tuned or untuned mags

[sandankenpo]

I was just wondering if anyone knows if tuned or untuned Sti mags makes a great improvement , I shoot tuned mags but they can get very expensive, I have never tried untuned

[D.Hayden]

I'm running 7 mags total. 2, I was having problem with (one wouldn't drop, and one was binding, and hard to load past 16). Now both of those hold 20 (instead of my efforts at 19 each)... Beven tuned these.

Now those are my 2 starter mags, the other 18's (Dawson pads, standard followers, and the other 19's (Gram's kits), are my extras and reload mags.

I do like the witness holes Beven added. Lines up the 10/15/20 rounds perfectly, so no more guessing.

Dawson's told me they wouldn't tune magazines not bought from them any longer. New mags, probably a good way to go.

[.40AET]

I had no problems with my limited mags. I polished them and set the lips to the correct dimensions. They are still running great.

My open mags are a totally different story. They needed a lot of tuning and it was more than I could do myself. Beven has all 5 of my mags and I can't to recieve the fine work of the mag master. I had planned on sending the open mags to him even if I had gotten them running. Reliability is paramount to keeping the gun running well.

[MikeFoley]

If you buy tuned mags, you are less likely to have problems, but it is possible to buy standard mags and get them to work. I built 4 on my own and got 1 in a trade and all 5 run and hold 20 reliably, and I have never had issues with them in the year and a half and 12000 rounds fired. My sixth mag is a Dawson tuned that I bought at the Nationals, and it runs and works flawlessly too. I have been lucky, others have not been so lucky, and there is no way to know if it will work until you have run them a considerable time. If you want to take the trial and error out of the process, and simplify things, keep buying tuned mags. If you have tinker time and patience(and luck), go the way of the miser.

[Loves2Shoot]

All the SV tubes (I like better than STI tubes) I've got have always worked, I may just be lucky. Putting the witness holes isn't as easy as it sounds, they are very hard metal. If they puke with Gram's new style follower and springs, get them tuned, if they don't then don't have them tuned. Just my 2 cents.

ps. You should have atleast one tuned mag from Beven, 'cause they are cool.

[Tom Balko]

I had four new s_i tubes, one big stick and 3 regulars, in 9mm. They were quite unreliable "out of the box" and I did do some tweaking on them on my own, which helped, but there was always a doubt as they still did not reach 100%. After much phone time (thanks Bevan!) I sent half my mags to him for tuning, basepads, and spring follower kits. I was so impressed I couldn't get the others shipped fast enough! That step took my equipment to 100%. There are many aspects of the magazine that can be out of tolerance, including the feed lips. The important dimensions are the internal measurements. Without the proper mandrels, I don't know how you can do it right yourself. If you have no feeding problems AT ALL, consider yourself fortunate, otherwise, have Grams bend your mags and put new guts in em, you won't be sorry. I guess you could say I'm a satisfied customer!

[Guest Larry Cazes]

My experience is that the STI tube dimensions vary much more than SV. If you go with SV you will probably not need any tuning beyond tweeking the feed lips a bit and some polishing with Flitz and a Dremel inside.

[rhino]

This talk make me feel luck with my Para .45 and its mags. One one (with a Grams kit installed) ever needed anything other than a new spring when the old one crapped out.

[Bruno]

Does anybody know what's involved with tuning a mag? I must be pretty lucky. I've got 16 tubes, thrown Arredondo kits on them and except for squeezing a couple in a vice so they drop a little easier they all run - 100%.

140mm tube, Arredondo spring, follower, base pad = 24 rounds of .38 Super

[eerw]

I have had good luck with mags in both 40 and 38/9mm.

I have had two mags tuned..both are 170s used in my open gun to fit 29 rounds..otherwise I have some untuned 170s that fit 28 rounds.

otherwise..my 140 mags have run just fine..

[old shooter]

While I don't have as much experience as some, I can say this.

I don't know if it is because my gun is a major 9, or if it is because it is a Bedell gun, or if it is superior handloads , but right now my gun runs 100% with untuned sti and svi mags.

Mike

But I would send them off if I thought I had a mag problem.

[MoNsTeR]

Life's too short to deal with untuned mags.

[Merlin Orr]

I have bought 16 or 17 different STI mags, both .38 & .40 - all untuned - never had a problem with any of them. Not once.

[Squishy]

I have 20 STI 38 super mags for my 2 open guns. Untuned. Never had a problem. All STI internals. I have 10 SV mags for my Limited gun . Minor problems .(Feeding) Changed the demisions of the feed lips and no more problems.