.22lr plinker guns, Don't know if I like magazines.

[Texan Scott]

Châteaux hit on it... magazines are slower IF YOU ONLY HAVE ONE.
The idea is to have a pocketful already loaded, kicks. You might need to get online and make that a priority.

 

[CajunBass]

I've never thought it was THAT big a deal to reload a ten round magazine.

I guess I'm just not in that big a hurry to shoot up my ammo.

 

[idcurrie]

I actually find it MUCH faster to load a tubular magazine than any kind of removable magazine.

I find that loading the marlin 60's tube mag by simply dropping the rounds in as fast as you can line them up is much faster than trying to push them into and back of a spring loaded magazine with resistance.

I find that I can load 15 rounds into a tubular magazine in LESS time that it takes me to load 10 rounds into a 597 or 10/22 magazine.

Further, if you're in the field, you can pull out the tube magazine follower and hold the rifle and it in one hand and charge the magazine with the other hand. No need to put anything down.

How, exactly, do you do that with a 10/22?

 

[Reloadron]

I just bought my first .22 rifle yesterday. Its a marlin 60. I bought it because I wanted something cheap to buy and shoot. I would prefer something that loaded from the receiver end like lever actions and shotguns do, I feel that would have the advantages of a tube fed gun but be easier to load, and have the ability to "top off" rounds. Since i'm just going to be target shooting the accuracy reputation of the marlin outweighed that concern. Eventually I want to get a tube fed lever .22 that can feed shorts, lr and everything in between, which I think would be the ultimate survival tool.

Someday consider a nice little Browning ATD rifle. Loads from the stock and is a take down. During the early 90s Interarms imported thousands of Norinco (Chinese) made knock off versions of the little Brownings. Wish I would have held on to a few but they are out there to be had. Not quite a Browning but not quite the price either.

Ron

 

[45_auto]

Further, if you're in the field, you can pull out the tube magazine follower and hold the rifle and it in one hand and charge the magazine with the other hand. No need to put anything down.

How, exactly, do you do that with a 10/22?

Just like I do with any other box-magazine fed rifle (M16, M14, FAL, M1 carbine, etc) where I want to top off or reload the magazine in the field. I've been sticking the top of the butt stock in my armpit and the bottom of the stock over my arm, leaving both hands free, for the last 50 years.

 

[Texan Scott]

See, with a 10/22, I wouldn't reload the empty magazine at all.... just replace it with a full one.

 

[BCRider]

Unless you're operating a single shot gun they ALL have some form of magazine.

It may be the classic separate stick mag. Or it may be a tube mag. Or it may be the chambers of a revolver. But each of these options are a magazine of some form.

Come to think of it when I'm enjoying my single shot .22 rifles I still have a magazine. I tend to stuff 6 to 8 rounds between the fingers of my fore stock hand and reload from there.

If you tend to fire off rounds from a REPLACEABLE magazine gun faster than with a FIXED magazine gun then that is simply your own fault....

Having said all this drivel I'm on your side. I prefer my tube and single shot guns over my (one) magazine fed rimfire rifle. I only finally bought my Ruger 10/22 because I'm about to embark on a "project gun" build. I may or may not keep it in the end. Otherwise I'm far more taken with single shot, pump, lever and bolt guns for rimfire rifles.

 

[Carl N. Brown]

A tube fed rifle or revolver has a constant rate of fire because there's no down time while reloading mags.

My experience is that there is just as much downtime reloading a tube magazine or a cylinder, as there is in reloading a box magazine.

Let's see in .22 plinking and hunter guns, I have
Marlin 39 Mountie, tube magazine
Marlin 60 auto, tube magazine
Remington Nylon 66, tube magazine
Rumanian training rifle, box magazine
Armalite AR7 Explorer, box magazine
Ruger Mark II pistol, box magazine
(My revolvers are .38, .357 and .455.)

 

[22-rimfire]

See, with a 10/22, I wouldn't reload the empty magazine at all.... just replace it with a full one.

