Detachable Magazine Systems for Bolt Action Rifles
By Ian Kenney
While a detachable magazine in a bolt gun is not exactly a new concept it hasn’t been but within the past several years that their use in long range rifles have become more widespread. A detachable magazine (DM) system used to be considered too costly, too unreliable, and nearly completely useless for most serious long range shooters. Despite this disdain for some of those earlier DM systems, a detachable magazine system of some sort is in use by civilian and professional shooters worldwide.
The detractors of detachable magazine systems usually say that the systems are unreliable, unnecessary for most operations, and actually reduce a shooter’s accuracy. Similar arguments have been heard time and time again such as during the adoption of the M16 series of rifles or the adoption of a variable powered optic for military precision rifles. The fact of the matter is that those that are most resistant often use examples and experiences from the past to immediately put down current options, making it essentially guilt by association. However many fail to see the advancements in manufacturing methods and materials that have drastically improved the DM system that make some of the previous arguments a moot point.
Reliability
In 1999 Accuracy International introduced the Accuracy International Chassis System (AICS) for the Remington 700 series of rifles and, in my opinion, started a new era in detachable magazine systems. Previously, detachable magazine systems came from an OEM manufacturer as a mere afterthought and were the reasons for many of the arguments against DM systems. By the time the AICS was introduced Accuracy International already had a lot of experience in making a detachable magazine system work in a hard use bolt action rifle. From the start their chassis system was designed to use a short or long action Remington 700 and give it a functional and reliable detachable magazine system. One result of this is that the AICS magazine is now pretty much the gold standard in detachable magazines for bolt action rifles today. The steel magazine uses a double stack, single feed configuration to reliably feed most short and long action cartridges from either 5 or 10 round magazines. Some manufacturers have produced trigger guards designed to use the AICS magazines so that reliable detachable magazine systems can be used on a variety of stocks since the AICS doesn’t suit everyone. Badger Ordnance, CDI Precision, and Surgeon Rifles are just a couple of notable manufacturers of AICS magazine compatible trigger guards. These trigger guards can be used with stocks from nearly all of the popular manufacturers with some inletting required allowing the shooter to have a rock solid and reliable DM system in a stock that fits them perfectly. In addition to the AI chassis system, there are several new manufacturers of chassis systems that have hit the market in the past couple of years; all of them allow the use of the AICS magazine. That’s not to say that there aren’t other reliable DM systems out there, it’s just that so far I feel the systems that use AICS magazines, instead of another proprietary magazine, have a lot more going for it.
As a testament to the reliability of these new systems, elements of the US military are using the AI chassis system on its Mk13 Mod 5 sniper rifle and the US Marine Corps has been upgrading its M40 series of rifles with Badger Ordnance M5 DBM systems. Both are currently in use in the world’s hot zones and both use the tried and true AICS magazines. It is also interesting to note that all of the rifles going after the current government solicitation for a precision sniper rifle include a detachable box magazine feature.
Accuracy
Another argument against the detachable box magazine is that it will adversely affect the shooter’s accuracy and make them shoot faster. This is purely a training problem and not a problem associated with a detachable magazine system. Whether you have a detachable magazine or a standard floor plate, the rounds still get fed into the rifle one at a time as you fire and cycle the bolt. The speed of this process is controlled by only one thing, the shooter. If the shooter knows and applies the fundamentals of marksmanship while firing then it won’t matter if they are using a rifle with a DM system or one with a standard floor plate. The shooter should still be able to place a well-aimed shot on target time after time whether there’s four rounds or twenty in the magazine. Installing a DM system on a bolt action will not automatically make the shooter waste rounds and be less accurate, limited understanding and poor training are responsible for that.
Necessity
The necessity of a DM system has long been argued and while some are valid to a point, the truth of the matter is necessity is a matter of opinion and you know what they say about opinions. I generally fit the need for DM systems into three categories, military, law enforcement, and civilians, which pretty much covers hunters and competition shooters.
For military sniper operations, especially in today’s warfare environments, a detachable magazine system is being viewed as a distinct advantage more so than a disadvantage. The established doctrine of a two man sniper team infiltrating and stalking up to a firing position to fire just one or two rounds and then move out again is quickly becoming a thing of the past. Current operations have shown that many teams are operating in larger numbers for better security and remain in positions longer, even after taking a shot. Additionally, in some urban engagements, the enemy attacks in greater numbers and for a sustained period of time, instead quickly ambushing and then falling back. For a sniper operating a bolt action rifle in these situations, a detachable magazine provides them the ability to engage more hostile targets and reload faster than if the rifle had a conventional floor plate. For the shooters that are issued rifles chambered in .300 Winchester Magnum or .338 Lapua Magnum the detachable magazine also offers some advantages over a conventional floor plate. A conventional floor plate only offers a capacity of about three rounds with those magnum cartridges, which can run out quickly if there are multiple targets or the target is moving. A detachable magazine system can offer the shooter five rounds of ammunition and, if there are other pre-loaded magazines, a fast and reliable way of reloading the rifle. It is interesting to note that the US military is actually behind the times in integrating a detachable magazine system to a military bolt action sniper rifle. Many of our NATO allies have been using sniper rifles with detachable magazine systems since sometime in the 1980’s. Two of the most notable rifles in use with multiple countries are the Accuracy International Arctic Warfare and the Sako TRG-series or rifles.
