Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Detachable Mags

I went on record a while back denouncing detachable mags on hunting rifles. I stand by that. It's not a gun control thing. I'm not trying to say you shouldn't be allowed to own one. I'm just saying it is impractical to have one in a rifle that is supposed to be dropping game in 1 shot. I generally don't load any more than 3 rounds when I'm hunting, just to cut down on the hassle. I figure if I've got a need to blow more than 3 rounds at an animal, something is seriously wrong, and I need to take a time out and rethink my strategy. This is all said with a big YMMV proviso.

Well, in what some of y'all would call the height of hypocrisy, the next rifle I went out and bought had a detachable mag. Why? Well, for one thing, I liked everything else about the rifle. For another, it would seem that detachable magazines are the way the mfgs are rolling these days. I bought this TC Compass on a bit of a shoestring. I had two of my main-battery deer rifles go toes up in the space of a month. One is permanently toast, the other is still out at the gunsmith and probably won't be back in time for season. I saw the TC Compass for under $325 and went with it. There was a lot of comprimises I made with this rifle. One was that it came with a black plastic stock. I despise them, but I have to say they are practical. So far, I like the rifle. I even like the design of the mag. It has a more solid feel to it than my Ruger American. I like the 3 position safety. However, the reason for the 3 position safety is somewhat negated by having a detachable mag.

One thing I try to do with every rifle I buy is buy at least one extra magazine if it is detachable. This goes all the way back to the beginning of my centerfire experience. I bought a used Remington 742, and had all sorts of trouble with the mag. Lo and behold, it was the magazine that was causing the trouble. I bought a new one, and when it worked, I bought another. My reasons for keeping this magazine thing going are:

1) If I lose the mag 20 years down the road, will I be able to find another?
2) If I can find it, will I be able to afford it? I got the second mag the same day as a rifle for $25 on Ebay. That's about 60% of list. I've gone looking for spare mags for a Savage 340 and been astonished at the prices.
3) I might as well take advantage of why a detachable mag is there to begin with: to make reloading simple.

A detachable mag makes loading in the dark simple. It makes unloading in the dark simple. It makes reloading in the middle of a hunt simple. I've only had to go to the second mag once, and this was in 2005. A deer took 3 rounds of 35 Whelen and just stood there. It's a long story; suffice it to say it's easier to deal with a mag than dealing with loose rounds under pressure. I also do a lot of hunting out of treestands, and a detachable mag does take some of the risk out of losing rounds and having them fall 20 feet to the ground. A second mag reduces the chance that I'm going to have to climb down the ladder. Listen to me; I'm talking myself into detachable mags all on my own.

So now comes the reason for writing this: First off, I'd like to hear about your thoughts on having a second mag at the ready. Second, how do you carry the second mag? I normally keep my ammo, in whatever form in a possibles bag and move extra rounds to my right bottom coat or vest pocket when I load up, so I have ready access.

I think you answered your own question Shaman,

My conclusions are the same as yours.

Couple additional things both having to do with noise afield:

The noise generated by loading an adl style magazine in the stand involves a lot more click-clacking than with a magazine (especially a plastic one like a Ruger or a magpul)

An advantage to a spare loaded magazine is the rounds don't clink loosely in your jacket pocket at just the wrong time.

Hope this helps

I've only recently switched a couple of my rifles over to AICS detachable mags so I've only got a couple of years with some of them. In most cases I still prefer blind mag on lightweight rifles but do appreciate the AICS mags.

First: I've never had to go to a second mag. The mags I use in the rifle are 3 round mags. Would certainly be a quick to load another if needed but in most of the areas I hunt it's tough to get a second (clear) shot off.

Second: I carry it in the top of my pack. If in a stand the pack is hung near me. If on the ground and it's on my back it would take me a while to get to it. Again, it would be very rare for me to need more than the 3 so I don't plan for a quick reload. It would be fast and easy to carry the second 3 round mag in one of my right front pockets......or just use a 5 or 10 round mag in the rifle.

I only own one two centerfire rifles with detachable mags. An AR-15 and a Rem. 760. I really dislike detachable mags in bolt action rifles. I simply won't buy such a rifle. It seems to me that gun companies are going with detachable mags to save $$. I've never had a situation in over 50 years of hunting where I needed more shots than the four or five rounds that my rifles held.

