I actually like the tube magazine rifles a little better than the clip fed. The Marlin 981 in this case. You can load single rounds in both the tube a clip fed bolt action rifles, even if the mags are missing.

 

My personal preference for .22 bolt guns is a clip. I now have a Marlin 39A and the tube magazine is ok. One of these days I will have to buy a bolt rifle with tube magazine to see if it is "ok", too.

 

I have both...with no favorite.

 

Clips are nice if you'r going to be loading/unloading frequently and a couple extra loaded clip is a handy way to carry ammo.But for actual in the field hunting I prefer tubes,one magizine full should get your limit of almost any small game.

 

i had a marlin tube feed bolt action on time that would not feed right( at all) i took it to the local gunsmith and he shortened the tube at the receiver with about two strokes of a file it worked great after that. all i have now is a 22 mag marlin and it is a clip feed. i like both but i do like the clips for loading and unloading better.

 

shot both the clip and tube but i only own the tube and dont have any plans to ever buy a clip. so im a bit baised and i also grew up with tube fed. i really dont like anything hanging under my rifle, so thats my main complaint. but i have never seen a tubular mag fail. my 2 cents. shot the tubular in everything from a semi, bolt and lever. shot the clip from a semi and bolt.

 

I prefer a clip myself. Just pop out the clip and open the bolt and the rifle is unloaded. When I was a kid we used to have a Winchester pump .22 that had a tube magazine. That rifle soured me on tube mags because it had a habit of hanging up, making you think that it was unloaded. I was only about twelve when this happened, but I remember one time when I unloaded the gun by racking the slide. I racked it about 4 or 5 times after the last shell ejected, then I pulled the triger thinking that I was dry firing it. I'm just glad that it was still pointing in a safe direction when it went off.

 

I own a pair of clip mag fed 795s. I have heard they stay cleaner than their tube fed brothers. However the 795 has a disconnector which prevents the rifle from being fired with the magazine removed.

 

Tube is by far my favorite.
Clip is just one more thing to lose, forget, or just spend more money to get another one just in case. Did I get the "right" clip? Will it feed as good as the factory clip? Crap dropped it and broke the plastic base. Double crap dropped it in the mud/tall grass and can't find it. Now I can't use it cause its full of mud. I'll stop you get the idea.

 

For club competition a box magazine is the only way; however, for hunting I like to stick 15 rds in the tube and not carry any other ammunition with me.

 

I like the slick feeling of my M81, without anything sticking out from the bottom. Sure, it's slower to reload the rifle, but it's capable of holding a decent amount of LR ammo and there's no concern about where to carry the spare mags.

Tube vs. clip, blue vs. stainless, irons vs. optics. It's all about "the right to choose" that the left keeps telling us about...... isn't it?

 

I can stick a few clips in my pocket, but would rather have a tube to swing if I run out of ammo. ;D

I've had both, and the clip is my preference if for no other reason the bbl sets in the stock nicer.

My favorite bolt gun is a Whippet single shot (my dads depression era deer rifle), next would be a Rem single shot.

 

I have a tube-fed Marlin bolt gun and it is sleek and feeds like butter (Model 983T). However, it takes a little more time to load and you can't carry any extra tubes full of ammo with you if you shoot "on the fly." I also have a Clip-fed semi that likes to jam up a lot although I suspect it needs a new extractor. Not the clips fault. Have a blast shopping for your new "toy."

~Marlin89C

 

All you guys with tube-fed riffles ( ), to make reloading faster get some large straws from Starbucks, stick a foam earplug in one end then stuff 22lr rds nose first in the straw then stick the second earplug in the other end leaving a bit hanging out. Then to reload just pull the inner tube out and up-end the straw into the the tube magazine and put the inner tube back in. LOTS easier than reloading one at a time. HTH
I haven't found straws big enough for 22mag yet, but I'm still looking. 8)

 

Spee-D-Loader 120 Round Speed Loader Works with all Tube Fed Rifles and .22 Ammo

:biggrin:

 

All you guys with tube-fed riffles ( ), to make reloading faster get some large straws from Starbucks, stick a foam earplug in one end then stuff 22lr rds nose first in the straw then stick the second earplug in the other end leaving a bit hanging out. Then to reload just pull the inner tube out and up-end the straw into the the tube magazine and put the inner tube back in. LOTS easier than reloading one at a time. HTH
I haven't found straws big enough for 22mag yet, but I'm still looking. 8)

