.223/200 loading problems

[Ranger J]

Has anyone come up with a cure for the  loading problems that a lot of the .223 200s seem to have?  Mine will not have load cartridges  after the first one.  My gunsmith has worked on several of them and has had no luck getting them to load every time.

RJ

[LaOtto222]

I put a single load tray in mine. I do not know if it had a problem to start with or not. I have two of them and inserted the single trays in both as soon as I got them. No problems at all.

[LaOtto222]

I have been thinking on this a while. I know the magazines are pressed in. There are two "ears" that bend out front and back into slots with lips in the bottom of the receiver action. I wonder if the relationship of how close the magazine is to the receiver or how centered it is would have any bearing on feed problems??

[mountainview]

RJ,
My son's 11 (cousin to the Stevens) refused to feed properly when I bought it and since it was new I took it back to the gunsmith who then proceeded to cycle Federal brand cartridges through it for 20 minutes without a hitch while watched. Turns out the ammo I was using would not feed since the problem went away when I tried a different box/lot. Not sure what ammo you're feeding but this would be a simple thing to try.

Another thing I have learned about this Savage (and could be worth trying) is that when loading the mag, seat the primer end of the cartridge close to or right against the rear wall of the well. I tend to have feeding problems when the bullet tip is too far forward (I have never sat down to ponder why) in the magazine. As long as I load with the primer end of the cartridges snug or close to the rear wall, it feeds without a hitch.

Good luck.

[rbergum95]

i have a similar problem with my wifes model 11. turns out the bottom of the spring doesnt always sit flush with the stock after reassembly. i always check it after i am done cleaning and if it isnt feeding i loosen the action and fiddle with the follower until i get it flush. it is just one of those things i will have to do with this rifle for as long as i have it. i think savage could fix this problem by installing a flat base for the magazine spring.

ron

[Davemuzz]

Like LaOtto, I inserted a single shot follower into my Stevens 200 in .308. It would feed the Nosler reload's I worked up just fine, but when I changed to Berger bullets and loaded 'em "way out there" the tip of the bullet would touch the front of the mag and feeding became a hit or miss proposition. So, my 200 is now a single shot. No big deal as I like T\C's anyway.

But, this may help you...or it may not. And you may want to ask your gunsmith first. Anyway, I had one of my mag's on my Springfield 1911 give me some feeding "fits" when it became 2 years old. So, what I did was take some Flitz, and with my Dremmel set on low and a polishing brush (cloth) I "polished" the inside of the feed lips and the back of the mag where the back part of the cartridge "rode" up the mag. You see, after a few years of use, a bit of oxidation of the metal had made it just rough enough to "drag" on the cartridges. After the polishing the mag worked fine.

So, you may want to polish the inside of your mag. Especially the feed lips.

FWIW

Dave

[oldandslow]

I have one in .223. As long as I use sharp pointed bullets, Sierra 40 grain HP's , I have no feeding problem. I've tried Remington 50 grain HP's which have a rounder nose and they hang up. It shoots the Sierra's very well so I am going to stay with them. I shot some Monarch 55 grain FMJ for the brass and they fed fine too.