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Gunsmithing Trouble with Alpha Mags and Surgeon

gregsjt

Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
Oct 1, 2007
311
89
Idaho
Has anyone had trouble getting Alpha WSM mags to work in a Surgeon 591 WSM action. I just got one today and it won't seat all the way into the bottom metal. It seams like it is hitting the bottom of the feed ramp. Any help would be appreciated.
 
Re: Trouble with Alpha Mags and Surgeon

Will the magazine lock into the bottom metal with the receiver out of the stock. If so, the DBM may be too deep in the stock.
 
Re: Trouble with Alpha Mags and Surgeon

I haven't tried it out of the stock, I will do that tomorrow. The AICS mag that came with the rifle works great, no problems.
 
Re: Trouble with Alpha Mags and Surgeon

Do that and you can tell what needs to happen. If the magazine is hitting the bottom of the receiver before it latches then the DBM latch needs to be shorter or the DBM needs to be further out of the stock.

Compare the location of the locking notch on your AI magazine to the Alpha locking notch.
 
Re: Trouble with Alpha Mags and Surgeon

The locking notch seems to be in the same place
 
Re: Trouble with Alpha Mags and Surgeon

I know the short action Alphas are too high in the front of the box and hit under the feed ramp on my SA591.

Set the mags side by side and see how much higher the Alpha is at the front of the box.
 
Re: Trouble with Alpha Mags and Surgeon

It looks like it is hitting at the front of the mag. Did you take a little off to fix the problem
 
Re: Trouble with Alpha Mags and Surgeon

No, I am currently running a 6XC on that action, so I use my AI mags since the round's short.

I let Alpha know last summer, but haven't heard anything from Chris. I'd love to run them on my Surgeon, but it looks like where the box is folded to retain the follower makes it a no-go....
 
Re: Trouble with Alpha Mags and Surgeon

Interesting. Newer Scalpel (post 08/10 action)? My action was born right before they changed the bottom cut.
 
Re: Trouble with Alpha Mags and Surgeon

I had this same problem with one of my 591's in an AICS FWIW, but only with some alphas. I managed to get them all to seat with a LOT of pressure. It didn't negatively affect the gun or magazine in any way that I could see.
 
Re: Trouble with Alpha Mags and Surgeon

I took a dremel to the front of the mag, the tabs that hold the follower in place were sticking up to high. Alpha should move those back a little so that they will clear the bottom of the action.
 
Re: Trouble with Alpha Mags and Surgeon

I had to grind mine down too. Just a little on the front conners.
 
Re: Trouble with Alpha Mags and Surgeon

I had the same problem on a Type 2 mag and a 591 (standard face) I bought about new 2 months ago (C prefix action). I mocked up the Surgeon DBM to the 591 with the supplied pillars. Mag would almost seat; latch would almost catch.
The 2 tabs at the front of the mag that hold the follower down were contacting the action just under the feed ramp as noted above. I just took a small hammer and tapped them down just a touch. I probably should have used a metal pipe about the same diameter as the action and hit that instead of the tabs themselves. I just tapped a lil and kept trying until the latch clicked in place.
The mag fits snug in the dbm with no rattle at all. I run a couple of mags of empty rounds through the action alone (no barrel on it yet). Everything worked fine.