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

[Pathfinder1cav]

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!

[J.Baker]

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.




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.

[mcgradypilot]

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