Older 110 Savage with stagger feed mag.

[fgw_in_fla]

This is kinda sorta aimed (excuse the terminology) at our resident historian Savage Guru - Jim.

A few years back when I acquired the 110 I rescued from a pawn shop, the stagger feed mag drove me crazy. The bolt was sliding across the top, it wouldn't feed properly - I hated it.

I called Savage.
The young lady I spoke with said - "Just use a screwdriver & bend it to adjust it. That's how we do it...."

I took it apart. A little bend here, a little flex there. After many days of getting to know the quirks of the stagger feed mag, I FINALLY got it to feed properly without it hindering bolt operating. The bolt ALWAYS slid across the top of the mag making a somewhat hollow sounding scrape. I fixed that, too.
SO.....
After many hours of screwing around with it, I need to ask - Are there other options available to make these a bit more user friendly? I ask because the rifle is now a .308. Used to be a .270, 25.06, 30.06, etc....

I guess I need to break out the BIG screwdriver & the small prybar & other implements of creativity to "realign" the mag. Again.

You or anyone have any suggestion other than the realignment procedure I just discussed? I guess what I'm looking for is an option or 2 without spending a fortune AND, this is important, keeping the rifle as "stock" as possible. As you may have noticed, I take my Savage addiction to the point of obsession with keeping them plain Jane stock & make it shoot like a $1000 gun.

Whatcha got on this? I'm all ears.
Frank in Fla

I never said I was photographer.....

[CharlieNC]

Great timing Frank; I'm getting ready to do the same conversion too! Getting a new 308 barrel for target, and will chop the Savage barrel to 20" to build LA hunter. Since Savage used to build rifles this way, I bet a special magazine might be available.

[fgw_in_fla]

G'mornin' Mr. C....
Be advised the LA stagger feed in the older 110 will work with a SA round (ie - convert .270 to .308) BUT.... You wil be readjusting it if you want 100% reliability in feeding.
I can pop in 4 rounds & chamber them with about 60 - 70% reliability. It'll work but I like 100% or as close as I can get. Every so often 1 or 2 of the rounds will hang up just enough to where I have to pull the bolt back slightly, a quick jiggle & shove it home.

Just think of how exciting that would be with a 700lb hog coming toward you with the intention of showing you why you should not be in his / her territory.... Here in Fla. they a real problem in some areas & people have been hurt badly from them. I don't want to be one of them.

[sharpshooter]

This conversion pictured is for .223 mags, but you get the idea.

[fgw_in_fla]

Now that is way too cool. It proves a point, too. Anything is do-able if you just let the creative juices flow....

I appreciate your input. A reconfigured home built steel box was pretty high on my list. I've never really taken the time to fully understand the fundamentals of the stagger feed vs. the straight line feed. The difference in the way they work is considerable. The stack / straight line feed is so much nicer to load & shoot from. I can't ever recall having any trouble with jamming, etc....

Thanks again Mr. Sharpshooter. As usual you're the man with the answers.
Frank in FLa

[fgw_in_fla]

Oh and, one last tid bit...
You got them in stock & how much?......

Thanks again for your input.

[CharlieNC]

It's coming back to me Frank (I'm over social security age, sometimes it takes a while). I think what SS showed is simply the standard staggered feed box for the caliber of choice, and you just make the bent metal bracket that is held in place with the sheet metal screw. KISS Principle/Caveman simple, gotta love it. I wanna pop one of those 700 pounders for the freezer!

[fgw_in_fla]

That's what I thought it was but just wanted to be sure. It's funny that I can figure out in my head how to much scaffold & walkways all materials & manpower to rebuild the side of a 7 story building but I have to ask how to modify a magazine for a rifle.
And it's nothing more than a little sheet metal box with a spring inside.
Charlie, I think guys like you & I tend to "overthink" a situation at times.
That's a nice way of saying middle age sucks baloney skins.....