XA180 Posted July 19, 2009 Share Posted July 19, 2009 I have a bunch of Shooting star mags that will not work proberly. As long as i just load 6 rounds then they will work just fine and feed evrything. But if i load them with 8 rounds, then the two first rounds will nosedive 99.5% off the times and that sucks big time. Even i if i use 230gr RN bullets there is a big risk that they will get stuck on the frame. Is there any good tricks to get them to work proberly? I would love to haev tripp mags, but since i live in Sweden they are hard to find. Ola Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RangerTrace Posted July 19, 2009 Share Posted July 19, 2009 You might try cutting one coil off of the spring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickB Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 I would suspect that there's something wrong with the gun; maybe too much extractor tension, or an incorrectly machined frame feed ramp? I have a half-dozen McCormick 10-rounders, and at least that many 8-rounders, and have had no functional issues when they've been used in five different guns. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mda Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 I have a bunch of Shooting star mags that will not work proberly.But if i load them with 8 rounds, then the two first rounds will nosedive 99.5% off the times and that sucks big time. Even i if i use 230gr RN bullets there is a big risk that they will get stuck on the frame. Ola Compare the mag lips of the ones that do not work with ones that do. Most likely the ones that don't work are out of spec. With Shooting stars specifically check the back where the rim sits. From my experience they will bulge here a little and the bullet will sit up not set back all the way in the mag. Just reform and make them straight and they will work. MDA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-ManBart Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 How old are the mags and have you changed the springs recently? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XA180 Posted July 20, 2009 Author Share Posted July 20, 2009 The mags are not new, they are quiet old. Even if i put in new springs i get the same result. And the ACT mag that i got with the gun do the same. I did some testing and the rounds hit the ramp so hard that the bullet (Copper plated) gets a small dent and the bullet will be set back a little. I took some pictures that may explain better than my english And a picture of my favorit toy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superdude Posted July 21, 2009 Share Posted July 21, 2009 two things: 1. nosedive in inevitable in single stack 1911 magazines when they have multiple rounds. the gap you see in your second figure is behind the nosedive. as more rounds are loaded into the magazine the gap gets larger. the gap illustrates how much the top round can nosedive when it is pushed forward by the slide. a bit more information can be found on my website (http://www.38super.net/Pages/Overall%20Length.html). see Table 3 and Figure 6. and also see the page about Para Ordnance magazines (http://www.38super.net/Pages/Para%20Magazines.html) as there is a bit more information there. 2. plated bullets tend to have more feeding problems, at least in 45 caliber. plated bullets have a soft lead core and they are subject to more deformation than harder bullets (cast, jacketed) when they hit the feed ramp. you would think that the coating of copper makes them more slippery, but apparently not. using traditional FMJ bullets might solve your problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkyScrapin Posted July 21, 2009 Share Posted July 21, 2009 I had a similar problem but played around with the OAL and accidentally fixed it. I won't be changing my dies out anytime soon. The experts should be on anytime to explain your problem. Preston Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-ManBart Posted July 21, 2009 Share Posted July 21, 2009 What overall length are you using? Have you tried different lengths? R, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XA180 Posted July 21, 2009 Author Share Posted July 21, 2009 the oal is 31.56mm 1.243 in these rounds. I have tried shorter as well, it was flat nose HP and they wouldnt feed either. For now the only bullet that woulf fedd 99% is RN bullets and the 230gr RN bullets is the best. But due to the lead prices are going upp these are start to be really expensive. we pay aprox 250$ for 1000 Magtech 230gr FMJ. I think the problem with the nosediving bullets is in the mags and its the gap between round 7 and 8 that is to big. as soon as i apply preasure to the cartridge where the frame hits when it will pick up the round it just nose dives in to the ramp. It's really frustrating that i could not get the gun to feed proberly and i dont want to compete with a gun that jams all the time, it really sucks. I would love to get some Tripp or Wilson mags, but that is also expensive 85$ for a wilson magazine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rooster Posted July 21, 2009 Share Posted July 21, 2009 There are multiple things that can cause this problem. First go to Virgil Tripps cobra mag website and read all the info there. He talks about the angular gap that is in your pictures. Another thing that could be wrong is the ramp angle. It must be 31 degrees. Improper extractor tension and and loose fit firing pin stop can also be the culprit. An old wadcutter trick is to open up the feed lips to about .410 this lets the rounds sit a little higher in the mag and that in turn lets the rounds hit the ramp a little higher. Try these methods and let us know what you came up with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tpcdvc Posted July 21, 2009 Share Posted July 21, 2009 (edited) the oal is 31.56mm 1.243 in these rounds.I have tried shorter as well, it was flat nose HP and they wouldnt feed either. For now the only bullet that woulf fedd 99% is RN bullets and the 230gr RN bullets is the best. But due to the lead prices are going upp these are start to be really expensive. we pay aprox 250$ for 1000 Magtech 230gr FMJ. I think the problem with the nosediving bullets is