joelogic Posted February 14, 2016 Share Posted February 14, 2016 [Cross posted at saiga-12.com. I didn't want to thread jack another thread here but mods please move it need be.] I started with a Benelli M2 which runs like a sewing machine. Any ammo, virtually no cleaning, some lube, 3 day multigun conditions, and it just ran and ran. My pistol and rifle run great as well but I am extremely familiar with their upkeep cycles. The MKA 1919 match is my first mag fed shotgun but it seems so finicky. So far it has 1400 rounds through it. Various T&N parts. Stock recoil spring (Reduced recoil spring seemed to drag when stripping rounds from the mag). Mid barrel comp. Light load ring thing. 10rd factory mags. I tear it down every 200-300 rounds for a good cleaning. Today I was running a practice stage with Rio 1 1/8, 7.5, 1280fps ammo and during the 21 round COF 1 shell would always fail to eject. Stove pipe with bolt forward. I could rip the case out of the port and continue but I want this gun to run right. Clean more often? Boooooo. Lube more? Where? Tune something? Ammo? 1290 AA's run great but I cant afford to practice with them. Large matches only. Just to be expected with this gun? TIA for the help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hi-Power Jack Posted February 14, 2016 Share Posted February 14, 2016 Stove pipe with bolt forward. Ammo? 1290 AA's run great. Large matches only. Sounds like you need a stronger spring for the Rio's - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kedfors Posted February 14, 2016 Share Posted February 14, 2016 Im pretty new in the open game, actually my girlfriend runs the open shotgun in our house and i go in the standard division. So i pretty much keep it running for her to enjoy at the range during practice and competition. Our gun is a Firebird Tac12-A1 so it's pretty similar to the MKA 1919. what i did i that i sharpened the extractor with a file so it has less material on the "Angeled" part and the extractor claw is really sharp. i also took the old trusty dremel with a grinding disc and made the extractor track a lot deeper, this will make a lot more of the brass rim visible for the extractor to grab. (don't really know what this is called in english but its the part of the barrel where the extractor grabs the rim of the shell) since the bolt and the barrel is the same for MKA 1919 and Firebird Tac 12 this will probably help you out. i also polished the ramp in the lower reciver for the shells to insert to the barrel. since the Firebird reciever is aluminium and hade som really ugly marks on it from milling i took som polishing disks and made it shiny the ammo we use is Rio us6, 1 1/16oz load and it runs really good after making theses mods. no comp attached for now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tech32 Posted February 14, 2016 Share Posted February 14, 2016 Rio ammo is crap. My Vinci and a friends FNS both had problems cycling with it. I have seen some of the crimp ends oblong, so the shell won't chamber. I think you answered your own question. Run the AA's in matches. Practice with the Walmart federal bulk pack, or the Rios. The Rios will give you practice at clearing malfunctions! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZGunut Posted February 14, 2016 Share Posted February 14, 2016 I have never seen a mag fed run reliably. I have a friend who has shot Akdals for years and he said he can count on one hand how many matches he has made it through without a malfunction. I never have understood the draw of these guns for 3 Gun. Salad a long tube on a M2 and learn how to load it, done! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurtm Posted February 14, 2016 Share Posted February 14, 2016 THE most common statement from mag fed shotgun shooters is "mine runs100%" !!! THE second part to that statement, which is said VERY quietly, is "60 % of the time"...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AKJD Posted February 15, 2016 Share Posted February 15, 2016 Actually my statement is that mine runs 60% 100% of the time. Haven't given up on it yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoganbillJ Posted February 15, 2016 Share Posted February 15, 2016 Joe, the Rio shells are notorious for being slower than advertised due to how their velocity is measured (at the muzzle rather than 15ft from the muzzle.) Personally I put them in the same category as Winchester Universal for reliability but understand your desire to run them for their cost. Running the standard spring in your setup may or may not be the limiting factor. Since it is a match gun there shouldn't be any unnecessary drag on the bolt or carrier. I would look at the gas ports and verify their size. For a comped match gun they should be at 9/64". This should ensure enough gas pressure is delivered to cycle 1145 fps AA's. You shouldn't have to clean more as I generally clean my gun every 1000rds or before every major match whichever comes first. Just be sure and lube the bolt carrier and the inside of the upper receiver well. One thing that causes stove pipes that is often overlooked is the feed lips. If the shells are presenting too high the next rd in the mag will actually prevent the fired shell from being ejected. It will start to come out(stove pipe) but the rim will prevent the shell from clearing the gun resulting in a malfunction. Tighten the feed lips slightly keeping the same relationship between the front and back of the feed lips they hold currently. I am leaning towards this as I am sure the gun will lock back when firing the Rios you describe. Hope this helps. Let me know if you need any further guidance. I am more than happy to walk you through the process. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joelogic Posted February 15, 2016 Author Share Posted February 15, 2016 Thank you very much for your input. I will check the gas ports. I will test various other "cheap" ammo. I will also check the mags. I was doing two mag changes during the COF and didn't stop to think which mag it was happening on. Maybe its just 1 mag that the stoppages were happening on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoganbillJ Posted February 15, 2016 Share Posted February 15, 2016 Completely understand that. Let me know what you find. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benl Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 What model do you have? I have the "Match" that runs 100% (except for the 24 round mag, which won't run at all), but I've never used Rio's. I only use Federal Walmart specials and AA's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toothandnail Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 I have never seen a mag fed run reliably. I have a friend who has shot Akdals for years and he said he can count on one hand how many matches he has made it through without a malfunction. I never have understood the draw of these guns for 3 Gun. Salad a long tube on a M2 and learn how to load it, done! THE most common statement from mag fed shotgun shooters is "mine runs100%" !!! THE second part to that statement, which is said VERY quietly, is "60 % of the time"...... I can count the number of malfunctions in ALL my matches last year, on 1 finger, yes somewhere around 14-15 matches , ONE . Then again, with any gun, any malfunction on the clock, gets quickly cleared and I move on. I have never not finished a stage because of a SG problem since I started shooting a 1919, back in 2011. I have 10X the minor problems (stove pipe) with a Glock than my SG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joelogic Posted February 16, 2016 Author Share Posted February 16, 2016 What model do you have? I have the "Match" that runs 100% (except for the 24 round mag, which won't run at all), but I've never used Rio's. I only use Federal Walmart specials and AA's. It is a Match. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garmil Posted February 20, 2016 Share Posted February 20, 2016 I've had a few jams in my match but I have not ran very many through it yet so its still breaking in. My 23 round mag works well but has jammed with 1 round left in it a few times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerritm Posted February 20, 2016 Share Posted February 20, 2016 (edited) I have run a T & N built MKA1919 for going on 2 years shooting several matches a month. Thousands of rounds. Can I say it runs 100%? Probably not, but 99.8%, yes. I only use AA1145 with the light spring. I have the 23 round mag, 99%, Taccom ext on a 5 rounder for 15-16, 100%(great extension), Firebird billet 18 rounder, 98%, several 10 & 5 round mags, 100%. The gun runs 100%, the mags are the issues. Once I got them all tuned and figured what ammo, it has been the best decision for an open shotgun. Learning curve for me was short. Listen to Matt & Josh and follow their advice. Does not like Fiocchi anything. Use Remington & Win full power high brass #6's for spinners tough steels. Shoots Freedom Slugs like a laser. I use all Briley extended ported chokes, IC,LM,Mod. Clean & oil the gun every 300-500 rounds. Spray a little oil on the rails once in awhile in the field. So yes, it runs like a sewing machine. gerritm Edited February 21, 2016 by gerritm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flatland Shooter Posted February 21, 2016 Share Posted February 21, 2016 (edited) Garret, you refer to Freedom Slugs. Is this Freedom Munitions? I see they offer Remington, Fiocchi and X-treme. Which one? Thanks. I've had good function with Remington Managed Recoil slugs but using Carlson chokes, they (and every other slug I've tried) is far from shooting like a laser. Edited February 21, 2016 by Flatland Shooter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerritm Posted February 21, 2016 Share Posted February 21, 2016 Yes, Freedom Munitions full power Xtreme slugs. Both copper and lead. Problem is last time I checked they were completely out of them on the website and I heard they are going to a new manufacturer. Not sure if that is true or not. Might have to find a new brand. Going to try Federal Tru ball reduced and full power. gerritm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Donald Posted February 21, 2016 Share Posted February 21, 2016 Yes, Freedom Munitions full power Xtreme slugs. Both copper and lead. Problem is last time I checked they were completely out of them on the website and I heard they are going to a new manufacturer. Not sure if that is true or not. Might have to find a new brand. Going to try Federal Tru ball reduced and full power.gerritm I won some of the Freedom Munition slugs at a match. Tried they our and they are super accurate, I ordered a pretty good size stach of the copper slugs since the plain lead were out of stock. I'll save them for the over 50 yd. and extra knock down power slug shots. My 1301 shots the Fiocchi low recoils pretty good but not as good as the Freedom Munition's slugs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neomet Posted February 29, 2016 Share Posted February 29, 2016 (edited) Rule number 1 for magfed guns for best reliability: Use high quality ammo that your gun likes. Hard smooth hulls seems to be critical. Winchester AAs seem to be the ticket. Yeah, I know they aren't cheap but cheap and Open are oxymorons. You will get used to it. If you want to go the extra yard casegauge your shells. I have been surprised at the number that fail. Rule 1a Make sure your mags' feed lips are tuned. This made a huge difference for me. (Yeah, there is a theme here to the advice. LOL) Edited February 29, 2016 by Neomet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joelogic Posted February 29, 2016 Author Share Posted February 29, 2016 Thanks! I ordered one on Amazon. If you want to go the extra yard casegauge your shells. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flatland Shooter Posted February 29, 2016 Share Posted February 29, 2016 Thanks! I ordered one on Amazon. If you want to go the extra yard casegauge your shells. Unless I'm missing it, it does not indicate if its for 2-3/4" shell or 3" shells. Or does it even matter? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joelogic Posted February 29, 2016 Author Share Posted February 29, 2016 Description says its 3" in length so it should do 3" shells, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flatland Shooter Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 Description says its 3" in length so it should do 3" shells, right? I'm not sure. Another brand available on eBay has a gauge for 3" shells and another for 2-3/4" shells. I would need on for 2-3/4" shells. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiggerJJ Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 Get a shotgun case gauge from Unique Tek, they support 3gun as a sponsor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerritm Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 Never have any issues with Win AA shells to go to case gauging. Have had issues with cheaper Win, Rio, and Estate shells especially in hot weather. Even some terribly out of round Fiocchi shells. Talked to the guys at Freedom's store and they think the current Xtreme slugs will continue in stock for awhile. Good to know. gerritm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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