If the squirrels and rabbits ever start shooting back,I might try this speed loader ;D

 

my new toy...

bought a marlin 22 mag bolt action mag fed last month..simmons 44 mag scope wit illumanated cross hares...lovely gun hav silencer yet to be fitted...got it in black sythetic stock blue finish barrel and i love it....:biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::beerglass:

 

Tube fed in a high end gun like the M39, Win. 94/22, browning lever, etc. Tube mags and lever guns make a nice couple. Cheaper guns - Removable magazines (read also easily replaceable) . If the alignment feeding system goes south in a magazine gun, a new mag is a brand new feeding mechanism to boot! AC

 

I have never heard of a .22 clip-loader.

Between a Box-Magazine and a Tube Magazine though, I love the tube. Never lose it, never have to buy a new one, and with some 3/8" copper tubing and some clever work, you can make tons of quick-loaders for dirt cheap.

 

I prefer the tube, carries enough for average squirrel hunt. I also like the ability to shot all .22 types, s, l ,lr. I got used to tubes on my Model 60's.

 

I prefer a detachable magazine (what Marlin incorrectly refers to as a "clip mag") because you cannot have (or at least Marlin does not make) a tube mag on a heavy, target barrel. Other than that, I love tube magazines because you can shoot forever and they add a bit of heft at the end of the barrel adding stability.

If you damage or lose a detachable, you can go to the sporting goods store and buy a new one. Not so with a bent/lost sleeve.

Occasionally, in college, I'd carry one mag filled with CB longs and keep the mini-mags in the magazine that was in the gun. If I saw a herd of grouse at close enough range, I could drop the mag and replace it with the super-quiet CBs and take my limit, from one bunch.

I don't know that anyone but Marlin makes this mistake, in their description of what a detachable magazine is but I bet they hear about it daily:

 

I dont care for the mag in my hand when carrying the rifle....a vote for tube fed...

 

id vote for tube fed. i have both. 981T 22 tube fed and a 917V 17hmr mag fed and i have had a few scares before trying to remember where the removable mags are for the 17. but i do have to share this: 2 years ago while squirrel hunting my buddy forgot his spring rod for his model 60 so he was loading one at a time for the morning. it was pretty commical.

 

One shot, one kill. He now has a semi-auto, single-shot. I bet that was a frustrating day for a guy used to 18 shots in a row, without reloading. Now he's down to... 1. ))

 

Clips go "ping" on the last shot.

OK, my Mosin also has a clip. the clip was designed by Nagant. Nagant's clip keeps you from losing the magazine floor plate and spring when you are removing a stuck round.

 

Bought a "Steven`s Model 87D" (Tube Fed 17 round) in 1948
Purchased a "Ruger" 10/22 in 1996 (Rotary Mag 10 shot) Liked the overall length.

Satisfied with both

 

I'd think which magazine type you choose depends on what you use the gun for and how much tinkering you like to do.

For hunting gophers or stalking, in the woods, I'd go tube mag. You fill it with whatever your gun likes best and your shots will all be under 50 yards.

For plinking, again, I'd go tube. Accuracy is not super important for plinking and with a lever action, you can load the last round as a .22 short to remind you that you are done so you don't dry fire.

For 100+ yard gophers or rabbits, I'd go detachable magazine. Quick to reload and you can top off a partially empty magazine in under five seconds. Also, Marlin doesn't make any varmint rifles with tube magazines. I think the larger diameter barrel puts the tube too far below the action to let it cycle OR Marlin just would rather make only one style receiver and have everything fit that.

Detachable magazines in a bolt action will not feed all types of .22. Shorts won't feed, and longs will, only if I cycle slowly. There's no "yank-and-ram" like you can do with standard velocity and mini-mags.

TINKERING:
You cannot truly float the barrel on a tube-fed .22. The tube itself is pinned to the barrel and I have to think every round that cycles out of the tube changes the harmonics of the barrel vibration. By a lot. There's not a lot of barrel whip, with a .22, obviously, and the barrel won't get very hot, no matter how much shooting you do. But if you want to wring every ounce of accuracy out of the gun, there are some very basic steps you just cannot take, with a tube-fed rifle.