Savage LA with SA blind mag

[AndyA]

I have a Sav 110 rifle that I put a 6mmBRX McGowen prefit on. I do not like the feeding as they are not well held in place long enough to enter the chamber without the occasional jam.

Question: Would I be able to put a short action mag and follower under the action to hold the short BRX cartridge better or will this not work?

 

[Ggmac]

What cartridge was it before a 30-06 or a mag ? If 06 I eould use a 308 follower and spring , with a homemade block ,glued in place , in the back of the mag well .
If a mag box and follower , I would do the same thing . I'm not sure the mag box and 06 boxes are the same . I'm on vacation or I could get out the parts in question and compare .
Also , was it a center feed , or staggered ?

 

[KRP]

I don't see blocking the mag helping as it doesn't change the relationship of the feed lips to the chamber which is the major problem. You could fit the short mag box to the stock and make it function with the long action. I'd put a chamfer on the barrel also if it doesn't already have one. Running it as single shot would be the simple solution.

 

[rayjay]

In the old days there was no short action Savage. Even the 223 came in the long action. The magazine box came with a sheet metal block in the rear. I have also taken a short action box and welded the rear portion of a long action box to it to make a magazine box.

 

[AndyA]

Thank you for the replies.

It originally started life as a 30-06 and sat in the back of the safe. I barreled it in BRX as that is what I shoot in F-class and have plenty of quality components. I do not know how to tell the difference between staggered feed and centerfeed.

I guess my main question is "Would a short action magazine position the feed lips closer to the chamber or are they in the same location as a long action only shorter?"

 

[Ggmac]

Ray jay . Yes to his reply . Blocking the back of a long 30-06 box will work , after all it's what savage did . I have blocked a long box to the long seated 6.5 Lapua and the shorter 6 br . With no problem feeding . But make sure to use a 06 style mag box and a 308/243 follower and spring .

 

[KRP]

"Would a short action magazine position the feed lips closer to the chamber or are they in the same location as a long action only shorter?"

Yes, it will move the feed lips closer.

The feed lips are the same length between the 308/30-06/Magnum boxes(stagger feed ones anyway as that is what I have here). The .223 feed lips are slightly longer and there is a block in back of the magazine.

The .223 boxes are the only blocked ones I've ever seen. The only factory long action rifles chambered for "short action" cartridges I've seen had actual short mag boxes not blocked long ones.

The BR cartridge repeaters I've done on Savages I used short mag boxes. My long actions are single shots.

 

[KRP]

Could one of you measure the length of the feed lips on one of the blocked long mag boxes? As I said I've never seen one, I would think the feed lips would be accordingly longer.

 

[Ggmac]

Sure I'll measure a few diff ones as I have all stag feed and some center feed mags on the shelf , but it'll have to wait till I get back from Texas .

 

[GLZ]

it'll have to wait till I get back from Texas .

Why would you want to leave once ya got here?

 

[rayjay]

Thank you for the replies.

It originally started life as a 30-06 and sat in the back of the safe. I barreled it in BRX as that is what I shoot in F-class and have plenty of quality components. I do not know how to tell the difference between staggered feed and centerfeed.

I guess my main question is "Would a short action magazine position the feed lips closer to the chamber or are they in the same location as a long action only shorter?"

 

[rayjay]

I guess my main question is "Would a short action magazine position the feed lips closer to the chamber or are they in the same location as a long action only shorter?"

The feed lips are in the same location. When the 308 was created they shortened an 06 case. The main shortening came from the middle of the body of the case. The shoulder and neck for magazine purposes are the same.

Just in front of the feed lips are a pair of vertical 'beads' [ as in bead roller for sheetmetal work ]. These raised [ in towards the cartridge ] beads are intended to bear against the shoulder of the cartridge so the cartridge can't slide forward under recoil and damage the bullet tips. They probably also assist in pointing the cartridge towards the center of the action as the bolt is pushing the round forward.

These beads would be the same distance from the front end of the mag box on both 06 and 08 based cartridges.

So you could add a block to the rear of the mag box and use a short action follower and spring.

 

[rwk]

Any one have pic's on blocking the magazine.

 

[Ggmac]

Ray jay , I guess you and I have been doing this many times more than some . It shows our age .

 

[KRP]

Sometimes a photo is helpful, I don't have any other center feed boxes for comparison.

From the left: stagger feed .223, stagger feed .308, stagger feed 30-06, stagger feed standard Magnum, center feed 30-06

 

[rayjay]

Well, I stand corrected. The SA 308 mag would have the feed lips much further forward as shown in the pic. The pic would have been better with the mag boxes lined up at the front

 

[rayjay]

Ray jay , I guess you and I have been doing this many times more than some . It shows our age .

Actually, I took a loose LA 06 mag and set loaded 06 and 08 rounds in it and said to myself. How can they move the lips forward ??? Obviously they can and did !! Just don't load any 220s in a 308 !!

 

[KRP]

The pic would have been better with the mag boxes lined up at the front

I lined up the rear so it would be easier to compare the feed lip lengths.

 

[Ggmac]

I wish I could demonstrate the advantage of having the 06 box , blocked in the rear , with cases such as the 6.5 Lapua and 6 br with long heavy bullets feeding . The feed lips allow the cartridge to pop up sooner rather than later , which aligns the case with bore center line . Almost like a single shot feed tray or a semi auto S.L.E.D.
If your feeding problem is having the cartridge hit above the centerline of bore you need earlier release of the case .
Anyway , Merry Christmas , Gary

 

[AndyA]

Sometimes a photo is helpful, I don't have any other center feed boxes for comparison.

From the left: stagger feed .223, stagger feed .308, stagger feed 30-06, stagger feed standard Magnum, center feed 30-06

Thanks! That was the picture that I needed to see. I picked up a model 12 repeater in 308 so I will take the mag out and see how it fits into the 110 stock with a spacer.