why detachable mags. in tactical bolt guns?

[ACP]

What is the benefit to running detachable magazine bottom metal in a .308 bolt gun that is used for punching paper at distance?

vs. standard bottom metal?

I'm thinking Badger M4 vs. M5 here.

I hate losing mags... and wonder about the benefit of five (or 10) in a detachable mag. vs. 4 in an internal magazine.

Is it more a gun game thing??

 

[Reloadron]

The only advantages I can see is more rounds, more than for example a stripper clip on for example an 03 Springfield rifle. Tactical, even in a bolt gun, somehow implies detachable magazine holding 10 or more rounds.

Magazines are pretty hard to lose, the ones holding 10 or more rounds anyway.

Ron

 

[Bart B.]

One benefit is you can shoot more rounds before reloading. Another is reloading with an external magazine is easier with a scope than charging an empty box magazine.

But at the cost of zeros typically changing with different magazines. That was a big issue with M14NM rifles. Two matched magazines had to be used for rapid fire matches. Bolt action tube guns used in matches also need two matched magazines for the same reason. Tiny differences in the magazine fit cause different barrel vibration patterns while the bullets go through it.

Top ranked competitors can see a 1/4 MOA difference between magazines. If you can't, then don't sweat it.

 

[R.W.Dale]

Also with a detachable mags you are never faced with loose cartridges in the field. The magazine itself is a handy ammunition carrying case.

 

[C-grunt]

There are competitions out there, like the sniper challenge type matches, that require more than a few shots per stage. So the external mags not only get you more shots before reloading but also has a faster reload.

 

[barnbwt]

Because no one cuts their bolt-rifles for stripper clips any more. Detachable mags is the only other good way to keep rounds together for quick & easy (i.e. high speed low drag) use.

I personally think Mannlicher clips would be totally marketable on a lot of guns, but box mags are probably even cheaper for the small volumes being churned out.

TCB

 

[Ed Ames]

What makes a bolt gun Tactical?

I have two .308 bolt guns. One is...call it tacticool, since I don't know what tactical means in this context, while the other is a classic wood sporting Rifle. Both have detachable magazines.

Why? I think it is to make it easier to switch between loaded and unloaded, or vice versa. In many places it is illegal to drive in a car with a loaded rifle, so you take the magazine out and clear the chamber. Of course you can load and unload a fixed magazine too, but at some point you are managing loose cartridges.

I have heard that hunters often favor fixed magazines for hunting weapons because the magazine cannot come out or have the floor plate pop open spilling your cartridges on the ground. At the same time I have heard that laws or accepted practices in some areas require hunters to unload and reload several times each hunting day, which I imagine is why hunting rifles are available in both configurations, even from the same manufacturer.

In my case my tacticool rifle takes cheap 20rd magazines that are at least as convenient as plastic/cardboard ammo boxes. When I load (or buy) ammo I load it straight into 20rd mags, and when I go shooting I toss some mags in my bag and go. It makes storage, transportation, and everything else pretty simple.

 

[Ohen Cepel]

Detachable mags are preferred over internal mags by many, even hunters in some states since you can take the mag out to have an empty rifle rather than running the shells through the rifle each time (in some states the loaded mag will be an issue but not all).

For me I like if it takes a highly available mag like a Pmag .308 or an AR mag since I have those and don't have to buy expensive mags which only go with the one rifle.

 

[CraigC]

What is the benefit to running detachable magazine bottom metal in a .308 bolt gun that is used for punching paper at distance?

If it's a "tactical" rifle then it's not really made for punching paper, is it? In that context, they have detachable magazines for the same reason that AR-15's do. Get it?

 

[MistWolf]

What is the benefit to running detachable magazine bottom metal in a .308 bolt gun that is used for punching paper at distance

Why even ask this question? If you have no use for a detachable box magazine, don't get one. It's like asking why have a 5 gallon tank on your Harley if all you do is ride it around the block. The answer is obvious- it's not needed. Get a peanut tank

 

[ACP]

all good input, thank you. except for the peanut tank thing. I always thought that was just another Harley fashion accessory.

 

[ROAshooter]

large box magazines hanging out of the bottom of a bolt action....are for the "kewl" factor.....really using a bolt action for rapid fire is kinda silly...that what semi autos are for....bolt actions are typically used for precision shooting....and a large round count does not add to that. Do hunters really need a ten or more in a magazine for taking game???

 

[USAF_Vet]

Ever see or hear about British soldiers and their "mad minute" with a .303 Enfield?

Speed and precision, with a bolt action rifle, before the days where everyone had a select fire.

Hunters might not need it, if they are any good, but battlefield soldiers... yeah. Even modern day snipers and dedicated marksmen may have the need for rapid follow up shots or quickly acquire a new target. Spending time reloading loose rounds in a rifle may get good men dead if you are providing overwatch.