I guess you buy them already loaded.

I prefer a tubular magazine. I have both. I think I can probably load 10 rounds quicker with the tubular mag as compared to an empty 10-round box mag.

 

[CajunBass]

How, exactly, do you do that with a 10/22?

You're kidding aren't you?

It ain't exactly rocket science. You drop the magazine in one hand, stick the rifle in the crook of your arm, reload the magazine, put the magazine back in.

What's confusing, or hard about that?

But if you like a tube, it's fine with me.

 

[22-rimfire]

I kind of ignored that point Cajun. It's easy to hold a rifle and load a detachable box mag and not in the least bit unsafe unless you are pointing your rifle at someone while you are loading the mag.

 

[d2wing]

To each his own. I seldom use tube feed rifles because the are a pain to load and unload each time to you change location. Anybody that thinks tubes are easier or quicker doesn't load and unload much. Tube feeders are ok but you realize you are reloading and unloading twice each time. I recently replaced the tube. Magazine for a Winchester .22. The replacement tube is crappy aftermarket And doesn't fit right.

 

[22-rimfire]

I usually shoot my tube mags empty. I seldom unload one.

 

[chicharrones]

I can think of one thing that makes me not want a gun with a box magazine. Every time I purchase a gun that comes with a box magazine, I feel compelled to buy several extra magazines whether I really need them or not.

With a tube magazine gun, the gun costs what the gun costs.

With any box magazine gun that I purchase, the gun costs more than just the price of the gun. Usually to the tune of 10% to 20% more than if I bought an equivalently made tube mag gun.

 

[garymc]

I have 1 single shot bolt .22 and 4 tube fed .22's. The single shot was my first gun and the most accurate non-scoped gun I've ever fired. But I like tube fed. I have a
Speed D Loader, but don't use it much. You can also take the paper tube from a men's pants hanger and use it to make a tube feeder.

 

[22-rimfire]

... or an arrow

 

[Clipper]

A tube fed bolt or lever gun will feed shorts or CB longs reliably, while a mag-fed rifle will not. My BL-22 will hold 22 shorts, or 15 CB longs and feed without a hickup. Pricey, but light weight and accurate.

 

[45_auto]

I'm jealous of the people with box mag .22's that can easily hold up to 50 rounds. Last time I put the 50 round tube on my Speedmaster it stuck out 2 feet in front of the barrel and everyone at the range laughed at me. It would probably make a great flagpole though!

 

[22-rimfire]

45 Auto, I surrender. I have this image in my mind of your rifle with a tube extending out a couple feet and a white flag dangling. Maybe the Don't Tread on me flag would be more appropriate.

 

[45_auto]

Since this question of which is the fastest to reload (box or tube) is obviously of vital national importance, I felt it was my duty to conduct an experiment to satisfy my curiosity.

I used a Remington Speedmaster and a Ruger 10/22.

I figured that starting from pulling the trigger in a standing position would give me the most consistent results. Since I don't have a range handy at the moment, I used the following procedure while my wife was out at the grocery.

1) Set stopwatch to zero.

2) Verify rifle is empty.

3) Verify rifle is empty again.

4) Verify rifle is empty again.

5) Hold rifle in shooting position to shoulder with weak hand in normal position on forestock.

6) Start stopwatch (iphone) with trigger finger.

7) Grasp stock and pull trigger

8A) Tube: Flip rifle over in weak hand and extend tube with strong hand
8B) Box Mag: Shift gun to crook of weak arm while dropping mag into weak hand.

9) Both: Grab a handful of .22's from open Federal bulk box with strong hand.

10A) Tube: Drop 10 cartridges into tube mag.
10B) Box Mag: Insert 10 cartridges into Box mag.

Note: This step took the longest and about equal time in both cases. You must manipulate the cartridges in your hand into the rim-first position required for both types of magazines. I found that it took me as long to line the rim up with the rim-slot in the tube and drop the cartridge as it did to stick them in the magazine.

