Colt Mag seating

[Neil E.]

Anyone else having trouble seating a colt mag easily. Using PSA 9MM SMG Colt Style Magazines. I have to give them a smack on the bottom to catch the mag release. The rounds in the mag make contact with the bottom of the BCG. Puts just enough pressure on the rounds that force is required to seat. If I don't give them a firm enough hit they will fall out. Just pushing the mag in hard is not enough.

Any thoughts.

[Sarge]

I can lock mine in with just a firm push. I imagine each mag will be different just like STI mags. I have 170 STI mags that are set up identically that will hold 27,28 and 29.

[jrswanson1]

You'll have to do that with most any full AR mag.  I will say that my genuine Colt 9mm mag is easier than the rest of them to insert.

[TDH]

I can't insert a fully loaded mag with the bolt closed. But no issues if its downloaded a couple rounds. 

[Dannybot]

Same here, have to spank it on a closed bolt--that goes even for a down loaded mag.  I have the PSA mags in a Rock River mag block, the block and mags are very new, maybe a thousand rounds through it.

[Kmarsh1966]

Hey Neil. I had 3 mags.   The one that came with the gun was a challenge to set.   I bought 2 additional and they go home pretty easy.  I ended up taking a small file and raising the locking point on the difficult mag.   Works great now.   Hope to see you soon.   

[Boxer1]

This has been my biggest struggle with PCC. I seem to drop at least 1 mag every match during a reload.

[Sarge]

1 hour ago, Boxer1 said:

This has been my biggest struggle with PCC. I seem to drop at least 1 mag every match during a reload.

Get rid of the need to reload. Problem solved

Edited October 17, 2016 by Sarge

[Boxer1]

42 minutes ago, Sarge said:

Get rid of the need to reload. Problem solved

Unless mandatory reloads

[Sarge]

40 minutes ago, Boxer1 said:

Unless mandatory reloads

 

40 minutes ago, Boxer1 said:

Unless mandatory reloads

I have some 20 rounders that seat easily when only loaded with 10 rounds or so. 32 rounder even easier when loaded that light

[dcloudy777]

Somebody needs to make a nice cushy rubber sleeve for the bottom part of the mag, with a pad at the base.  It would make for a more positive grip and seating without bleeding.

[Odessa Straight]

I shot PCC (AR with Colt style mags) yesterday in a match with many mandatory reloads.  The classifier was "Can You Count" with two strings each with a mandatory reload; shot it X 3 times each so that's 6 mandatory reloads right there.  I had three of those reloads not seat.  The mags for the reloads  were downloaded and I was using enough force to cut the heel of my hand (had to use a paster as a band aid).  This seems to be a common problem with most tips being to down load the mags more and/or use a different grip on the mags "grip it like a beer can" or use skate board tape on the mag body and then grip it like a beer can.

Shooting pistol as much as PCC I want to grip the mags the same; index finger pointing into the mag well and seating the mag with the heel of the hand.  I'm going to try some kind of bumper glued to the mag base.  That should at least take care of the relatively sharp edges of the mag base stop the bleeding.   I'm also going to clean my mags today and look closely at the cut-out/mag catch interface on all my mags.  Like Neil E asked..If anyone has made seating the reloads easier I, too, would appreciate any guidance

......................................................................................................................................

.Looking around for something suitable for  a bumper on those sharp Colt style mag pads I found a roll of heavy duty weather stripping.  It's 1 1/4 inches wide, 1/4 inch thick,  and I cut it 2 inches long.  It's super sticky on one side and easily molds around the edges of the mag base plate.  I have 8 mags and loaded them all to 20 rounds and picked the two that locked in the easiest.  I spent about 30 minutes "dry fire" loading with these two mags with 20 rounds.  They still required firm seating pressure, butt hey did lock in positively every time.  This was with my palm healing from a cut from seating mags yesterday.  Those bumper pads make it easy on my poor tender palm .  I've got another local match this coming Saturday and I'm even looking for some mandatory mag changes to try these bumpers out.

Edited October 23, 2016 by Odessa Straight
Trying out a weather strip bumper

[bwikel]

Spikes makes an AR mag catch that is 9mm specific for AR's running colt pattern mags. I don't know what if any difference it may make but that may be something else to look at if it improves the engagement between the mag catch and mag.

[dcloudy777]

I just installed the above-mentioned Spikes mag catch, and screwed in a turn or two further than I normally do for 5.56 guns.  It seems to grab the 9mm mags a little easier.

I also bought some of these:

And installed them... so far I like them.  Not the "grabby loops" themselves, but the sleeve part.  Makes for a nice, positive grip that makes seating more positive.  And the "loops" do act as a cushion for slamming stubborn mags home.  They're only like 10 bucks per 3-pack.  Just protecting baseplates in dropped mags is worth that.

