One Shot, I am like you. I much prefer a detachable box magazine, for a number of reasons. It’s easier, faster, more convenient, and safer to load and unload than an internal magazine. So, if you are frequently having to load and unload your rifle because you are often getting out of a vehicle, off of a 4-wheeler, off of a snow mobile, or off of a horse, or having to frequently cross fences, streams, or steep embankments or rock outcroppings, a detachable magazine is superior. A simple flick of the mag release, and all your rounds are quickly, safely, and neatly removed in one motion, and easily stowed in a pocket until you are ready to reload, which again, is one easy, convenient, and safe motion. Pop it in, and you’re ready to go.
If you have to load and unload frequently, and your rifle has an internal magazine, you have to load each round individually and to unload, you have to cycle your action for every round in the mag, and after a while, this can get tedious and tiresome. In my opinion, it’s just inconvenient. Of course, if you don’t need to unload and reload frequently, it’s not really a big deal.
How is a detachable mag better than a hinged floor plate? Frequent unloading isn’t much slower than unloading a detachable mag, but frequent loading is, as each round needs to be loaded individually, similar to an internal box magazine. Once your detachable mag is loaded, until rounds are fired, you don’t have to unload the mag. Click, all your rounds are in. Click, all your rounds are out, in one neat package. Now, I’m not saying you have to stog your mag with 4-5 rounds, but if you like to keep 3 rounds in the gun, after a while, it can get tedious. Again, if you’re not loading and unloading frequently, not a big deal.
Now, let’s say you’re hunting from a tree stand, and you unload before ascending, and descending. (Please don’t tell me you don’t). A detachable mag is much more convenient, especially if you’re not a fan of heights, like me. Again, with an internal box, you have to cycle the action for every round that is in the magazine, and try to catch all the rounds as they come out, and not fall out of the tree stand. With a hinged floor plate, you need to catch all the rounds at once as they come out of the bottom of the magazine, without dropping any, without dropping the gun, and not falling out of the tree stand. It can be a bit of a challenge, and I speak from experience. Again, with a detachable magazine, all the rounds come out together in one neat little package. Some of you are no doubt more agile and coordinated than me, but when making a comparison, a detachable magazine is hands-down more convenient, if hunting from a tree stand. Plus, I’m anal about not putting wet and dirty rounds that have been dropped in the mud or snow in my guns.
How is a detachable magazine safer? With a detachable magazine, you can load the rifle with the bolt closed, thus not chambering a round. You can carry it around this way if you want, or not, and then unload the rifle, never having chambering a round. It’s difficult to accidentally shoot someone without a round in the chamber. With an internal box magazine or a hinged floor plate, you cannot close the bolt without chambering a round. If you have 4 rounds in a rifle with an internal box magazine, you have to chamber all 4 rounds before the gun is empty. Now, presumably, we all know the A.C.T.S. and P.R.O.V.E., but as I mentioned before, the less rounds being chambered, the less chance of a gun going boom when it’s not supposed to. Even if you chamber a round after inserting your detachable magazine, you only have to cycle that one round of the chamber. All the other rounds come out together in one neat group.
Some folks talk about losing “clips.” On modern rifles, the magazines are very tightly secured once in place. At least that is the case with Savages anyway.
Some folks don’t need to frequently load and unload, and some folks don’t hunt from a tree stand. But for anyone who does, a detachable magazine is faster, safer, and more convenient.
Of course, if you only chamber two rounds or less, a hinged floor plate is not necessarily slower or much less convenient than a detachable magazine. You do have to chamber at least one though to close the bolt, which you do not have to do with a detachable magazine.
I just wish you could get a Model 70 with a detachable magazine. I would buy one then for sure.
