Anyone make metal magazines for Ruger American rifles?
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twerpymoon
Single-Sixer
Where in the devil did you find a mag for $24.00? Every one I've seen is full boat.
My .22-250 won't feed with more than two in the mag if the OAL is longer than factory loads. The bullet nose hits below the chamber. It really isn't the mags fault though. The case shoulder doesn't contact the narrowed down portion of the mag to lift the nose high enough soon enough. I imagine it has to do with the geometry of ensuring that one magazine functions with several calibers.
twerpy.
My .22-250 won't feed with more than two in the mag if the OAL is longer than factory loads. The bullet nose hits below the chamber. It really isn't the mags fault though. The case shoulder doesn't contact the narrowed down portion of the mag to lift the nose high enough soon enough. I imagine it has to do with the geometry of ensuring that one magazine functions with several calibers.
twerpy.
Nomosendero
Single-Sixer
twerpymoon said:
Not $24.00 but close: http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/product/7-R90392
As far as the durability is concerned, the 10-22 clip has quite a track record, we shall see.
Blammer308
Bearcat
thanks for the info
shipping is the same from them as from Ruger, difference in price is the mag itself. ruger is about $40 each, CTD $37
so after finding the cheapest shipping and wanting to order two magazines from cheaper than dirt, it will be a whopping $10 cheaper than ordering directly from Ruger.
shipping is the same from them as from Ruger, difference in price is the mag itself. ruger is about $40 each, CTD $37
so after finding the cheapest shipping and wanting to order two magazines from cheaper than dirt, it will be a whopping $10 cheaper than ordering directly from Ruger.
Nomosendero
Single-Sixer
Blammer308 said:
I always buy other stuff in those situations and get a friend to get a clip as well, so I don't do the high freight thing, also with Midway on bullets, etc.
Blammer308
Bearcat
good call, if you have some friends to do that with.
Well Ruger is out of the mags so I'll get a few from CTD.
Well Ruger is out of the mags so I'll get a few from CTD.
Hi! New guy here; I joined hoping to find some insight on this very topic...
I have 2 RARs, a .30-06 and a new .223. Judging by this thread, I must be the unluckiest guy ever to buy Ruger; out of the four magazines I own for these rifles, TWO feed reliably with standard factory ammo.The other two present rounds cocked, so they jam against the top of the chamber on closing the bolt. This happens on about every other round. I then have to drop the mag and try to catch the unfired cartridge as it falls out, reinsert the mag, and hope the next round will feed.
I am not sure if the problem is the inherent flex in the plastic feed lips, or if the "flapper" style follower just doesn't move the cartridges to the feed lips evenly (this mag is NOT designed like a 1022 mag, which holds each round in a groove in a revolving star-shaped follower - think of the ejector on a double-action revolver. It has a flat rotating plate - think of the dust cover on your AR).
I don't object at all to the use of plastic, and the mags feel substantial. But they don't WORK.
I wrote to Ruger, and they were...less than helpful. There was none of this "thanks for contacting us, we are sorry you are having trouble" nonsense, but IF I FEEL that there is a problem with the mags, I am free to send them in at my own expense to be evaluated. The tone of the reply led me to suspect that they would keep my mags for a few months, then send them back, probably very dirty, and tell me that their product is perfect and it must be an ammo problem. Pass.
The rifles themselves are great, MOA shooters with factory hunting ammo, light, smooth, and rugged. I love that they come with scope bases installed. The .223 in particular is a great rifle because it has a 1:8 twist barrel, not easy to find in a bolt gun. But the mags...
So, I think of this as a lower-mid-level rifle in terms of price, because in my experience it will cost an extra $100 to get a satisfactory number of working mags. (I can't imagine where that guy found them for $24. $40 is the best I can find, if anyone has them at all).
The question is, what can I do about it? Has anyone at all had feeding problems with these mags? Any suggestions as to what to do to coax the "range use only" mags into reliability?
I have 2 RARs, a .30-06 and a new .223. Judging by this thread, I must be the unluckiest guy ever to buy Ruger; out of the four magazines I own for these rifles, TWO feed reliably with standard factory ammo.The other two present rounds cocked, so they jam against the top of the chamber on closing the bolt. This happens on about every other round. I then have to drop the mag and try to catch the unfired cartridge as it falls out, reinsert the mag, and hope the next round will feed.
