Magazine break in advice?

[ASBowser]

Hello all. First time poster.

I just picked up 3 Preban mags for my Mini14 and discovered, to my horror, that they will not chamber properly. There appear to be two issues at play, depending on which side of the mag the next round is coming out of.

On one side, the round rises slightly too high out of the magazine and the bolt catch cannot get into the right position (out of the way) to allow the bolt to push the round forward.

On the second side, the lip at the bottom of the round near the primer is getting caught on the feedlip of the mag, very very slightly.

I think based on some internet research that the feedlip issue would resolve itself with some wear in. As for the bolt catch, would replacing the spring of the mag to be a bit lighter be of help, or is there another solution I can pursue?

Any feedback or advice is appreciated. Thanks.

 

[mikem317]

I don't know if it works for Mini-14s, but when I had this problem before on one of my Sig pistols, a quick disassembly, clean, lube and "reset" of the spring seemed to do the job.

(Also may want to request to have a mod move this to a different forum.)

 

[OnTheRoad]

Are these new or used mags? Also, are they factory or aftermarket. Legend has it that for some reason, aftermarket Mini 14 mags are hit or miss, while factory mags are good to go.

 

[ASBowser]

Ah, sorry, I thought reloading would be an appropriate forum for this issue.

 

[ASBowser]

I think they are new, never used, but also over 20 years old at this point. There are no markings on them so I assume they are aftermarket

 

[Fixxah]

Welcome aboard. Any pics?

 

[Darkstar888]

I like to load, unload, reload about 10 times when I get a new mag to break the springs in. Not sure if that will help your issue.

 

[mac1911]

I can not explain with words about magazine feed lip adjustments.
New Ruger factory mags should feed with no problems....generally.

My tip.... complete a detail strip and clean of both mags and gun. Inspect closely.

Metal feed lips can be "adjusted" I find the smooth round nose needle pliers to be the best for this.

 

[7.62x39]

... Legend has it that for some reason, aftermarket Mini 14 mags are hit or miss, while factory mags are good to go.

Not a legend, but an unfortunate reality.

I have about a dozen factory mini pre-bans, never had a hiccup from any of them. Of the aftermarkets I've tried, none of them ever fed worth a damn.

 

[exo]

I like to load, unload, reload about 10 times when I get a new mag to break the springs in. Not sure if that will help your issue.

Congratulations, you know how springs work . In before somebody says that leaving a spring compressed will break it in

 

[Darkstar888]

Yup. All engineers agree that leaving springs in a compressed state causes zero wear. It's is only the cycling between compressed and uncompressed and vice versa that causes wear.

 

[Live-a-Little]

A lot of aftermarket mags for the mini are troublesome. PMI and federal ordinance are the 2 most highly recommended. A good spot to start is the feed lips. Hold a factory mag next the the aftermarket and use pliers to bend the aftermarket lips into the same position as the factory. Some even go as far as to heat treat the lips once they are in the correct shape. If that doesn't work some people change out the springs and occasionally take a file to smooth out any rough edges.

Any idea what brand they are?

 

[M1911]

I think it is unlikely that those magazines will start working after being "broken in".


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[92G]

OP-

are they OEM ruger mags? If not they will likely never work well. The feed lips on aftermarket magsr just arent up to the task. If its an OEM mag having misfeeds then get a new mag and tweek your feed lips to match.

yeah im sure all sorts of commandos with zero experience will beg to differ with me. Not the first time and probably not the last.

 

[Nickle]

OP-

are they OEM ruger mags? If not they will likely never work well. The feed lips on aftermarket magsr just arent up to the task. If its an OEM mag having misfeeds then get a new mag and tweek your feed lips to match.

yeah im sure all sorts of commandos with zero experience will beg to differ with me. Not the first time and probably not the last.

My experience with 10/22's has been similar. Ruger OEM mags work well, aftermarket usually suck (except for the Butler Creek steel lip mags, the Hot Lips mags do suck).

I'm wagering Squib is right.

 

[ASBowser]

OP here, I think i was able to fix this with some pliars. I was able to very slightly lift the corner of the lip that was catching the rounds, and for the other issue i very slightly bent the whole of the other lip in so that the round doesnt rise so far out of the top. I used my 5rd stock mag to compare while adjusting them to make sure the round isn't too far in. I will have to test at a range to be sure that its fixed, but its chambering much much more successfully now, night and day difference.

