cohland Posted September 29, 2014 Share Posted September 29, 2014 (edited) With a new Springfield 9mm Range Officer 1911 (in USPSA Single Stack Minor), I'm using Dawson 9mm 10-round magazines (https://www.dawsonprecision.com/ProductDetail.jsp?LISTID=80000018-1388517791 ). The problem I'm encountering is very high friction when feeding the top 5 rounds of the 10 round magazine, when it is full. There is enough friction to slow down the slide noticeably. I knew the slide was slow (other shooters noticed it as well), and originally thought it might have been because of a too-heavy mainspring. But after a match (the first match with this gun) as I was unloading full magazines, I found that I could not strip the ammo out of the magazines without holding a plastic lever under the nose of the bullet on the top of the stack, and pushing the round out with another tool of some sort. A lot of friction. The ammunition is loaded with a Montana Gold 147-grain CMJ bullet to a Cartridge Overall Length of 1.142". If I use a different bullet shape, like the 124-grain ball in Winchester 9mm NATO ammo, the problem is reduced considerably, even though that C.O.L is actually longer than the one I'm using. The recoil spring is 9 pounds, the same weight that was delivered with the gun (I measured the spring weight with a gauge), and it works very well. I tried a progressive 10-pound recoil spring but the gun bounced quite a bit more, so I really want to stick with the 9-pound recoil spring. I've changed to the 18 pound mainspring that came with the Cylinder & Slide Tactical II Trigger kit. Now for the question: have you encountered this problem, and if so, have you solved it? If so, please tell me how. Alternatives I see at this point are: 1) Check Tripp magazines to see if they make any difference. 2) Change the load to use a different bullet shape. I really like the 147, though. 3) Just deal with it. The gun works, I can use tools to empty the magazines if I have to. Thoughts, suggestions? Thank you for your time and consideration. Chris Edited September 29, 2014 by cohland Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve RA Posted September 29, 2014 Share Posted September 29, 2014 Try loading them full and letting sit for a week or two. Problem is excess spring pressure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poolguy Posted September 29, 2014 Share Posted September 29, 2014 My dawson mags are a real pain to unload by hand as well. However, they don't affect the operation of the gun at all. Never had a single reliability issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cohland Posted September 29, 2014 Author Share Posted September 29, 2014 (edited) Try loading them full and letting sit for a week or two. Problem is excess spring pressure. I'll do that, and I don't know why I didn't think of it! Also, I learned that Dawson stocks a 12-coil magazine spring for Tripp magazines that should fit these magazines, so I've some of those on order. Stay tuned. Thanks, Chris Edited September 29, 2014 by cohland Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cohland Posted September 29, 2014 Author Share Posted September 29, 2014 My dawson mags are a real pain to unload by hand as well. However, they don't affect the operation of the gun at all. Never had a single reliability issue. Thank you for that, now I know this might not be something really dumb that I am doing! Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcc7x7 Posted September 29, 2014 Share Posted September 29, 2014 I have Wilson ETM that are about 3 1/2 years old now and still require a wedge between the bullet and the feed lip when empting mags after a match/stage etc. My # dawsons are not much better but have not used them near as much. I do not notice my slide running any slower with these mags vs. a couple of 9 round mags I have Load em up and let them sit for a few days it may help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MegaCleanCab Posted September 30, 2014 Share Posted September 30, 2014 My dawson mags are a real pain to unload by hand as well. However, they don't affect the operation of the gun at all. Never had a single reliability issue. This was my experience with the same magazines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M109R Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 I shoot a STI Trojen 9mm and the slow slide did bother me, seemed like I had to wait on it. I have found that 115g bullets at 135,000 power factor really made the gun handle a lot better. As far as unloading empty mags I am in the same boat, kinda a pain in the butt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris1911 Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 Yep same problem. STI Rangemaster with 10 round Dawson Magazines all quite new and a pain to unload when full. No problems when shooting though which is what counts. Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cohland Posted October 3, 2014 Author Share Posted October 3, 2014 Follow up: I have found one and possibly two solutions to the problem. 1) Buy Tripp Research Cobra Magazines, 10R-9MM-RG. These have a patented follower. Loaded full with 10 rounds, the magazine is easy to strip empty. Mind you I don't know how these work in action, I haven't tried them yet. But they empty ammo like a champ. Dawson sells them, part number 616-002. 2) Try the Tripp 12-coil magazine spring. Dawson sells these, part number 616-014. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve RA Posted October 3, 2014 Share Posted October 3, 2014 I use the Tripp mags, yes, they do work like a champ and - so far - have run with no malfunctions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pepelepew Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 (edited) Chris, Does it do it with the Springfield Mag? Is the slide slowing down or pausing as it travels forward when it picks up the next round? I have had that problem with 1911's and my Glock 35. They were almost jamming when trying to feed a round. It is frustrating in the middle of a stage when it pauses while chambering a round. I run the Dawson mags in my Trojan with a 10 lb recoil spring and 17lb mainspring and run 147 gr Bear Creek at a OAL of 1.140". I have run a couple different plated 147gr bullets also. They function fine in the Dawson mags. They sometimes will jam or slow the slide in Wilson 10 round mags becuase of the longer feed lips.The top rounds in the mag are hard to strip by hand. It is a problem with my Wilson mags also. I think it is due to the tapered 9mm case causing the rim to hang up on the next rounds case extractor groove. I use the stripper molded on the Uplula loader to unload the mags after a match. I can bring my Dawson mags and Trojan to a Albany match if you want to compare. I also will be running the 9mm Trojan a the Dundee points match later this month. Ben Edited October 5, 2014 by Pepelepew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buckaroo45 Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 Dawson mags didn't like my Taurus PT1911 in 9mm. Sold them to a buddy whose gun they worked in perfectly and I got a set of Tripp Cobra's. Zero problems for over 2 years of competition. Obviously some minute difference in spec but never did determine the exact cause. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1911aow Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 I have been running Metalform 10 rounders in my 9mmP Norinco 1911 for two years. They have been very reliable. I did notice that the steel spacer can sometimes get slightly bent when dropping a half full mag. This bend will cause the follower to hang up against the spacer ever so slightly and will also lead to the problem described in the OP. Strip the mags and check that the spacer are straight. The problem goes away after I just straighten the spacer again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigGabe Posted October 7, 2014 Share Posted October 7, 2014 I've been running the Dawson 10 rounders with no problem. Haven't noticed the slide running slow either in recoil or going into battery with a full mag. Chris I didn't see where you said if the slide is slow in recoil, chambering a round or both. I'd try a heavier load or a different weight slide spring. I shoot reloads and while they are not real fast they work the slide well enough to toss the empty cases 3 to 4 yards whether the mag has 10 rounds or 2 in it. The Dawson mags are hard to unload when full, usually the round wants to nose dive into the front of the mag body. A little trick you might try that works for me is to bump the mag on it's base as you press forward on the back of the case. Shell usually pops out with no problem. Only have to do it for the first 3 or 4 rounds, the rest will come out pretty easy. Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chanman Posted October 8, 2014 Share Posted October 8, 2014 My dawson mags are a real pain to unload by hand as well. However, they don't affect the operation of the gun at all. Never had a single reliability issue.This was my experience with the same magazines. Same here. Mags ran great in my trojan 9mm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob DuBois Posted October 8, 2014 Share Posted October 8, 2014 Have Metalform magazines same as Dawson except for the base pad they are also harder to unload than my Wilson but run fine in the gun. Sometimes a slight bend up on the magazine spring under the nose of the follower will help. Haven't notice the Metalform mags slowing the slide. But the Wilson's did removed two coils from the base of the magazine springs. Running a 10 pound recoil spring and a 15 pound mainspring. Mainspring is thre years old no issues with Winchester primers. With the slide off the pistol insert the magazine be sure the top of the magazine doesn't hit the ejector with pressure on the base of the magazine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CANDERSEN Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 I cut a coil or two off the magazine spring of My Dawson 10 round 9mm mags to enable the first few rounds to feed correctly. Worked fine after that... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cohland Posted October 12, 2014 Author Share Posted October 12, 2014 (edited) Follow up: I have found one and possibly two solutions to the problem. 1) Buy Tripp Research Cobra Magazines, 10R-9MM-RG. These have a patented follower. Loaded full with 10 rounds, the magazine is easy to strip empty. Mind you I don't know how these work in action, I haven't tried them yet. But they empty ammo like a champ. Dawson sells them, part number 616-002. 2) Try the Tripp 12-coil magazine spring. Dawson sells these, part number 616-014. Chris Well, that was a good idea, but it didn't really work out. While the Tripp magazines fed well, I had to yank them out of the magwell on the first (and only) stage where I tried them. Should have tested the day before. Apparently I'll have to do some "tuning" work with the Tripps. Luckily, I took my Dawson magazines to the match with me. They were used for the remaining five stages with no problems. I will happily put up with difficulty in stripping ammo out of magazines at the end of a match for reliability. Live and learn. As for the magazine springs, I'm going to buy a few extra Dawson springs and clip a coil off them to see how that works. Stay tuned. Chris Edited October 12, 2014 by cohland Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nebwake Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 I cut a coil or two off the magazine spring of My Dawson 10 round 9mm mags to enable the first few rounds to feed correctly. Worked fine after that... +1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cohland Posted October 12, 2014 Author Share Posted October 12, 2014 I cut a coil or two off the magazine spring of My Dawson 10 round 9mm mags to enable the first few rounds to feed correctly. Worked fine after that... +1 Thanks, I'm going to try that. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billm67 Posted November 26, 2014 Share Posted November 26, 2014 This is the reason I got rid of my Springfield in 9mm. I could not get it to feed reliably. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nebwake Posted November 26, 2014 Share Posted November 26, 2014 Crazy, my 9mm trojan (with wilson ETM's and stock STI mags) is one of the most reliable guns I have owned period, including glocks! It is not even picky with ammo. The few malfunctions I have had though have been with factory winchester white box 124's in a class, but only after so many rounds that the glocks (17's and 19's) were slowing down too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackhawk Posted November 30, 2014 Share Posted November 30, 2014 Tripp magazines... enough said... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cohland Posted November 30, 2014 Author Share Posted November 30, 2014 (edited) Tripp magazines... enough said... That's what I was thinking, so I bought seven brand new Tripp Cobra 10-round 9mm magazines from Dawson. They won't drop free from the gun, have to be pulled out. I wrote to Tripp about the problem over a month ago and have not received a reply. So, I'm back to using the Dawson magazines. Anybody interested in seven like-new Tripp Cobras? Chris Edited November 30, 2014 by cohland Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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