Question For Tuner!!!!!!!

[ken grant]

I have 15 mags.[ Colt factory, Shooting Star S.S. and Shooting Star blued]
They all have DEVEL type followers and most seem to work well with the exception of one[ COLT], it seems to want to not feed the last round----live round standing up like a stovepipe but not everytime.
I know you suggest stronger springs in all these mags and I now have them on hand to change out but would like to ask questions about the followers before I do.
Some of the follower's have the space between the leafs closer than others but they seem to work O.K.
I seem to recall one of your posts about setting the angle on the lower leaf to the same as in HALLOCK's book but I cant seem to find it now.
If I do this while I have the followers out, WHAT ANGLE DO I USE FOR THE TOP LEAF? Should all the spaces between the leaves be the same?

THANKS[for all your posts and help]

KEN

 

[1911Tuner]

Question

Howdy Ken,

That's about 5 or 6 questions!

The angle on the follower is specified as 68.5 degrees,
plus/minus 2 degrees. Whethr or not that would apply to the split Devel follower, I don't know...but the angle would be measured from the rear leg to the top leaf of the follower.

If the magazines work with different spaces between the leaves, best
bet is to leav'em alone.

The last round stovepipe...aka Bolt-Over-Base is a magazine spring problem, and the Wolff 8-round extra-power spring will likely cure it...or at least make it happen less frequently, assuming that there's nothing else wrong with the magazine. That spring will effectively make the Colt mag a dead ringer for the McCormick Powermag, which is the best of the 8-round magazines currently available, IMO.

One issue that I have with the Devel follower is that it ain't got a dimple on it, which could lead to other problems...but that's a whole
'nother flame war.

The other issue is that the rear leg is too short for best stability...and that's a whole OTHER 'nother flame war. BTDT too many times now, and ain't goin' there again NO MORE.

Luck!

Tner

 

[ken grant]

questions

Really only two questions-----
#1---lower angle
#2---upper angle

I have some ????? mags. The only ones I have ever seen! Round top follower with a dimple.
Any idea who made them?

 

[1911Tuner]

Angles

Really only two questions-----
#1---lower angle
#2---upper angle

Dunno what ya mean...The angle of departure from perpendicular...or
imagine that the rear leg is perpendicular to the ground. The angle under the follower is 68 degrees, 30 minutes.

The mags that you asked about...Colt .45 or Colt .45 Auto on the baseplate? With good springs, those actually aren't too bad. I bought
5 at a show once for 27 bucks , and they worked pretty well as they came
for about a year of hard use. I replaced the springs and used'em for another 5 or 6 years and the baseplate welds started goin' south. Only
issue was that a couple wouldn't lock in the gun with the slide closed and 7 rounds in'em...but were pretty decent range mags.

Luck!

Tuner

 

[Old Fuff]

The Old Fuff is lazy to say the least, and all of that angle stuff was too much for him. So he just made a simple template/gage. Put it up against the inside/back of the follower, push it up against the follower's bottom, and see if it fits. If it does - O.K. If not bend the follower until it does.

Even us old folks can handle this - with adult supervision.

 

[sm]

Old Fuff

I use Hallock's diagram to adjust mags/ followers.

Are you saying you have a template/gauge that allows you to physically put pressure on follower to catch any changes / hidden problems when the follower in under more spring pressure loaded and in the gun?

I didn't ask that well,...sounds as if Old Fuff does not have adjust, and re-adjust as much as I do.

I adjust using diagram, insert...sometimes I have to fine tune because in the gun and with loads things change.

I need a template too.

I can at least look like I know what I am doing " What's that thing?" Tell 'em...walk off like I actually know something...shush don't tell.

 

[ken grant]

followers

What about the DEVEL type followers? Do you use the angle in HALLOCK's book? If so, which leaf, top or bottom or both?

 

[Old Fuff]

sm:

Go to your book and use a piece of carbon paper to copy the picture to a piece of plain paper. Take that, cut it out, and paper-glue it on to a piece of lightweight metal, thin wood, whatever, then carefully cut it out. Remove the follower from the magazine and hold the gage on the underside of the follower and look at the fit between the follower and gage in good light. If you see serious gaps between the follower and gage (template) the follower needs to be bent to conform to the gage.

Somewhere among my mis-sorted things I have a USGI shop drawing of the magazine follower. I may have to try and find it and take down the important dimensions.

Of course none of this will work with these new 280+ round magazines that some people can't seem to live without ...

 

[sm]

Old Fuff

Thanks!

<slaps forehead>

I have made templates and gauges for other stuff, did it all the time in another business.
Why I never thought to do this for a mag follower is beyond me.

I did make a tool for adusting extractors once, I was bored and something to do. I took a clamp dealie they use for electrical applications [ picture a sideways "U"] with a bolt that screws , cut notches to hold extractor. Once I had it where I wanted it, I marked the bolt as to how far down to turn, I also had a pc of wood cut to follow the shape of extractor I slid underneath. It worked, very rarely did I have to tweak. I gave it away to someone.

ken-
I just used the diagram on page 135 in Hallock's book. I concerned myself with the "top" leaf as you described it. What I found was the top leaf and the angle that fits b/t spring and mag body was the critical reason why the Devel did not work. If I matched this up, and using a needle file to shape mag lips [ again Halllock] remove a bur...usually something minor, the mags were fine. Dropped mags is where the lips and burs came from.

I may be wrong, so I will concede to Tuner, Old Fuff, Keenan and those more experienced.

 

[Dave Sample]

Followers were easy to throw away and replace. I never knew you could bend them and make them work. I used to have a jar full of them before Chip starting stuffing mags on his Kitchen Table and selling them to me. I do not keep magazines that have one malfunction. They go in the trash where they belong.

 

[1911Tuner]

Trash Mags

The Cap'n said:

I do not keep magazines that have one malfunction. They go in the trash where they belong.


Uh...Cap'n...You can send'em to me. I'll pay postage!

 

[Dave Sample]

Tuner, sometimes you remind me of Oscar on Sesame Street! "I Love Trash, anything rotten or rusty or dusty..................................." I will send them to you from now on!

 

[Wichaka]

And what won't fit in Tuners package, you can send the overflow to me.......

 

[Dave Sample]

OK U Got IT!

 

[1911Tuner]

Oscar

Dave said:

Tuner, sometimes you remind me of Oscar on Sesame Street! "I Love Trash, anything rotten or rusty or dusty...
____________________

Wellhellyeah! Before I was the Tuner, I was known as...
"The Scrounger." (There's one in every company)

Cheers!

Scrounger