What Keeps A Mag From Falling Out Sometimes?

[ChrisMcCracken]

Most of the time when I go to make a reload, I press the mag release and the magazine falls out. I've noticed that sometimes it doesn't though; it just slides about 1-2 inches and doesn't budge until I grab it and pull with some effort. Needless to say, this kills my reload time.

Is this a function of my technique or something setup wrong in the mechanics of how the magazine fits with the gun and the mag release?

Thanks!

Chris

Edited April 10, 2007 by Erucolindon

[ChuckS]

Chris,

There are a few things that can cause such a problem. How about giving us a tad more information: type of gun, caliber, type of mag, load (oal, etc). When does it happen? During a match? Dry fire, etc.

Later,

Chuck

[G-ManBart]

Most of the time when I go to make a reload, I press the mag release and the magazine falls out. I've noticed that sometimes it doesn't though; it just slides about 1-2 inches and doesn't budge until I grab it and pull with some effort. Needless to say, this kills my reload time.

Is this a function of my technique or something setup wrong in the mechanics of how the magazine fits with the gun and the mag release?

Thanks!

Chris

Hey Chris,

I'm guessing you're talking about with your 1911 right? Is it always the same mag? It's almost a necessity to mark the mags so you can tell which one is which...even using a scribe and putting "I" "II" etc will do. If it's the same mag, mark it very clearly...like with orange paint and only use it to load the first round in the gun and then stick it in your pocket....don't put it in your mag pouches where you might put it in the gun during a stage...but it will still be in your pocket for an emergency like having a couple mags knocked out of the pouches during a run by hitting a door frame etc.

If it's more than one mag, what type are they? If they're dropping a little and hanging up, the release is working properly and it doesn't sound like technique and the mags might need some buffing or there's a high spot in the magwell that needs to be cleaned up. If there's a high spot, the mags should show some sort of marking on them. The only other thing I can think of would be if you've got thin grips, or ones that flex and you're gripping the gun tightly during reloads and causing the grip panel to bow inwards and rub on the mag.

Edited April 11, 2007 by G-ManBart

[mike cyrwus]

many pistol magazines require the release button be pressed a certain length of time, albeit a very short time (fractions of a second), so that gravity takes the magazine out of any contact with the mag release catch.

It you just swipe at the mag button, its not always enough.

That said, there are certain tweaks that can be done, like a lighter spring and/or some filing, that will make it more prone to drop free.

[Steve J]

If you are talking about single stack 1911 mags, there are three major culprits. The lips or mouth of the magazine may have spread. They can usually be reshaped easily enough. If not, lose the mag and buy a new one. If you're doing a speed reload the last round in the mag may be sticking out a little and draging. This is rare. Lastly is you're using an extended "tactical" mag release that's not fited properly, pushing it in too far will prevent the magazine from falling free. If you're talking double stack or plastic mags in plastic frames, then that's a different ball game. When in doubt, identify the offending mag and replace it.

[Merlin Orr]

.......... The lips or mouth of the magazine may have spread. They can usually be reshaped easily enough. ...........

I have taken mags and hammered the area right in front of the lips with a stapler on both sides to cure that very problem when at a match before. Not a svelte approach but it did work.

[Steve J]

.......... The lips or mouth of the magazine may have spread. They can usually be reshaped easily enough. ...........

I have taken mags and hammered the area right in front of the lips with a stapler on both sides to cure that very problem when at a match before. Not a svelte approach but it did work.

Yikes. I try to remember to check them periodically, and if they're getting sticky, I put a very expensive micrometer on the lips and screw it down tight. Leave it a few minutes, then reassemble. The follower opens the mouth back to the proper width.

Equally eloquent technique, no?

[lynn jones]

Most of the time when I go to make a reload, I press the mag release and the magazine falls out. I've noticed that sometimes it doesn't though; it just slides about 1-2 inches and doesn't budge until I grab it and pull with some effort. Needless to say, this kills my reload time.

Is this a function of my technique or something setup wrong in the mechanics of how the magazine fits with the gun and the mag release?

Thanks!

Chris

lose the extended mag release button.