11A) Tube: Slide tube in and lock in place with strong hand.
11B) Box Mag: Grab stock with strong hand in trigger position while inserting magazine into gun with weak hand.

12) Lift gun into firing position and pull trigger. Look at stopwatch.

Note that I did not cycle the bolt to load a round or cock the gun prior to step 12. I did not want to shoot up my milling machine which I was using as a backstop.

11) Unload gun and repeat from step 1.

RESULTS:

I did it 5 times for each gun. Both guns averaged around 25 seconds. Fastest was 23 for both guns, slowest was 28 for both guns. Biggest factor for both guns was how many of the cartridges in my hand had to be flipped around to get the rim into the correct position. A couple of times I dropped 2 or 3 cartridges so I made sure to always grab a few more than 10.

CONCLUSION:

There is no significant difference in how fast you can reload and fire a .22 again with a tube magazine or a single box magazine.

 

[steady shot]

I have a couple of inexpensive plinkers. The Marlin XT-22 tube fed and the Taurus 94 (9 shot .22LR).

Both are versatile guns and are fun to shoot. I like the Marlin because it with shoot .22 short, long and long rifle. It will hold 25 shorts, 19 longs and 17 long rifle cartridges. The Taurus will shoot the Aguila no-powder rounds all the way up to the hottest 22 LR cartridges.

I have packed the Taurus along on days when it has rained and or snowed as well as on long ATV rides. Never had a problem with it. I bought the Taurus used for $275 and the Marlin new for about $200.

 

[Reloadron]

A tube fed bolt or lever gun will feed shorts or CB longs reliably, while a mag-fed rifle will not. My BL-22 will hold 22 shorts, or 15 CB longs and feed without a hickup. Pricey, but light weight and accurate.

That isn't quite true. My Remington 511 Score Master uses a 5 round small box detachable magazine. I believe there are also 10 and 15 round magazines available for it. It shoots .22 short, long or long rifle without any problems at all. They load, shoot, extract and eject just fine round after round from the small detachable box magazines.

Anyway who really cares as to how long it takes to load or unload a magazine? When going out and shooting a .22 plinking rifle does it matter? You are out for the shear enjoyment of shooting the rifle and not under a timed stress test loading or unloading the thing.

Ron

 

[Sav .250]

A clip fed 22 is not as fast as a tube type. I don`t quite understand your logic.
But if you say so.

Get yourself a 22 with a tube and be happy. That way instead of loading 8-10 rounds at a time you can go 15 or more at a time.

A clip type was a better choice for me as the shot was the important part not the re-loading.

 

[berettaprofessor]

There is no significant difference in how fast you can reload and fire a .22 again with a tube magazine or a single box magazine.

Nice work 45Auto! Now the only question is if one wishes to keep several magazines around or a tube speediloader.

A clip fed 22 is not as fast as a tube type

A CLIP-fed 22 might be really fast if they existed! Where does one buy 22LR's on clips, anyway?

 

[45_auto]

A clip fed 22 is not as fast as a tube type.

I'm guessing you meant box-fed, not clip, as pointed out by berettaprofessor above. What's your times for reloading a box mag .22 versus a tube?

I don`t quite understand your logic.

Tube fed = 23 seconds to reload
Box fed = 23 seconds to reload

My logic says that 23 = 23 = the same.

That way instead of loading 8-10 rounds at a time you can go 15 or more at a time.

I was using 25 round mags in the Ruger. I loaded 10 rounds because it was a nice round number. I could have used 25, except I've never seen a tube mag 22 that holds 25 rounds of long rifles so I wanted it to be comparable.

A clip type was a better choice for me as the shot was the important part not the re-loading.

You believe that the feed mechanism is more important to accuracy than the chamber (PTG or Bentz or match versus standard) or barrel? I've never seen a manufacturer's barrel with a standard chamber that can come close to a barrel using a target chamber and the appropriate ammo.