I think I would take it to a smith. You might end up doing something you can't take back.

I once thought my bolt twisted and I tried like heck to get it to slide back into the rifle.....then I found out I was trying to twist something that wasn't meant to twist, luckily I was only using my own strength, not a wrench etc....then I finessed it and it went right in.

So ya maybe step back and take another look at it, maybe the safetys on and it wont open etc.....something odd/unique like that, you really shouldnt have to muscle something on a rifle, even in a jam/stuck round, can you fire the round?

Stick it in the freezer overnight then try again.

The first thing I would do is to take out the scope and the scope mount. On the Savage, if the screws for the mount are a bit too long, they will hit the bolt. Take that out and see if it helps. It happens too me once, I mounted my scope and sure enough I could not close the bolt. Other than that I cannot see anything else that would get the bolt stuck.

I believe the bolt might close on it if you remove the extractor from the bolt. Then you can safely fire it at the range or into a soft piece of earth. Then the fired case can be knocked out with a cleaning rod. IF the round is stuck partially out of fully being chambered so the bolt cannot be closed even w/o the extractor in place, TAKE IT TO A GUNSMITH for removal-DO NOT TRY TO HAMMER IT OUT! There have been cases in which such treatment caused the round to fire with the bolt open, and the BRASS CASE became a dangerous projectile!

Wow.

You know I said wow a whole bunch while going thru this thread.

I've seen this as well, I don't know why but the receiver holes are drilled all the way through (at least it is on my Savage) and it's right where the bolt lug engages so you don't notice it until you try to close/open the bot. Make sure it's not binding on the screw.

Good luck and let us know what the culprit is when you get it unstuck.

Yeah....not a good idea to start tapping on a live round stuck in a chamber...especially from the business end!

Gunsmith ... for a bunch of reasons, chiefly b/c you seem to be trying to plod your way through this problem and aren't sure about the problem. For that safety reason alone you should pay a professional and learn as much as you can from the experience. Would hate to see you learn a tragic lesson.