STI 2011 .40 10 round mags tight inserting

[Rob01]

I have the unfortunate luck of living in CT and we can only use 10 round mags now and I bought a .40 2011 Eagle last year after the magazine ban so I am stuck with 10 round mags. I have 6 of them and they run fine but all of them and 2 in particular are very tight, rounds compressing tight and NOT magazine body expanding, when being pushed up into the pistol with the slide down as in doing a reload on the move. They really have to be slammed in there which doesn;t lead itself to being smooth in the reload. Is there anything I can do to them to loosen them up? I have loaded the magazines and left them loaded to hopefully compress the spring some but they are still tight. STI recommended cutting a couple coils off the spring but I am worried it would cause feeding problems. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

[Custom Rust]

Push the dimples flat! Check your follower, you might be able to relieve the contact area on the bottom to make it seat easier but not accept that dangerous 11th round.

[Rob01]

Was thinking about it but wanted to see if others had the problem and what they did. Actually heard back from STI and they said to send the mags in and they would make them work or replace them. Good customer service.

[Postal Bob]

Here is my solution I posted on another forum:

As I stated before, I'm preparing my STI 126mm 10rd mags for use when we'll be limited to using them next year. As you might recall me saying, the mags because of the short length, do not sit below the magwell making it hard to reload the gun quickly. The EZ-Off basepads work, but because there is no free space when the mag is loaded with 10 rounds, you cannot seat a fully loaded mag into the gun with the slide closed. And the standard Dawson +1 basepads do not work either because they are to fat and hit the magwell before being sitted. So on the recommendation of Phil P., I purchased the Dawson +2 basepads for Para mags. They normally will increase the capacity of these mags by 1 round, thereby making it illegal under the new SAFE act. So it's necessary to fill most of the inside of the basepad with epoxy. I filled them to within 3/8" of the top, keeping it level to the top of the basepads. This amount allows you to easily load 10 rounds, and leaves plenty of free play to easily seat the mag in a gun with a closed slide. But it's impossible to load an 11th round, keeping you from going over the legal limit of 10 rounds. But before I filled them with epoxy, I thoroughly oiled the inside of the basepads, so that if one day the law is rescinded, I can drill out and remove the epoxy, and use the basepads as normal. Now I can load the mags to 10, and with the extra length they easily insert into the gun with the slide closed, and the basepads clear the magwell. This and a factory slide stop, will now allow me to shoot L10 next year legally, and also lock back the slide if the mags run empty. Phil also lent me his special Dawson mag tuning kit for these special 10 round mags. These mags are thinner internally, and require a different mandrel when sizing the feeding lips. So these mags should now function reliably and also be legal.

Edited May 6, 2014 by Postal Bob

[Rob01]

Thanks. I actually have Dawson extenders on there now. The models that just add length so i can use them with my magwell. I might have to machine some of them out if STI fix doesn't make it easier to load.

[Postal Bob]

Thanks. I actually have Dawson extenders on there now. The models that just add length so i can use them with my magwell. I might have to machine some of them out if STI fix doesn't make it easier to load.

Do you mean the Dawson EZ-Off base pads? I had them, but like I stated they have no give in them either. And if you machine them out, the springs will now sit lower past the bottom of the mag body, and you won't be able to slide of the base pads without bending the springs.

The Dawson +2 basepads for the Para are the way to go. I've been using them. and they work great. It's a bit of work in the beginning filling the pads with expoxy. But the basepads come on and off the mags easily for cleaning out the mags,

Edited May 8, 2014 by Postal Bob

[Rob01]

Yeah Bob they would work better but i just don;t want to spend an extra $210 for the baseplates. Hopefully STI will get me hooked up.

[Postal Bob]

I'm curious as to what STI will do. The basic problem is that the special 10 round mags are made thinner internally. And they use a spring made for single stack mags. And because of the spring, you can only use the original STI followers, no grams or others. And the original followers are very deep. So with the springs under full compression, and the followers deep bottom, there's no extra space left. You can always clip a coil or two on the springs, but then you might not get reliable feeding on the last round or two.

