+1 on what Rolex said about cleaning the OWB, that already happened to me once on the savage. I thought I had to replace it, because the pullstring kept on slipping, then I tried the advise I read here, and that saved me from buying the OWB right away. But then if you notice a small broken piece falling after removing the bearing, then it may really be time to get a new one.
I would also like to share this short video of the savage conquering the snow [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_kA88M0rck"]Video 1[/ame] and [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vQCi0mAYhA"]Video 2[/ame]