 

[taliv]

there's no reason you can't do fast precision shooting.

even the national match course, which is certainly precision shooting, involves mag changes on the rapid fire stages.

 

[Ed Ames]

large box magazines hanging out of the bottom of a bolt action....are for the "kewl" factor...

Not following you there.

A cap and ball revolver is for the "kewl" factor. A box magazine hanging down from my bolt rifle is there because the same magazine will plug into my semi-auto rifle, and I find that convenient.

..really using a bolt action for rapid fire is kinda silly...that what semi autos are for....bolt actions are typically used for precision shooting....and a large round count does not add to that. Do hunters really need a ten or more magazine for taking game???

Bolt actions are (to me) just rifles I don't have to fuss with gas adjustments on when load or configuration changes. They don't shoot any faster.

As for large round counts not adding to precision shooting, I have been told many times that the key to becoming a good precision shooter is lots and lots of trigger time. That means large round counts.

Who hunts? I know I'd like to/hope to start soon, but I wouldn't bring a rifle for that.

 

[wideym]

Loading from a detachable magazine lets you mount your scope lower to the receiver and more inline with the barrel.

 

[MistWolf]

large box magazines hanging out of the bottom of a bolt action....are for the "kewl" factor.....really using a bolt action for rapid fire is kinda silly...that what semi autos are for....bolt actions are typically used for precision shooting....and a large round count does not add to that. Do hunters really need a ten or more in a magazine for taking game???

Who said anything about need? If all you do is ride your Harley around the block, you only need a peanut tank. But there is nothing wrong with installing a 5 gallon tank if that's what you want

 

[Skylerbone]

If it's truly for tactical use, magazines are a great way to quickly change loads to suit your target.

I still use blind and hinged on many of my sporting rifles and save rounds that have been cycled for target use. More often than not, these rounds are unloaded by cycling due to cold fingers that have lost dexterity rather than out of convenience.

 

[Skylerbone]

Double tap.

 

[jmr40]

.really using a bolt action for rapid fire is kinda silly...that what semi autos are for...

No semi-auto is anywhere near as reliable as a bolt gun and few are as accurate. Especially in heavier calibers. The same is true with pumps and levers. I hunt with a bolt gun and on several occasions have had to get off multiple shots in a hurry. It is something I practice. I can get off 3 shots with a bolt rifle in under 2 seconds.

Ever watch any video of African hunters shooting multiple shots from bolt rifles when being attacked by dangerous game. Years ago when bolt rifles were the primary military rifles they practiced fast, accurate shooting. It is becoming a lost skill, but trust me, if you learn how a bolt rifle is both fast and accurate.

I'm not as accurate as this guy, but almost as fast.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b43aF4R0h40

 

[agtman]

* * * Another is reloading with an external magazine is easier with a scope than charging an empty box magazine.

In a truly "tactical" situation, i.e., the 2-way firing range, where you're running a bolt rifle, it's about faster reloading without fumbling, such as happens when trying to jam rounds in singley into an internal box magazine.

For just punching paper, hunting, or perhaps in some types of LR rifle or "sniper" competitions, it doesn't matter (unless the particular gun-game event requires a mandatory reload against time).

 

[JR47]

Actually, if you're "punching paper" without time constraints, the best rifle might well be a properly prepared single shot. The receiver is stiffer, it has fewer moving parts, and, technically, would be more accurate than any other type of rifle.

Saves you from dumping a blind mag, cycling rounds, or carrying extra magazines.

 

[Bart B.]

Regarding punching paper, single shots and various moving parts, nothing's shot test groups any smaller than what properly rebuilt Winchester 70 box magazine receivers have shot when properly tested. A few have equaled some of their tests made years ago.

Best example was 40 consecutive shots from one tested at 600 yards; all inside 1.92 inch. Same rifle put several 10-shot groups at 600 ranging from 0.7" to 1.5". All full length sized cases in a SAAMI spec (no tight neck) chamber.

Second place may be one that put 30 consecutive shots inside 5 inches at 1000; half of them were with brand new unprepped cases.

Compare that to current benchrest 600 and 1000yard aggregate records. Forget the tiny, 5-shot single group records; they're more luck than accuracy.

 

[Nom de Forum]

On a bolt gun I only see the following advantages in having a non-detachable magazine: less prone to malfunction, maintains same zero, makes it less likely that when unloading a round will be unintentionally left in the chamber, and when attacked by dangerous game you will not be killed because you did not notice your magazine detached earlier.

 

[bikemutt]

One benefit to bolt rifles with detachable magazines is they, and semi-autos, work the same, with respect to ammo loading, unloading and transport of course.