AICS Magazines and Bolt Action Rifles

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  • Hurtaaron

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    Aug 5, 2018
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    I'm looking to purchase my first 308 rifle, and I've been doing a little research.
    I'm a novice, and don't understand why more rifles don't come with an AICS standard magazine.
    What am I missing here? Why would anyone ever want 4 rounds instead of 10? Weight? Not wanting the rifle to look "different"?
    Why would anyone want a proprietary magazine system over an industry standard?
    It seems like only the niche "tactical" bolt rifles have this.
     
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    28   0   0
    Oct 3, 2008
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    On a hill in Perry C
    My guess would be that most bolt guns are sold for hunting. With hunting there just isn't a need for extended magazines, not to mention legal restrictions in many areas. Many rifles are also built to a price point so the manufacturers don't want to spend anything for licensing fees when their own in house magazine design works fine and is cheaper to boot. Also an extended mag can mess up handling. With a flush mag you carry a rifle comfortably one handed. Even slung an extended mag can get in the way or be uncomfortable. Then there is aesthetics. Most hunters are old school and just flat don't like the looks. Here's a nice sleek rifle, good lines, decent wood, with a square box hanging out the bottom.
     

    Areoflyer09

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    Feb 28, 2017
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    The Ruger RPR works with AICS mags. Even comes with 10 rounds mags. It is also big, heavy and really is made for bench shooting. So it may not fit what ever it is that your looking to do.
     

    tcecil88

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    Most DBM systems are too cost prohibitive for the average guy to buy. As stated above, that would make the price point of most rifles past where alot of people would buy it. Besides, I would say most bolt guns bought for hunting are sighted in and shot rarely if at all after that.
     

    M67

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    Jan 15, 2011
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    The Ruger RPR works with AICS mags. Even comes with 10 rounds mags. It is also big, heavy and really is made for bench shooting. So it may not fit what ever it is that your looking to do.

    Doesn't the RPR use PMAGS?

    I'm looking to purchase my first 308 rifle, and I've been doing a little research.
    I'm a novice, and don't understand why more rifles don't come with an AICS standard magazine.
    What am I missing here? Why would anyone ever want 4 rounds instead of 10? Weight? Not wanting the rifle to look "different"?
    Why would anyone want a proprietary magazine system over an industry standard?
    It seems like only the niche "tactical" bolt rifles have this.

    AICS mags are single stack, so in 1 mag where you can get 5 rounds you could get 8+ out of a rotary. Plus AICS mags have only recently (past 5 years) became more common (industry "standard") outside of chassis guns, plenty of magazines out there have predated them.

    Hunting rifle with a rotary style mag or staggered box mag is a flush fit and could hold more than a AICS mag
     

    Hurtaaron

    Plinker
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    Aug 5, 2018
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    NWI
    Doesn't the RPR use PMAGS?



    AICS mags are single stack, so in 1 mag where you can get 5 rounds you could get 8+ out of a rotary. Plus AICS mags have only recently (past 5 years) became more common (industry "standard") outside of chassis guns, plenty of magazines out there have predated them.

    Hunting rifle with a rotary style mag or staggered box mag is a flush fit and could hold more than a AICS mag

    I was thinking more along the lines of the Magpul 10 round AICS mags.
    I haven’t come across many bolt 308’s that can hold more than four rounds.
    Savage has a “tactical” 110 model.
     

    bwframe

    Loneranger
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    Feb 11, 2008
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    Btown Rural
    Neat trick to mod the Magpul AICS mags from five to six:

    [video=youtube;7zLvgUnylyw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zLvgUnylyw[/video]

    I don't have any Magpul AICS ten rounders (yet) to see whether it works for them or not? One could only assume that they use the same follower?
     

    Goodcat

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    I have the Ruger Precision Rifle. I prefer the feel of the 10rnd p-mag, but use the Magpul AICS ten round so I can load my ammo longer, and I like that is prevents last rounds lock open, a feature I don’t like on a bolt action rifle.
     

    natdscott

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    Jul 20, 2015
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    Why would anyone ever want 4 rounds instead of 10? Weight?

    1) You shouldn't ever need more than 3-4 in a good hunting rifle. Learn not to suck, or learn to shuck shells faster. With a side holder, I'd be pretty okay with even a 40X.

    2) Yeah. Weight is a lot more concern for hunting than it is in the gun rag at Malwart. If you've never tried to manage a 12 lb, 24"+ barreled rifle over a day of still hunting or stalking heavy cover...well, I urge you to try it, but actually suggest you don't.

    Mountains = same.

    It's a game of one shot, not 10.
     
    Last edited:

    two70

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    1) You shouldn't ever need more than 3-4 in a good hunting rifle. Learn not to suck, or learn to shuck shells faster. With a side holder, I'd be pretty okay with even a 40X.

    2) Yeah. Weight is a lot more concern for hunting than it is in the gun rag at Malwart. If you've never tried to manage a 12 lb, 24"+ barreled rifle over a day of still hunting or stalking heavy cover...well, I urge you to try it, but actually suggest you don't.

    Mountains = same.

    It's a game of one shot, not 10.

    That's so old school! Don't you know the proper way to do things today?

