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How does 6BR feed from repeating bolt action blind magazine?

I am thinking about building a 6BR on a spare Savage short action. It has a blind magazine, center feed and was originally in 308 Win.

I will never have a detable magazine that is not my thing!


I do not need the extra velocity that a 243 Win provides and would much rather have the longer barrel life than the extra velocity.


It is conceivable that I might use it for mid course F-Open but mostly it is just a fun build. I am more likely to use it for deer or coyote.

I have a 5R 1:7.5 barrel and a 3 Grove 1:7.7 barrel both in stainless both MTU/Savage profiles. Both in SS and 28".


How much work is it to get 6BR to feed in this application?


Thanks guys!
 
If I did it I'd replace the ejector and spring. The new ejectors have a leg on them that goes down through the spring. This helps in keeping the spring from over compressing and prematurely weakening the spring.
I'd take that ejector and where the retaining pin goes through the slot I would take 0.020" off the rear of the slot. This will allow the ejector to come farther out throwing the br case clear of the action.

Edit: I'm simply regurgitating what I've read that Fred does to make them run.
However I am going to do it to one of mine with my next 6br barrel later this year.
If it doesn't work I'll put it on a Nucleus or Origin action.
I believe it's worth a try.
 
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I just completed my 6BR on a Savage model 10 action. I placed it in a KRG Bravo stock.
On my other rifles, I always single feed while at the range. I plan on doing this with the 6BR as well. When hunting PD's, most of the time I single feed as well. Not really worried about a quick follow up shot. When coyote hunting, I use 5 rounds in the magazine. Even if it's a 10 round magazine I just use 5 rounds.

I use an MDT 10 magazine made for the 6BR. This works flawlessly. On the side of the magazine it has stamped on it, 308. The follower in the magazine has been made for the 6 BR.

For single shot feeding, I use the AICS S/A single shot sled from MK Machine. There's no lining up the cartridge just right so it'll feed, just plop it in and close the bolt.

You might want to reconsider not using a magazine if you want to stay with the 6 BR.
 
I rebarreled a Sako AII from 243 to 6BR. It has the 3+1 shot mag well and it fed perfectly.

Last I checked the 243 Win has little ballistic advantage over 6BR. The major difference is 6BR does almost everything 243 does but with several grains less powder (and recoil, and barrel burn)

David
 
I am thinking about building a 6BR on a spare Savage short action. It has a blind magazine, center feed and was originally in 308 Win.

I will never have a detable magazine that is not my thing!


I do not need the extra velocity that a 243 Win provides and would much rather have the longer barrel life than the extra velocity.


It is conceivable that I might use it for mid course F-Open but mostly it is just a fun build. I am more likely to use it for deer or coyote.

I have a 5R 1:7.5 barrel and a 3 Grove 1:7.7 barrel both in stainless both MTU/Savage profiles. Both in SS and 28".


How much work is it to get 6BR to feed in this application?


Thanks guys!
I’ve said many times that I can get the BR to feed out of anything that’s short, but this is asking a lot.

I’d sell the savage off and get an origin, run a Hawkins BDL with a BDL mag box and spacer and it’ll feed like butter. It won’t cost too much more, and you’ll have something way more valuable.

But…. I still think the savage might work if you cut down and 308 follower and install and 223 mag spacer.
 
feeding i dont think you will have an issue with in the savage. its the ejection that i always had a problem with. my cases hardly ever came out, most got flipped around backwards or just dropped in the action when they tried to eject. you can take your ejector plunger out of the bolt head and peel cases out by hand..

when bighorn came out with the TL3/Origin with the mechanical eject, i was all over them! they really are more fun to shoot. i run mine out of a magpul pmag, not blind. Bighorn/Zermatt is a much better action, plus better trigger options. probably wont shrink your groups much but you will feel your money well spent every time you feed, pull the trigger and eject a BR case.
 
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FYI: I have a 6br in a Mod7 which I recently converted with a badger bottom metal that takes 308 AI mags. I also got their mag conversion kits and appears to cycle very well. One is a 4+1 and the other is a 10+1. On the 10rd need to slow the cycling down a tad after get about half way through as the spring has less push. The 4rd is the teats. Way nicer than my old top feed with a spacer. B22B798F-4FBC-429E-9036-AEC8483F3EAE.jpeg.
 
Sorry I have been gone so long. I have 3 sons. 1 is returning from an undeclared war zone, 1 has been home from college for Summer and his car has needed a lot of work. Third son will be home soon too for a short while and his car will need routine maintenance before college starts up again! Looking for a truck for my oldest son returning to home after 2 years. Plus weddings and other such summer stuff and I have just been spread thin.

