1911 9mm 10 Round Magazines - Bullets Hard to Thumb Out?

[RaylanGivens]

Recently built a SpringField 9mm Range Officer for SingleStack Minor...  Shot my first match with it and it performed well...  Got home and had a difficult time removing the cartridges from the magazines...  Never had this problem before...  Thumbing the rounds out was nearly impossible with 10 rounds in a magazine...  The front of the round seems to nose dive and hangs up...  I had to push up on the front of the bullet and sort of pry it out...  Never had anything like this happen before in lots of years of shooting.

I've been using Dawson Precision 9mm 10 round magazines with competition basepads.  I called Dawson and spoke to their Tech guy...  He said 1911 10 round 9mm magazines are tight so that they fit in the box...  Seemed to imply that this was normal...

Does everyone have this much trouble getting the cartridges out of full magazines?

[broadus123]

my metalforms are difficult as well. I just shoot them out, its faster.

[wheelie]

A popsicle stick or similar tool that lets you depress the round under the top round makes it real easy. When you get about half way through emptying the mag you'll have no need for the tool.

[v1911]

I use an empty piece of brass. Just slide it over the bullet in question and pop it out. 

[tbarker13]

Yup. I run into the same thing with my Dawsons. They load easily. And have performed flawlessly. But removing the first 2-3 bullets from a full mag by hand is not much fun.  

[DagoRed]

Yup, normal for them. I bought the same gun I think and it came w 6 Dawson's. PITA to unload. I use the plastic stick thing on the bottom of my magazine brush. Unless I'm at a party then I just fire them all in the air

 

red

[e4effort]

It is a total pain in the ass.

I have this now to solve the problem.

http://czcustom.com/9mm-1911-ammo-stripper.html

[JDW174]

Same here, only mine are Wilsons and McComicks.

[Balakay]

Same problem for me with McCormick mags. Tripps are MUCH easier to unload

[Gary1911A1]

Have the same problem with my Dawsons too. I just use a key to push down on the rim of the round under the top round after starting the top round out.

[dapribek]

Same issue with 9mm mags.

[dapribek]

From Wilson!

[motosapiens]

I just leave them loaded for the next time I shoot.

[Jim Watson]

Recent production UpLulas have an "unloader" which is just a groove and stud on the front edge that you can ram them out with.

The CZ device looks neat, though.

 

[jcc7x7]

My Wilson and Dawsons do the same, empty brass covering the bullets  or straight screw driver blade from my swiss army knife under the bullet.

3rd choice

Run them through the gun onto the bed,obviously keep finger out of trigger guard while doing.

[eisenhow]

1 hour ago, motosapiens said:

I just leave them loaded for the next time I shoot.

This is what I have traditionally done. 

1 hour ago, Jim Watson said:

Recent production UpLulas have an "unloader" which is just a groove and stud on the front edge that you can ram them out with.

I saw this feature recently.  I purchased another UpLula along with the single stack aligner adapter.  I haven't had a chance to do extensive testing.  

[twodownzero]

I use the Tripp mags and I have never experienced this.

 

[jcc7x7]

1 hour ago, twodownzero said:

I use the Tripp mags and I have never experienced this.

 

That's interesting cause my 10 round 38 super Tripp mags do it also

[Dave C]

Because the 9mm is a tapered round, the rim of the case gets hung up in the extractor groove on the round below it in the single stack magazine. Watch what is happening when you try to thumb the round out of the magazine and you will see the second round in the magazine also trying to move forward than stopping when the nose of the bullet comes in contact with the inside of the magazine. The 40 and the 45 are straight walled cases so the issue is almost nonexistent in those single stack magazines.  Bottom line is....if you want to shoot single stack 9mm, you have to accept the fact that the magazines are more difficult to unload and figure the best way for you to overcome the situation.

[motosapiens]

On 9/24/2016 at 11:18 AM, twodownzero said:

I use the Tripp mags and I have never experienced this.

