Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles DBM for a hunting rifle: Yes or No

DBM is popular on a lot of the custom bench rifles I see built in the past couple of years.

Where and how does DBM play a role for a hunting rifle? I do a good bit of deer hunting from elevated box stands, and trying to decide if building a rifle with DBM is worth the additional cost.

Has the DBM movement been more of a response to heavy/long bullets and traditional mag box/feeding constraints?

Learn me on this please

I hunt with a DBM rifle and have no problems with it.

I like the ease of loading/unloading.

I've never seen a need for DBM.

Yes.

Thanks for the input. The M5 mags seem to be most popular for a Rem 700 actions. Anything else to look at?

I'd just as soon use a blind mag. But if a DBM is flush with the bottom of the rifle and works I don't care much either way.

I like the flush or push button mag release.. Hate the pogo stick.

Battle arms development and seekins make nice units.

I agree Rancho. The flush or push button releases are nice. Like the ones you mentioned or the RAD TAC latch.

Will look at the ones you mention.

I think the rad and bad are the same units..

I've always looked at detachable mags as one more thing that can go wrong. Be it lost, dropped, forgotten, whatever. It's hard to misplace a blind mag box.

Most dedicated bench rifles in my area are singleshot actions in 6ppc.

I always thought a blind mag would be a problem, but I don't even notice while hunting with my ULA. Three extra seconds to get the rounds out. Actually, it probably takes the same three seconds to get the rounds out of my 7STW 700 BDL and get the bottom metal closed again. I don't think DBM has any advantage except when you're driving your truck on a road and a bull elk runs across the road in front of you.

Single stack mag, feeds slicker than chit.

Well, you could say the exact thing about your ammunition.

Thanks for all the input.

Are there and DBM mags that go smaller than the 5 rounders that stick down below the stock? Anyone make a 3?

I think DBMs are great for making loading and unloading your rifle easier and quicker.

At the end of the day you just press a button and all your magazine-held cartridges come out in a self-contained unit. You don't have to cycle each round through the action or fumble loose cartridges coming out of a hinged floorplate. I drop at least one round out of my model 70 just about every time but maybe I'm just a butterfingers.

As for the idea of it getting lost or falling out well I don't think those are likely to happen. A fully loaded mag falling to the ground should make quite a bit of noise and your gun will feel noticeably lighter in the off chance it were to just "fall out." I don't think anything is more likely to hit the magazine release button than the floorplate release on most guns like the model 70 that have the button in front of the trigger guard. I've never had my floorplate come loose so I don't see how a DBM would be more likely to have it happen to it really.

As for forgetting it I don't see why that would be an issue either. Leave the magazine in your hunting pack, no reason to take it out. Go as far as to always have a spare loaded mag in your pack even. In fact there's no reason to take the cartridges out of the magazine. There is a misconception that leaving magazines loaded will weaken the springs but that is just not true. Springs do not wear by being under tension, they wear by compressing/decompressing. So in fact continuously loading/unloading a magazine is worse for it than leaving it loaded. The only case where a spring will wear under compression is if it is compressed too far and this should not be an issue in a properly designed magazine.

I don't even own a DBM equipped rifle (besides an AR15) but I don't think that the arguments such as those I listed above are really valid in opposition of them.

Blind magazine for me too.

Well, the .280 Remington DBM BDL in my safe threw loaded rounds out the port when "chambering". That's with both factory mag and an extra bought from Ilion. Had to go Kwik Klip route to save my sanity. (Yes, I tried a 'smith along with bending lips, etc.)

It shoots well with my home done bedding job and reloads, even if the OAL is restricted, and not being able to load the mag from up top except one-at-a-time doesn't factor in. If three shots don't work...

Never on a DGR sez I. YMMV. You could go Badger Arms. H-S Precision, etc. for bottom metal but that's half a rifle.

I've heard the same thing said by others before. I think I even read it in an article written by a hunting rifle 'expert'. I would agree with the exception that I would never go hunting without a spare in my pack. I've never lost a mag to date, but realize it is possible (Murphy). I own blind magazine, floor plate and DM configurations. One could say that a floorplate latch can fail (under recoil or due to not being closed well) and lose all your rounds onto the ground. I've seen many in the bush with taped up floor plates on big rifles used for game that bites. I've never had an issue to date-- maybe because I am very careful to make sure the rifle performs before taking it afield and I make sure the floor plate is latched well.

My favorite is a blind mag. It saves weight and you don't have to worry about the scenarios above. Some will say that having to run live rounds through the action to unload is not safe. I would argue that you should always observe the first rule of gun safety.

YMMV

I would not want a DBM on a hunting rifle. But some designs you don't have a choice, like a Remington pump,if you use one of those.

On a bolt gun, no. Not for me.