Difficulty manually unloading magazines, should I be concerned ?

[NetSync]

I recently started using 9mm cartridges loaded with 147 grain flat nose bullets, and a new to me issue has surfaced.  It is very difficult to manually unload fully loaded 10 round magazines.   Other than that there have not been any notable issues.   Loading the magazines is not an issue, but manually unloading them if I don't use them in a 1911 is.    The 1911 I have been using seems to have no issues feeding from magazines loaded with these cartridges.  I've fired approximately 500 rounds or so and this 1911 seems to function properly with these cartridges, but I have a nagging doubt the issues I am having unloading fully loaded magazines might be an indication of potential issues down the road ?   

 

This issue first surfaced after a practice session which ended with one fully loaded magazine that subsequently was very hard to unload.  I subsequently replicated the issue with several other magazines which had otherwise worked properly when actually shooting.   I never ended any of my other range visits with fully loaded magazines so this issue never came up before.  

 

I have had no issues unloading magazines using cartridges loaded with 115 and 124 grain round nosed bullets.  In the big scheme of things I can live with this issue but I am curious if this a common issue ?

 

Thanks in advance for any comments.

 

 

[TheSandMan491]

I've been shooting 9mm 1911s with 147s with Dawson, Tripp, Wilson, and Chip Mags for 10 years or so.  All of mine are like that. Nature of the beast with the integrated feed ramp in the front of the magazine.

Edited August 12, 2022 by TheSandMan491

[NetSync]

Thanks that is very helpful !

 

 

[N3WWN]

A lot of loading tools have a feature to help unload magazines (bottom-right photo below):

 

[NetSync]

2 minutes ago, N3WWN said:

A lot of loading tools have a feature to help unload magazines (bottom-right photo below):

 

 

 

Thanks I wasn't aware of that.   Something to add to my shopping list.    In my experience 1911 magazines have been easy enough to load by hand that I have never felt a magazine loading tool was needed, but I can see the benefit of such a device for unloading.

 

 

[N3WWN]

You can use pretty much anything that isn't going to damage the primer.  I've used large flat head screwdrivers, the corner of a plastic ammo tray, etc...

[NetSync]

6 minutes ago, N3WWN said:

You can use pretty much anything that isn't going to damage the primer.  I've used large flat head screwdrivers, the corner of a plastic ammo tray, etc...

Thanks that is also helpful.  I ended up having to use a flat bladed screw driver to unload the first few rounds of each fully loaded magazine.

[rtl]

1 hour ago, NetSync said:

I recently started using 9mm cartridges loaded with 147 grain flat nose bullets, and a new to me issue has surfaced.  It is very difficult to manually unload fully loaded 10 round magazines.   Other than that there have not been any notable issues.   Loading the magazines is not an issue, but manually unloading them if I don't use them in a 1911 is.    The 1911 I have been using seems to have no issues feeding from magazines loaded with these cartridges.  I've fired approximately 500 rounds or so and this 1911 seems to function properly with these cartridges, but I have a nagging doubt the issues I am having unloading fully loaded magazines might be an indication of potential issues down the road ?   

 

This issue first surfaced after a practice session which ended with one fully loaded magazine that subsequently was very hard to unload.  I subsequently replicated the issue with several other magazines which had otherwise worked properly when actually shooting.   I never ended any of my other range visits with fully loaded magazines so this issue never came up before.  

 

I have had no issues unloading magazines using cartridges loaded with 115 and 124 grain round nosed bullets.  In the big scheme of things I can live with this issue but I am curious if this a common issue ?

 

Thanks in advance for any comments.

 

 

Been using one of these for years 

http://czcustom.com/9mm-1911-ammo-stripper.html
works great 

RTL

[davsco]

yeah especially with 38 super, trying to unload mags (mostly mbx but also some sti with various followers) is very hard and the round either goes down or pops up.  somehow they all work fine in the gun so i guess no worries.  i guess my thumb angle is different than the slide/breech angle.