I am not sure if the problem is the inherent flex in the plastic feed lips, or if the "flapper" style follower just doesn't move the cartridges to the feed lips evenly (this mag is NOT designed like a 1022 mag, which holds each round in a groove in a revolving star-shaped follower - think of the ejector on a double-action revolver. It has a flat rotating plate - think of the dust cover on your AR).
I don't object at all to the use of plastic, and the mags feel substantial. But they don't WORK.
I wrote to Ruger, and they were...less than helpful. There was none of this "thanks for contacting us, we are sorry you are having trouble" nonsense, but IF I FEEL that there is a problem with the mags, I am free to send them in at my own expense to be evaluated. The tone of the reply led me to suspect that they would keep my mags for a few months, then send them back, probably very dirty, and tell me that their product is perfect and it must be an ammo problem. Pass.
The rifles themselves are great, MOA shooters with factory hunting ammo, light, smooth, and rugged. I love that they come with scope bases installed. The .223 in particular is a great rifle because it has a 1:8 twist barrel, not easy to find in a bolt gun. But the mags...
So, I think of this as a lower-mid-level rifle in terms of price, because in my experience it will cost an extra $100 to get a satisfactory number of working mags. (I can't imagine where that guy found them for $24. $40 is the best I can find, if anyone has them at all).
The question is, what can I do about it? Has anyone at all had feeding problems with these mags? Any suggestions as to what to do to coax the "range use only" mags into reliability?
I just bought my wife an American in .308 and have been eyeballing this rifle for a few years now . I am an Ruger m-77 guy and an older one at that .I have no use for there version of the 3 stage safety on the Winchester model 70's .Not a fan of the way the safety interferes with the bolt when locked. I have always liked the safety on the tang in all my weapons or at least next to the tang (ala Tikka ) ect ect
So I broke down and bought this American in the 308 as its a short barrel and I like the round and its the all weather (stainless) BUT .........................One thing I am not happy about at all is the clip . I got it home and loaded it up and cycled the bolt and the second to last round would pop up out of the clip just as it was being loaded hence it would jam every time . Looked this up on line and WALA!!!! post after post after post of this same exact problem . As I was looking at this rifle over the last 2 years I failed to concentrate on the clip, a big big mistake . I had a guy tell me "what do you expect from a 450.00 rifle . I expect it to feed or not to be made or at least rectify the problem . I dont care if they give the gun away for free I expect it to work and work well .I dont expect select walnut. I dont expect hand checkering . I dont expect a lot in fact I dont expect ANY nice frilly ANYTHING for this p[rice but I do expect the basic function of it to work . I took a closer look at the clip and it is hands down the cheapest piece of crap I have ever seen made . When I load it it looks to be almost BURSTING at the seams and when I took it apart to see what the problem was the plastic tab that clicks it together broke right off so by the way for the rest of you , this is not a clip to be cleaned ever .You do this its at your own risk. If you are lucky enough to get a cleaning out of it (clip/magazine) you are lucky and dont do it again (my advice) . Called Ruger and they were actually great about it as I expected as I have used them for the last 45 years off and on when need be and they have always come thru (there Sunapee building) . I have always had great luck with them as far as customer service 100% of the time . They told me to sit tight and they would rush out another clip and in deed they did . I got it today and it works great BUT still a real piece of you know what for quality .Still looks as if its going to burst at the seems when loaded. It did come with a metal flap inside the clip and that is great as so did the original one BUT here again another story on quality. I went to the store and got an original Rugar "short action " mag model # amer-s/a-rtmag-4 and the feed lip on ther inside is "PLASTIC" !!!!!!!! It was not cheaper or anything like that . It was a factory Ruger mag and its plastic instead of the metal one . At least it works correctly so I am keeping it for a backup to go in the pocket just in case and will use the metal one they sent me as the main clip/mag.
