Blind Magazine, Hinged Floorplate or DBM

[BigBL87]

I would like to add one comment; when you have a DBM how often do you buy a second magazine for the gun?

I like to have 4 mags total for every firearm I own. However, I've made exceptions in 2 cases (My Savage 10 and my LCP II) because the mags are relatively expensive and at the time I didn't want to spend that much. So, I only have 3 for those.

 

[SCgman]

Have owned all three. None are show stoppers for me when purchasing unless that particular manufacturer has serious bad reputation for them.

 

[Legionnaire]

Most of my bolt action rifles have hinged floor plates, with a couple of DBMs and a couple blind mags. I don't mind the blind mag on my lightweight hunting rig, but generally find that the hinged floorplate works for most applications. I don't compete, but figure a DBM would be necessary for PRS.

 

[herrwalther]

I will make one point about DBM rifles. I have hunted with friends who use both regular bolt action rifles with DBM magazines and long range rifles with DBM magazines and they have one thing in common. That is, that the rifle and the magazine often end up in different places at the same time. Several times the user would hunt with a heavy coat in the morning and change to a lighter coat in the evening and end up with the magazine in the heavy coat pocket and hunting with a single shot rifle in the evening. Also, friends would call late at night and ask if their magazine was laying the the back floorboard of my truck. This is often caused by getting back to the vehicle after dark in cold weather. I am aware that this could never happen to most people on the forum.

The first bolt action rifle I bought was a Savage Axis in 7mm-08. Cheap, youth rifle I planned to keep for awhile to teach my son on as he got older. As I was buying it, I left the magazine right there on the shop counter and didn't realize until I got the rifle home about 30 minutes away. With larger magazines for ARs and pistols, they are easier to see and harder to forget. The gun store mailed me my left behind magazine at no charge, good customer service. As such I advocate investing in at least a second magazine for a bolt gun if used for hunting. Slip the spare magazine and some ammo in a hunting coat pocket as a just in case.

 

[Varminterror]

If it makes anyone feel any better about buying spare mags... I use a few different types of mags for my match rifles. In my 6 creed, I primarily use AIAW mags, around $75 each when I buy them. I have 4 of them. I also have a pair of 12 round MDT mags which are $80 which both also have $45 Area419 extensions for $125 per mag total (16 round mags for 15 round stages - which we don’t seem to do any more ). For my 6 Dasher, I have 4 more $75 AIAW mags, all with $45 HRD gear followers and spacers for $120 per mag, plus two $90 MDT 12 round mags with their BR kit. I have a couple 5 and 10 round AICS and Accurate mags I don’t even use... No part of me enjoys having a dozen mags totaling almost a thousand bucks, but it sure makes me feel less sting when buying spare mags for other rifles!

 

[Picher]

I don't like detachable magazines on hunting rifles or bolt-shotguns. I've lost magazines in the woods and it's not fun. Usually, they drop out while going through tight cover and you may not know it until it's time to go home. Detachable box magazines often get in the way when I want to carry one-handed. I prefer blind magazines, but once, I emptied mine and didn't notice that one round slipped out and into the chamber of my hunting rifle. It was raining and I was kind of in a hurry to get into the vehicle.

When I got home, I stood the rifle near the wood stove to dry, and soon after standing it against the wall, noticed that the bolt was closed, so picked the rifle up and opened the action. I was kind of "shaken" when a live round fell out onto the floor!

 

[cdb1]

Even though I don’t care for DBM’s at all and don’t have a bolt action rifle with one, I don’t see how the DBM on a Sako 85 could be inadvertently released. It is of excellent design.