I appreciate all the advice! Thank You!
 
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If I did it I'd replace the ejector and spring. The new ejectors have a leg on them that goes down through the spring. This helps in keeping the spring from over compressing and prematurely weakening the spring.
I'd take that ejector and where the retaining pin goes through the slot I would take 0.020" off the rear of the slot. This will allow the ejector to come farther out throwing the br case clear of the action.

Edit: I'm simply regurgitating what I've read that Fred does to make them run.
However I am going to do it to one of mine with my next 6br barrel later this year.
If it doesn't work I'll put it on a Nucleus or Origin action.
I believe it's worth a try.
I am new to Savage actions so I only just learned about the after market ejector and extractor fixes maybe 2-4 weeks ago. At some point I will pick up 2 and install them. It is sad you have to do this sort of thing to make a design this old do something as mundane as extract and eject spent brass reliably. Savage should be ashamed of themselves allowing something this fundamental and easy to fix to continue on for so many decades!

I would have had Fred do this when he had my actions. Live and learn.

My 6.5 Creedmoor including all machining cost's including blue printing, Brux barrel cost, cost of new donor rifle, new scope, new rings, base, new composite stock with bedding block and all shipping and handling comes to $1247 total. Everything was bought on sale or clearance except for the Brux Barrel but it was purchased 10-13 years ago so it was a lot cheaper than the current price point. Everything else was purchased during Covid-19 either at brick and mortar stores or online.

What ever I build this one into the price will be even lower since all of the other barrels I have on hand are cost about 1/2 or less than what I paid for the Brux. I will also be able to reuse the factory stock.
 
A friend tried that with a clip fed M70. Never did get it to work reliably. Go with the 6XC
That is too bad! I really like the idea of this cartridge in a bolt action repeater and blind magazine. I will have to give the 6XC a look.

I just did a quick search and it appears 6XC brass is not a hydroform must. Nice to see it can be purchased already formed. Wonder if I can actual purchase any or if it is all back ordered? So this feeds better than 6BR in a bolt gun? I will have to look into it. I really want longer barrel life than what I get with a 243 Win. But I also want to feed from the blind magazine.

Thanks!
 
I just completed my 6BR on a Savage model 10 action. I placed it in a KRG Bravo stock.
On my other rifles, I always single feed while at the range. I plan on doing this with the 6BR as well. When hunting PD's, most of the time I single feed as well. Not really worried about a quick follow up shot. When coyote hunting, I use 5 rounds in the magazine. Even if it's a 10 round magazine I just use 5 rounds.

I use an MDT 10 magazine made for the 6BR. This works flawlessly. On the side of the magazine it has stamped on it, 308. The follower in the magazine has been made for the 6 BR.

For single shot feeding, I use the AICS S/A single shot sled from MK Machine. There's no lining up the cartridge just right so it'll feed, just plop it in and close the bolt.

You might want to reconsider not using a magazine if you want to stay with the 6 BR.
Good to know. I am not sure if Savage makes a 6BR rifle that is repeater if they do I might give them a call and see if I can get the follower if it is different. That single shot sled would not be deal killer I have single feed plenty of rifles in my lifetime.
 
I rebarreled a Sako AII from 243 to 6BR. It has the 3+1 shot mag well and it fed perfectly.

Last I checked the 243 Win has little ballistic advantage over 6BR. The major difference is 6BR does almost everything 243 does but with several grains less powder (and recoil, and barrel burn)

David
That is why I am so interested in it. I have shot a lot of 243 Win and it can be fantastic if wind is not terrible. The extra powder though does little for you other than fire cracking the throat faster. A long time ago back after David Tubb won at Nationals in Silhouette with a 243 Win I made it my choice as well. Later I did some F-Open with it back when a lot of guys where using 6.5-06. Under competition conditions your pitching barrels way to fast. Back when I owned my own lathe and endmill it was not an issue. Today I pay more money than I care to to have barrels spun up with the precision I need to just pitch them every 500-800 rounds. Hunting wise not an issue since you are not shooting 20 rounds rather quickly plus unlimited sighters.

That said I think the 6BR is more what I am looking for. One of my sons shoots a 243 as his coyote rifle and I use one as well.

If I went 243 I would likely do AI to get better case life and I might try playing around with the forcing cone/throat geometry to see if I can not come up with a kindler gentler forcing cone throat interface. We know more today than we knew 20+ years ago.
 
I’ve said many times that I can get the BR to feed out of anything that’s short, but this is asking a lot.