By the way when I contacted Ruger they were well aware of my problem and he said he gets calls all day long off and on on this same issue and that they are rectifying it as we speak . I want all who read this before they buy to know to ask if you can cycle some rounds if possible before you buy as some of these problems are not fixed by a new clip and some have had to have the rifle sent in . I willm say on that note that Ruger again is awesome in that they will pay for your sending it to them and back to you but when you buy a new rifle its a bitter pill to swallow when its bad right out the box but it happens just had no idea until it was me with the problem how wide spread this clip/mag thing really is .Also if I were to buy another for a spare I would look and make sure it was the metal inside feed lip not the plastic (take note) before you buy. Besides that I really like this little rifle . Also If I had one thing to say about this gun it would be please make this with a metal clip or at least make it with a better plastic clip (al-la) tikka t3's ect ect . It can be done .It has been done .It is being done .Now we just need Ruger to do it and I would gladly pay more for the weapon if it came with a metal clip . The mag is the weakest point in the entire gun or any gun for that matter and if it were me all rifles would have steel clips even if the entire thing was made of plastic . If anyone needs to see any info online about the clip problems before you buy just look it up on general search on yahoo or whatever you have and there are post after post on faulty mags for this rifle . Hope this helps as its better to go into a multi hundreds of dollar purchase without many surprises. Ron
P.S. Rugar was and has always been very good to be on any customer service issues . If you get a person having a bad day at the other end of the line just hang up and call back and you will get someone else who will almost assuredly meet your expectations for customer service .
So I broke down and bought this American in the 308 as its a short barrel and I like the round and its the all weather (stainless) BUT .........................One thing I am not happy about at all is the clip . I got it home and loaded it up and cycled the bolt and the second to last round would pop up out of the clip just as it was being loaded hence it would jam every time . Looked this up on line and WALA!!!! post after post after post of this same exact problem . As I was looking at this rifle over the last 2 years I failed to concentrate on the clip, a big big mistake . I had a guy tell me "what do you expect from a 450.00 rifle . I expect it to feed or not to be made or at least rectify the problem . I dont care if they give the gun away for free I expect it to work and work well .I dont expect select walnut. I dont expect hand checkering . I dont expect a lot in fact I dont expect ANY nice frilly ANYTHING for this p[rice but I do expect the basic function of it to work . I took a closer look at the clip and it is hands down the cheapest piece of crap I have ever seen made . When I load it it looks to be almost BURSTING at the seams and when I took it apart to see what the problem was the plastic tab that clicks it together broke right off so by the way for the rest of you , this is not a clip to be cleaned ever .You do this its at your own risk. If you are lucky enough to get a cleaning out of it (clip/magazine) you are lucky and dont do it again (my advice) . Called Ruger and they were actually great about it as I expected as I have used them for the last 45 years off and on when need be and they have always come thru (there Sunapee building) . I have always had great luck with them as far as customer service 100% of the time . They told me to sit tight and they would rush out another clip and in deed they did . I got it today and it works great BUT still a real piece of you know what for quality .Still looks as if its going to burst at the seems when loaded. It did come with a metal flap inside the clip and that is great as so did the original one BUT here again another story on quality. I went to the store and got an original Rugar "short action " mag model # amer-s/a-rtmag-4 and the feed lip on ther inside is "PLASTIC" !!!!!!!! It was not cheaper or anything like that . It was a factory Ruger mag and its plastic instead of the metal one . At least it works correctly so I am keeping it for a backup to go in the pocket just in case and will use the metal one they sent me as the main clip/mag.
By the way when I contacted Ruger they were well aware of my problem and he said he gets calls all day long off and on on this same issue and that they are rectifying it as we speak . I want all who read this before they buy to know to ask if you can cycle some rounds if possible before you buy as some of these problems are not fixed by a new clip and some have had to have the rifle sent in . I willm say on that note that Ruger again is awesome in that they will pay for your sending it to them and back to you but when you buy a new rifle its a bitter pill to swallow when its bad right out the box but it happens just had no idea until it was me with the problem how wide spread this clip/mag thing really is .Also if I were to buy another for a spare I would look and make sure it was the metal inside feed lip not the plastic (take note) before you buy. Besides that I really like this little rifle . Also If I had one thing to say about this gun it would be please make this with a metal clip or at least make it with a better plastic clip (al-la) tikka t3's ect ect . It can be done .It has been done .It is being done .Now we just need Ruger to do it and I would gladly pay more for the weapon if it came with a metal clip . The mag is the weakest point in the entire gun or any gun for that matter and if it were me all rifles would have steel clips even if the entire thing was made of plastic . If anyone needs to see any info online about the clip problems before you buy just look it up on general search on yahoo or whatever you have and there are post after post on faulty mags for this rifle . Hope this helps as its better to go into a multi hundreds of dollar purchase without many surprises. Ron
P.S. Rugar was and has always been very good to be on any customer service issues . If you get a person having a bad day at the other end of the line just hang up and call back and you will get someone else who will almost assuredly meet your expectations for customer service .
