Glock "drop free" mags don't. Ideas?

[1KPerDay]

Anyone have a proven and reliable way to modify "drop-free" glock mags so they actually drop free when empty but still work? About a third of mine don't drop free empty or full. 3rd Gen G23 and G22, all metal lined mags, "type 6" or later referencing this pic:
http://i462.photobucket.com/albums/qq344/quiet_wolf/G17mags-numbered.jpg?t=1257118744

Tried in multiple guns. Just got 5 more used G23 mags from AIM, 2 don't drop free when empty. They feed fine.

I expect some will reply with the old chestnut "no glock mags are intended to drop free"... but well... if so, then two thirds of my mags are faulty and I'd like to make them all faulty in that regard.

I don't want to render them inoperable, however. Therein lies the rub.

 

[ATLDave]

I don't know much about Glocks, but I'd start by giving the inside of the grip and magwell a good cleaning. Make sure you don't have gunk piled up in there so much that it makes the mag channel effectively smaller. See if that fixes it.

Next step would be to get some dry graphite lubricant and put a light coating on one of the sticky magazines. See if that resolves it. If not, at least you should be able to tell where the graphite is getting rubbed off, and you'll know where the friction is coming from.

 

[Glocktogo]

Most just need a quick "shave" on the sides of the mag body at the back corners to make them drop free. If you have a steady hand and some patience, you can use an exacto knife. If you don't, then don't.

 

[1KPerDay]

so... sides, but along the back edge? Correct?

 

[Hometeached1]

Wow I must be lucky all of my Glock mags drop free. From a 33rd G18 to a 10rd G30 mag.
So don't know what you should do, maybe polish them up.

 

[AWorthyOpponent]

All my Glock mags drop free...the knock off ones I had used to stick, but I sold those.

 

[marv]

Sanding in the right places helps. Also in extreme cases squeeze them a little bit in a vise.

 

[greyeyezz]

Call Glock and have them replaced. If they don't drop free empty or loaded they are defective.

 

[Walt Sherrill]

From what I can tell, having a full metal liner does not necessarily mean the Glock mag is intended to drop free. In the photo above, the 2nd and 3rd mags, based on what I've seen, would NOT drop free; only those with a "squared-off" notch at the rear, like the ones to the right, would be drop-free. I can't tell from looking at the first one, what type of mag it might be.

Here's a link to a site with some photos, and they call your mags 2 and 3, "non-drop free." http://www.ammoclip.com/G/glock.htm

Have you asked on one of the Glock forums?

 

[Wreck-n-Crew]

All my Glock mags drop free...the knock off ones I had used to stick, but I sold those.

Ditto and in Both the 19 and 22. All four magazines are stock Glock brand.

 

[1KPerDay]

Call Glock and have them replaced. If they don't drop free empty or loaded they are defective.

I got many of them used and don't have receipts... what's Glock's position on that? I don't wager they'd replace them.

From what I can tell, having a full metal liner does not necessarily mean the Glock mag is intended to drop free. In the photo above, the 2nd and 3rd mags, based on what I've seen, would NOT drop free; only those with a "squared-off" notch at the rear, like the ones to the right, would be drop-free. I can't tell from looking at the first one, what type of mag it might be.

Here's a link to a site with some photos, and they call your mags 2 and 3, "non-drop free." http://www.ammoclip.com/G/glock.htm

The pic I liked wasn't mine, I just included it for reference. All of my mags, as noted above, are metal lined with the trapezoidal cutout at the rear, "type 5" or later in the reference pic, or "3rd Gen" in your ammoclip link.

 

[hentown]

The 2nd and 3rd mags from the left in the photo are NOT FML mags. They're only lined on three sides and generally won't drop free. When my older Glock mags like that are full, I have to use a little force to pull them out of the mag well.

For those mags that are actually FML, try a little Armorall on the mags and inside the mag well. Be sure and let the Armorall dry before using the mags in the mag well.

As to the guy who said to return them to Glock, if they wouldn't drop free, hardehardeharharhar!

 

[1KPerDay]

The 2nd and 3rd mags from the left in the photo are NOT FML mags. They're only lined on three sides and generally won't drop free.

For heaven's sake. Do I have to remove the reference photo?

 

[hentown]

For heaven's sake. Do I have to remove the reference photo?
_____________

Maybe. I was kind of skimming through the thread and thought that was a photo of your mags.

 

[Quentin]

All of my G22 mags drop free (full or empty) from my G22 Gen2. Most are Gen 3 and Gen 4 mags with a 1 or 2 to the right of "Glock Austria". The mag that came with the gun is older with no number but again drops free. (Looking at your picture it is like your #6, unnumbered but newer looking feed lips.)

All but one of my G23 mags drop free from my G23 Gen4. Again most are Gen3 and Gen4 mags with the 1 or 2 mentioned above. The last G23 mag I got used is very old and doesn't drop free. It is Glock but crude looking compared to my other mags. (Looking at your picture it is like your #2, unnumbered with old looking feed lips)

I think Glock mags since the mid-1990s should drop free because that's about the vintage of the old G22 mag I have. The older G23 mag likely is one of the very first for the G23, maybe 1990...

Look at the numbers that I mentioned and see if the mags that you have trouble with are unnumbered. The 1 and 2 should drop free. Maybe you can come up with a pattern.

Korean knockoffs often don't drop free plus I've had reliability issues with them so got rid of the couple I had.

Sounds like your mags are pretty recent so they should drop free. Maybe there is something going on in the mag well. I would have bet they drop free from another Glock but then you said you've tried them in other guns. Weird!

 

[AK103K]

If they are new/current mags, they should drop free. Even the Korean mags should.

The only Glock mags Ive owned that didnt, were those that came with my Gen 1 17 and 19's, and that was only when they were more than half loaded. Even they dropped free when empty or near empty.

I have bunch of both factory and Korean Glock mags, and all of them have worked fine, and needed no "trimming". The Koren mags I have that have had a lot of use, have needed a spring change sooner than the factory mags, but other than that, they are just as good as the factory mags.

If your gun is having issues with all the mags, Id look to the gun for the trouble, not the mags.

 

[MDI_Weapon]

Most just need a quick "shave" on the sides of the mag body at the back corners to make them drop free. If you have a steady hand and some patience, you can use an exacto knife. If you don't, then don't.

That works. However, If you want a more subtle approach (maybe slightly more forgiving than an Exacto blade) that requires a little more elbow grease, look for the friction points on the outside of the mag (usually the slightly shiny lines where there is wear against the inside of the grip) and thin and polish those areas with some 800, 1000 and then 1500 grit emery cloth until they drop free. If you want some overkill, after they drop free, you can polish them even more with 2000grit and then some good liquid plastic polish. They will certainly drop free after that.

 

[Miked7762]

People tend to get 'creative' when disassembling Glock magazines and use a clamp, pliers, or a vice to compress the base of the magazine body. If you do that hard enough it will bend the metal liner and permanently distort the magazine body near the base. It's easy to check. Just insert the magazine while holding down the magazine release and check if it's binding on the last 1/2 inch or so.