Tizzo Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 I was competing in a steel shoot last Saturday, the air temperature didn't break 40 degrees. Can cold cause magazines to not drop free from polymer frame guns? It took me by surprise, and I wasn't the only person with this issue. If this is the case, is there a way to prevent the problem, or do I just need to be prepared to physically strip the magazine? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dravz Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 Metal would shrink more than polymer in the cold, wouldn't it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tizzo Posted April 18, 2011 Author Share Posted April 18, 2011 Metal would shrink more than polymer in the cold, wouldn't it? I wonder if the cold somehow increases the friction of plastic... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waktasz Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 What gun are you shooting? Never had the problem with my M&P. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piman Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 More than polymer or metal, cold affects your finger tips. That makes it harder to do precision things and pressing that mag release does require fine motor skills. Just MHO... Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tizzo Posted April 18, 2011 Author Share Posted April 18, 2011 What gun are you shooting? Never had the problem with my M&P. Springfield XD Tac 9mm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pro-Pain Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 If it's cold, it would shrink the polymers/steel, and the heat of your gun would expand a bit, but i've never felt a "hot" mag after a run in a pistol, so I'm thinking that it doesn't change the temperature that much. Maybe the cold is stressing the mag release spring, with it not wanting to push as smooth to drop the mag as when it's warmer out. Since you weren't the only person to have issues it can't be blamed on the gun. I've shot in the cold. Not extensively, I'm fragile, but my mags would still drop free.. Always good to be prepared to quickly and safely remove a stuck mag, as these happen even in nice weather Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calishootr Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 just a guess...its cold, the fine motor skills have gone away...down to gross motor skills, maybe you are punching and holdingthe mag button a lil longer than you would have in a warmer clime, ive seen mag catchesthat when pressed hard and held will hold a mag in place, so maybe its a cold hands manipulation problem, for a mag/equipment problem a friend of mine uses armor-all on the exteriors of his glock mags Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjb45 Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 Probalbly just the magazine. Put it in a vise and crush it until it gets smaller. Any mositure in the well or on the mag. This can slow things down when it is cold. For the most part my SV pre-metal grips and XD had no problems dropping as long as they were clean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spanky Posted April 19, 2011 Share Posted April 19, 2011 (edited) Use some plexus plastic cleaner on your plastic mags. Works wonders. And most atv Or motorcycle shops Carry it Edited April 19, 2011 by spanky Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pro-Pain Posted April 20, 2011 Share Posted April 20, 2011 Use some plexus plastic cleaner on your plastic mags. Works wonders. And most atv Or motorcycle shops Carry it Is it a spray? or like a rub-on wax type substance? Any other ideas to "lube" mags, graphite/non oil lubrication? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Less Posted April 21, 2011 Share Posted April 21, 2011 We shoot a lot in cold conditions (near Chicago - Southern Wisc) and I can't say I've noticed it affecting anything, though my experience is with a Glock. I do have some problems with mags binding, which is easily solved with a few blasts of some hornady "dry-lube" spray, both in the gun and on the mags. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meta4 Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 Assuming you're using standard OEM magazines in your XD, the shiny aluminum might show signs of wear from any pinch spots. If this is an expansion/contraction issue, that might help you pinpoint the problematic area. If this happens again, you might want to consider applying a very thin layer of oil on the magazine. Insert the mag, then drop it, and see if that helps highlight the spot on the mag where it's catching on the mag well. For what it's worth, I shoot an XD Service .40S&W and haven't run into this problem, but your mags and gun are sufficiently different from mine to make it a poor comparison. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
de03x7 Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 I shoot an XDM and have not had a problem like this. We had a match a couple weeks ago that the temp started in the mid 20's and warmed to the mid 40's by the end of the match. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whistlepig Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 Use some plexus plastic cleaner on your plastic mags. Works wonders. And most atv Or motorcycle shops Carry it Is it a spray? or like a rub-on wax type substance? Any other ideas to "lube" mags, graphite/non oil lubrication? Plexus is an aerosol spray liquid. It is a plastic polish, usually used for cleaning plastic lenses and some off road motorcycle/ATV plastic parts. I have never tried it on a gun part. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave S Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 Back when I was shooting an XD40, when I got hyped I'd squeez the grip so tight the mag wouldn't drop. I had to tell myself to relax my grip during the reloads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maka Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 Winters around these parts can get fairly cold as well... Having said that, didn't have any issues with dropping mags on a Glock 17 in 10F temps this spring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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