rc to 34rc. About 45rc is about the max these steels will harden (have seen a few go 47rc). Virtually all C/M steels used are in that area. Stainless steels are all pretty close unless you get into the exotic stuff that are hard to work with on a production basis (I've worked with 15-5, 17ph4, 18-5 and one other I cannot name). Most everybody uses a 416 variant. It's pretty the case where "if I can tool it up, I can cut it."
Gun drilling can be a black art, mostly because few folks do it anymore. It is actually easier (for me anyway) to drill a piece of steel slightly hard rather than dead soft (chips were the issue). Now real hard stuff can be a nightmare, but gun barrels are not 50rc. Tough metals will cause you to drink vast quantities of Malox. Try drilling a 24" piece of 17ph4 sometime. Not real hard, but pretty tough. I've had more than my share of gun drills twist up in the process. Coolants and coolant pressure are extremely critical when you enter into this world (most machines cannot produce enough volume at the desired pressures). Add to this the much needed filtration systems (note plural).
Lastly metal hardness has little to do with the ability to withstand high heat. It's the alloy structure! Hardness will effect the wear properties, but trust me five point either way won't mean a thing.
gary