survivaladvisor
Bearcat
- Joined
- Mar 31, 2015
- Messages
- 7
The problem with .223 mags has been solved. If your magazine has a small "plus" sign at the top front, it will work. I have three. One with no marking (had to be modified) one with a "minus" sign (had to be modified) and one with a "plus" sign (works perfectly). I agree with the larger mag option, and it's a shame that Ruger has not yet followed in the steps of their BX25 mag for the 10/22. I have dabbled in adapting an AR 15 mag, but as the AR mag is a double stack, it won't fit into the mag well far enough for the bolt to pick up rounds. I intend to keep working on the issue. It can be done, perhaps not so easily. Higher cap? For blasting coyotes and feral pigs....
Rick Courtright
Hawkeye
Hi,
Random ramblings on plastic in guns:
I realize for most of today's shooters, the idea of firearm "longevity" as it was once understood is no longer there. How many "kids" today get a gun at age 12, 15, 18 or so they expect they can still be shooting when they're 75, as they once could? Probably not many, so all the plastic we see today is no big deal: it will be replaced with the latest gizmo du jour soon enough. The gun makers' stockholders would approve!
But would JMB, Sam Colt, John Garand and many of their cohorts of the "old" school whose guns are still in wide use, and demand? All plastic starts to deteriorate not long after it leaves the mold. Some kinds last longer than others, but with any of them, given time, use and normal environmental conditions, they will dry out, crack, perhaps (or probably?) break. Steel has a much longer life expectancy, and can be repaired more easily than many of these "wonder" plastics being used today in many industries, not just the gun world. (The same argument could be made for wood!) So for that reason only, this dinosaur, despite having strayed from the purist camp at times, prefers steel.
Add to that, with the rapid turnover in gun models we see in today's market, what's the likelihood of spare parts being available a decade or so down the line when one's favorite gun is long gone from the catalog? Especially when some plastic bit's broken which should have easily lasted a half century or more? Given today's general gun climate, steel--or at least "all metal"--guns may prove to be a good investment down the line...
Rick C
Random ramblings on plastic in guns:
I realize for most of today's shooters, the idea of firearm "longevity" as it was once understood is no longer there. How many "kids" today get a gun at age 12, 15, 18 or so they expect they can still be shooting when they're 75, as they once could? Probably not many, so all the plastic we see today is no big deal: it will be replaced with the latest gizmo du jour soon enough. The gun makers' stockholders would approve!
But would JMB, Sam Colt, John Garand and many of their cohorts of the "old" school whose guns are still in wide use, and demand? All plastic starts to deteriorate not long after it leaves the mold. Some kinds last longer than others, but with any of them, given time, use and normal environmental conditions, they will dry out, crack, perhaps (or probably?) break. Steel has a much longer life expectancy, and can be repaired more easily than many of these "wonder" plastics being used today in many industries, not just the gun world. (The same argument could be made for wood!) So for that reason only, this dinosaur, despite having strayed from the purist camp at times, prefers steel.
Add to that, with the rapid turnover in gun models we see in today's market, what's the likelihood of spare parts being available a decade or so down the line when one's favorite gun is long gone from the catalog? Especially when some plastic bit's broken which should have easily lasted a half century or more? Given today's general gun climate, steel--or at least "all metal"--guns may prove to be a good investment down the line...
Rick C
timalso
Bearcat
The magazine aside, the rifle stock can be replaced with a Boyd's laminate stock for
$113, including v-blocks and triggerguard.
What is the name of the polymer used for the magazine?
$113, including v-blocks and triggerguard.
What is the name of the polymer used for the magazine?
There are still a few Remington Nylon 66s in circulation and use... funny how they haven't crumbled with time.
