Steyr Prohunter 308
I Had a failure to feed from the magazine with four rounds in the mag. Cost me a Doe Saturday. It is repeatable. This does not happen when there are only three rounds in the mag.

Any other Steyr owners have this problem?

Come Saturday there will be only three in the mag when I hunt.

never.
then again i have only owned about 3 dozen of the SBS rifles.
i have never had a FTF, ever. my grab and go light tactical is sitting w/. four in the mag right now. magazine in position 1 bolt locked down.
i couldnt imagine why your having a problem. ill spend a few min tommorow attemting to cause a failure to feed and see what i can come up with.

quote:

Originally posted by KSTEPHENS:
i have only owned about 3 dozen of the SBS rifles.

Interesting, if I do the math right that comes up to....lets see... yeah 36..wow

It seems to be related to how the fourth round is is positioned . I need to spend some more time on it, but I can tell you its repeatable.

I had a consistent failure to feed with the third round down of a 4 round SBS96 magazine - in .222rem. My diagnosis was that the spring was a little too strong and as the 3rd round was fed the tip flipped up too high and caught the rim of the barrel.

This problem occured 100% of the time with 40gr bullets, but only 30-40% with 50gr heads.

Steyr replaced it no questions asked. No problems on the new one.

Thanks for the information, I will try another mag.

quote:

Originally posted by Claret_Dabbler:
I had a consistent failure to feed with the third round down of a 4 round SBS96 magazine - in .222rem. My diagnosis was that the spring was a little too strong and as the 3rd round was fed the tip flipped up too high and caught the rim of the barrel.

This problem occured 100% of the time with 40gr bullets, but only 30-40% with 50gr heads.

Steyr replaced it no questions asked. No problems on the new one.

CDNN has the mags on sale for $39 right now.
get a new mag and ill buy your defective one for $15 to offset your cost.

i couldnt make a jam, sorry.

quote:

Originally posted by KSTEPHENS:
i couldnt make a jam, sorry.

Who said anything about a Jam?

Also thanks for your generous offer to buy my old mag for $15, I doubt many people would be willing to pay that for a $50 mag.

Pictures 1&2 show the problem. Pictures 3&4 show how the fourth should sit.

I belive its a weak spring. I'm going to send Steyr a email to see what they have to say.

call 770 888-4863 and ask to speak to Jack or Jeff.
Jack will be the final word so you might as well talk to him first.
tell him i said thanks for the action bolts for the mag adapter.
good luck.

No reply yet on the email. I tried a new mag and it works perfect. Im confident its a spring problem.

quote:

770 888-4863

This is a fax number, tried it twice today

I thought I would give you guys an update.

Steyr customer service is awesome!

After I got a good phone number I called Steyr and they said to send them the mag and they would replace the spring.

I sent the mag and enclosed a note and some photos showing the problem. That was the 16th,

I got a box in the mail today and I thought they would have just replaced the spring but they sent me a new mag.

nice. i just bought another SBS tactical LW and it came with an extra mag the guy never mentioned.

quote:

Originally posted by KSTEPHENS:
nice. i just bought another SBS tactical

What does a guy do with 3 dozen rifles of a single brand, or for that matter 3 dozen of all types?

How often do they go used?

quote:

Originally posted by Claret_Dabbler:

quote:

Originally posted by KSTEPHENS:
nice. i just bought another SBS tactical

What does a guy do with 3 dozen rifles of a single brand, or for that matter 3 dozen of all types?

How often do they go used?

Claret_Dabbler, Just think if you got them for $500 a piece that would be $18000.00

quote:

Originally posted by Claret_Dabbler:

quote:

Originally posted by KSTEPHENS:
nice. i just bought another SBS tactical

What does a guy do with 3 dozen rifles of a single brand, or for that matter 3 dozen of all types?

