Well, let's see... **goes to get the Savage out**

My 111 does it too. I'm going to say that it's normal. It's probably because when the striker is ****ed, there is spring tension between the striker spring and bolt that makes it feel tight and smooth. When the striker is released, that tension goes away, allowing the bolt to move more freely between fully closed and where it starts to rec-ock the striker.

Big Z,

Actually, the striker is c-ocked in about the first 50-60 degrees of bolt travel. What you feel in the last 20 degrees or so is the lugs camming out of battery. This is true with most 90 degree bolts. My rifle is sitting on my lap right now. You can see the c-ocking action happening if you watch the sear extension/bolt release lever on the right rear of the receiver move as you open the bolt. When the lever is down, the sear is down and the striker is not ****ed. When the bolt is lifted you can feel the tension from the striker spring and watch the lever come up as the sear rises behind the striker's c-ocking piece.

Mike