Para P16 Mag Problem Driving Me Nuts!

[AoD]

The last round in my Para p16 mag hangs up in the mag tube......it's a factory tube, factory follower, and a Wolf spring....I'm just about to lose my mind. I've polished th living daylights out of the inside of the tube, but it still does THIS:

It seems like it got a little better after the polishing.....It's NOT hanging up on the back of the tube....it ALMOST seems like the follower tilts and squeezes the round between the side of the follower and the crimp in the side of the tube.....

Thanks for any help,

AoD

[JFD]

Pull that spring out of there, stomp on it, cuss at it, cut it into little pieces and replace it with the original Para spring. Problem solved.

I've got 10 para mags that all hold 21 rounds and have run 100% for the last year (only had them a year). All are nickle plated, have dawson extensions, para followers and para springs. 4 or 5 were purchased as complete mags, and I just bought the tubes, followers, and springs for the others.

I run a scotch-brite pad (non-scratching) through the tube a few dozen times to smooth it out, then make sure there are no rough surfaces on the follower.

The only problem I had was when I tried one of those Wolf springs. Threw it away about 10 minutes later. Same thing I did with the Arredondo followers.

Good luck.

[hoodhazard]

I too ran the funky square springs and para followers for 5 years with dawson bases with no issues,I last year put Wolff springs in with still none.I intended to try the arredondo followers so don't discard them if you don't like em.

[JFD]

I've got 5.

[Jon Merricks]

I think I heard TJ say to only use the para springs.

[Hunter-Booth-A43995]

I think I heard TJ say to only use the para springs.

Take a flat small file , with the mag laying on it's back and file the weld in the back of the mag very smooth. It may look like it is smooth now but it probably isn't. It can have no waves in it ( for want of a better word). After that file a small rounding angle on the back top of the follower, about 1/4 of the way down. If necessary , round the front edge (bottom) of follower. Lastly coat the back inside, and the front inside of the mag tube with a dry lubricate.

You don't have to do all of these at once or at all, but the real difficult ones may take all.

I use para springs , wolf springs, and wolf plus 20 mag springs in my mags(allkinds in different mags) with no problems.

Hope this helps--good shooting-hunter

[TDean]

It looks like the follower is pushing the case to the right and jamming it against the mag wall. I'm thinking the follower needs to move to the left. Have you tried to bend the top spring coil to the left a little?

[jrguar]

I have never had any problems using ISMI springs ...just make sure you get them the right length.

[ima45dv8]

I have never had any problems using ISMI springs ...just make sure you get them the right length.

What length is the right length for a P16? I have some factory mags I plan on adding Dawson pads to.

[KevinB]

I've been having the EXACT same problem with mine. It does fix it to bend the top of the spring to the left, but the act of loading the magazine with 20 rounds seems to bend it right back to the right. I've been working on that all frickin' day today!

[.40AET]

You know...I had the exact same problem when I was shooting a Para. Despite the fact that a lot of people don't like the Arredondo followers, they were the only thing that would get my mags to run 100%. I used Wolff +1 springs with them and never had another probelm.

Try it in one tube, if it doesn't work, you'r not out that much money. It worked great for me and I gave away 6 Para followers to a friened who didn't think that the Arredondo stuff worked.

Good luck.

[KevinB]

I use the Dawson basepads with the Para factory spring. I've heard of others using Wolff springs cut to anywhere from 11-13 coils.

Kevin

Edited March 5, 2006 by KevinB

[Scooter]

Just remove some material from the back of the follower. That's what I did to fix mine.

[sargenv]

Funny...

I use the Chrome plated Mag tubes, Arredando Bases and the base insert, Para Followers, and Wolff Mag springs. I never have mag problems. I get 19 loaded and no issues at all. I use the wolff springs as I get them, no coils cut off.

I do this will all five of my chrome plated tubes. In the past, I ran the same setup with the blued tubes and again, never had any issues. All of the parts inside and out on the mags is dry, no lube, powders, nothing.

Vince

Edited March 6, 2006 by sargenv

[ima45dv8]

Funny...

I use the Chrome plated Mag tubes, Arredando Bases and the base insert, Para Followers, and Wolff Mag springs. I never have mag problems. I get 19 loaded and no issues at all. I use the wolff springs as I get them, no coils cut off.

I do this will all five of my chrome plated tubes. In the past, I ran the same setup with the blued tubes and again, never had any issues. All of the parts inside and out on the mags is dry, no lube, powders, nothing.

Vince

With that setup, I would have thought you'd get more than 19.

[John Heiter]

I'm with Scooter. With Para 16-40 tubes, Dawson new model basepads, Para springs and followers, you should get an easy 20 and a tight 21. My advice would be to make sure the tube is smooth using some of the tricks listed here (sandpaper around a dowel rod chucked in a drill is also good). Then lay a sheet of emory paper on a flat surface and smooth your para followers some. You'll want to ease the corners front and back and smooth the flats. You can also get Dawson tuned Para followers that have all this done already along with scooping out the channel the last round sits in.

John