in the mags and its the gap between round 7 and 8 that is to big. as soon as i apply preasure to the cartridge where the frame hits when it will pick up the round it just nose dives in to the ramp. It's really frustrating that i could not get the gun to feed proberly and i dont want to compete with a gun that jams all the time, it really sucks. I would love to get some Tripp or Wilson mags, but that is also expensive 85$ for a wilson magazine. I think it is your mags too. So I would make sure you have new mag springs and then if it has the same CM followers than I have I would bend the follower so it puts more pressure on the front of the round. Can't hurt to try. Edited July 21, 2009 by tpcdvc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larry cazes Posted July 21, 2009 Share Posted July 21, 2009 I think it is your mags too. So I would make sure you have new mag springs and then if it has the same CM followers than I have I would bend the follower so it puts more pressure on the front of the round. Can't hurt to try. I have found that the followers in the CM mags compress over time and eventually cause nosedives. If you remove the follower and spread the two steel surfaces a bit it might temporarily fix the feed problem. This puts a bit more pressure on the front of the round but it will eventually compress again. I dumped my CM mags and switched to wilsons and the nosedives disappeared. The 8 and 10 round wilsons have plastic one piece followers that are much better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rooster Posted July 21, 2009 Share Posted July 21, 2009 I would also try and oal of 1.260, I have found most factory hardball lengths fall at about that dimension. check for burrs on the bolt face of your slide. Also your barrel needs to be back from the ramp about a 1/32" Check all the easy stuff first before you do any grinding or changing dimensions. Maybe try a new mag with some factory ammo. The cobramags are really good, checkmate is now making a 8 rnd hybrid mag that I have had good luck with, also the wilson's are a old standby. i don't know about the chip mccormicks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LPatterson Posted July 21, 2009 Share Posted July 21, 2009 Shooting Star followers should have a tab on the bottom of the follower to catch the spring. On mine I had to open the tab more as sometimes on reinstallation the spring would get behind the tab allowing the follower to nosedive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-ManBart Posted July 21, 2009 Share Posted July 21, 2009 (edited) the oal is 31.56mm 1.243 in these rounds.I have tried shorter as well, it was flat nose HP and they wouldnt feed either. That's a bit too short. The shorter the bullet is, the more the nose can drop before it hits the ramp. If it's longer it hits the ramp before it gets low enough to jam. Try 1.260" and see what happens. I'd also check that the extractor isn't too tight. If the rim of the cartridge doesn't want to smoothly slide under the extractor hook (like if the tension is too heavy, or if it's not smooth) it can cause nose dives as well. Edit to add: Just going to Tripp mags won't necessarily solve your problem. One of my guns had an issue of nose dives from slide lock with 8 rounds in the mag and the Tripp mag that I tried was worse than the McCormick mag I tried (I got one of each top brand). Edited July 21, 2009 by G-ManBart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Singlestack Posted July 21, 2009 Share Posted July 21, 2009 I think its the plated bullets. They don't work well in any of my 1911's either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XA180 Posted July 21, 2009 Author Share Posted July 21, 2009 Okey I have ordered som new springs and i will make som 1.260 loads to se if it will help. To be continued Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resjudicata Posted July 21, 2009 Share Posted July 21, 2009 I didn't see anyone mention yet. Make sure the inside of the magazines are clean and it wouldn't hurt to polish the inside of the feed lips. Also, make sure your rounds aren't hanging up in the section just below the feed lips. I've seen quite a few single stack mags (including mine) get bent in at this location from dropping them and stepping on them. Check the measurement between the feed lips at the front and at the back and post those measurements. They may be too tight as well. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XA180 Posted August 1, 2009 Author Share Posted August 1, 2009 A little update. I got the new springs and i have loaded the rounds to full length 32mm and it works alot better now. I doesnt feed a 100% reliabel but about 98%. It when i go 8+1 it sometimes missfeed. I will compete tommorow (Sunday) and i hopes it will go well. I will also talk to my gunsmith if he can fix the ramp or do something that will improve the feeding. Thanks for the advises. Ola Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benjbakoy Posted October 5, 2009 Share Posted October 5, 2009 I have a bunch of Shooting star mags that will not work proberly.As long as i just load 6 rounds then they will work just fine and feed evrything. But if i load them with 8 rounds, then the two first rounds will nosedive 99.5% off the times and that sucks big time. Even i if i use 230gr RN bullets there is a big risk that they will get stuck on the frame. Is there any good tricks to get them to work proberly? I would love to haev tripp mags, but since i live in Sweden they are hard to find. Ola hi, several shooters had that problem in our locality. what we do is bend the (upper) follower's lip tang a bit. it'll work like magic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Braxton1 Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 Another thing that I would try is a different mag catch. I had an STI Single Stack (and several Springfields) that held the magazines too low in the frame. Replacing the catch with one cut to Colt specifications fixed the issue. To test this, shoot the gun with your weak hand lightly pressing up on the bottom of the mag. That will lift the magazine a bit and let you know if that is the problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now