    1. Walk 10 feet from your truck and setup your shooting bench.
    2. Spot an animal 700 yards away.
    3. Use a several gadgets to determine distance, elevation, shot angle, wind speed and other meteorological data which are all then plugged into an app on your phone.
    4. Load a 10 round magazine in your chassis rifle and then use the output on your app to adjust your scope.
    5. Fire several rounds to walk your shots on target.
    6. Hope you can actually find the animal once you finally make it over to where it "dropped instantly at the first shot".
    7. Brag about the distance of the kill... after adding a couple hundred yards, of course.
     

    M67

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    Jan 15, 2011
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    RPR uses all kinds, to include both Magpul mags and AICS mags.

    I have the Ruger Precision Rifle. I prefer the feel of the 10rnd p-mag, but use the Magpul AICS ten round so I can load my ammo longer, and I like that is prevents last rounds lock open, a feature I don’t like on a bolt action rifle.

    Figured with the magwell cut out on the RPR for PMAGs I didn't think it would take AICS mags as well, surprised they don't rock around too much. Never heard of any one using them in the RPRs before. Kinda interesting
     

    natdscott

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    That's so old school! Don't you know the proper way to do things today?

    1. Walk 10 feet from your truck and setup your shooting bench.
    2. Spot an animal 700 yards away.
    3. Use a several gadgets to determine distance, elevation, shot angle, wind speed and other meteorological data which are all then plugged into an app on your phone.
    4. Load a 10 round magazine in your chassis rifle and then use the output on your app to adjust your scope.
    5. Fire several rounds to walk your shots on target.
    6. Hope you can actually find the animal once you finally make it over to where it "dropped instantly at the first shot".
    7. Brag about the distance of the kill... after adding a couple hundred yards, of course.

    You and I, sir, are on the same page.

    For DEER hunting, that kind of stuff is not mostly necessary, or even desirable in some types of hunting.

    I prefer to shoot my deer face-to-face, but even if I were an elevated-box-blind-with-a-furnace-and-TV deer hunter, and therefore less concerned with weight and balance, I can't see why I'd need 10 rounds in the gun.


    -Nate
     

    two70

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    A lot of that stuff is not really necessary for any kind of hunting. Sure, a lot of western hunting provides long range opportunities and sometimes it really is necessary to be able to reach out farther. I'd assume that is even more true for a lot of mountain hunting. Sometimes there is just no way to get closer while remaining undetected and a long shot is the only opportunity. Opportunities in the East Cape were like that at times last June. The thing I have a problem with is purposefully seeking or creating long range shots just to see how far you can shoot.There's nothing wrong with having the equipment and being prepared to take a long range shot but its another thing entirely to exclusively look for those opportunities.
     
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    28   0   0
    Oct 3, 2008
    4,187
    149
    On a hill in Perry C
    That's so old school! Don't you know the proper way to do things today?

    1. Walk 10 feet from your truck and setup your shooting bench.
    2. Spot an animal 700 yards away.
    3. Use a several gadgets to determine distance, elevation, shot angle, wind speed and other meteorological data which are all then plugged into an app on your phone.
    4. Load a 10 round magazine in your chassis rifle and then use the output on your app to adjust your scope.
    5. Fire several rounds to walk your shots on target.
    6. Hope you can actually find the animal once you finally make it over to where it "dropped instantly at the first shot".
    7. Brag about the distance of the kill... after adding a couple hundred yards, of course.

    Unfortunately that's close enough to the truth the purple isn't needed.
     

    Goodcat

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    why y’all need 3-4 round rotary magazines to get er done. Yer can’t chore then. Real hunters dun even use boolits an fancy gizmos. Ya gotta get em with a homemade blowgun through the heart or ya ain’t huntin
     

    teddy12b

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    Nov 25, 2008
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    For me the appeal of the AICS pattern mags in a hunting rifle is so I don't have to drop $50 or more on a spare proprietary mag that probably won't work as well as the 5rd or 10rd magpul mags. I have the 5 and 10 round mags already for a heavier precision rifle that gets used mostly at the range. I've humped a 24" heavy barreled 30-06 up and down some wisconsin hills on a deer hunt and have been looking for a lightweight hunting rifle ever since. In that search, I'd love to find a lightweight hunting rifle that would use the magpul aics mags I already have on hand. Whatever people like to hunt with is fine for me, I don't really care what the other guys are using. I was really hoping Savage was going to bring out their stainless lightweight rifle this year using the magpul mags, but that didn't happen.
     

    two70

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    why y’all need 3-4 round rotary magazines to get er done. Yer can’t chore then. Real hunters dun even use boolits an fancy gizmos. Ya gotta get em with a homemade blowgun through the heart or ya ain’t huntin

    Its not the equipment and gadgets one uses or not. Its about the difference between hunting vs. target practice with live targets so you can brag about how far away you made a kill. Shooting is but one, relatively small skill involved in hunting, not the be all, end all of hunting. Hunting is supposed to be about getting close enough to guarantee a quick, clean kill whatever your equipment and skill level. Now, the goal promoted by all too many people seems to be to shoot an animal at the maximum possible distance. If one wants to brag as hunter, brag about how close you were able to get to an animal and save the long distance shooting for inanimate targets that don't suffer when Murphy shows up.
     

    Goodcat

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    Oh, I get it. But archery guys were making fun of my 30 yard cross bow shot this season! Said it wasn’t fair, too easy with a crossbow. I say if you are about one ethic kill shot you know will 100% produce a quick clean kill, don’t matter what you use. I can get behind a 500 yard shot. But I agree with you, anyone who does it just to brag, or begins to walk in or otherwise risk only injuring the animal is an animal themselves.
     
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