Problem loading Remington 700

[Spanky]

I have a Rem 700 5r in .308 and I am only able to load 4 rounds in the magazine. I have been able to get 5 in a couple of times but it was very hard.
Has anyone else had this problem? Any solution?

Thanks

[Idempotent]

I have the exact same rifle, and yeah, I know it says 5 rounds but I just can't see how that's possible. It seems to max out at 4 rounds for me. If I try to jam another in there (which I've so far been unsuccessful at), it feels like I'm going to break something.

[Bindernut]

That rifle in .308 should only carry 4 in the magazine. It uses the same magazine setup as any other floorplate-mag 700 in the '06 case head family. Five will fit into some due to slight tolerance differences in the mag body, follower, spring, etc....but those aren't the norm and even if five fits, it'll stress the spring and possibly jam on the first round or the follower will hang up at the bottom and you'll only get one round fed from the magazine.

Now in .223 family rounds, the mag capacity of the 700 is five and if it's chambered for a belted magnum it'll only hold three rounds. Page 10 of the owners manual.

I suspect if someone told you that the mag capacity was five they were thinking the "fully loaded capacity" of 4+1 (four in the mag, one in the chamber).

[Idempotent]

Unfortunately I can't even get 4+1 working. I can load 4 into the magazine no problem, but as soon as I try to close the bolt, it gobbles the first one off the magazine and tries to slide it into the chamber. So if I already have on in the chamber, it doesnt work.

Do I need to load one in the chamber, 4 in the magazine, and then somehow press down on the top round in the magazine so that it doesn't grab the top one as I close the bolt?

[Bindernut]

Yup,
Load your mag full with 4, then push down on the stack of cartridges so they're below the bolt and push the bolt forward a bit. Then you can drop a round into the chamber and finish closing the bolt...the extractor will snap over the rim when you close the bolt just as it does when chambering a round pushed up from the mag.

(Note, this is only for a push-feed design like the 700, preMkII Ruger M77s, or 110 Savage. Don't try to push-feed with a Mauser-type claw extractor...it's very hard on them and you can booger the rim or extractor up pretty good if you jam things too hard.)


Easiest way...stick with four in the mag and an empty chamber. If four didn't get the job done, one more probably isn't the magic ticket.

[wpage]

Dont sweat it. Try to remember the last time you needed more than 2 shots to kill something!