If JMB had been born in this century, I'm sure he would delight in working with this century's materials, rather than being tied to those of the past.
Synthetics have come a long way since the days of bake-lite.
If JMB had been born in this century, I'm sure he would delight in working with this century's materials, rather than being tied to those of the past.
Synthetics have come a long way since the days of bake-lite.
They do seem a bit flimsy and cheap which they are. I have had my .243 since April of this year. I first took it to a public range in June and noticed loading cartridges was a bit awkward. I found the need to push down on the follower to get the first round in but after that, of course, it was not necessary. It was a very warm, very humid day and with sweaty hands I dropped the loaded mag once and it came apart. The front portion of it just popped off. I was able to remove the cartridges that remained in the mag, press the front piece back on and it has worked since without a hitch. Now that was on a concrete slab so the inadvertent disassembly from dropping a loaded magazine might not happen if you're out in the woods and it lands in a pile of leaves or softer dirt but there are rocks in the woods as well so it could happen and the likelihood of losing parts is much higher than in a man made setting. I killed a doe with it last weekend so it has served it's purpose as an inexpensive, reliable and lightweight hunting rig for me so far. Mine is fairly accurate, although not as accurate as my old reliable, but quite heavy Remington bolt gun.
22/45 Fan
Hunter
I have an RAR in .223 Rem and have three factory magazines, one that came with it and two bought from ShopRuger. All three work perfectly.
I do wish they would accept rounds loaded to longer than the SAAMI maximum of 2.26". Loading Sierra 69 gr Matchking Tipped bullets to 0.01" off the rifling requires an overall length of 2.335" in my RAR and I have to single load them as they won't fit the magazine.
If you want a metal magazine and/or more capacity look at the Ruger Gunsite Scout. In either .308 Win or .223 Rem/5.56 NATO it comes with a 10-round metal Accuratemag magazine and 5-round magazines are available from ShopRuger for the .308 and directly from Accuratemag for the .223. Now, of course, both the rifles and magazines are a bit more expensive than the RAR.
I do wish they would accept rounds loaded to longer than the SAAMI maximum of 2.26". Loading Sierra 69 gr Matchking Tipped bullets to 0.01" off the rifling requires an overall length of 2.335" in my RAR and I have to single load them as they won't fit the magazine.
If you want a metal magazine and/or more capacity look at the Ruger Gunsite Scout. In either .308 Win or .223 Rem/5.56 NATO it comes with a 10-round metal Accuratemag magazine and 5-round magazines are available from ShopRuger for the .308 and directly from Accuratemag for the .223. Now, of course, both the rifles and magazines are a bit more expensive than the RAR.
rex1
Bearcat
where did you order mags?No.1Nick said:
have 22-250 and 308 no problems with either.
Teddydogno1
Single-Sixer
- Joined
- May 10, 2013
- Messages
- 220
I have a RA Ranch in 300 BO, which I have yet to fire. My reading into the mag situation is that the feeding problem, if present, can be resolved by disassembling and adding an extra rotation of tension to the spring when reassembling. I believe that is the topic of the YouTube video previously linked.
Rob
Rob
I have an American in 308 and an American Predator in 223. I have a spare mag for both and all 4 mags work great. Both rifles shoot under MOA with the Predator doing 1/2 MOA.
During an early promo for the American rifles the Ruger rep told the writer to push the round straight down in the mag. The writer was concerned it might break. The rep insured him they would last a long time and said if it did break they would replace it. I have no problem with the modern plastic magazines and prefer them over steel that will dent and rust.
As far as no sense in a high cap mag for a bolt action rifle, the Ruger Scout seems to sell very well with 10 round mags. For my use I have no need for higher capacity, but many prefer them. Not everyone uses their rifle only for hunting.
During an early promo for the American rifles the Ruger rep told the writer to push the round straight down in the mag. The writer was concerned it might break. The rep insured him they would last a long time and said if it did break they would replace it. I have no problem with the modern plastic magazines and prefer them over steel that will dent and rust.
As far as no sense in a high cap mag for a bolt action rifle, the Ruger Scout seems to sell very well with 10 round mags. For my use I have no need for higher capacity, but many prefer them. Not everyone uses their rifle only for hunting.
