I'd like a Savage, Remington, or Ruger bolt that takes M14 magazines. Or a .223 bolt that takes M16 magazines.
Interchangeable magazines make a lot of sense. For my 1911, I've got a couple of Kimber mags, some Chip McCormick, some Wilson mags, and a handful of GI mags. They all work because they're standard magazines. There is no reason that a rifle can't be designed to handle standard magazines. As Caleb puts it:
However, what I’ve been thinking of for a bolt action rifle is a bit like Jeff Cooper’s concept of a Scout Rifle, except with a few minor twists. I’d like to have the reduced weight and forward optics of a scout-type rifle, but in 5.56 NATO/.223 Remington instead of .308. Sure, you lose some terminal ballistics, but the reduction in weight and felt recoil make the gun even better for humping around the horrible post-apocalyptic hellscape. Now, what I’d really like would be for the gun to accept NATO magazines. A bolt action .223 that feeds from standard AR style magazines would be the berries for a defensive carry rifle. Since everyone seems to be talking about how the world/economy/social order is going to collapse soon (it’s not) I figured the best rifle for that collapse would be a bolt action .223 with an 18 inch barrel, forward mounted optic, back up iron sights, and the ability to feed from standard AR15 magazines. CZ-USA makes the closest approximation I’m going to find on the commercial market, the CZ-527 Carbine in .223 or 7.62×39. It’s pretty much exactly what I had in mind, save for the fact that I don’t think it takes NATO magazines.That's the idea.
I'd like to have a rifle with a normal capacity magazine that takes M14 magazines. I'd prefer to have it in .243 or 7mm-08, but either of those calibers would work in a .308 magazine. Of course, .308 ain't bad either.
What would be the use for such a rifle? Well, if I have to explain it to you, I'll let Tamara have her say:
the most likely targets are going to be shy ungulates that travel in twos and threes or stationary paper circles. These can be taken with a bolt action rifle rather handily, and a six-pound boltie with no protruding crap rests in the hands ever so much easier after several hours than a nine-pound slab with grips and magazines protruding at odd angles. Plus, an anvil might be more reliable than a Mauser '98, but that would depend on the make and model of the anvil.And that pretty well sums it up.
Savage, Ruger, Big Green! Y'all listening?
Remington does offer that option for some of their .308 bolt rifles... :-)
ReplyDeleteRe the .223- I just went with 5.56 that way I can shoot both 5.56 and .223 without worrying about it.
Really? Which models offer the ability to use an AR15 or M14 magazine. Lots of us would buy a rifle like that. I must've missed it in the Remington Catalog.
ReplyDeleteThere was a company that was making a replacement for the Remington 700 BDL floorplate that would accept magazines. They made them for both the long and short actions. I was very tempted to buy one when I replaced my ADL stock with composite but the company went out of business so I didn't. I see that they(or someone else) have started making them again not too long ago. It would be a pretty easy for them if they wanted to do it.
ReplyDeleteThere is a Remington pump action that comes in .223 and takes standard AR15 magazines.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.remingtonle.com/rifles/7615.htm
Say Uncle has a discussion on this exact subject linked recently.
ReplyDeleteHow about an Ishapore Enfield?
The 2a is 7.62 NATO, has a 12-round (proprietary but available) magazine.
They were selling for less than $300 last time I looked.
You'd be more likely to leave that 2a in the truck than you would a more expensive Remington 700 all tommy'd up.
The Remington 7615, with a suitable reflex sight on it, is just perfect for your job in 5.56 NATO, but it is also $$$$$.