EnderWiggin
Member
- Joined
- Aug 27, 2010
- Messages
- 42
I own a Springfield Loaded .45 ACP Government Sized 1911 and have run into an issue with CMC Power Mags. The first time I ever used an 8-round Power Mag was when I borrowed a couple from a friend for an IPSC match. On two of the three stages, the last round would fail to eject. I was using regular 7-round stock Springfield Metalform magazines as well as the Power Mags interchangeably and only when using the Power Mags would the FTE occur on the last round.
I gave CMC the benefit of the doubt and just assumed my friend's magazines were old and maybe damaged. I went ahead and bought myself an 8-round Power Mag+ and took it to the range. Twice the same thing happened, the last round failed to eject. Attached are some pictures I took of the jam and the resulting casing.
Seems as though when the extractor is pulling the last casing out after being fired, it is being jammed into the magazine lips. The magazine lips then cut into the brass rim of the casing and it results in the casing getting stuck in the magazine lips and then being slammed in the front of casing by the front of the ejection port of the slide. The pictures show how the front of the casing is dented front the slide slamming into it and also shows (if you look closely) how the back rim of the casing has two notches that were created when it was jammed into the magazine feed lips. Again, this only seems to happen on the last round.
Now I don't think this is an issue with my firearm because I have 5 other stock metalform magazines that work just fine and have never had an issue with over 1000 rounds through them.
I shoot Winchester White Box .45 ACP rounds ONLY. I don't reload and never shoot reloads.
I sent CMC an email on this issue and this was their reply:
After reading their response, I have believe that maybe they are correct in saying that my gun has an issue and the only reason I don't see it with the stock magazines is because the follower is helping the casing stay above the feed lips. I don't have pictures of it but for sure the stock magazine follower is longer than that of the Power Mag+ and so it is definitely possible that this length is what does not allow the case rim to fall below the magazines lips.
I tested my extractor by chambering a live round, removing the mag, and then slowly backing the slide up to right before the ejector hits the casing and seeing if the round is held up by the extractor alone. It does. So this leads me to believe that my extractor is fine.
I know this post is long but its an issue that requires a lot of details and I wanted to make sure I supplied you with all the information I have gathered thus far. What are your thoughts on this? All I hear are praises of the CMC magazines but they are just not working for me and I want to know why. I did a search online and cannot find anyone having this same issue with CMC mags.
Thank you in advance for any help on this matter.
I gave CMC the benefit of the doubt and just assumed my friend's magazines were old and maybe damaged. I went ahead and bought myself an 8-round Power Mag+ and took it to the range. Twice the same thing happened, the last round failed to eject. Attached are some pictures I took of the jam and the resulting casing.
Seems as though when the extractor is pulling the last casing out after being fired, it is being jammed into the magazine lips. The magazine lips then cut into the brass rim of the casing and it results in the casing getting stuck in the magazine lips and then being slammed in the front of casing by the front of the ejection port of the slide. The pictures show how the front of the casing is dented front the slide slamming into it and also shows (if you look closely) how the back rim of the casing has two notches that were created when it was jammed into the magazine feed lips. Again, this only seems to happen on the last round.
Now I don't think this is an issue with my firearm because I have 5 other stock metalform magazines that work just fine and have never had an issue with over 1000 rounds through them.
I shoot Winchester White Box .45 ACP rounds ONLY. I don't reload and never shoot reloads.
I sent CMC an email on this issue and this was their reply:
All of us here in CMC's Tech Support have built and tuned 1911 pistols. Those qualifications are required experience for the job. We won't claim that makes us experts, but add in the decades experience we have with trouble shooting magazine related issues and this specific area is something we are qutie proficient with.
The 1911 magazine by original design has two main functions it is associated with; feeding subsequent rounds into the barrel chamber and initiating slide lock upon last shot fired. As for extraction and ejection of the last fired cartridge, the magazine by design has no role or influence in the extraction/ejection function of the pistol.
In theory we certainly understand the logic that if the extraction/ejection failures are only occuring with your CMC mags that somehow the CMC mags must be the cause. But the only theory we are aware of that supports that logic is that your extractor is not properly tuned resulting in the follower being the component that is actually making the empty cartridge eject by popping the empty cartridge just as the follower reaches the extent of it's upware stroke. And for the rounds being ejected before the mag is empty, they are being popped out of the pistol by the next live round to be fed.
With the CMC followers, when they engage the slide stop upon last shot fired to initiate slide lock, because the CMC follower is engaging the slide stop at that point it means the follower is riding even lower in the mag tube than when the empty mag is ejected and not in the pistol. But the fact that at the point of engaging the slide stop the CMC follower is usually riding lower in the magazine than other brands, supports theory that the CMC follower is less likely to pop and/or assist in the ejection of the spent round.
In summary, what we are saying is;
1. The magazine, any brand for that matter, should not be having any affect on how the pistol is extracting and ejecting a spent round at any point in the stack; first, middle or last.
2. If extraction/ejection of the last round is contingent on magazine configuration then our experience and knowledge 100% supports the diagnosis that your extractor is not properly tuned and needs to be re-tuned or replaced. (It's very common belief in the profession of high end 1911 gunsmithing that the extractor is the weakest part of the 1911 design. That is why you see newer 1911's, like S&W with external extractor designs.) But when properly tuned and maintained the original 1911 extractor design is perfectly reliable.
If your final belief is (or that of any other experts you may consult with) that your CMC mags are somehow the cause of extraction/ejection failures, we will be glad to have the mags in question returned to us for examination of each component and testing in our variety of brands of 1911 pistols. Or;
If the purchase of your CMC mag(s) is within 30 days and from a participating dealer you have the option of exercising CMC's 30 day Satisfaction Guarantee for return and refund.
After reading their response, I have believe that maybe they are correct in saying that my gun has an issue and the only reason I don't see it with the stock magazines is because the follower is helping the casing stay above the feed lips. I don't have pictures of it but for sure the stock magazine follower is longer than that of the Power Mag+ and so it is definitely possible that this length is what does not allow the case rim to fall below the magazines lips.
I tested my extractor by chambering a live round, removing the mag, and then slowly backing the slide up to right before the ejector hits the casing and seeing if the round is held up by the extractor alone. It does. So this leads me to believe that my extractor is fine.
I know this post is long but its an issue that requires a lot of details and I wanted to make sure I supplied you with all the information I have gathered thus far. What are your thoughts on this? All I hear are praises of the CMC magazines but they are just not working for me and I want to know why. I did a search online and cannot find anyone having this same issue with CMC mags.
Thank you in advance for any help on this matter.