How’s 1500 243 floor plate loading

[charlie-fox]

Have bought a second hand howa 1500 243
Come with hinged floor plate
Its a first for me but not rocket science

I have failed
Only able to single load
Anything I load down into the mag doesn’t seem to be pushed back up high enough or the right angle for the bolt to pick up
Any ideas? Is this common and why every one changes to detachable box mag

 

[Firefly]

Is the bit the rounds sit on parallel to the bore. Sometimes they get caught up and sit at a weird angle ? I have this rifle and provided the above is followed it’s flawless.

 

[VSS]

Assuming there's not something wrong like the spring being knackered, I suspect you're not putting the rounds in correctly. Probably too far forward, so make sure you push each one to the back of the magazine, or possibly you're not pushing them down far enough along their full length, meaning they're cocked up at a slight angle and the rear end of the case isn't high enough relative to the pointy end, so the bolt skips over it.
Is it single or double stack?
Get it right, and you'll find it's a superior system in all respects to a detachable mag.

 

[charlie-fox]

Looks all flush to me
Bolt catches the back of the round and it’s the front that’s jammed up
Single loose round no problem once it’s pushed into floor plate no luck

 

[25 Sharps]

Have bought a second hand howa 1500 243
Come with hinged floor plate
Its a first for me but not rocket science

I have failed
Only able to single load
Anything I load down into the mag doesn’t seem to be pushed back up high enough or the right angle for the bolt to pick up
Any ideas? Is this common and why every one changes to detachable box mag

No, it should work perfectly well.

Check the follower goes down and back up in a straight line when you push it. Ensure all rounds are going in flat and are at the back of the magazine.

 

[nun_hunter]

I'd check the floorplate was assembled correctly. There is a good chance the previous owner put in a mag conversion and then when selling put the floor plate back incorrectly. I have a 223 Howa and the floor plate worked every time. I think the 223 and 243 are both the short action but the 223 has a spacer at the rear. I don't know if the 243 needs a spacer or it's been installed incorrectly and so the round is too far back causing the bullet to sit too low and catch on the feed ramp rather than slide up it.

 

[25 Sharps]

@charlie-fox Photos of the empty mag and with a round pushed in may help towards a solution.

 

[charlie-fox]

@nun_hunter nailed it first go it wasn’t put back together tidy
Thank you all for your time

 

[25 Sharps]

@nun_hunter nailed it first go it wasn’t put back together tidy
Thank you all for your time

Floor plates are great as you can’t forget them!

 

[VSS]

Floor plates are great as you can’t forget them!

A hinged floorplate is great in that respect, but a detachable floorplate is a bit of a worry! I have one of each, and I never open the detachable one for fear of losing it!

 

[25 Sharps]

A hinged floorplate is great in that respect, but a detachable floorplate is a bit of a worry! I have one of each, and I never open the detachable one for fear of losing it!

fair one, I didn’t know detachable floor plates were a thing if I’m honest!

 

[VSS]

fair one, I didn’t know detachable floor plates were a thing if I’m honest!

I just use it like a blind mag, and cycle any unfired rounds out.

 

[25 Sharps]

I just use it like a blind mag, and cycle any unfired rounds out.

I must admit I do not like blind mag’s one bit!

 

[Cyres]

I never had a problem with the hinged floor plate on my Howa 1500 .243.
Much easier to load than my Remington.
I just give it a squirt of WD or GT spray and wipe clean.
D