How often do they go used?

one gets used alot.
the rest get passed to family and friends. everyone i hunt w/ and every hunting member of my family now shoot steyr rifles with the lone exeption of one good ol boy from WV.


from the article...
Steyr SBS Tactical .308s
by Gary Paul Johnston

As this is written, there are but two pre-production samples of Steyr's new SBS Tactical rifles in the U.S. and I have iust received both of them for testing and evaluation. They are the 20-inch barreled lightweight SBS Tactical and the full length SBS Tactical HB.
The Steyr SBS is one of the most advanced bolt action rifles to come along, yet it's both simple and affordable.

I like the bolt handle on that rifle. Interesting article.

http://www.remtek.com/arms/steyr/sbs/index.htm

another...
July 1998 issue of
Guns & Weapons for Law Enforcement
Excerpts from article
by Gary Paul Johnston
To eliminate the human factor in testing the SBS ProHunter carbine for accuracy, Johnston used the Lahti Rifle Evaluator with its hydraulic tiring device (Left). Proving to be best of the breed, Hornady's 168-grain Light Magnum shot the best group of the 11 loads tested. Giving .30-06 performance, The new Hornady Light Magnum is not only fast but super accurate, as this a .19 inch, three-shot 100 yard group illustrates. It was fired from the Lahti Evaluator.

The SBS is a revolutionary bolt action design signaling the next generation of Steyr precision rifles and could set the pace for bolt action rifles in general. Combining Steyr craftsmanship with all the classic features of a traditional American rifle, the SBS is surely a high tech rifle for the future.

After mounting the Leupold system using Loktite, I took the SBS ProHunter carbine to the range with a variety of .308 ammunition including most types offered by Black Hills, Cor-Bon, Hornady, Federal, Lapua, Remington and Winchester, including both antipersonnel and rounds designed not to deflect from glass.

To test the sample SBS for accuracy I used the brand new Lahti Rifle Evaluator from Lahti Co., of Wisconsin. Developed at the request of my friend and well-known precision rifle trainer, Maj. John Plaster, this ultra precision rifle rest proved to be everything claimed and more. Fired offhand the SBS ProHunter carbine was one of the most comfortable rifles I've ever shot and every bit as ergonomic as its sibling Steyr Scout Rifle I tested only a month earlier. While I haven't compared the two, the Pro-Hunter's slim forend has an undeniable appeal.

Designed for the human body, the straight line stock of the ProHunter provides the ultimate in comfort. When asked about the recoil of this light .308 carbine, my simple answer, there isn't any. Of course there is recoil, but the design of the stock and recoil pad make it irrelevant. Breaking crisply, the trigger is refreshing, seeming like an extension of the finger.

In shooting for accuracy, I fired from the bench using both sand bags and the Lahti Rifle Evaluator This was my first experience with the device, and I remained somewhat skeptical. Although some of my groups rivaled those of this unique rest, the Lahti won hands down in squeezing out the utmost in accuracy by reducing the human element to insignificance. Additionally, this rest totally eliminates fatigue and discomfort from prolonged shooting. It’s a must for anyone who tests rifles on a regular basis. The Lahti comes with a remote hydraulic firing mechanism and will handle all calibers from .22 rim-fire up to .460 Weatherby and beyond.

So, how was accuracy? From my first 100-yard group I knew the SBS ProHunter carbine would be staying here. After getting on paper for the first time with Federal .308M, the rifle put three shots into 0.6 of an inch in freezing rain. Returning on several days during slightly better weather, I found the rifle to print as good, or better, with several brands of .308 ammunition, although there were a few loads it didn't seem to like as well. The best group was fired with Hornady 165-grain .308 Light Magnum, which measured ust 3/16 of an inch at 100 yards.
The question of just how much accuracy is necessary comes up fairly often. I would think the easy answer would be as much as is reasonably possible. Overall, the Steyr SBS ProHunter provided accuracy to rival the most expensive heavy barreled, counter sniper rifles available. Had the first responding officer had a Steyr SBS ProHunter that day in L.A., if possible he'd have had to fire only two rounds.