Working Box Magazines

When a self loading firearm comes into the shop with a complaint concerning feed and cycle reliability, the first thing I look to is the magazine. Magazines do not last forever and area replaceable resource that may be repaired, refurbished, tuned or discarded. In most cases magazines are the cause of feed and cycle related problems, perhaps over half of them. A good bet for a second leading cause is poor quality ammunition.

Anything from a worn magazine locking cut out to a worn or aged spring is the cause of feed difficulty. Magazines are simply a box made from metal or hard plastic with a follower, spring and floor plate. The springs are especially important for longevity and proper function. When magazine springs become worn with age they do not supply sufficient tension to feed the cartridges into the chamber or onto the feed ramp.

It is asking a lot for a magazine to feed from full compression with a load of fifteen cartridges to almost no compression with only a cartridge or two. The best designed magazines work with excellent consistency and longevity. When a problem manifests itself then the problem is usually related to feeding the last few rounds in the magazine. There is no set rule for replacement nor an easy prediction of spring life, however, when the springs have lost an inch of length then they need to be replaced.

Obtaining good quality springs from ISMI, Wilson Combat, Wolff is the route to go. Another factor is when +Por extra power ammunition is used, the velocity of the slide or bolt is increased. As a result, the ability of the magazine to feed may be compromised as most are designed for standard pressure ammunition. It is a good idea to set the magazine up for high power loads by using extra power springs. Naturally, the proper recoil spring is also important here as well.

The follower is the shelf in the magazine that the spring presses upwards to feed the cartridges into the chamber. Followers become damaged from aggressive handling, nicks from cartridges and just plain wear. Some actions take a bit more banging than others. The follower will need to be replaced periodically, although they do not seem to wear as quickly as springs.

Some followers are more difficult to find than others but popular firearms, like the AR-15 and 1911, are readily available and even the best quality pieces are inexpensive. This is simpler than stripping the magazine. If damaged, some work may be done by hand to repair a follower. If the follower has become nicked it may be polished with fine steel wool or sandpaper. Be certain that it moves up and down in the magazine body flawlessly, smooth and fluid. The magazine housing itself sometimes demands attention.

With few exceptions the box type magazine may be disassembled and the interior will accommodate a wooden block that may be used to beat into the body and iron out dents. It is often more economical to replace the magazine body, but some magazines are difficult to find. With the follower straightened and the magazine body repaired you may wish to add a very thin film of Tetra Lube or similar to aid in follower function. Since this lubricant may attract sand or grit, this application is not recommended for

Be aware of practical considerations. those firearms used in critical roles. In non-critical uses, repaired magazines and lubricated followers are often quite reliable. For law enforcement or critical defense use, the replacement of springs is acceptable but if the magazine body or follower are damaged magazine replacement is demanded. Magazine catches and their exact relation to the magazine should be carefully studied. This is a fertile field for the gunsmith.

Sheet metal magazines are most common with the AR-15 design but there are competing materials such as polymer, particularly in the .22 conversions. Some are not as good a fit as we would like, however, most are oversized so we have something to work with. In a number of modern sporting rifles, I have modified various polymer magazines into a perfect fit in the AR magazine well.

At present, I am using Black Dog Machine magazines in my personal firearms as they seem to be the best combination of quality and function but they are not immune to problems. With a bit of trimming of excess polymer, they will lock and function properly. These .22 conversions just do not seem to be created equally. Always be certain you understand the parameters of the cut needed.

In several cases I have dealt with junk grade magazines that really were a pain, spending more time and expending more effort than they were worth. One memorable case involved a Ruger Mini Thirty. The customer wanted a serviceable magazine for his and there were no high capacity units available from the factory. I obtained a number of aftermarket magazines from a now defunct company.

They would not lock in properly and I had to weld a tap onto the upper forward magazine body to convince the magazine to lock properly at the proper angle. It would have been easier to do it right, it seems, but these magazines at least worked after considerable modification. Some brazing and cut-and-try filing resulted in a tiny addition imparted to the top of the magazine, much like found on the very reliable factory Ruger units for the Mini 14. The labor is practically prohibitive in this case but it was

Sometimes the best bet is replacement. Obtain the right tools for the job. one of those learning experiences that made other projects go smoothly. With the tab properly brazed in place the magazines finally locked in place and worked acceptably. Feed lips of the magazine are always a cause for concern. If the magazine has ever been dropped then the magazine lips may well be bent. The problem comes when you do not have an original template for comparison.

In the case of 1911 magazines, it isn’t difficult to compare a good magazine to a bent example and carefully use padded pliers or a properly-sized wooden dowel to restore a bent lip to the original. Also, the old rule is to open the feed lips for quicker release into the chamber and close them slightly for slower release. With a magazine you are not familiar with, you have to interpolate the facts. Magazines feed cartridges only one way.