I didn't want to spend the money either, but I'm glad I did. The bases are longer, and make reloads very easy. I then also did a tuning on each mag feed lips, and the spring compression/ straightening. But it still was tight with those other base plates.

Hopefully Grams will come out with a spring/ follower kit for these mags. Having a thinner follower would immediately solve the problem.

[Rob01]

I am curious as well. Will let you know how it goes when i get them back.

[robb315]

I use the Dawson follower on my 10 round mag. Works great with the spring.

[Postal Bob]

The Dawson followers have that same long extended bottom. Do they give any more space within the mag?

[robb315]

They still allow 10 but seat easy in the gun. In my mags anyhow. You could always remove a little material off the bottom of the follower to gain some space.

[bountyhunter]

I have the unfortunate luck of living in CT and we can only use 10 round mags now and I bought a .40 2011 Eagle last year after the magazine ban so I am stuck with 10 round mags. I have 6 of them and they run fine but all of them and 2 in particular are very tight, rounds compressing tight and NOT magazine body expanding, when being pushed up into the pistol with the slide down as in doing a reload on the move.

I have seen this problem so many times with 10 round mags. many of them are designed so tight that the tenth round can barely be forced in.... which means that it is IMPOSSIBLE to insert it into the gun with the slide forward since the top round has no give. I have seen this even on high quality MEC GAR mags made for guns like CZ and Browning. The factory just blew it on the magazine design. Interestingly, the aftermarket 10 round mags typically don't have the problem: they leave a little room so the tenth round can give enough to insert it under the closed slide.

[Postal Bob]

I have the unfortunate luck of living in CT and we can only use 10 round mags now and I bought a .40 2011 Eagle last year after the magazine ban so I am stuck with 10 round mags. I have 6 of them and they run fine but all of them and 2 in particular are very tight, rounds compressing tight and NOT magazine body expanding, when being pushed up into the pistol with the slide down as in doing a reload on the move.

I have seen this problem so many times with 10 round mags. many of them are designed so tight that the tenth round can barely be forced in.... which means that it is IMPOSSIBLE to insert it into the gun with the slide forward since the top round has no give. I have seen this even on high quality MEC GAR mags made for guns like CZ and Browning. The factory just blew it on the magazine design. Interestingly, the aftermarket 10 round mags typically don't have the problem: they leave a little room so the tenth round can give enough to insert it under the closed slide.

I wouldn't blame the factories for this fault of 10 rd mags. First, they were forced to create such mags because of the stupid laws passed by many states including mine. Second, these mags were not designed with competitors in mind, where we'll load a new mag in the gun with one in the chamber still. Plus they wouldn't want any space in the mag, that if tolerances were off, someone might be able to force in an 11th round. Then the factories were be in violation of the law for selling mags that hold more than 10 rds. And the guns designed for it would now be forbidden in those states.

Thats why the aftermarket mags have clearance, they make them with competition in mind. And they're not supplying a gun with them.

[bountyhunter]

I have the unfortunate luck of living in CT and we can only use 10 round mags now and I bought a .40 2011 Eagle last year after the magazine ban so I am stuck with 10 round mags. I have 6 of them and they run fine but all of them and 2 in particular are very tight, rounds compressing tight and NOT magazine body expanding, when being pushed up into the pistol with the slide down as in doing a reload on the move.

I have seen this problem so many times with 10 round mags. many of them are designed so tight that the tenth round can barely be forced in.... which means that it is IMPOSSIBLE to insert it into the gun with the slide forward since the top round has no give. I have seen this even on high quality MEC GAR mags made for guns like CZ and Browning. The factory just blew it on the magazine design. Interestingly, the aftermarket 10 round mags typically don't have the problem: they leave a little room so the tenth round can give enough to insert it under the closed slide.