[ChrisMcCracken]

Ok, here's more detail. Its my single stack 1911. Normal mag release button. Mags are 10rd Chip McCormick Power mags. Grips are rubber pachmayrs.

I'm not sure if it is one mag over any other. I'll have to mark them and play with all of them to see. I think I have had this happen in a match but don't recall exactly which stages. It happens with an empty mag, but I haven't been practicing with partially filled mags either.

[Matt Griffin]

If the button is dragging, then you should see the mag fall out if you keep releasing and pressing the button. I fixed this by a plastic washer on the inside of the extended (chopped .40 case) button, and now my CMC mags all drop out perfectly.

H.

[Steve J]

Chris,

I absolutely think that CMC 8-round Power Mags are the best you can use, but occasionally the opening will spread. Here's what you need to do occasionally.

Take your unloaded pistol and empty mags. Depress the mag release all the way and slowly insert the magazine and let it slip up and down the length of the magazine well. Feel for any drag whatsoever. If there no drag, then back it out, release the mag release and seat the mag. Now depress the release and ensure that it falls free.

If it passes those test, I can almost guarantee that you will not have a problem at a match or on the range.

If it sticks, or you feel friction, disassemble the magazine completely. Find something (I use a micrometer) that will allow you to sqeeze the opening (magazine lips) together about 50% and hold it for a couple of minutes. Reassemble the magazine and repeat the test above. Once you have tuned the magazine in this manner it will hold almost indefinitely. I have not had repeat problems with mine. If it doesn't take the first time, try it a second time. If that still doesn't work, CMC PowerMags have a 3-year guarantee. Replace it.

This should help I hope.

[Supermoto]

I found on some of my CMC 10rnd mags, that when empty, if the follower moved forward, so that the tip was past the front of the mag. then it would drag on the frame. If it did this on the last round in the mag, it would be difficult to remove the mag because the round would get jammed against the frame and not slide back all the way into the mag

[Gregg K]

I have found that there are 4 things that cause a mag not to drop free.

1. Mag catch pushes in too far and traps the mag on the button side of the mag catch. I cure this by relieving the catch (Dremmel Jockey) so that it can not trap the mag any more. Some folks drop something like a piece of lead shot down the hole that the mag catch lock and spring go in to limit it's travel. I prefer to grind away the offending material.

2. Next most common are grip screws that are too long or over tightened. Easy cure for this is to use the right length screws or put and O ring under the head of the screws. You can make O rings by cutting off tiny pieces of clear aquarium type hose.

3. Trigger bow may be bent in and dragging on the magazine body. You will have to remove the trigger and flex the bow out but not so much as to cause the trigger to drag in the frame. There is a bit of a fine balance here.

4. The magazine body it self may be spread at the feed lips.

You can remove the grips, mag catch and trigger and check that the mags fall free from the frame. Add the parts back one at a time to find the culprit.

[mike cyrwus]

Ok, here's more detail. Its my single stack 1911. Normal mag release button. Mags are 10rd Chip McCormick Power mags. Grips are rubber pachmayrs.

I'm not sure if it is one mag over any other. I'll have to mark them and play with all of them to see. I think I have had this happen in a match but don't recall exactly which stages. It happens with an empty mag, but I haven't been practicing with partially filled mags either.

I also run cmc10's when I shoot my 1911 in L10.

What happens is the overall width of the magazine increases at the top, just under the feed lips.

take them apart and gently squeeze in a padded vice or pliers until they are back to spec.

Specs for 1911 magazines are, width, .541" (+.008, -.006)

I like to keep em right at .540" or just under.

So before you do anything else, get out the ol calipers.

[ChuckS]

I used to do the calipers, mic, padded vice thing until I heard from a friend. He said that a friend asked Wilson tech support how to deal with a mag that has gotten fat. The response was to fill the mag with dummy rounds and give it a few whacks with a rubber mallet. I have to admit that it has fixed the problem and I do not recall any repeat offenders. I am an engineer by trade so I love to over-complicate things but the mallet thing just plain works!