[zzt]

I have the same problem with all my 1911 9mm 10-round mags.  I use N3WWN's technique to strip the first four, then strip the remaining by hand.  Takes maybe 20 seconds to get the technique down.  From then on it's a breeze.

[WFargo]

You know you can use that Uplula for an even easier way of unloading. 

Just place it over your full magazine, but skip the first bullet, and press down on the second!

The first bullet will then drop out!  If you tilt this setup forward, you can unload a magazine very quickly. 

And as said above, every 9mm 1911 shooter suffers from this. 

Edited August 12, 2022 by WFargo

[Postal Bob]

All 1911 9mm mags are difficult to unload when they're full. After about 3 rounds out, they become able to unload by hand. It's the way the cartridges tilt downward within the mag when full.

[JayDee]

I have a stack of Tripp and Wilson mags and the Wilson’s are a PITA to unload. Tripp, not so bad. 

[NetSync]

Thanks all for the responses.    I do recall when using 115 and 124 grain round nose bullets that the first few rounds in a full magazine were somewhat harder than the others to manually unload but I never thought much about this issue until I started using 147 grain flat nose bullets.   

 

I'm glad to hear what I have experienced is normal.

 

 

[johnmyster]

The tripp mags don't have as high of a front wall, making them easier to unload than the wilson or metalform tubes.  It's that, in combo with the flat nose and the tendancy to nozedive for the first few rounds that makes them harder to unload.  That high front wall helps keep the top round from advancing due to friction during feeding.

 

If your guns run well on tripps without top round advancing and loose round dribble, their mags can make life easier.  Some guns dribble with them, some don't.

[Jim Watson]

On 8/12/2022 at 1:24 PM, WFargo said:

You know you can use that Uplula for an even easier way of unloading. 

Just place it over your full magazine, but skip the first bullet, and press down on the second!

The first bullet will then drop out!  If you tilt this setup forward, you can unload a magazine very quickly. 

 

It took me a while to arrive at this method, but it does work.

 

Shooting IDPA ESP or USPSA SS, I carry a bunch of preloaded magazines and usually come home with most either empty or half full; easy to unload.  But the ones I do not use get that technique.  

[CHA-LEE]

If you are having issues manually UNLOADING the mags, then that is telling you that your reloading process is jacked. If the brass sidewall isn't straight then its going to cause this issue. I also want to point out that this difficulty in manually unloading the mags is also happening when you shoot. So smooth feeding is likely NOT happening and you are probably prone to having nose dive jams.

[shred]

9mm 1911 mags do that because there's a feed ramp there when they're in the gun-- you can hand rack rounds out no problem if you wanted to do that; it's only when there's no feed ramp for the bullet that they nosedive trying to unload.

 

Get yourself one of these and life is good:

 

 

https://www.shockbottle.com/product-page/mag-chicken-single-stack-9mm-magazine-unloader

 

[Nolan]

16 hours ago, shred said:

9mm 1911 mags do that because there's a feed ramp there when they're in the gun-- you can hand rack rounds out no problem if you wanted to do that; it's only when there's no feed ramp for the bullet that they nosedive trying to unload.

 

Get yourself one of these and life is good:

 

 

https://www.shockbottle.com/product-page/mag-chicken-single-stack-9mm-magazine-unloader

 

 

And when you're finished unloading your mags, you can use it to open your bottle of beer!

 

Nolan

[HI5-O]

On 8/26/2022 at 3:54 PM, shred said:

9mm 1911 mags do that because there's a feed ramp there when they're in the gun-- you can hand rack rounds out no problem if you wanted to do that; it's only when there's no feed ramp for the bullet that they nosedive trying to unload.

 

Get yourself one of these and life is good:

 

 

https://www.shockbottle.com/product-page/mag-chicken-single-stack-9mm-magazine-unloader

 

I like that and ordered some.