I

 

[mac1911]

OP here, I think i was able to fix this with some pliars. I was able to very slightly lift the corner of the lip that was catching the rounds, and for the other issue i very slightly bent the whole of the other lip in so that the round doesnt rise so far out of the top. I used my 5rd stock mag to compare while adjusting them to make sure the round isn't too far in. I will have to test at a range to be sure that its fixed, but its chambering much much more successfully now, night and day difference.

I

That's how to do it!

 

[ASBowser]

OP here, I think i was able to fix this with some pliars. I was able to very slightly lift the corner of the lip that was catching the rounds, and for the other issue i very slightly bent the whole of the other lip in so that the round doesnt rise so far out of the top. I used my 5rd stock mag to compare while adjusting them to make sure the round isn't too far in. I will have to test at a range to be sure that its fixed, but its chambering much much more successfully now, night and day difference.

I

Additional comment.

It worked perfectly for two of my three mags. The third seems to still need some tinkering get get perfect.

 

[EJFudd]

Legend has it that for some reason, aftermarket Mini 14 mags are hit or miss, while factory mags are good to go.

Not a legend, but an unfortunate reality. ..... Of the aftermarkets I've tried, none of them ever fed worth a damn.

A lot of aftermarket mags for the mini are troublesome. PMI and federal ordinance are the 2 most highly recommended. A good spot to start is the feed lips. Hold a factory mag next the the aftermarket and use pliers to bend the aftermarket lips into the same position as the factory. Some even go as far as to heat treat the lips once they are in the correct shape. If that doesn't work some people change out the springs and occasionally take a file to smooth out any rough edges.

OP- are they OEM Ruger mags? If not they will likely never work well. The feed lips on aftermarket mags just aren't up to the task.

The problem, of course, is that we are in Massachusetts where we must have pre-bans or we could end up in trouble... and genuine Ruger OEM pre-bans are both hard to find and very expensive if/when you do find them. On the other hand, aftermarket pre-bans are easier to find and generally cheaper unless someone is gouging you. So to me, the question is: How do we make those aftermarket pre-bans work? And, BTW, here is a website that can help you figure out what brand you have (although it is far from complete).

Precision metalwork on the feed lips aside, I'm thinking that putting genuine Ruger followers and springs into the aftermarket magazines can't hurt. Alternatively, I see some people have tried using modified AR followers and AR springs with some success.

Yes, I know that they then wouldn't be 100% pure kosher/virgin pre-bans, but better to have a pre-ban magazine that worked than pre-ban magazines that were unreliable. Does this make sense? Has anyone here tried those sorts of replacements?

 

[greencobra]

When I see pliers and magazine in the same sentence it's not gonna end well.

Never knew you had to "break in" a magazine. I always just plug and play.

 

[ASBowser]

I looked at the link EJFudd posted.

I think mine are "Western" based on the pictures.

 

[Live-a-Little]

I looked at the link EJFudd posted.

I think mine are "Western" based on the pictures.

Sorry, I don't know much about the western mags, but the guys over at ruger forum or perfect union are very knowledgeable and could probably give you some insight.

 

[IPSC_DRL]

When I see pliers and magazine in the same sentence it's not gonna end well.

Never knew you had to "break in" a magazine. I always just plug and play.

Sometimes mags get dropped and feed lips bend in. Sometimes they get whacked and bend out. I had a mag for my Thompson where the lips were spread and it would not feed from either side. Some judicious bending of the feed lips cured it. I did as the OP did and used a known good one to reference for dimensions.

This is a bigger issue with 2-position feed, double stack magazines.

Lower one in picture.

Not so common with single position feed double stack magazines such as the Soumi 9mm "Coffin" magazines. Top one in picture.
But of course those type of magazines are rarely seen.

 

[EJFudd]

I think mine are "Western" based on the pictures.

Sorry, I don't know much about the western mags, but the guys over at ruger forum or perfect union are very knowledgeable and could probably give you some insight.

Just beware of the dated and limited scope of that link I posted. There are other players not listed... and, in some cases, looks and construction details of those brands listed have changed. But it's the best I could find. It's a difficult topic.