OK, so the Model 16 magazine feed issue...

[RolHammer]

...has it been resolved yet??

I've got a Model 16 in .223, had it for about a year now. The third (second last) round in the magazine fails to feed about 75% of the time, the fourth (last) round fails to feed about 90% of the time. Looking closely, the magazine pushes down slightly - 1/16" or so. If you push the case forward slightly, it brings the case rear up enough the bolt can't override it. If you hold the magazine from the bottom, it feeds fine. This correlates with the findings of most of the posters describing the problem.

I've been through the discussions here and out in the web that have occurred over the years. Stretching the spring and opening the lips doesn't solve the problem, as the magazine is free to move downward just enough that there isn't sufficient compensation by the other corrections. It isn'st a simple 'change the mag' fix either. My son has an Axis in .223 as well and has the same problem with his rifle, for the same reasons. My magazine does the same in his rifle, his does the same in mine. I've purchased a third magazine, which does the same in both rifles. Again, posters here describe the same experience.

Attempts by other posters at trying to move the tab at the magazine rear have failed, with the tab simply just breaking. Trying to shim it in some way, either with something applied on the stock or under the tab, seem uncertain, as any decrease in hold at the rear can result in the magazine simply falling out, which is far less than ideal, of course.

It's more than a little annoying to me that this problem has been regularly described by owners over the course of years yet appears unresolved by Savage.

Any help anyone can offer to fix this is appreciated.

[RolHammer]

After endless hours fiddling with this, I believe I have a solution.

At the heart of the issue is that in some stocks the magazine sits too low with few realistic solutions to force it up the ~1/16" necessary. As a result, the case rear, when engaged against the block at the back of the magazine, is too low for the bolt to engage it. Watching what was happening with a set of dummy rounds I'd made up, I could see that if the case were set forward from the back of the magazine by as little as 1/16" or so, it'd be high enough on the follower for the bolt to engage it. I experimented with a number of approaches and think I found a simple solution.

Two thicknesses of 3M 2242 Linerless Electrical Rubber Tape (basically really thick electrical tape, URL: http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/EMDCI/Home/Products/ProductCatalog/~/3M-Linerless-Electrical-Rubber-Tape-2242-PN-06165-3-4-in-x-15-ft-19-mm-x-4-6m-24-per-case?N=5433135+4294920609&rt=rud) trimmed to the correct width and applied to the face of the rear block provided the necessary forward space.

http://multimedia.3m.com/mws/media/330978P/scotch-linerless-rubber-splicing-tape-2242.jpg?boundedSize=310
I ran into some issues because of the 'grabbiness' of the tape surface. This was solved by placing a strip of Lee Valley Low Friction Tape (basically a really thin strip of UHMW, URL: http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=32182&cat=1,110,43466,32182), which kept the cases sliding smoothly against the shim.

http://www.leevalley.com/en/images/item/woodworking/assorted/25u0401s2(2).jpg

I've cycled 30+ magazines worth of dummy rounds through testing this tonight without a single feed failure. Prior to this, the bolt would override the second last round three out of four times, and nine times out of ten with the last round.

I'll need to field test this at the range of course, but we could be looking at a universal fix here.

[RolHammer]

Here's some shots for anyone who wants to try this themselves.

You'll need a precision screwdriver with a slot tip to pop the metal upper portion of the magazine off the plastic base.

http://i529.photobucket.com/albums/dd336/rcoppens/IMG_6015.jpg



You'll slip the tip of the screwdriver right here at the side of the plastic base where it curves up. The plastic lug that engages into the side of the magazine metal upper is located here.

http://i529.photobucket.com/albums/dd336/rcoppens/IMG_6017.jpg


Push down gently, release the lug and the metal will pop up.

http://i529.photobucket.com/albums/dd336/rcoppens/IMG_6016.jpg (http://s529.photobucket.com/user/rcoppens/media/IMG_6016.jpg.html)


Flip it around and do the same on the other side.

http://i529.photobucket.com/albums/dd336/rcoppens/IMG_6018.jpg (http://s529.photobucket.com/user/rcoppens/media/IMG_6018.jpg.html)


Take a small piece of paper towel wetted with rubbing alcohol and wipe down the face of the plastic block at the rear to ensure the tape adheres well. Let this dry. Cut two strips of 3M 2242 tape ~5/16" to 3/8" wide & a little longer than the plastic block. Going from the underside of the upper metal piece (there's more clearance going from underneath), stick down the first piece, ensuring the top of the piece is flush with the top of the block, then trim to length at the bottom. Stick the second piece down over top of the first & trim to length.

Cut a piece of Low Friction Tape ~5/16" to 3/8" wide, remove the backing and adhere over top of the 3M tape. Ensure the top is flush with the top of the plastic block and the two pieces of 3M tape. You don't want anything sticking up out of the top of the magazine.

View from the bottom (the layers of tape don't have to be perfectly placed or ultra photogenic, they just needs to be stuck down and close in width):

http://i529.photobucket.com/albums/dd336/rcoppens/IMG_6019.jpg (http://s529.photobucket.com/user/rcoppens/media/IMG_6019.jpg.html)


View from the top:

http://i529.photobucket.com/albums/dd336/rcoppens/IMG_6020.jpg (http://s529.photobucket.com/user/rcoppens/media/IMG_6020.jpg.html)


At this point if you'd like, you can stretch the spring out a little to make it more crisply push the follower up.

To reassemble, slip the follower and spring into the upper part (it only goes in one way), orient the plastic base and metal upper part correctly (it will be obvious when you look at this). Slide the rear of the metal upper part onto the lug on the plastic base, engaging the lug into the hole in the bottom of the metal upper part. Then, using the screwdriver, engage the lug on one side and then the other into their slots in the metal upper.

Take some dummy rounds and test. I think you'll find it works much better now.

One caveat is that you'll lose a little mag length with this method - around 1/16". I didn't find it overly impactful however & had plenty of room, even with a load with a reasonably long OAL.