billdozer Posted June 1, 2013 Share Posted June 1, 2013 Do I need a 9mm spacer for 9/38 mag tubes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CocoBolo Posted June 1, 2013 Share Posted June 1, 2013 With SVI tubes No. With STI tubes and 9 mm there is a chance depending on OAL that they could run reliably without spacers, other factors are follower etc. The safe bet is to use the spacers in STI tubes. My current OAL is 1.165 so I run the spacers, when I had 1.185 OAL I skipped the spacers but didn't get 100%, seem I always had one or two hiccups in a 5 stage match, way unacceptable.YMMV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve RA Posted June 1, 2013 Share Posted June 1, 2013 Where do you get spacers for STI mags, other than STI perhaps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mapzter Posted June 1, 2013 Share Posted June 1, 2013 I've had great results with the STI spacers. Better than with the Joey Hardy steel spacers, and the STI spacers hasn't needed fitting, other than trimming to length in my mags. I run them with grams 9mm followers, and they are 100% reliable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quack Posted June 1, 2013 Share Posted June 1, 2013 (edited) Where do you get spacers for STI mags, other than STI perhaps. You can get metal ones from Shooters Connection and Dawson. You can get STI 9mm follower & spacer (plastic) from the 2 mentioned and also Brownells. Sent from my ADR6425LVW using Tapatalk 2 Edited June 1, 2013 by Quack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2MoreChains Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 Agree with the above. I'm running Joe Hardy metal spacers with Grams 9mm follower & 11 coil spring kit, and a Dawson +1 basepad. 23 rnds reloadable in a 140mm mag. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wes777 Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 Do I need a 9mm spacer for 9/38 mag tubes? No, if you tune the mags they will run without. the steel hardy spacers (shooters connection) will help alot with getting mags to run. My mags run with or without, I only take them out if I need an extra round (in some mags) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warpspeed Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 I run STI tubes with Grams springs & followers using metal spacers. Springs, followers and spacers all from Chris Patty ; http://www.cpwsa.com/grams.htm I run my OAL about 1.160 or so just like you would for a Glock 9x19 magazine with great results. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billdozer Posted June 6, 2013 Author Share Posted June 6, 2013 Sounds like i need some......now metal or plastic?!?!?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wes777 Posted June 6, 2013 Share Posted June 6, 2013 Metal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calvinc78 Posted June 6, 2013 Share Posted June 6, 2013 Go metal.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cowboy1629 Posted June 6, 2013 Share Posted June 6, 2013 I have both and both work well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoNsTeR Posted June 7, 2013 Share Posted June 7, 2013 Do I need a 9mm spacer for 9/38 mag tubes?No, if you tune the mags they will run without. the steel hardy spacers (shooters connection) will help alot with getting mags to run. My mags run with or without, I only take them out if I need an extra round (in some mags) How is that possible? The reason spacers are necessary with 9mm in STI tubes is that the second rib is too far forward to keep rounds correctly located and stacked in the lateral center of the tube. A spacer pushes rounds forward in the tube so that they make contact with both ribs. What sort of tuning could obviate this need? Moving the second rib backward seems impossible. You could concievably deepen it, but then it would be contacting the bullet rather than the case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wes777 Posted June 7, 2013 Share Posted June 7, 2013 (edited) Do I need a 9mm spacer for 9/38 mag tubes?No, if you tune the mags they will run without.the steel hardy spacers (shooters connection) will help alot with getting mags to run. My mags run with or without, I only take them out if I need an extra round (in some mags) How is that possible?The reason spacers are necessary with 9mm in STI tubes is that the second rib is too far forward to keep rounds correctly located and stacked in the lateral center of the tube. A spacer pushes rounds forward in the tube so that they make contact with both ribs. What sort of tuning could obviate this need? Moving the second rib backward seems impossible. You could concievably deepen it, but then it would be contacting the bullet rather than the case. Cant change rib (I cant). Change front to back dimensions of magazine to negate need for spacer, if you try to run 11 coil spring in this setup, rounds bind at bottom of mag. 13 coil spring keeps rounds high enough to feed reliably. I get 28 rounds in this setup with the spacer in and 29 rounds with spacer out, STI mag body, grams springs and follower, dawson pad. If it would help, i can start a thread with directions, or you can send me the mag body and i will do one for you.Edit to add, some mag bodies will need some extra tlc to get to 29. I have had one that only made it to 28 with initial work. Edited June 7, 2013 by wes777 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dauntedfuture Posted June 17, 2013 Share Posted June 17, 2013 for what its worth, running 147 fmj in factory STI 140mm magazines, they worked fine with and without spacers. It appears that after careful observation (reading the package) i was sent three 9mm mags with spacers and one .38 super mag without spacer. My 2011 ran all mags fine and all locked open with standard 9mm ammo. Not sure that spacers are "required" but i dont think that they can hurt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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