Parker Hale Feeding Problem

thatmikeguy

thatmikeguy

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Steinbach, Manitoba
i put a new spring in my parker hale .308 clip and it still does not feed properly. the back end of the cartrige stays down just enough for the bolt to pass over it. is this common with parker hales? how do i fix it?
 
I've never liked the mags on my p-h's - i switch it out for a hinged FP.

try bending the feed lips on the mag slightly outwards a bit to allow the cartridge to sit higher in the stack. The cartridge should sit in the mag that when the bolt is withdrawn, the top of the cartridge should be about 1/16" - 1/8" above the bottom of the bolt face, but the feed lips should not touch the bolt.
 
Is it a Parker Hale original spring or another aftermarket make? If another type, it might not be allowing the follower to properly rise up.

Also, I have seen magazine springs installed backwards, making the front of the follower rise up more, and the rear to sit down a bit.

Is the spring the same shape and CALIBRE as the original one? A short action spring designed for .308/.243 etc. installed in a long action magazine such as .270/30-06 can cause feeding problems.

If the rifle worked all right and the rounds fed all right before, the feed lips may be all right, except if the magazine were dropped or damaged.
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i had the same problem with th old spring. i installed the new one the same way. i got it from a 243 remington clip. and yes this detach box is making me think of selling the gun to buy a new one. even though it shoots great.
 
You are likely going to have to tinker with it to make it work. You MIGHT be able to find a replacement magazine, but it won't be cheap.
The PH detachable magazine system is inferior. It even makes disassembly of the rifle awkward.
 
awkward is right. i do not like the disassembly process. i tried bending the magazine lips but then it won't snap into place. i think the mag is too long for short cartridges like the .308. without even pressure on the w spring it is tippy and the front goes up and the back goes down. ggrrrr!
i did find mags at a gun show but they were 80-100 dollars.
 
Do your best to try and fix the mag you have. The 243/308 mags are harder to find than the magnum and 270/30-06 ones. Take out a set of micrometers and measure the original and then keep trying different springs from different makers until you find one that's close.
Did the magazine just start doing this or was there some unfortunate accident?
 
ph spring

Had a m-1200 &had the same problem.I put more arc in the spring to put more pressure on the bolt sie of the feeder,and it worked.You may hve to try it once or twice to get it,I did and mine worked perfect!!ttyl
 
Feedding problems

Lets try a couple of things here. Do you reload ammo? If you do, make up about three rounds of DUMMY ammunition, without primer and powder. If you do not, you might have to go outdoors or to a range for Safety.

First of all, try loading about 3 rounds into the magazine. Are the rounds coming up at the back and contacting the feed lips evenly? If the back ends stay down a bit, you can correct this by attaching a small wood block using epoxy, to the rear end of the follower, between the platform and the spring. Trial and error here....before you glue it in, keep trying the test above until you obtain proper feeding.

Second. Is the magazine loose? It might not be seating fully into the rifle, and being a bit low, it does not allow the rounds to fully go up enough to be picked up. This is a problem you might want to take to a gunsmith, because it will involve filing and fitting of the magazine or magazine catch, and maybe adding a bit of metal to the bottom of the magazine itself.

Third. Parker Hale made a couple of "detachable magazine" rifles. One had a complete magazine assembly (magazine) that you could take out in one piece. The second had a magazine assembly, (sort of a sheet metal box), that fit inside the rifle, and was covered by the floor plate when you closed the floor plate. Which one is yours?
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feeding problems

Good magazine description. Try this. Insert the empty magazine into the rifle. Slowly close the bolt, and see if the bolt just clears the top of the feed lips, so that it can pick up a cartridge right. If it does, then put one of your dummy rounds into the magazine, and repeat closing the bolt slowly. If the bolt hits the cartridge halfway up the body, your follower is probably not raising the back end of the cartridge enough, or the magazine might be inserted at an angle with the back end lower. You can also temporary tape a small block of wood of the correct thickness onto the back end of the follower or the spring if it does not, and see if this corrects the feeding problem.

If the bolt rides completely over the cartridge without touching it, then either the magazine is too low, the feed lips are bent, or the follow is not coming up far enough in the magazine.....in other words, the follower is catching or binding inside the magazine box.

If the bolt rides too high, then the magazine may not be entering the rifle too low. This could be several causes from magazine catch on the rifle, projection on the magazine where the magazine catch locks, triggerguard/floorplate being too low, or the top part of the magazine hitting the bottom of the receiver. If so, it is probably best to take it to a gunsmith. When you do, tell him FULLY what it is doing (or not doing) and what you have tried. This will save you some money as he will not have to go through all this again.

It is also possible that the feed lips may be bent or damaged, and need correction. Unless you know what you are doing, this is another thing to take to a gunsmith.

Do you know of anyone with a similar magazine that you might try?

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Couple of other thoughts....
Is the little spacer in place that controls the distance between the front of the trigger guard and the receiver? Sometimes they get lost.
The front of the magazine has a little bump that serves to position the front of the magazine in the well. Is it doing anything?
 
i don't know anyone else with a ph. my gun does have that spacer. are those magazines suppose to have any spacers in them to adapt to a short cartridge in the long action? mine does not have any. the box says 243/308 on it so i know that the box is correct.
 
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