I’d sell the savage off and get an origin, run a Hawkins BDL with a BDL mag box and spacer and it’ll feed like butter. It won’t cost too much more, and you’ll have something way more valuable.

But…. I still think the savage might work if you cut down and 308 follower and install and 223 mag spacer.
Interesting I will have to look into that as well!

I was thinking that if I knew what shape/geometry I needed I could hand machine a follower from mild steel or aluminum or even brass. When I say hand machine I do mean with layout dye and hand files and scrapers.

I have in the past shortened Mauser 98 followers and installed a bent metal spacer made on a metal break. I do not have a metal break any more but I am sure I can manage. I did that for 243 Win.

The Savage Axis model is all one length action standard length and they just use a spacer in the action and stock then a datable plastic magazine if I recall properly? No I am not using an Axis action!
 
No they shouldn't be ashamed!
Well we will have to agree to disagree. Since I own 2 of them I think I have the right to be disappointed that in 67 years of production they have not fixed a glaring reliability issue!

They would have to stupid or incompetent's to not know the problem exists or to not be able to fix it. 67 years is a long enough time to run out of inferior parts and restock with proper parts.

In the last 67 years they have made plenty of other changes that did nothing to improve the product. Look at how many times they have changed the bolt spacing, receiver profile, feeding options and designs, stock designs and bolt designs. Plenty of opportunity to have fixed aka improve the design.

The reason he Japanese handed us our rear's in the 1980's and 1990's in the automotive world and electronics world is because they learned from Deming to not re-invent the wheel rather continuously make improvements to the wheel you already make. Slowly improving the design and manufacturing methods over time. It was not just about new infrastructure after the war that is a loser cop-out to make up for lack of trying and doing things just like they had always been done.

The best thing that happened to Japan was our occupation of them after the war. Detroit laughed at Edward Deming and his ideas of continuous improvement. In fact that is how Edward Deming ended up in Japan!

If you make a product for 67 years and your not continuously improving it you should be ashamed. The only thing Savage has ever done is find new ways to cheapen a design or to cheapen manufacturing. I am not opposed to that as someone that holds and MBA that is always good. Ones professional reputation though and the reputation of the product should always come first and that only happens when you are doing your best to turn out the best product you can while keeping cost down.

Savage is too heavily biased on just reducing their manufacturing cost and doing it at all cost's and I have an issue with that.

The Savage 110 action and it's derivatives are ugly, cheap and crude designs that are poorly executed. It is a design and execution that I would sooner expect from China or Russia 50 years ago. It is amazing that one can make them shoot as well as you can given their horrendous cost cutting design. I am not putting them down either again I own 2. I am just being honest and frank about their engineering, design and manufacture.

67 years is a long time to know that you have a seriously flawed design and to do nothing about it. I would say that is pre-meditated at some point and malicious intent towards your customer. If fixed in production it would likely not even add $0.01 sent to the manufacturing price. In the after market it is a $20 to $30 fix if you do the work yourself after purchasing a kit and prob. $60 total if you pay a gun smith to do it for you but that is just a SWAG silly wild a$s guess on the latter.

The AXIS should never have been born the Savage 110 family is already the cheapest rifle action in the history of commercial rifle actions or military rifle actions to every be brought to market. Someone in Marketing Department wanted to have a rifle they could sell for less to attempt to bring the old 110 design price higher in the market and still capitalize on the $500 and under market. The Stevens line was cannibalizing sales of the Savage 110 series driving down the market price of the Savage line and increase demand for the Stevens models which sold for less at every point in the supply chain. I seriously doubt if the Savage Axis and Axis II cost much less if at all for Savage to make than the 110 series might actual cost more.

It made perfect sense for Ruger to design and bring to market the Ruger American because it has absolutely nothing in common with the M77 MkII or Hawkeye zero design elements, zero tooling shared, zero manufacturing methods. It also gave Ruger a very good reason to invest in new CNC multi axis machining stations and clean slate design. It gave them the foundation for the RPR. For the record the most accurate mass produced out of the box rifle I have ever shot is the Ruger American. That action the "Ruger American" is full of cost cutting measures but Ruger executed cost saving fantastically better than Savage did and ended up turning out a product that is more accurate and precise both from a user stand point and from a manufacturing standpoint than Ruger has ever made in it's history! It has it's own issues for sure. Probably the best budget design in American history. Hopefully 67 years from now any design flaws in the Ruger American will be fixed! LOL
 
Oh my gosh.....you make it sound like Savage is the only mass produced factory rifle that will not run a 6br case perfectly.
I would have done my homework. It seems you could have, simply by the showing of your knowledge of history.
I did.
 

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