Chip McCormick Shooting Star 1911 Mags FTF

[1KPerDay]

Hi,
I just bought some used Shooting Star mags based on very positive feedback all over the net. they look to be in great shape. My wife was shooting her stainless MKIV combat commander and had a last round FTF in 2 out of 6 mags. Shooting UMC 230 hardball. The FTFs were identical; the round nosed up and jammed against the top of the barrel. Neither she nor I have ever had a single malfunction of any kind using the 8-rd colt mags that I got with the pistol... which have a thin metal follower very similar to the McCormick ones. The pistol is stock and well-maintained. A few hundred rounds through it max.

Questions:
1. will wolff +10 power springs likely remedy this? If so, which ones do I buy? are the springs different for the 8-rd shooting star type mags with the thin follower?

2. Would limp-wristing possibly contribute to this?

 

[rbernie]

1) They may help, and will not hurt. The springs are not different for the split follower.

2) I don't think so.

Having answered your specific questions, I can tell you that my standard answer to the described problem (sounds like a last-round issue, and I'm assuming that you described a three-point jam) is to get the 7rd tapered lip magazines (I get mine from Colt) with the proper dimpled follower.

 

[nathan]

I would go for a Mecgar 7 rders before i go with Chip Mc. My second choice would be the Wilson mags.

 

[1KPerDay]

Thanks... what's a 3 point jam?

 

[Steve C]

You bought used mags and have problems with feeding the last round in 2 of them. Something is causing early release of the last round allowing it to nose up into the barel hood rather than riding the feed ramp into the chamber.

Single stack magazine springs will pretty much last forever so its probably not a week spring.

Put a single round in the offending mags and see if you can reproduce the hang up by hand cycling the round. If not, try putting 2 round into the offending mags and hand cycle the top round, eject the mag and see if the bottom round has been moved forward by the top round when it was stripped off.

Used mags could have had a lot of rough use and been dropped repeatedly during competitions where mag changes are mandated. Look carefully at the feed lips. If you have a caliper measure the spread and compare to the working mags. It may be the lips have been spread a bit or it could be that they've been bent a bit. If so, you can often adjust them with judicious use of pliers.

Disassemble the mag and make sure the high end of the spring is to the front of the mag keeping the front of the follower in the up position. Check to make sure the mag follower isn't hanging up at the top of the mag which can be caused by a dirty magazine, a rough spot or a mag that's been squeezed a bit, usually because its been stepped on.

Usually you can figure out these problems and often a little cleaning will clear them up.

 

[1KPerDay]

Thanks, I'll check them out.

 

[1KPerDay]

Some interesting reading FYI

http://how-i-did-it.org/magazines/feeding-time.html

Next, I tested the Colt hybrid mag. This one requires some backstory.

The original design for 1911 magazines calls for a flat, dimpled follower with a leg bent into it; so far we've seen that type of follower design on the Springfield, Colt hybrid, and one of the Metalforms. What none of the mags feature are the fully-tapered feed lips that widen from the base to a release point well forward of where wadcutter magazines release. The result of this design is to turn the nose-down/nose-up gyrations seen in the Metalform photos above into a much subtler wiggle.

Unfortunately, I don't think anyone makes magazines like these anymore, but I can guess why. These magazines are sometimes referred to as "hardball" magazines after the ball ammo they were designed to feed. I would suspect that the fact they released relatively late and high could lead to problems in out-of-spec guns when trying to feed hollowpoints or wadcutters, tainting that particular magazine design with a reputation for use only with ball ammo, and who would want to shoot just ball out of a 1911? All of the above is pure speculation on my part, but I'm told that an in-spec 1911 will function best with any round given an original design USGI tapered-lip magazine.

But this is all academic because nobody makes these magazines anymore. We have the next best thing, though, in Colt factory hybrid magazines. These mags completely release the round eventually, but the feed lips up to that point are tapered, allowing the cartridge to rise higher before the release.

 

[RogersPrecision]

Last round feed malfs are usually the result of weak magazine springs.
Some of us refer to this jam as 'bolt over base'.
What happens is the slide cycles faster than the mag can feed. Last round in the mag has less spring tension and this is where it usually happens.
This problem is made worse by shock buffs and overly slick lubricant.
Also made worse by heavy recoil springs that actually increase the cyclic rate as well.
Cures?
Run a stock rated 18lb recoil spring in a commander.
Do not use shock buffs.
Replace your magazine springs with the strongest available.
Use a small radius firing pin stop.
Avoid use of 'Wonder Grease'

Tuner will be along shortly........

 

[wally]

A marginal spring and a bit of limp wrist can cause this -- recoil basically shakes the last round out before the slide gets there to strip it.

I'm betting the Wolf extra power springs will fix it. The eight round springs are slightly different -- they will work in 7-round mags, vice-versa is good luck getting eight rounds in.

--wally.

 

[rbernie]

Some of us refer to this jam as 'bolt over base'.

I was of the impression that a bolt-over-base is when the cartridge got stuck below the feedramp with the breechface jammed halfway up the brass....

??

 

[1KPerDay]

The eight round springs are slightly different -- they will work in 7-round mags, vice-versa is good luck getting eight rounds in.

You mean the stock 8 round springs are different from the stock 7 round springs, or that Wolff sells 7 and 8 round springs and they are different? If the latter, can someone direct me to the proper replacement spring for the Chip McCormick 8-round mags?

 

[jfh]

rbernie and RogersPrecision get the votes. My bet is the combination of factors listed.

Check the lips, see what your follower looks like, put in new (mag) springs--and maybe a variable Wolf recoil--and clean them if they aren't clean.

Jim H.

 

[wditto]

buy new that are warrenteed