I wouldn't blame the factories for this fault of 10 rd mags. First, they were forced to create such mags because of the stupid laws passed by many states including mine. Second, these mags were not designed with competitors in mind, where we'll load a new mag in the gun with one in the chamber still. Plus they wouldn't want any space in the mag, that if tolerances were off, someone might be able to force in an 11th round.

I still say they screwed up. I've spent a LOT of time tuning mags and screwing with them and there really is no trick to getting them right so that they only hold ten but still have some yield. In fact, the ones made right hold about "10 1/2" which means you can easily load ten and push the stack down about 1/2 round space but impossible to get another round in (not even close).

Many of the new mags are so tight that it's just impossible to load ten and ten insert the mag on a closed slide which is just stupid.

There is a solution in cases where the same gun is made in multiple calibers and you can buy the ten round magazine of the next larger caliber...... and modify it for your caliber. In those cases, they hold ten rounds real easily.... and usually about four more.

Consult local laws before attempting.

Edited June 4, 2014 by bountyhunter

[Rob01]

Got them back and they felt about the same. Not much you can do to them I think short of cutting the spring which i don;t want to do. I did use them in a match and had no problems at all. When loading never had any not seat. Will keep using them but not like I have a choice. LOL

[Postal Bob]

Go back to my post #6. Using extended base pads and filling most of it with epoxy worked for me.

[Rob01]

Not looking to dump that much money into them. They work. Just tight.

[Postal Bob]

As a follow up to this, someone I know is now using the Dawson extended base pads with the Dawson followers. He says that there's room enough to insert a full mag into the gun. So for the cost of a few followers, this seems like a solution to the problem.

[Rob01]

Good to know the followers will take care of it. They seemed to have loosened some with use. Have used them in a couple matches and no problems slamming in a full 10 round mag.

[mnpfamily]

As a follow up to this, someone I know is now using the Dawson extended base pads with the Dawson followers. He says that there's room enough to insert a full mag into the gun. So for the cost of a few followers, this seems like a solution to the problem.

Just trying to clarify before I order as I've run into the same issue with my new Limited gun. The Para basepads you mentioned originally are the +2 Awesome pads by Dawson. These will work the stock 10 round springs and STI followers when the pads are filled with epoxy? Or the EZ off pads that add length but not capacity will work with Dawson followers? Thanks in advance for the assistance. It's weird how the 10 round .38S mags for my Open gun don't seem to be quite so hard to seat.

[Postal Bob]

Yes, but if I was starting off fresh, I'd go with the E-Z off pads and Dawson followers. The Para pads work, but it's a lot of work partially filling with epoxy. And now that I'm using in matches, I found due to expanded length and capacity, and the wideness of the basepads past the bottom of the mag base, the mag spring will sometimes roll over when I load the mag. I have to carefully put on the basepads, making sure the spring sits in the center of it, and not to the side. I had one fold over and didn't know it during a match. And I ended up with the salt shaker effect.

Edited June 18, 2014 by Postal Bob

[mnpfamily]

Yes, but if I was starting off fresh, I'd go with the E-Z off pads and Dawson followers. The Para pads work, but it's a lot of work partially filling with epoxy. And now that I'm using in matches, I found due to expanded length and capacity, and the wideness of the basepads past the bottom of the mag base, the mag spring will sometimes roll over when I load the mag. I have to carefully put on the basepads, making sure the spring sits in the center of it, and not to the side. I had one fold over and didn't know it during a match. And I ended up with the salt shaker effect.

Thanks again for the assistance, I'll try the Dawson followers first as I already have a couple of the EZ off pads for my 38 mags.

[mnpfamily]

Thanks again for the advice, got the Dawson followers in the mail yesterday, tried them in my mags this morning and they worked for me.

[Rob01]

Are these the followers? http://www.dawsonprecision.com/ProductDetail.jsp?LISTID=80000784-1388518012