Tuned 2011 40 mag how to?

[Dirtchevy841]

21 rd tuned 2011 40 mags. How do you tune them? Is it something I can do myself? And if so what is the process. Can you get more than 21 out of a 40 mag? 

Does anyone know the process to tune them? I would think it's something I could do myself. Tuned mags are not cheap. Hopefully a member knows the process. 

Edited July 31, 2017 by Dirtchevy841

[candiru]

21 rd tuned 2011 40 mags. How do you tune them? Is it something I can do myself? And if so what is the process. Can you get more than 21 out of a 40 mag? 
Does anyone know the process to tune them? I would think it's something I could do myself. Tuned mags are not cheap. Hopefully a member knows the process. 

Shoot open. :-)

For limited, I'll stick with reliability.

[jaques]

Dawson mag tuning kit. I tried to tune 2 of mine with it and it took me forever to get them to run right again. I will not touch my other 11 mags with it, unless I start having problem with them. Good luck! 

[sfinney]

There are detailed instructions posted on this forum.... somewhere.  Or at least used to be.

 

In simplest terms "mag tuning" can mean many things -

checking stock tubes to make sure the feed lips are in proper width specs

polishing and bending lips for proper feeding angle

bending the spring near the to properly present the follower "up"

Checking internal dimensions of widths of mags to make sure they are max width, for capacity

Changing out base pads, springs, followers in conjunction with all the above to get a 19 round stock tube to hold 21 of 40sw, etc.

 

Whole industries sprang up from guys charging to tune mags... many gunsmiths (Brazos, Dawson, etc) sell pre-tuned tubes or mags.... or you can to a pro who does it as part his business. Or buy MBX mags.

 

What worked for me best was Grams followers/springs and Dawson SNL basepads. Make sure feed lips were in spec. Tumble and polish them nicely. Spray them down with a dry film mag lube. Clean mags every stage. You'll have 1 or 2 mags that randomly can run one more bullet, than the others - mark those and use them only as needed, sparingly.

 

Or skip the hassle and buy MBX.

I wouldn't try to "tune" your own beyond checking feed lips without the right tools, knowledge, patience, etc. - 20 is fine;  having maybe 1 or 2 that can do 21 is nice.... but they all don't have to do it.

 

 

 

 

[Dirtchevy841]

Thanks. I do tune the lips on mine. Just was wondering about rd count. I have Sti and mbx mags. Just was seeing if I could work one to hold 22. 

[titandriver]

You might get 22 crammed into the mag but you'll never get it to seat with the slide forward! End up cracking your plastic grip too if you try too many times!

[JMike]

I've never seen a reloadable 21 round 2011 40SW magazine. I hear they exist, I've just never seen one. YMMV.

 

I have used (with great success) the Dawson's mag tuning kit and it has worked very well for me. Again, ymmv.

 

Good luck!

[candiru]

I've never seen a reloadable 21 round 2011 40SW magazine. I hear they exist, I've just never seen one. YMMV.

As someone noted above, it's not that hard to get 21 reloadable without much work or reducing the reliability of the mags... and still fit the gauge.

Now, 22 reloadable, that's just crazy talk. :-)

[Mountbkr]

I have 3 MBX, if you DO get the 21st rnd in there, good luck reloading on a closed slide

[Glk21C]

 

[427Cobra]

http://freedomgunworks.com/pdf/Competition Mag Tuning Tutorial.pdf

[b2948kevin]

Might check out if Taran Tactical can get there with their mag follower and baseplate combo. I know that in 9mm they can do 23rds with the TTI follower and TTI 4mm baseplate and still make 140mm.

 

Sorry, I know this is 9mm info, but best I know about.

 

 

[CHA-LEE]

21 reloadable is easy with MBX mags IF you push through size your brass. If you are not doing full push through sizing of your 40 brass then there will always be a little bit of bulge on the bottom of the case and that will be just enough to consume space within the magazine to make 21 reloadable difficult.

 

If you are using MBX mags and can't get 21 reloadable then its 100% an ammo problem.

[CHA-LEE]

I also want to point out that MBX mags don't require any "Tuning". Simply taken them out of the bag and use them without issue.

[CrashDodson]

More and more MBX mags I have seen require some tuning.  Granted many of them will probably work out the bag.  Their mags seemed perfect until the company started getting bigger, think they may have some QC issues/growing pains.  Drop any full or nearly full mag on hard ground for a few months and they all need tuning.  

[CrashDodson]

On 8/1/2017 at 8:05 AM, Mountbkr said:

I have 3 MBX, if you DO get the 21st rnd in there, good luck reloading on a closed slide

Pretty much you can force it on make ready, but I would not want to risk trying to reload one stuffed to 21 during the course. 

[Mountbkr]

Pretty much you can force it on make ready, but I would not want to risk trying to reload one stuffed to 21 during the course. 

Yeah I experimented with this and that was my thoughts, it would be way too easy to not get it fully seated doing a reload during a stage and then......aw crap ha ha


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[Mountbkr]

21 reloadable is easy with MBX mags IF you push through size your brass. If you are not doing full push through sizing of your 40 brass then there will always be a little bit of bulge on the bottom of the case and that will be just enough to consume space within the magazine to make 21 reloadable difficult.
 
If you are using MBX mags and can't get 21 reloadable then its 100% an ammo problem.

Yeah I'm not sure about the sizing method from the FB dealer I used, learned something new though.