As for carrying extra founds, when hunting deer with my 760 I just put an extra loaded mag in my coat pocket. When using my bolt action rifles I carry extra rounds in a cartridge holder on my belt and keep one extra round in each of the two front pockets on my coat. I guess I should ad that I've shot everything from Rabbits to Elephants with my bolt guns and never ran the gun dry.

About 25 years ago, when Remington first started making DM versions of the 700, I was interested in them. Then, one day when I was at my gun club, there was an older gentleman there teaching a sniper course for local LE. I asked him about detachable mags and he emphatically told me they weren't needed on a precision rifle. Since then, I've bought a few rifles with detachable mags, but because I liked the gun (Tikka) and not because of the mag. BTW, the older gentleman's name was Carlos Hathcock.

Detachable mags are great for predator hunting. Driving from stand to stand it simplifies loading and unloading.

An added thought to my previous post, I carry extra rounds for safety, NOT because I expect to use them on game, but to fire warning/signal shots in case I get lost in the woods or fall from my tree stand, etc. Hence the extra magazine.

And Magpul makes AICS pattern mags that are plastic - a bit less noise/rattle than the metal AICS ones.

I don't care for DM's on a hunting rifle. That said, one of my favorite rifles, my Sako 85, has one. It doesn't actually seem like a DM, you can leave it in the rifle and load through the top or take it out, as you wish. It's got a tricky little retention system so it's not going to fall out accidentally. I usually drop it out to unload it, but put it right back in the rifle. (I've had a couple of instances of having to replace lost DM's and their cost is way out of proportion to what it should be, IMHO.)

I like a DM on a hunting rifle, as I tend to lean towards a picatinny rail. Makes loading a little easier.

I never cared for detachable mags on a serious hunting rifle. I only hunt Alaska and use either my my 30-06 or .338 and both are CRF Mod. 70's. The 30-06 holds 5 down and the custom .338 Winny holds 4 down. Nope, I have never needed all of those rounds for a hunt. But, being able to feed the rifle a round at a time and having those extra rounds in the magazine is a good thing, the magazine is the best place I know of to store extra rounds. Although I have never experienced it there are many stories of hunters in Alaska needing more then three shots on big bears.

I bought a Tikka Super Lite in 6.5 Creed and have the factory 3 round mag and picked up two 5 round mags for it. So far so good, but the mags appear fragile to me. We take all 3 magazines when a grandkid has the Tikka 6.5 and they know to change a magazine rather then trying to single feed the Tikka. I wish they were like a Magpul mag my AR takes, but only 5 rounds. My son in law has never found the detachable mag that he lost over 20 years ago that goes in his Savage 30-06.

Maybe in time they will be improved on. One thing I don't like is I have noticed a couple of friends that pull the mag and don't do a proper press check to verify the rifle is clear of all ammo. They assume it is since the magazine is removed. A gentle reminder that all press checks are done from a closed breach is needed when that happens.

I posted my honest evaluation and usage of D Ms and THEN

DELETED every line when I saw the source. No Wonder ?


Jerry

I don't like detachable magazines, except semi-auto pistols. There's not much choice with most slide actions and semi-auto rifles. I had a 338 700 with a detachable magazine and couldn't wait to get rid of it.

My first rifle was a single shot, my cousins would come over with their semi-autos and they would empty the magazines and get very little game.

I can think of only a couple of times in close to 60 years of hunting that I need more than one shot. The two times I remember were at pronghorns. I suppose there were other times, but I do not recall them.

Carrying an extra mag, may I suggest trying a little practice instead.

I have no opinion about detchable magazines except the ones that stick down below are really a stupid idea. You can't carry the rifle at the balance point one handed. That's why the original M16/AR15 had the carry handle.

would you rather have them stick up? or out to the side?....

I understand that gun makers like detachable magazines on bolt-action rifles because they permit a stiffer action that’s more accurate and easier/cheaper to manufacture. My inner range shooter likes cheap, accurate rifles, but my inner infantryman dislikes small, expensive things that can get lost. If that happens, then my cheap, accurate rifle becomes an awkward single-shot with a big hole in the bottom and horrible resale value. Replacement mags also seem get more expensive every day, especially with magazines that only come from one manufacturer.

