Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles No play in magazine box

A recent discussion brought something to my attention that I've read about before. Specifically, that a too tight magazine box can bind the action and cause inaccuracy in a rifle.

I grabbed my Ruger M77 Mk. II, popped open the floorplate, and checked the magazine. There is no play at all in the magazine box with the floorplate open. Would it be advantageous for me to mill down the magazine box a bit to give it a little play? Could modding the magazine box in this way affect the rifles current performance negatively?

I'm not unhappy with it's current performance, even though it has room for improvement. This rifle isn't the "internet typical" less than MOA all day long (if I do my part) that is so often claimed, but it's current performance is good enough for hunting.

Given factory ammo that it doesn't like it can turn out 2-2.5" groups (5 shots). With factory ammo that it favors it will turn out < 1.5" groups (5 shots). With good handloads it will turn out 1-1.25" groups (5 shots). And with it's few favorite handloads it will turn out groups in the .5's to .8's (mostly 3 shot groups).

Would it be worth my time to mill a bit off the mag box to give it some play or should I just leave well enough alone?

You don't have the forward trigger guard screw gorilla tight, do you? Mine is just barely snug, and not quite that.

If you want to know, pull it apart, remove the box, reassemble and test fire again without the box.

They also tend to like the forward lug screw gorilla tight. Have you bedded it?

I still consider 1" 5 shot groups as just fine, unless you competing in benchrest. The next question to really know, after you pull the box, is to find out what she does at 200, 300 etc.

I had it bedded, floated, and the trigger lightened by a smith a few years back. Honestly, I haven't touched the action screws since he worked on it so I don't know.

I guess the easy answer is pull the box and single feed and see what happens.

Thanks.

Be sure the center screw is just snug and I would float the mag box.

+1

You have a hunting rifle that will put 3 shots with good handloads into less than an inch and you want to monkey with it???? What are you going to accomplish? Maybe it will put 3 shots into 1 hole. Will that gain you anything?
Any of my hunting rifles that will consistently give me the type of accuracy you already enjoy are considered reliable meat getters and done.

It's true, that it's 100% functional as a hunting rifle as-is. But if floating the mag box has the potential to give me gains in any way with little to no risk, why not?

The second reason I'm considering it is consistency / repeatability of it's current accuracy. If the mag box isn't floated and I break down the rifle will I get the same accuracy upon re-assembly? Or will the max box bind causing my sub-MOA groups to start giving flyers? It's much like the argument to bed a rifle that already shoots well. One may wish for consistent, repeatable performance.

But I appreciate your point of view. I knew there would be those that thought I was a numpty for even thinking about tinkering with it.

I'd float it. Just file the cut outs on the bottom of the mag box deeper. There is one on the front and rear. Doesn't take much to float it. If the mag box isn't floating, it in theory could be putting upward pressure in the middle of the action.

Install a bore sighter, loosen and tighten the screws and check the readings before/after.

Not sure if one can remove the mag box on a Ruger, but if so, remove the box and repeat the process.

I just bought a Hawkeye-- see my recent thread.

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbth...4277/The_shaman_s_last_30_06#Post8924277

I relieved about .2" off the bottom of the magazine first thing. Some people remove twice that. It seems to be something you can do that easily removes one factor from the mix.

The other thing I did was go out and get a torque wrench and tighten the front screw to 92 in/ft and the back screw to 60 in/ft. The middle one I just made barely tight.

BTW: One thing it WILL do, accuracy aside, is it will make the assembly of the rifle easier. When I first got the rifle, I put it on a wood stock from the original tupperware. I was worried the wood stock wasn't going to fit. I had a struggle getting itall to go back together. After relieving the bottom of the magazine box, it went back together like a dream.

One other tip. When you reassemble the rifle, put a piece of electrical tape over the catch for the magazine. That way, when you tighten everything down there will be just that much more clearance. It makes it easier to open.

Just to be clear...

Here is the magazine box from one end.


And the other.


Upside down from first end.


Upside down from second end.


And a side view.


Where does the milling need to be performed? Just along the entire bottom edges?

Thanks.

In pictures 3 & 4, I just removed a small amount of material in the bottom of the notches with a file -- deepened the notch, so to speak. If I could do it without screwing up, anyone can.

Ah, I see dogcatcher223 also mentioned the cut-outs on the bottom. For some reason I was thinking the entire bottom edged needed to be filed.

Glad I asked.

Okay, she's fixed. There is now a bit of play in the magazine box with the floor plate open (and with it closed there is no rattle).

Interestingly, the last person to have this action out of the stock was the gunsmith (when he floated and bedded it). The screws were no where near torqued to Rugers specs (According to my Wheeler F.A.T. wrench, which isn't necessarily the most accurate.):
Front action screw was ~40in/lbs
Rear action screw was ~15in/lbs
Middle screw was correct as it was just barely snug.

After replacing the action in the stock I torqued to the following:
Front action screw ~65in/lbs
Rear action screw ~45in/lbs
Middle screw just barely snug (< ~10in/lbs).

When attempting to close the floor plate, it wouldn't latch. After a little trial and error I determined that it was the rear action screw causing the binding.

I backed the rear action screw down to ~40in/lbs and the floor place still wouldn't latch.

I backed the rear action screw down to ~35in/lbs and the floor plate latched, but with a little difficulty.

I backed the rear action screw down to ~30in/lbs and everything worked 100%.

Anyone foresee any issues with these torque settings?

I know that Ruger recommends 95in/lbs of torque with the front action screw, but I don't trust the $30 Harbor Freight torque wrench enough (and the F.A.T Wrench only goes to 65in/lbs). I've read the HF 1/4" torque driver is known to have issues (fails to click when you've reached desired torque settings) and I'd rather live with ~65in/lbs than damage the firearm trying to torque it to spec.

Is this in a wood stock now?

If you've got the floorplate latch moving around when tightened, then you have a bedding problem that can be fixed. I would get everything bedded properly if I were you. There should be no binding when tightened, not even of the floorplate. That means that something somewhere is high-centering.

This is in a factory laminate stock. It was bedded by a local smith who came recommended to me.

It might be time for a skim bed... It happens..

Azar, have you shot it yet?