Savage 22 LR rotary mags are kind of a buzz-kill,,, So I'm experimenting,,,

Not sure how else to say it,

Took (4) different 22's to the range and while my B22 FVSS was shootin toe to toe with my CZ 455 V, compared to the other 3 rifles, charging the Savage rotary mags just plain sucked.

After you charge them, they work AOK 100%. No complaints there at all, but after stuffing a couple hundred rounds in 'em during an outing, they really start to grind my gears!!! LOL!


(I have (2) rotary's and (1) banana. As I shoot from a bench, the banana really doesn't work due to space it requires, so,,, we'll focus today on the rotary's.)

Of the (2) rotary's I have, (1) came with the rifle and I purchased a 2nd online. No real distinguishable differences between the 2, and both ~equally unpleasant~ to charge.

Certainly not impossible to charge by any means, but when you switch from one rifle to another, then another, then another, the awkwardness of the Savage mags comes through crystal clear.

Of course, there are little 'tricks' I've learned over the last brick or two, and even then, it seemed like I really had to fight to get the last 3 or so rounds in,,,

When compared to other manufacturers mags,,, eh,,, just kind of a buzzkill,,,,

So, I figured I 'd experiment,,,, Time to open 'em up and see what makes 'em tick,,,

No surprise,,,, Ruger rotary mags are reasonably similar to the Savages,,, Overall concept is the same...

When I pulled the Savages apart, I noticed each had approx. (1) full turn of spring tension.

By design, the Savage mag / mag springs are only capable of 180 degree increments of tension adjustment.

I cleaned/reassembled with 1/2 turn of tension instead of 1. (Mags weren't really dirty, but be danged if I'm gonna pull em apart and NOT clean em! LOL!)

As one would guess, with the reduced tension, it's not near as much of a struggle to charge 'em,,,,

I've charged/shucked 'em here at my desk a couple of times. Seems to work just fine. Truth will be a trip to the range, but looking 'quite promising' at this point.

So why so much tension from the factory?

A. Can only assume 'more' tension is better than less for folks who never clean a mag,,,

B. Might be necessary on the last couple rounds for the faster action of semi-auto's. Again, especially with folks who never clean a mag,,,

C. 3/4 turn may be fine for 'all of the above', but the design won't allow for less than 180 degree adjustments,,,

Hard to say, but if this works, at least to the point that it's 'reasonably close' to the effort required to charge other manufacturers mags, I'll be tickled,,,

Report back after a couple hundred more rounds. How much pressure for the first 2 rounds in the magazine?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Evlshnngns

. How much pressure for the first 2 rounds in the magazine?

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No fear of them falling out.

Hard to quantify via words and can only speculate as to why a half turn wasn't OEM.

Savage uses a thicker dia wire in their mags compared to Ruger. Savage also uses a 'beehive' style spring instead of a straight wall.

You'll likely find that with the reduced tension you will start getting failures to feed where the bolt fails to pick up a fresh round because there's too little tension holding it up. This was a very common issue when the rotary mags first came out in the A17 (see my first review).

As for loading difficulty, there are plenty of magazines out there that are easier to load but I wouldn't say these are overly difficult to load. Once you learn the trick you can load them just about as easy as a 10/22 mag - at least that's been my experience. Just gotta get the rim of the round behind that little ear/tab when starting it in the mag. Easiest way to do so is start with the round at a slight angle to the side, hook the rim and then straighten it up and push it in.

Reduced tension may very well cause feeding problems, especially with the quicker action of a semi-auto.

'Bench testing' will be the next phase with my B22. I can only speculate what effect this change may have on an A22 as I don't have one or know anyone who does.

Been angling and hooking for months now. Yes, it can be done, but with (3*) other 22 rifles to choose from, it can become a factor in deciding what to take to the range, and what to leave behind. (*Come to think of it, 5 more, counting Grandpas old pump 22 and a 10/22 TD that stays 'within easy reach' at home.)

I've installed a 'target' trigger spring and enjoy the accuracy/function of the rifle itself, but when angling and hooking hundreds of rounds in a setting leads to a 'got to be a better way' sensation, it's time to experiment and see what can be done.

Bought a banana mag months ago. Certainly easier to load that the rotary. But, for some reason not yet exactly known, the banana doesn't always want to seat properly in the mag-well. As the banana doesn't allow me to position the rifle exactly as I want on the bags anyway, it's issues have been placed on the back burner and the rotary's are back under the microscope.

Testing over a period of time is what will be needed to see if '1/2 turn tension' will work.

Like others, I enjoy several kinds of Shooting activities. Just mounted a red dot on one of my 9mm's and should have yet another 9mm arrive at my FFL today. Kind of 'the time of the year' that he Wife and I enjoy shooting clays as well, so no exactly sure when the 22's will fall back 'into the rotation'.

I have got to say that I did not buy this rifle unaware of the mag charging issue. Considering its other excellent traits I decided I could live with it. After taking this thing to the range I am more than delighted with it's accuracy and fit. But I have got to admit that I did underestimate the difficulty of that darn mag, and I having fought with it for a while now I can in no way see how it could be compared to any other mag anywhere. I have followed every offered piece of advice and experimented endlessly on my own looking for a solution. So is it a real tack driver? You bet, out of the box it out shoots many of my customized rifles! Does it fit my shoulder and cheek superbly? Absolutely! Will I leave it home when I go to the range and take my other rifles instead. Yes I will. I will of course keep looking for a way at home in my shop to load that mag. Because I would like to take it out again some day. I will let you know if we find a worthy solution.

Hmmm! I have four of the rotary factory mags for my two A22s, They originally were all a little stiff to start, but I think that after 8-10 loadings & the fact that I store them loaded, has made them pretty easy to load these days.
Also, like J.Baker says, maybe it is just finding the right angle & direction to push the round. I usually just dump ten rounds out of the box into my left hand & maneuver one rd. base into the base slot (nose about 30 deg. up & 15-20 deg. rt.) and push it left & down into the slot with my thumb and it clicks in. A little harder than the straight 10 rd. mags of my FVSR, but certainly not horrible!

Here's the angled method I use. Are they as easy to load as say a Ruger 10/22 or Browning T-bolt Helix mag? No, but they're not terribly frustrating once you figure them out. For me the first round is always the biggest PITA due to that little flag/tab on the rotor, but the rest load fairly easily. That said, Savage would have been a LOT smarter to have just used the existing 10/22 magazine like S&W has done. Patent is up so no royalties, plus Vista Outdoor also owns Butler Creek who makes 10/22 magazines so Savage could have had them supply the mags resulting in no new tooling costs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A94bmvgFhP0


Biggest problem I'm finding with these mags has more to do with installation height than loading/feeding. With the magazine clicked into place I have found a lot of them have a noticeable amount of um/down play at the rear of the magazine on the new A and B-Series rifles. Those with more play tend to be the ones that have feeding issues as that play allows the rear of the magazine to sit too low and the bolt won't always catch the rim of the top round to strip it from the magazine.

What I'm not certain of yet is if it's an issue with the size/location of the retention tab on the magazine itself or if it's an issue with the magazine hanger bracket - more specifically the tolerance between the rear retention spring and the pin that secures it in place. If you pull the action from the stock and insert a magazine then press up on the rear of it you can see the eyelets of the retention spring moving on their pins.

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