Thanks for that info


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[CHA-LEE]

The sizing of the brass is easy to confirm. The standard diameter of a .40 case is .420" and its a straight walled cases so it should be that same diameter or smaller from the top to the bottom including the rim. If the base of the case just before the rim is .425 - .430 due to bulging then that will stack up a lot over 20 rounds and consume your extra space needed to seat easily in a 21 round load capacity.

 

I push through size all of my .40 brass before I reload it and this brings all of the cases back to the .420 spec. I also case gauge check every single round to ensure that its mechanically within tolerance before I even attempt to use it. I have zero issues with loading 21 rounds in any of my MBX magazines or reloading to them during a stage run. Do I have to seat them with authority? Sure, but I always seat my magazines with authority regardless of how many rounds are in them.

 

Do you still need to maintain your magazine tubes to keep the feed lip width in spec over time? Absolutely. But you shouldn't need to "Tune" a brand new MBX magazine right out of the bag to make it function. 99% of the time when I see shooters having MBX "Magazine" function problems its an ammo issue, not a magazine issue. Even the best magazines in the world will have problems if you are trying to use crappy or out of spec ammo.

Edited August 2, 2017 by CHA-LEE

[titandriver]

Echo Cha-lee's sentiments - I Casemaster Jr. all my 40's and I can get 21 & 2/3rds rounds in all three of my 21 rounders - 2 FGW-tuned STI's and one SV mag. Makes it easy to reload without using a lot of force.

[Scott Steele]

I get 21 reloadable with the new gen II STI magazines.


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[ArmyADub1]

I have issues in a couple MBX mags.  If shot to empty (the magazine), the mag won't always drop free.  The follower hangs up on something.  I've tried removing some material from where the front contacts the feed ramps.  Seems when I do this, the follower just goes even farther forward and hangs up on the ramp.  Could it be hanging up somewhere else?

 

I contacted Adrian.  He said to leave the mag fully loaded for a day or two.  I've done that for three days straight a couple different times.  It solved the issue for one of my three MBX mags.  One still hangs up when empty, and the third mag is hit or miss.  I can't get it to reliably drop-free every time, nor to hang up every time. 

 

Anyone else have this, or advice how to trouble shoot?

[CHA-LEE]

2 hours ago, ArmyADub1 said:

I have issues in a couple MBX mags.  If shot to empty (the magazine), the mag won't always drop free.  The follower hangs up on something.  I've tried removing some material from where the front contacts the feed ramps.  Seems when I do this, the follower just goes even farther forward and hangs up on the ramp.  Could it be hanging up somewhere else?

 

I contacted Adrian.  He said to leave the mag fully loaded for a day or two.  I've done that for three days straight a couple different times.  It solved the issue for one of my three MBX mags.  One still hangs up when empty, and the third mag is hit or miss.  I can't get it to reliably drop-free every time, nor to hang up every time. 

 

Anyone else have this, or advice how to trouble shoot?

 

This is usually due to a sharp edge on the bottom of the breach face in the transition between the under side of the slide and the breach face its self. The sharp edge digs into the follower and pulls it forward pinching it between the breach face and the barrel feed ramp. The fix is usually to round the bottom edge of the breach face so that its not sharp and will roll over the follower instead of digging into it.

[B_RAD]

On 8/2/2017 at 11:52 AM, CHA-LEE said:

21 reloadable is easy with MBX mags IF you push through size your brass. If you are not doing full push through sizing of your 40 brass then there will always be a little bit of bulge on the bottom of the case and that will be just enough to consume space within the magazine to make 21 reloadable difficult.

 

If you are using MBX mags and can't get 21 reloadable then its 100% an ammo problem.

You're able to get 21 reloadable because you push thru size?  I know that's what you're saying above. Ha ha. I was really trying to find every excuse to not add this step to my set up but currently I can't get 21 in my MBX mags at all. I've only shot two matches but I'm only keeping 19 in the mags on my belt because it's easier to reload. 

 

 

Hmmmm........ Might need to use some calbelas points and pick up a rock chucker......

 

 

[SlappyMcTrigger]

On 8/3/2017 at 8:52 AM, ArmyADub1 said:

I have issues in a couple MBX mags.  If shot to empty (the magazine), the mag won't always drop free.  The follower hangs up on something.  I've tried removing some material from where the front contacts the feed ramps.  Seems when I do this, the follower just goes even farther forward and hangs up on the ramp.  Could it be hanging up somewhere else?

 

I contacted Adrian.  He said to leave the mag fully loaded for a day or two.  I've done that for three days straight a couple different times.  It solved the issue for one of my three MBX mags.  One still hangs up when empty, and the third mag is hit or miss.  I can't get it to reliably drop-free every time, nor to hang up every time. 

 

Anyone else have this, or advice how to trouble shoot?

I know this is an old post but i had the same issue. Turns out I had 9mm followers in my .40 mags despite getting them direct from MBX. Adrian was no help so I tried Grams followers and this solved my issue. 

 

I was getting 21 but now only 20 with the Grams kit. Mine weren’t reloadable at 21 so really I’m still in the same boat. Just not worth it especially with the risk of dropping the mag or worse, cracking the grip. I’ve never heard of a 22 rounder in .40 and would imagine it would take an act of god to seat with the slide forward. In my minor gun I get 23 with sti tubes, TTI pads, and Grams guts.