OK, based on several forum discussions, I am hearing on the Savage ML, there is a known issue with making sure the bolt handle is all the way down. Apparently, even the slightest uptick in the handle can and will cause a light strike.
This morning, I took about a dozen of the Federal 209 primers, which are known to cause problems because they are sometimes seated too deeply, and fired one after the other. I made sure the handle was all the way down each time and I never had a misfire. Maybe that was the problem all along (maybe not). I'll test and re-test to see if I ever get a light strike again and if I do, I'll start worrying again.
In the meantime, if someone has something more to offer, I'm all ears.
Thanks,
I own a the same exact model 10ML-II as you do stainless steel wood laminated stock. I bought mine the first year it first year it came out. I have at least 1700 rounds down the tube in mine. Never had any lite primer strike or any other issues with mine. Never even heard of the 10ML-II having a lite primer strike issue so it's news to me.
To be 100% forthcoming I have NEVER disassembled and cleaned my 10ML-II's bolt. Yes I soak it regularly in my home made non-heated vibratory cleaner and clean the outside of it very well but never have disassembled it. It never gave me any cause to.
I also used Federal, Winchester and CCI 209 primers in mine. My 10ML-II never showed a clear preference for any 209 primer shot great with all I used. I stuck with Winchester as I had bought a butt load of them.
Hunted with it and shot it in very low double digit temps and because it was loaded with smokeless powder I would pull the primer and leave it loaded for an entire hunt for 2-7 days at a time and fire it at the end of my trip if I didn't take a shot at a deer. As an experiment I once left it loaded primer pulled for one month after ML season closed and took it to my rifle club and it not only fired it kept it's zero vey well.
All of the loadings I fired from it were/are ultra high performance non-Savage loads using non-recommended or approved Savage powders like RL7, RL10X, H4198, IMR4198. Slowest load I fired using 290-325grn bullets was 2300 FPS/MV fastest was over 2400. With 245-250grn bullets I was pushing from 2550-2650 FPS/MV could have pushed it to over 2800 FPS/MV if i wished to, but I was getting great groups at 200 yards so I stopped at 2650. Never had a single issue ever. Not one.
If I recall most bolt actions will have issues if the bolt becomes dislodged upwards that's why so many now will lock the bolt in place while safety is on. IIRC, Mauser's 96/98 control round feed bolts have had this feature pre dating WWI Hence the three position safety copied by first I think Springfield in the 03 and then Winchester for their M70 fallowed by Ruger with their M77 were again IIRC the first American rifle makers to copy this from Mauser. My model 96 Mauser in 6.5x55 that was made prior to WWI has this type of bolt.
I will advise you to think long and hard before you part with your 10ML-II as getting another one will be quite difficult and VERY costly and if you stick with the slower lower pressured factory loads it should give you superb accuracy.
I absolutely LOVE my T/C Encore and both my Knight Elites especially since converting to only ever using BH209 which turned my non-smokeless in lines in to consistent tac drivers. My T/H stainless Elite with the bare primer conversion is consistent literal three shot one hole 100 yard in line with BH 209.
The biggest difference between my non-smokeless and smokeless in lines is max effective range. My 10ML-II easily has at least 2x the effective range of my non-smokeless in lines.
But when it comes to in line ML's, nothing IMO beats the convince and performance of a smokeless inline.
