Hello everyone. I'm getting ready for my first Appleseed event and I'm having trouble inserting and ejecting the magazine on my new 10/22. Some basics:
* I'm using black (not clear) BX-1 magazines. The issue happens whether or not magazines are loaded.
* My 10/22 is brand new and has a French Walnut wood stock (not polymer, the rifle was a "distributor exclusive")
* I upgraded to a KIDD Magazine Release Lever, but the magazine latch plunger is stock. I can upgrade it, but I don't think that will solve the problem (see below)
* I did not apply any extra lube anywhere in the receiver nor have I tried sanding the wooden faces of the mag well
Problem Loading Magazine
When inserting the magazine (correct orientation) the end of the magazine closest to the trigger "goes in" faster than the side closest to the barrel. This means the mag gets seated crooked. Honestly my expectation was that I'd be able to just "slam it in" and go. Maybe that's Hollywood's fault, but I'd love some ideas :) I'm practicing to solve the issue by first aligning the magazine to the opening and then applying pressure only to the Ruger crest in order to seat it.
Problem Ejecting Magazine
This is the real problem. Unless I seat the magazine very slowly and carefully I will be unable to eject it by using the mag release. The plunger retracts smoothly and all the way. If I use my finger to wiggle the bottom of the magazine back and forth a bit then it'll drop free. One thing I noticed is that the metal rod on the magazine that goes into the receiver wall has left a noticeable scar on the metal of the receiver interior from me just loading and unloading an empty magazine: https://i.imgur.com/JzCQi40.jpeg
My question is: what can I do so that loading and unloading a mag is as smooth as possible? I don't want to get stuck fiddling with my mag during a qualification round at an Appleseed :(
Look in the magazine well, is the stock touching the mag? If so remove some material.
Take some sandpaper or nail file and round off the corners of the mag, it falls out in an arc, the top front corners need the most attention.
Thanks, Mark!
For this rifle, should I be able to insert a thin strip of metal between the seated mag and the mag wall? Trying to figure out things to look for besides whether or not the mag ejects easily.
I'll check the mags, but the above issue reproduced with both a 3-pack of BX-1s I purchased and the mag that came with the rifle from the factory. A friend mentioned that this might just be a break-in thing so I'm looking forward to trying that out as well before attending an Appleseed.
The failure to drop magazines is probably your stock. It is not unusual for the mag well to be machined too tight on the sides. My fix is to mark the edges of the mag well with a pencil, remove the stock, put some 150 grit sandpaper on a thin sanding block (1x2 or even a popsicle stick) and widen the stock at that point. You don't need to go too far - a clearance of .001 or .002 will be plenty. Too much side clearance would allow the magazine to turn sideways which would cause permanent feeding problems. Don't use lube - that would make everything sticky.
The difficulty in inserting magazines is just technique. The mag has to be level with the receiver to go in properly. Practice it about 100 times with an empty magazine and you'll get it right, every time, as a natural act.