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P14 mags acting up, replacements?


ihocky2

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I was shooting an IDPA match this weekend and had a stage where the mags cost me some valuable time and am wondering if I should look into a replacement, and which ones. I ran to slide lock, inserted the mag and as it seated I watched a round get ejected from the magazine through the open chamber, forcing me into a second reload. The second reload also had the same thing happen. This was the only stage of the day it happened, but is not the first time it's happened, just the first time in a major match. The other problem I have is sometimes when I drop a magazine rounds will come out when it hits the ground. No other hi-cap mags do this, on the Para mags.

 

Should I replace these, or will a new spring maybe cure the problem? If I get new mags I see the ACT magazines are recommended. If I looking into STI mags I want to be able to run both the Para and the STI, I don't want to be limited to one or the other, can that be accomplished?

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I had an issue, early on, with the original magazines in my P14.  The rounds would stop moving upwards and you could jar the magazine a little and they'd pop up to the lips again.  I tried a little grease on the springs.  Didn't work. 

 

The original springs, in mine, where made with smaller and larger square looking coils.  The smaller coils "nest" into the larger coils and were binding/hanging up as the follower moved upwards and the smaller coils moved out of the bigger coils (or that was my guess at the time).  I'd already bought a few spare magazines and they had different spring in them.  Not the smaller/larger coils but coils that were uniform in size top to bottom.

 

I ordered new springs (don't remember where) and those were made different, like the springs in the newer magazines.  I installed the new springs in my magazines and had no further issues.

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19 hours ago, ihocky2 said:

I was shooting an IDPA match this weekend and had a stage where the mags cost me some valuable time and am wondering if I should look into a replacement, and which ones. I ran to slide lock, inserted the mag and as it seated I watched a round get ejected from the magazine through the open chamber, forcing me into a second reload. The second reload also had the same thing happen. This was the only stage of the day it happened, but is not the first time it's happened, just the first time in a major match. The other problem I have is sometimes when I drop a magazine rounds will come out when it hits the ground. No other hi-cap mags do this, on the Para mags.

 

Should I replace these, or will a new spring maybe cure the problem? If I get new mags I see the ACT magazines are recommended. If I looking into STI mags I want to be able to run both the Para and the STI, I don't want to be limited to one or the other, can that be accomplished?

Sounds like the feed lips are to wide on that mag. 

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 9 months later...

Just ran across this thread so the problem may have been corrected by now, however years ago I had similar problems and I would recommend changing out your springs every few thousand rounds, and more importantly as a result of the tight tolerances in the inside of the mag tube it needs to be kept clean with a minor lube. Every time I would drop a mag I would strip it down and run a silicon gun cloth through the tube then run the rag down the spring to eliminate any dust, dirt, or power residue. Taking care of mechanical conditions that might impact the functioning of your firearm allows you to spend more time on the mental conditioning of shooting.

DVC
Glacier-Blue

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  • 5 months later...

I have a P14.45. The para mags work flawlessly no matter what the bullet profile is.  The two Mec-Gar don't; no matter what the bullet profile.. The two Mec-Gars have identical issues. Both will go to slide lock with one round fully seated still in the mag every time.  The other issue is that somewhere between 3 and 9 rounds in the mag, the round will not feed all the way in and the gun jams. Rounds 8. 7. 6...will do this and then for the remainder the gun will load until it goes to slide lock with one round left.

 

I tried Mec-Gar but they didn't answer.

 

 

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On 6/24/2018 at 12:00 PM, gittist said:

I have a P14.45. The para mags work flawlessly no matter what the bullet profile is.  The two Mec-Gar don't; no matter what the bullet profile.. The two Mec-Gars have identical issues. Both will go to slide lock with one round fully seated still in the mag every time.  The other issue is that somewhere between 3 and 9 rounds in the mag, the round will not feed all the way in and the gun jams. Rounds 8. 7. 6...will do this and then for the remainder the gun will load until it goes to slide lock with one round left.

 

I tried Mec-Gar but they didn't answer.

 

 

Update:  Mec-Gar replied with an offer to exchange the mags however I will pass on that for now.  After attempting to use this weapon at a competition a few years ago, it became a hanger (safe?) queen due to the problems.  I've fired several rounds through it in the last few days and unfortunately all of the mags have similar issues, both the Mec-Gar and Para mags (which are also made in Italy so they're probably also Mec-Gar).  They all go to slide lock with one round slightly forward, and all have FTF in the 'middle' of the mag.

 

Suggestions? 

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  • 2 weeks later...

I put in Wolff springs. No improvement. I attempted to tune the lips and all I got for my effort was that I broke the lip on one magazine. Little improvement on the others. Of the 4 mags the one that works the best is the broken one?  The slide rams the round into the top of the chamber at about a 45 degree angle for  rounds that are in the middle of the magazine.

 

My local gunsmith who unfortunately for me has retired, said that it's probably the magazines and to try different manufacturers.  I bought the pistol and magazines in 2011.

 

Has anyone had any good luck with other manufacturers?

 

And, would it be a waste of money to try a 10-round mag?

Edited by gittist
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