Feeding problem with last round on a Norinco A1

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costantino

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Hello there,
Today I experimented reloads with a shorter COL (see threads in http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=237049 ) to improve chambering issues. Things have got better but I would get last round feeding issues (round would chamber half-way at 45°) or, worse, it would get ejected without being fired! It looks like the magazine spring is popping up violently all the rounds causing all kind of feeding issues. I don't know if this might be a hint, but since I am using the lowest charge(I was afraid that reducing the COL would have increased pressures which at the end did not happen) ,maybe the gun is not even cycling well. As a matter of fact, the ejected cases are barely thrown out of the gun. Just a low-charge issue + mag problems? Any suggestions? Problems occur with both magazines which are good italian commercial ones. Thanks very much in advance for any tip.
 
I would suggest running some store-bought ammo through it. If it runs OK, then the problem is most likely with your reloaded ammo and not the pistol.
 
If you think about it, the idea is that the front of the round is trapped by the barrel hood before the rear is released by the magazine. If the COL is so short that the magazine releases the round before it comes up to the barrel, the round pops up and won't enter the chamber.

Since some magazines have longer feed lips than others, you may be able to use another brand of magazine. Also make sure the magazine has a "teat" in the follower; that provides a delay so the last round comes up under the extractor instead of being forced out and ahead of the extractor.

Jim
 
Last Round

The clue:

>Things have got better but I would get last round feeding issues (round would chamber half-way at 45°) or, worse, it would get ejected without being fired!<
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And...Have you had the slide lock with the last round lying loose on top yet?

This one:
>>Things have got better but I would get last round feeding issues (round would chamber half-way at 45°)<<
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Sounds like a Bolt-Over Base misfeed. If it happens again, check to see if the bottom of the breechface is in the extractor groove. If it is, there are two problems at work. One is a weak mag spring. The other is in the magazine's failure to control the last round adequately. The "teat" that Mr. Keenan mentioned is there for a reason...or it should be there...and many magazine vendors seem to be in denial over it, since they insist on omitting it and trying to stuff eight rounds into a space designed for seven.

Incidentally(A little wide of topic)...while we're on the subject of magazine springs...I was fortunate enough recently to aquire 10 brand-spankin' new WW2 USGI magazines from three different contractors. (Risdon, MS Little, and Scovil) When I tested the springs, there was virtually no difference in the compressed tension between the originals and nearly-new Wolff 11-pound replacement springs. The difference in free length was slight...about a coil's length...and the number of coils on the springs were identical. The difference in free length was likely due to the fact that they had been in the magazines in pre-load compression for over 60 years. When tested, they worked perfectly in a dozen pistols, including two WW2 GI Colts, a 1919 "Black Army" Colt, and a Remington Rand...and all pistols functioned with ball and Winchester 230 hollowpoints equally well...even in the unaltered, original GI pistols.

Methinks that Wolff may have the answer. I have over 72 "range" magazines, and over 150 in all. All are 7-round capacity...all have the teat on the followers...and all except the new GI contract mags have Wolff springs. I can count the number of malfunctions that I've had in over 2 dozen guns in the last 5 years on the fingers of one hand...and I shoot a lot, averaging 50-60 thousand rounds a year until just recently.
 
Thanks everybody to all for the precious advices. Unfortunately I did not have a chance to read them before going to the range this morning. I tried today even a shorter COL (1,1827) and 1,2362 COL while increasing also the charge by 0.2 grains. No sign of overs-pressure and things are a little bit better but sistematicaly, the fifth round would not chamber, getting stuck not at 45° but almost horizontal .This happened for all 60 fired rounds, in both COL. I was so nervous and stupid enough not to check what the extractor was positioned at time of misfeed. I am strarting to think that the extractor is not behaving the way it should (maybe bad claw or wrong tension). I am attaching pictures of the magazine made by italian Mec Gar hoping that its design might provide another hint. Hopefully I will field strip the gun later and have a look at the extractor. Thanks so much for your help.
Regards
C.A.
Click to enlarge


 
Hi 1911 Tuner,
Unfortunately I am writing from Rome, Italy... :) Iwould call that "flying distance".
These magazines are not the original ones as I mentioned. What would you recommend I tried? Anything I can get on Ebay or on some on-line store?
Do you think it worth trying some on the magazines I have?
So far, thanks so much for your help.
 
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