I will admit that the police sharpshooter probably doesn’t have a huge requirement for a detachable magazine system on their bolt guns like a military shooter would. This is due in large part to the difference in the mission between them and their military counterparts. The police sharpshooter will probably never engage multiple hostile targets in an urban environment or have a pervasive need for faster reload times. Police sharpshooters can find themselves in a variety of environments and situations though that is in stark contrast to the often-quoted statistic that police sniper engagements occur at an average range of 77 yards in an urban environment. It is in those situations and environments that the detachable magazine can be of particular benefit to the police sharpshooter. One way that a DM system can be advantageous to the sharpshooter is by allowing them to carry different kinds of ammunition to better handle the different kinds targets that may be encountered. The sharpshooter can have magazines loaded with standard match ammunition for soft targets and ones with barrier penetration ammunition for car windshields and other intermediate barriers. The DM system also allows the shooter to keep the ammunition organized and switch easily between the different loads without dumping the rounds out of the magazine, potentially loosing them in the process. By utilizing a good modern DM system the police sharpshooter’s rifle doesn’t really lose any of its effectiveness or reliability compared to using a conventional floor plate either. The only true drawback to the modern DM system is that the cost of the system and their installation is more than many departments are willing bear.
The finally category for users of detachable magazines that I will discuss is the civilian shooter and arguably the one with the most market share. Now the civilian shooter umbrella encompasses many different types of enthusiast from hunters to competition shooters. There are many reasons that the detachable magazine system can give them an advantage over a standard floor plate equipped rifle, depending on a few things. One of the major factors that determine the utility of a DM system to a civilian shooter is of course the type of shooting that they will be doing. In all honesty, the typical hunter probably has very little use for a $300+ detachable magazine system if they are only using factory hunting ammunition in their rifle a couple weeks out of the year. A competition shooter on the other hand may need the DM system to engage numerous steel or paper targets and/or have the ability to quickly reload under time constraints. Another consideration given to the utility of a DM system is the kind of ammunition that will be used, whether it is factory or hand loaded ammo. I bring up the type of ammunition being used because if the shooter is using hand-loaded ammunition, some DM systems can allow for a greater overall length of the ammunition compared to the internal magazine of a standard floor-plate equipped rifle. This is most advantageous to hunters and competition shooters that use bullets that perform best when seated closer to the lands since this almost always extends the overall length of the cartridge past what a standard internal magazine can accommodate. This means that they will not have to single feed rounds into the chamber and can instead load up a magazine with five rounds, or more in some cases, and be ready to go. Competition shooters, especially those that shoot precision rifle matches, will also find the detachable magazine handy for those stages that impose a time limit on engaging multiple targets at multiple distances. One example of this is at the Allegheny Sniper Challenge where one of the stages requires the shooter to use seven rounds to engage seven targets at ranges from 200 to 600 yards in a little over a minute. I’ve shot that stage with rifles equipped with a standard floor plate and with a DM system and I’d take the one with a DM system every time. When I used the rifle with a standard floor plate I had to keep track of how many rounds I’d fired and then try to keep the additional rounds handy when I had to reload. All I had to do with the DM system was load the seven rounds I needed into the magazine, insert it into the rifle, and focus on getting hits on the targets. I also found that the magazines kept the ammunition organized and easy to access when I didn’t have a lot of time to gather my gear. From a safety and convenience standpoint too I found that the magazine made it easier to unload and make the rifle safe without creating a mess by dumping rounds out of the bottom and hoping I didn’t loose one in the long grass.
In The End
There will always be detractors and proponents of detachable magazine systems for the bolt-action rifle and hopefully this article has dispelled some of the negative opinions surrounding earlier systems. Many of the systems on the market today are more refined and designed to be just as reliable and durable as any floor plate equipped rifle but with an increased versatility. Even popular custom stock manufacturers like McMillan Fiberglass Stocks and Manners Composite Stocks can inlet your stock for most of the popular detachable magazine systems on the market so that all you have to do is drop it in and go. A gunsmith can also modify stocks like those from HS Precision or Bell & Carlson that were orignially not inletted for DBM systems. With the proliferation of good quality, reliable detachable magazine systems that can work with a number of actions and cartridges the only limiting factors of these systems is the cost. However the benefits that one of the these systems can provide will quickly out weigh the negatives for those that are looking to upgrade and enhance their rifles capabilities.