Carefully work the magazine lips into a semblance of what common sense tells you they looked like before they were damaged, then work them with the following rule: The more open the lips the sooner the bullet goes into the chamber. If the bullet nose of the cartridge is hitting the top of the barrel then the feed lips should be closed, yielding more of the bullet nose directed into the chamber or into the feed ramp. After a few tries you will have the right formula for success.

I recently worked with a Triple Kmagazine for the vintage Winchester Model 1907 rifle and the rule was carefully followed. Original ten round magazines for this rifle are very expensive and rare. The Triple Kunit is well made of good material but required a bit of modification to index and work properly. It was time well spent and the result was a rifle more valuable with the addition of a working and reliable ten round magazine that has the same appearance as the scarce original.

Sometimes we just scratch our head and wonder why a magazine isn’t working well. As an example, some magazines are slightly wider than others. In a recent case, the grip screws of a 1911 were protruding into the magazine well enough to cause drag on the magazine. This wasn’t expected but was quickly diagnosed and repaired. Keep your eyes open for the unexpected. AG

1911 Thumb Safety I have a Springfield 1911 .45 and decided to put anew drop in thumb safety by Ed Brown. The new thumb safety does block the sear and it works well when I shoot with my right hand. When shot with my left hand at about 50 rounds fired the thumb safety started to come out from the frame. When I installed the thumb safety it was all the way in and against the frame. What could have caused this to happen?

You didn’t install an ambidextrous safety which you should have considered doing since you were intending to fire the pistol from either hand. So, you’re shooting a pistol set up for right hand operation in your left hand. We have a hunch the recoil, possibly combining with a hold on the grip frame to bring your thumb into contact with the safety or some other combination of factors the folks at Ed Brown’s operation can think up is causing the back-out. Bolts I am attempting to get information on Sako rifles.

I have three that were taken and when recovered the bolts were missing from the rifles. Could you advise where I could obtain replacement bolts for these rifles? They are .222, .243 and .30-06. You sure can’t get them from Sako, nowa part of the Beretta empire. Unless they are available in the aftermarket, which we seriously doubt, you’ll have to contact Beretta USA and ship the rifles there for new bolts. Of course, they might not even agree to accept them if the models involved predate their takeover of Sako.

Revolver Front Sight A customer has a problem with the front sight falling off his revolver. I am unclear how the sight left barrel and the pin was lost but he has been trying to attach front sight with various super glues and epoxies with no luck and with no locator pin. It is an old .44 magnum Ruger Blackhawk. The sight is either silver soldered or brazed on and has a locating pin with a smaller diameter going into the screwless sight and a larger diameter into the barrel itself.

I have searched for the pin but none are available as far as I know. Did the factory silver soldered or braze on the front sight? Jerry Spadorcio I found a local that can machine a pin and silver solder the sight back on but it’s very spendy, like $250- $300.00. Could Ruger do the job for less? Robert Koweluk Sounds pricey to us as well. Step one, contact Ruger Customer Service. Have the SN of the "Hawk" handy. Ask if they have the pin(s) and what the cost of re-brazing/soldering the sight back on would be.

Ruger has a pretty fast turn around on factory service and will send you a box in which to ship the revolver. Finally, brush up on your soldering techniques. All soldered joints need not be and are not silver. Lawson Arms I just received a Lawson Arms 10 gauge double barrel shotgun. The left hammer spring is broken and I can’t locate any parts. Can you give me help locating the parts or some one who can make one?

Henry Rey George Weiland George’s Gun Repair Lawson Arms was not a manufacturer but an importer once located in Godfrey, OH. The gun itself was likely Spanish made in or near Eibar. If you send the remaining hammer spring to Wolff Springs they may be able to match or make a spring that matches it. Walther PPK/S .380 A customer brought in a Walther PPK/S .380 that he said was jamming and stovepiping. When fired I found that the extractor seemed to be releasing the spent case early.

I took out the loaded chamber indicator and it works fine but when I put it back in the problem returns. I first thought that somebody had put the indicator in wrong but it looks like this is the only way it will go in. Do you think maybe the indicator spring is too strong for this? Clarence Funneman Jr You may need anew extractor. Thoroughly clean the extractor cut in the barrel breech. Seriously fouled cuts can prevent any hook from settling in ahead of the case rim as it should.

No, we don’t believe the indicator spring to be the culprit but after you’ve finished with the just mentioned corrective measures and the problem persists try cutting 1/2 a coil off the spring. Bersa 380 Can you tell me the correct orientation and installation of the trigger spring on the Bersa Thunder 380?

Greg Armstrong – Owner Crossroad Gun Shop After downloading a schematic for the pistol, which was none too clear except for part numbers, the trigger spring (#22) has along and a short leg extending from its coils. The short leg is positioned pointing down and to the rear of the coil. The longer leg extends off the top of the coil and points toward the muzzle. We suggest you make a slave pin slightly smaller diameter than but equal in length to the factory trigger pin (#24).

Before putting the slave to work, examine closely the interior surface of the trigger (#23) for recesses into which the legs of the spring might fit in order to tension it. Though the slide stop (#15) lays up against the