Magazines for Mark II and 93 22 cal.

Just a couple of questions to ask.

1) Why are the magazines for both the Mark II and the 93 so darn expensive???? Is there a big demand for them or is the factory keeping the supply down for higher prices. I mean 22 to 29 $$ for a 10 round Mark II mag. and upwards to $35.00 for a model 93. When shooting dogs and gophers a lot of shots can be fired and it is a lot easier to pop in another Mag. than to reload one every time.

2) I'm trying to find out when the model 93, I have purchased used was manufactured? It has a serial # of 0850XXX and I understand that it was made in Canada. Any help on #2 would be much appreciaterd, and any thought on #1 will be helpful. Dennis

I've got some on order from Impact Guns.
10 Round blue model 15.99 each plus ship. You may want to check them out.

Because believe it or not, magazines are probably the most difficult part of any firearm to design and manufacturer. They look so simple and basic as a finished product, but the time and money that goes into designing and developing a working prototype that can be put into production is astronomical. All the little bumps and ridges in the right places to ensure it feeds smoothly and properly. Getting the shape of the follower just right so it will feed the next round into the chamber properly rather than missing the chamber and causing a jam. Getting the spring size and rate correct so it will have enough tension to feed properly to the last round and not shoot several rounds out at a time when fully loaded and compressed. Then multiply that time and money by the number of different cartridges the magazine design will have to work with.

IIRC one of the engineers at Savage noted that they worked on and tweaked the new "centerfeed" magazine design for nearly two years getting everything just right. This is also why the .223/.204 guns were delayed in getting switched over to centerfeed - they needed more time to work the remaining bugs out of the design for the smaller cartridges.

1) Definitely shop around for magazines, but no they aren't cheap. Plus, this isn't really a good time to be in the market for new magazines, even if it is just a 5 or 10rd 22LR mag. But one of the reasons why magazines for bolt actions are so high is because of the lower demand for them, which pretty much leads back to a price increase because of what MrF already said. There's really only two ways to make a profit. Either sell tons of magazines at a low price (ARs, 10/22s, etc), or sell a small number of magazines at a higher profit margin (like most bolt actions). While a company may be able to sell hundreds of high-cap semi-auto magazines per day, magazines for bolt action 22s sell about like cherry popsicles in a blizzard.

2) I don't know if this is still the case since Savage moved to a new manufacturing facility a couple years ago, but for many years all the Savage rimfires were made by Lakefield (I think they still use that name) in Canada. That's as much as I can tell you. Maybe someone else can give you more info.

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Originally Posted by squirrelsniper

1) Definitely shop around for magazines, but no they aren't cheap. Plus, this isn't really a good time to be in the market for new magazines, even if it is just a 5 or 10rd 22LR mag. But one of the reasons why magazines for bolt actions are so high is because of the lower demand for them, which pretty much leads back to a price increase because of what MrF already said. There's really only two ways to make a profit. Either sell tons of magazines at a low price (ARs, 10/22s, etc), or sell a small number of magazines at a higher profit margin (like most bolt actions). While a company may be able to sell hundreds of high-cap semi-auto magazines per day, magazines for bolt action 22s sell about like cherry popsicles in a blizzard.

2) I don't know if this is still the case since Savage moved to a new manufacturing facility a couple years ago, but for many years all the Savage rimfires were made by Lakefield (I think they still use that name) in Canada. That's as much as I can tell you. Maybe someone else can give you more info.

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I think you were misinformed. Rimfires are still made in Lakefield, ONT and all the centerfires are still made at the same Westfield, MA plant they've been using for at least 60+ years.

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Originally Posted by MrFurious

I think you were misinformed. Rimfires are still made in Lakefield, ONT and all the centerfires are still made at the same Westfield, MA plant they've been using for at least 60+ years.

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Thanks for clearing that up. I was nearly certain they'd moved the manufacturing of the centerfires, but then again, I've been "nearly certain" of where the wind would blow my bullets from time to time too.

Thanks to everyone for their replies. My question was answered with perfection.

Here is another source I just used, I placed the order for 4 10rnd at 6pm 31 Dec and it arrived 7pm today.

http://www.wholesalehunter.com/produ...roductid=14996

I purchased two magazines for my MKII at Gander Mountain the other day for $18 each.

These guys have a 2 pack for $44.99.

http://www.17hmrmag.com/Savage-17-HM...R10RND-2pk.htm

Thanks for the great info. Purchased a 2 pack