Just because you bought it "new" in '96 does not mean the rifle was made in '96....I.e., they had it in stock for some time (usually designated as "New, Old Stock", for example, on Gunbroker)
Ok, so you're looking for the actual detachable part.. They won't be cheap - no matter where you look - simply
because they're obsolete.. You could try doing a search on Ebay and Gunbroker to see if any are listed.
the "ML" box is used for the .300 WM, .338 WM 7mm RM etc for a standard Classic rifle (i.e., drop floorplate) and it's a blued item.. This confusion results from the differences in references between a standard M70 classic and the DBM M70 classic - since the latter uses a similar letter to denote the detachable magazine while the standard Classic uses the SAME letter to describe a box magazine used for the standard M70 Classic chambered in the full-length magnums..
I can fully understand your dilemma here.. But detachable magazines are not cheap in any rifle.. Even the total pos magazines that Remington sells for their line of rifles (740,742,7400,750,760,7600) run $30+ each - and the REAL value is about $5, tops...
Browning BAR magazines run $65-75 depending... But at least those WORK...
Hope I made it a bit clearer..
