soterik Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 (edited) Just got some brand new 126mm STI 2011 mags. On all three the follower is popping out of the tube. It is extremely difficult to push back into the body and then doesn't stay down. Seems like the feed lips aren't tight enough to keep it in. Will loading the mag with ammo and leaving for a couple days fix it? Won't the follower pop out again? Even if the ammo holds down the follower when loaded, what about when the mag runs dry? Would the follower possibly get yanked out by the slide? I am new to 2011's (been shooting the plastic pistols for a while) so I am very unfamilier with these. Edited May 19, 2014 by soterik Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike21STI Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 All of my factory mags came like that. Load them full for a few days and let them sit. The springs should set. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drewbeck Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 (edited) It depends on if they are in or out of spec on the width. If they are out of spec then no, just loading them for a couple days wont work. It looks like it is out of spec and needs to be closed to the appropriate width. (hard to tell though on pics) I just did this to a couple mags this weekend and they are much better. I used a vise to close the width but you could use other tools. Take a look at Freedom gunworks vendor section for a awesome writeup on tuning mags and it will give you the specs on the width you should be shooting for and how to go about doing it. It shouldn't be a big deal to fix and doing it helped me get a better under standing of how everything works together which will help diagnose issues in the future. If you're DIY it's not hard Or...send them to a smith to tune them Edited May 19, 2014 by drewbeck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3djedi Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 (edited) My pop out too. I think it's pretty normal. I was a little disappointed that these mags cost $60 and the gun is $2000+ and this happens. Then you have a Korean made glock mag that cost $10 and they work flawlessly. ....lol Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk Edited May 19, 2014 by 3djedi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimbullet Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 My STI mags with the original followers do not do that however I have changed all my followers to grams and bolen and they all have done that without any consequence to feeding reliability. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drewbeck Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 Closing the lips if they are a little wide can really help make feeding more consistent. I found that the mags that were a little wide would occasionally spit rounds if bumped or putting back in my mag pouchs, etc. Closing them just a little really made them more secure and this went away. This didn't impact feeding while in the gun at all. I also found that sometime with the follower sticking up, it would wedge the slide against it if not locked back and I would need to actually pull the mag out vs letting it drop free Just something to pay attention to Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soterik Posted May 20, 2014 Author Share Posted May 20, 2014 Thanks for all the replies. I will load them up and leave them for a couple days and then see if they work. I agree with 3DJedi - It sucks that brand new factory mags need to be fixed (aka "tuned"). I don't have the ability or desire to do that. Guess will have to find someone in the area that can work on mags. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjb45 Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 Mags need tuning, that have been a fact of life for years. Beven, Dave, and now Taran do a great job of getting most out of your mags is you're not a DIY kind of guy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3djedi Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 (edited) But why do they need to be fixed? I can see maybe if you change follower but why should they need to be altered if they are stock sti mags? Is it just a fact of life for all 1911's or is strictly an sti 2011 thing? Bullets don't really change diameter so why wouldn't the lips be set at factory? Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk Edited May 21, 2014 by 3djedi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike21STI Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 But why do they need to be fixed? I can see maybe if you change follower but why should they need to be altered if they are stock sti mags? Is it just a fact of life for all 1911's or is strictly an sti 2011 thing? Bullets don't really change diameter so why wouldn't the lips be set at factory? Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 1911's are typically good to go when you stick with known manufacturer's of mags. 2011's seem to be more finicky. I agree that it is pretty ridiculous to spend 60 on a mag that may not work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3djedi Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 Pretty crazy that you have to spend $100 on a mag that's "tuned" to be reliable. Then you can spend $10 on a KCI glock mag and it will be just as reliable. But, in honesty, I've had good luck with stock $60 mags. Other than a follower bulging out. They've been reliable.....I guess if you're striving to shove extra rounds in there it really becomes an issue... Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike21STI Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 Pretty crazy that you have to spend $100 on a mag that's "tuned" to be reliable. Then you can spend $10 on a KCI glock mag and it will be just as reliable. But, in honesty, I've had good luck with stock $60 mags. Other than a follower bulging out. They've been reliable.....I guess if you're striving to shove extra rounds in there it really becomes an issue... Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk You have had better luck than I have then... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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