I have read a lot online about Ruger feeding issues with the 6 mm Arc. I also see a lot of people unhappy with 10 round magazines. Many would like smaller three or five round magazines instead. My rifle did not feed the best. I used a factory supplied magazine that came with the gun and it was not exactly smooth feeding or extracting. It has been bad enough that last week I called Ruger and told them I wanted to send it in for service. Prior to making the call, I bought a single shot sled and installed that in place of the 10 round magazine. That did not feed very well either.
After making the call to Ruger and having them send me a shipping label, I decided that maybe I would try a few more things before sending it in. The single shot sled was loose in the magazine well so I wrapped it with four layers of electrical tape. When I pushed it in it locked extremely securely and was very snug. That helped with the feeding a small amount but not enough.
I searched for the single shot sled online and found that people with cartridges based on a 308 were extremely happy with the feeding and others not so much. So I thought that the case for the 6mm arc is smaller in diameter than the 308 base cases so I took more electrical tape and built it up as best I could evenly. Five layers of electrical tape raised it almost exactly the difference between the Hornady case and that of a 308 based cartridge.
Next, I removed the bolt and disassembled it cleaned it thoroughly with Hornady one shot cleaner and lubricant and wiped off the excess from all parts. Upon reassembly, the rifle now feeds and extracts flawlessly!
There are several people on the interweb who claim that all you really need to do is work the action hard and fast as if it was an AR and everything will feed perfectly. That was not the case for me, but now upon tweaking the sled and cleaning the bolt, I can work it as slow as I want and it absolutely feeds and ejects perfectly.
I removed the sled and put the factory supplied magazine back and the feeding was better but was still very rough. It's almost as if I'm pushing the tip of the bullet into the wall below the ramp going to the chamber. I guess that is okay because I much prefer the single shot sled. I don't believe I would be fast enough for a follow-up shot while hunting with a bolt gun. I just need to make the first shot count. I am absolutely impressed with how smooth and easy this action is working now that I have the cartridge at the right height when it gets pushed in to the chamber. I hope this helps somebody else who may search for this online.
After making the call to Ruger and having them send me a shipping label, I decided that maybe I would try a few more things before sending it in. The single shot sled was loose in the magazine well so I wrapped it with four layers of electrical tape. When I pushed it in it locked extremely securely and was very snug. That helped with the feeding a small amount but not enough.
I searched for the single shot sled online and found that people with cartridges based on a 308 were extremely happy with the feeding and others not so much. So I thought that the case for the 6mm arc is smaller in diameter than the 308 base cases so I took more electrical tape and built it up as best I could evenly. Five layers of electrical tape raised it almost exactly the difference between the Hornady case and that of a 308 based cartridge.
Next, I removed the bolt and disassembled it cleaned it thoroughly with Hornady one shot cleaner and lubricant and wiped off the excess from all parts. Upon reassembly, the rifle now feeds and extracts flawlessly!
There are several people on the interweb who claim that all you really need to do is work the action hard and fast as if it was an AR and everything will feed perfectly. That was not the case for me, but now upon tweaking the sled and cleaning the bolt, I can work it as slow as I want and it absolutely feeds and ejects perfectly.
I removed the sled and put the factory supplied magazine back and the feeding was better but was still very rough. It's almost as if I'm pushing the tip of the bullet into the wall below the ramp going to the chamber. I guess that is okay because I much prefer the single shot sled. I don't believe I would be fast enough for a follow-up shot while hunting with a bolt gun. I just need to make the first shot count. I am absolutely impressed with how smooth and easy this action is working now that I have the cartridge at the right height when it gets pushed in to the chamber. I hope this helps somebody else who may search for this online.