Resale/cost issues will go away as more manufacturers design around the AICS-pattern magazine but losing one still leaves you in the lurch. I’m not just talking about losing one on a hunt, but on the range, at home, or having someone else borrow/steal/lose it for you. A lost mag is a lost mag and you’re in a bind without it.

I understand that they’re useful in tree stands or if you have to load/unload several times a day, but I don’t find myself in those situations.


Okie John

Well.... I have NOT had a problem and I LIKE them.

? ? for you.....

Where does the bolt belong for a rifle ? ...........IN the gun

Where does the D M belong for a rifle? ............IN the gun

I SEE NO reason to lose one. ** GIVEN - some designs are NOT a positive lock up *** I won't have one like that.

? Per Noise ? WHY are you messing with a mag in a stand or still hunting ? .......


Jerry

That's an easy one. It's not a good idea to bring a firearm into a stand loaded. The safest way is to have it fully unloaded for the trip up and back down, preferably on a rope of its own.

The other reason is legality. Given most state hunting laws, it is prohibited to be loaded up outside of legal hunting hours. If you're loaded, you're hunting. I've not seen a C/O actually cite a hunter for this, but it's conceivable he could. I've seen some pretty [bleep] citations over 40 years. One fellow got nailed for hunting too close to a public road, because he was walking out with his gun slung but still loaded. The "public road" was a dirt road. It was on private property, but the state had an easement in anticipation of maybe someday building a road. Another took his hunter orange off while he was field dressing his buck.

I load in the first minute of legal hunting and unload in the last.


In regards to noise: One of the noisiest deer guns I ever owned was my Rem 742. Metal mag clacking about and a loud CHING! when you released the bolt. It was only slightly better than my Rem 1100. Everyone knew for a half-mile around when that thing went into battery.

Excepting three .22 rifles with tube magazines, I have a BUNCH of .22s with detachable magazines, and I prefer them, especially with the rimfire loads. I also have four CZ 527s with detachable magazines, and I like them for the handiness when moving from one place to another in a vehicle.

It's a real PITA to empty a tube magazine (like my Marlin 336) when moving from one area to another in a vehicle, noisy, awkward, just a PITA, period.

For deer hunting, I really like my old M70 best, with it's hinged floorplate, it's handy and a lot quieter than the abominable tube magazines, or ADL-types. It also carries better.

I have toted dm rifles through several countries since 1966 and have never had a mag fall out'

The M-16 had a sight housing not a carry handle, carrying that way resulted in many pushups and long runs.



mike r

That's an easy one.

1. It's not a good idea to bring a firearm into a stand loaded. The safest way is to have it fully unloaded for the trip up and back down, preferably on a rope of its own.

The other reason is legality.
2. Given most state hunting laws, it is prohibited to be loaded up outside of legal hunting hours. If you're loaded, you're hunting. I've not seen a C/O actually cite a hunter for this, but it's conceivable he could. I've seen some pretty [bleep] citations over 40 years. One fellow got nailed for hunting too close to a public road, because he was walking out with his gun slung but still loaded. The "public road" was a dirt road. It was on private property, but the state had an easement in anticipation of maybe someday building a road. Another took his hunter orange off while he was field dressing his buck.

3. I load in the first minute of legal hunting and unload in the last.


4. In regards to noise: One of the noisiest deer guns I ever owned was my Rem 742. Metal mag clacking about and a loud CHING! when you released the bolt. It was only slightly better than my Rem 1100. Everyone knew for a half-mile around when that thing went into battery.


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'shaman' I have legitimate answers for your 'exceptions', honestly.

W/O writing a book. In order

1. W/O a round in the CHAMBER.... there is NO danger of Accidental Discharge OR Shooting 'something', climbing up/down or into a stand. D Ms can be loaded IN the rifle -- IN the woods -- OFF right of ways.

2. Once IN THE WOODS you are hunting.

3. Remove round from CHAMBER.

4. I've heard metal noise from 742s, 7400s while loading a round into the chamber.
>>>>> chamber loading noise is WHY I don't own semi auto C Fs. the semi's NEED to be chambered under pressure.

*** the PUMPS can be cocked and THEN load the chamber w/o slamming the action. I have had pumps for years.


I'm not going to 'discuss' any further.

Good Day

Jerry