 

my tripp mags don't do it, probably because they lack the little ramp at the front of the magazine. Of course they sometimes allow the first round to nosedive into the feed ramp (using 147 gr FP boolits), so I won't use them for anything except dryfire.

[RaylanGivens]

On 9/24/2016 at 4:31 PM, Dave C said:

Because the 9mm is a tapered round, the rim of the case gets hung up in the extractor groove on the round below it in the single stack magazine. Watch what is happening when you try to thumb the round out of the magazine and you will see the second round in the magazine also trying to move forward than stopping when the nose of the bullet comes in contact with the inside of the magazine. The 40 and the 45 are straight walled cases so the issue is almost nonexistent in those single stack magazines.  Bottom line is....if you want to shoot single stack 9mm, you have to accept the fact that the magazines are more difficult to unload and figure the best way for you to overcome the situation.

This is exactly what is happening...  Thanks for the detailed explanation!

Several of you have provided good ideas/methods for unloading 9mm singlestack magazines in this thread...  Here are several of the ones that I found useful...

• Using a popsicle stick to press down on the second round from the top works well...  You only have to press down enough to keep the rim in the top round from catching on the groove in the second round...  I wedged the wooden end of a Q-Tip between the first and second bullets and it worked like a charm.
•  
• Using an up to date UpLula to remove the cartridges is a great idea...  I have two UpLulas, one on my reloading bench and one in my range bag...  The one in my range bag is several years old, but has the groove and stud for removing bullets from a magazine...  I never noticed the groove before, but it works well.
•  
• The ammo stripper from CZ Custom also looks like a good idea...  I have never seen one, but it should work well since it is purpose built to unload magazines...  and is not overly expensive.

Thanks to all of you for the help on unloading magazines...  I appreciate it...  I originally felt pretty silly posting about an unloading magazine problem...  I never knew it could be this difficult... 

[RudyVey]

On 9/24/2016 at 1:18 PM, twodownzero said:

I use the Tripp mags and I have never experienced this.

 

+1

[Southpaw]

If you have an older Uplula like me without the unloader notch thing there's still an easy way to use it to unload these mags - put the Uplula on like you're loading the mag but slide the loader under the top round. Then press down on the second round in the mag and the top one will just fall out if you hold it upside down. Harder to explain than to actually do it :). I do that for the first maybe 3 rounds and the rest then come out easily with your thumb.

[RaylanGivens]

On 9/26/2016 at 6:30 PM, Southpaw said:

If you have an older Uplula like me without the unloader notch thing there's still an easy way to use it to unload these mags - put the Uplula on like you're loading the mag but slide the loader under the top round. Then press down on the second round in the mag and the top one will just fall out if you hold it upside down. Harder to explain than to actually do it :). I do that for the first maybe 3 rounds and the rest then come out easily with your thumb.

Another good tip...

I recently bought one of the CZ 1911 Ammo Strippers and it works very well...  The front of the tool slides under the bullet and keeps it from nose diving while you eject it...  Not expensive at $13...  Bought a couple with friends to help offset the cost of shipping...

[CHLChris]

This here's a thread to raise from the dead.

 

Just like the OP @RaylanGivens I shot my SA Range Officer 9mm 1911 for the first time today in SSminor.  I had a few problems getting a click after a reload.  After a few stages I just got to slamming the mag in with tremendous force...no more clicky when wanting bangy.

 

At the end of the match, totally unable to unload my mags.  I just grabbed up UpLula and went to town with the little nub on the side.  I'm guessing the mags don't cause nosedives of the top round when actually firing because the pressure of the round upward presses it against the flat of the slide as the slide rides forward, just like the action of UpLula (but a whole lot faster).

 

Wow, this pistol was a laser beam!  My single D was my fault, my single mike was on a head shot at distance, and my single NS was absolutely my fault!  Loved it!

 

BTW, I'm using Chip McCormick 10rounders with extended base plate bumpers.