[Odessa Straight]

I've shot 2 local matches with the Colt type 32 round mags with the 1 1/4 inch weather strip (cut 2 inches long) stuck and molded to the mag base.  these 32 round mags were downloaded to 20 rounds to make loaded chamber reloads easier to seat.  With a total of 5 mag changes all seated and positively locked in.  One weather strip base did slip about 1/4 inch but was easily centered on the base again.  Next match I'm going to try the "reload" mags downloaded to 30 rounds instead of 20 as they also seem to seat fine in practice.  Still,  I'm looking for a more permanent and solid bumper and am seriously thinking of something like those Mag Pulls above,if they make them for the 9mm Colt type mags, with the loop cut flush and heavy duty rubber sealant to fill in and smooth out the base.

Just a side note;  I'm seeing that if an open or limited shooter designs a course of fire there don't tend to be mandatory reloads.  Production or single stack shooters tend to work in mandatory reloads and if you shoot stages designed by revolver shooters stand by for a reloading workout with your PCC

 

[Bamboo]

I can see a market for a form fitting elastic rubber bumper you slip over the base of the 20 & 32 round colt mags. 

Also can see a market for an after market mag well for the colt SMG mags.  I was practicing reloads last night and can nail it about 70%-ish of the time at home (that translates to about 40% at a real match! ).  I'm thinking opening the mag well a little, but the design of the AR platform lends itself to a bolt on solution.  Maybe a 3D printed magwell?   BTW - the Caspian/LF Tanfo Safariland 771/773 mag holders work well with the colt mags. 

Just planting seeds...

[Dannybot]

2 hours ago, Bamboo said:

I can see a market for a form fitting elastic rubber bumper you slip over the base of the 20 & 32 round colt mags. 

Also can see a market for an after market mag well for the colt SMG mags.  I was practicing reloads last night and can nail it about 70%-ish of the time at home (that translates to about 40% at a real match! ).  I'm thinking opening the mag well a little, but the design of the AR platform lends itself to a bolt on solution.  Maybe a 3D printed magwell?   BTW - the Caspian/LF Tanfo Safariland 771/773 mag holders work well with the colt mags. 

Just planting seeds...

Are you using a dedicated Colt pattern lower, or a mag block?

[jrswanson1]

Someone here has a 3D printer and had made up some bumpers for various 9mm Colt mags.  I suggested he try to make a magwell, too.  I haven't heard from him since. 

[Bamboo]

Dannybot - dedicated Colt pattern lower. 

[dcloudy777]

Just ordered a 20 and even a 10-rounder to experiment with.

The little 10 round almost fits flush, it might "slam in" like a pistol mag.  I'm thinking it might be just the ticket for "manadatory reload" classifiers where you only have to fire a few rounds out of the second mag.  Worth 15 bucks to find out anyway.  

[Alvin]

If you have a mandatory reload, just load enough with the mag so that it's empty when you're coming up on a reload...bolt locks back...put in new mag, and slap the bolt release.  Most AR mags are a bitch to insert and lock with the bolt forward.  Of course, you will need a LRHO type of system(where the bolt locks back after the last round in the mag).  And if you feel the need for one or two extra rounds, just in case you might need them before the reload, just fire them into the back stop(or a couple more hits on the paper targets) until your bolt locks back.  I've done this on a number of classifiers...works well.  No need for that extra hard slap on the bottom of the new mag only to have it fall out anyway. 

[DRobson]

Taran glock base pads fit the colt mags with a little modification. The big bad won't fit but the smaller ones fit pretty good.

[Bamboo]

Next time if you have your PCC you'll have to show me.  

I'm still in the gearing up phase and learning a crap-ton about the AR blow back platform.  Never had one before. Hope to get a PCC rig up and running by Christmas.  

[Odessa Straight]

I'm shooting PCC tomorrow in a local match that will be shooting the Classifier, Paper Poppers" three times.  As that classifier has a mandatory reload between paper and steel arrays that will mean 3 reloads right there.  There will also be a field course which will more than likely mean another reload. I'm going to use my mags with the foam weather strip on the base for the reloads.  I'll get at least 4 reloads in the match and I'm hoping they all have firm seating/lock up due to the foam base pad and downloading.  I respectfully disagree with Alvin, above, and try my best to stay away from slide (bolt) lock reloads. IDPA requires them, but not USPSA and they are slower than my cat going number 2 compared to a loaded chamber (speed) load..

DRobson, could you elaborate on the modification required to make the Taran Glock base pads fir the Colt style mags?

[mrpredictable]

Didn't require any modification, just a pretty solid push with some wiggling . Glock +3/4 basepads.