Why hinged floorplate magazine?

[1tfl]

I recently picked up a Remington 700 ADL for hunting.
It's the first bolt action rifle with blind magazine.
First day out in the field I discovered one good thing about them.
I found the smooth continuous stock on the bottom of the stock more comfortable to when carring by on ehad or when I craddle the rifle in my arm.

 

[Magnum Wheel Man]

I have several "bottom dumpers" never had an accidental "dump"

I will admit I do like my Browning Stainless Stalker's design the best, with a removable magazine that keeps all the cartridges together...

I have lost a cartridge before, on my Ruger .243, when I stayed in a tree blind until darkest allowed, then unloaded my rifle before climbing down, & had one of the loose cartridges fall to the ground, & I couldn't find it...

the cartridges in my 338 Mag, & 375 H&H Brownings, just come out in one piece ala removable magazine that snaps into the floor plate ( note to self... I should paint my mags orange, just in case I were to drop one of them )

 

[Coyote_Buster700]

I've never had the floor plate come open on my 700.

 

[zippy13]

If you should experience an (albeit unlikely) "jam" with a bolt-action rifle with a "blind " magazine and no way to access the rounds except via the topside loading port…​

Doesn't it take a screwdriver and a minute to drop the trigger guard/magazine well out the bottom of most fixed floor plate guns? It's just more convenient with a hinged unit.

 

[dgludwig]

If you should experience an (albeit unlikely) "jam" with a bolt-action rifle with a "blind " magazine and no way to access the rounds except via the topside loading port…
Doesn't it take a screwdriver and a minute to drop the trigger guard/magazine well out the bottom of most fixed floor plate guns? It's just more convenient with a hinged unit.

My concerns about clearing a jam in a bolt-action rifle sans hinged floorplate are limited to an admittedly rare incident occurring in the field. I'm not especially worried about a jam happening at home where I have an array of tools at my disposal for use in "unjamming" it. As I've already indicated, the prospect of a jam presenting itself in a well-designed bolt-action rifle is rare enough in my experience that I don't lose any sleep over it.
But if Murphy should strike while you're deep in the woods, I'm just saying...

 

[Poodleshooter]

I've never had a hinged floorplate pop and dump on me. I have stuck a bullet in the lands and gotten an action full of powder. On a hinged floorplate, this is easy to clean. On a blind magazine, it means the action is coming out of the stock. So that's why my preference exists.
(Even better is having this happen in a Garand-ugh)

 

[tobnpr]

The main advantage of hinged floorplate (and why most of our guns have them if available) is for range shooters like my family.
When a safe line is called, it's sure a lot easier to dump them out the bottom rather than extracting case by case...

We've never had one on any of our Rem 700's or Savages open unexpectedly. They won't, unless something is broken...

 

[zippy13]

But if Murphy should strike while you're deep in the woods, I'm just saying...​

You're right, you gotta have a screw driver to use it, and Murphy will act up at the most inopportune times. I must confess, I don't own a fixed floor plate gun -- no reason to give Murphy a change.