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Posted: 10/9/2013 5:18:32 PM EDT
| This May be user error but I just noticed I can't feed a full mag into my AR unless it's in battery. I have to really shove it in and most times slam with a great deal of force. I can see from the mag level the bottom of the bolt pressing down on the ammunition but just doesn't want to lock. I have 10 new pmags and they all do the same so I figure it's not the mag. I'm running a JP FMOS BCG in an Armalite upper. |
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Quoted:
This May be user error but I just noticed I can't feed a full mag into my AR unless it's in battery. I have to really shove it in and most times slam with a great deal of force. I can see from the mag level the bottom of the bolt pressing down on the ammunition but just doesn't want to lock. I have 10 new pmags and they all do the same so I figure it's not the mag. I'm running a JP FMOS BCG in an Armalite upper. You don't have a feed problem; you have an *expectation* problem. I've measured the force required to lock fully-loaded thirty-rounders into an AR with closed bolt at up to sixty pounds, so man-up. Slap that sucker in there and move on. 
mully |
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I only have two 30rnd PMAG Gen 2 Magazines. One is somewhat easier to lock into place with the bolt in battery than the other. Upon further inspection what I found out, it was due to the notch that is on the side of the magazine that allows it to lock in place when inserted into the lower. If you are to look at the magazine with the feed lips pointing upwards. With the magazine in this position, and looking at the notch on the side of the magazine; what I noticed was the top wall of the notch was just a hair further away (from feed lip to notch) for the magazine that it took more effort to lock it into place than the other magazine (the notch being a rectangular shape; the longer sides are the top & bottom walls, and the shorter sides are the left and right walls when the feed lips are pointing upwards). With the notch being just slightly further way from the top of the magazine; this is why (in my case) I would have to force the magazine into the magazine well. With the amount of PMAGS that you have; I'd take one of them, and file a tiny amount (1/32nd of an inch or less) off the top wall of the notch; to make it closer to the top of the magazine. When I placed both my PMAGS side-by-side, I wasn't able to see any difference at first. That's how minute of a difference there was, but it made one of the two mags tougher to lock into place.
Lastly, before doing any filing; inspect it first; and if you have a caliper to take measurements. Insert the mag into the lower, and draw a line on the mag inline with the bottom of the well. Then measure the magazine from this line to the bottom of the notch, and then to the top of the notch. Then measure the lower from the bottom of the well to the bottom of the magazine catch, and to the top of the catch. Compare the measurements to see if this truly is the problem. |
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It's not necessary to hammer a magazine like you're driving railroad spikes and you can damage the mag.
All you need to normally do is PUSH HARD to seat it. Hammering it also makes so much noise you can't hear the magazine catch snapping into place so you may not realize the mag isn't locked in. Altering the magazines will work, BUT..... you may well have feed issues and the mags will likely not work properly in another rifle. P-Mags are very high quality products and you have to ask which is more likely: Hundreds of thousands of these are used by a LOT of people, including combat troops. Which is more likely: ALL of your mags are bad, or something is wrong with your specific rifle. Bottom line, you have a upper-lower slight out-of-spec issue. Something is out of spec in your rifle. Either the magazine catch is slightly mis-located, or the fit of the upper and lower is off slightly. First check is to get a quality aluminum mag and check that for fit. Aluminum mags are what the company built the rifle to work with and it's possible your rifle just doesn't "like" P-mags. If the rifle is still in warranty I'd be contacting the manufacturer. |
| My M&P15 has the same issue, it even does this with the brownells 20 rounders. its really bad when you are running drills and you slap it in there with enough effort that you know youve seated it. and you pull the trigger and nothing happens and your rack/slap technique still fails to get it in. you just gotta use a little force. you wont break anything |
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Quoted:
My M&P15 has the same issue, it even does this with the brownells 20 rounders. its really bad when you are running drills and you slap it in there with enough effort that you know youve seated it. and you pull the trigger and nothing happens and your rack/slap technique still fails to get it in. you just gotta use a little force. you wont break anything Ya that's my concern when running drills even applying what I feel would be more than enough force. I'm not worried about breaking anything but I feel it shouldn't be necessary. I will try trimming down some of the tab on one of the mags and see if it corrects the problem. |
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Before doing any trimming, make sure you follow the age old adage of measure twice; cut once by checking to see if the notch in the magazine's side is the problem.
So before doing any filing, if you have a caliper to take measurements; insert the mag into the lower, and draw a line on the mag inline with the bottom of the well. Then measure the magazine from this line to the bottom of the notch, and then to the top of the notch. Then measure the lower from the bottom of the well to the bottom of the magazine catch, and to the top of the catch. Compare the measurements to see if this truly is the problem. |
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