[fryeg7]

not a 1911-related, but with my CZ's i used to have the same problem. the slide was dragging the top round out of the mag far enough that the nose of that bullet would hang up on the frame, keeping the mag from dropping.

i broke the sharp edge at the bottom of the breech face and polished the snot out of the bar that runs along the bottom of the slide where it contacts the rounds in the mags. stronger mag springs were also added. problem solved.

frye

[Flexmoney]

Paint them up with a sharpie and see where they are actually dragging....then...fix what is broken ?

[TraderJack]

Paint them up with a sharpie and see where they are actually dragging....then...fix what is broken ?

This is a good idea but the sharpie will streak and make it difficult to see any witness marks. Get some dykum blue from Brownells or any local machine shop and paint them with a generous coat of the blue and insert the mags. That should let you know where the "rubbing" is. When you're finished, The blue will come off with solvent.

Or just use a hammer!

Fat mags are a PITA!

Regards

TraderJack

[Flexmoney]

dykum blue ...even better.

[Lee Bell]

Ok, here's more detail. Its my single stack 1911. Normal mag release button. Mags are 10rd Chip McCormick Power mags. Grips are rubber pachmayrs.

I'm not sure if it is one mag over any other. I'll have to mark them and play with all of them to see. I think I have had this happen in a match but don't recall exactly which stages. It happens with an empty mag, but I haven't been practicing with partially filled mags either.

I just had to adjust one of my 8 round mags and 4 of my 10 round ones. All the mags were new. What was happening in my gun, and still does, is that when one round chambered, the next one moved slightly forward. That spread the lips on some of my mags just enough for them to hang up. If this is your problem, you'll see marks near the top of the mag, particularly if you've let a bit of burned powder coat that part of your gun. Here's what I did to resolve the issue.

I used a pen to push the follower down into the mag and put a paper clip through one of the holes above the follower. That keeps the follower out of the way. I then put a piece of cloth over the mag and used channel lock pliers to sqeeze the mag a few times just behind where the lips begin to flare. I didn't crush it, just kind of bounced (best term I can come up with) the sides a few times. Problem solved.

If you try this, be careful and be gentle.

Lee

not a 1911-related, but with my CZ's i used to have the same problem. the slide was dragging the top round out of the mag far enough that the nose of that bullet would hang up on the frame, keeping the mag from dropping.

i broke the sharp edge at the bottom of the breech face and polished the snot out of the bar that runs along the bottom of the slide where it contacts the rounds in the mags. stronger mag springs were also added. problem solved.

frye

Interesting information. I'm going to take a look at my 1911 slide to see if that's what's happening to it as well. My slide also moves the next round down forward a bit.

Lee

[ChrisMcCracken]

After marking all my mags and taking a close look at how each one fits, it is apparent that the area near the front of the mag that opens up to allow the bullet to slide out was just too fat on most of them. My solution consists of a set of vice-grips and a cloth. I just set the vice-grips to clamp just tight enough to compress that area and used the cloth to keep the teeth from boogering up the lips. I seem to have solved the problem, but we shall see with dry-fire practice.

[TraderJack]

One other culprit that I don't think was mentioned... The actual length of the 10 round mag can create a bind under certain conditions.

For instance, with the gun pointed downrange and you twist or rotate the gun to the right(if you're right handed) the mag will begin to slide out. But, if the gun is rotated too far, when there's more of the mag out of the magwell than in it, the mag will tend to bind because it creates a lever/fulrum relationship on the mouth of the magwell. If the mag is well tuned and well fitted it should continue to slide all the way out.

If however it has any rough edges or is misshapen, it will tend to bind with this left to right over-rotation.

I have found that the easiest way to test for this condition is to try releasing the mag this way, see if it sticks, then try rotating the pistol slightly muzzle up from the wrist and see it the mag drops free. You should know right away if the longer mag is binding because of the fulcrum effect or not.

On the left to right rotation the full width of the mag will ride on the magwell. With the slight muzzle up rotation the mag only rides on the spine.

Of course this is a lot to think about duriing a tactical reload!

Practice! Practice! Practice!

Hope this helps.

Regards

TraderJack

[ChrisMcCracken]

I went to the range today to test out the mags, and I still the same problem. I also had 3 jams with rounds that just nosed straight into the top of the chamber. I'm not sure if tightening the lips up would cause that or what.

Any other suggestions? I may fiddle with them more later.

Chris