Mec-gar mags.

[ken grant]

I have some mags with followers unlike any others I have seen.They are 8 rd. with chrome plated followers and they are flat except for one.
The whole front of them drops down and they have long guides both front and rear. The top 3rd. of the spring is reduced in size to fit the follower.
I have a lot of last round FTF and am sure the springs are the problem. I want to replace them with Wolf 11# springs and will have to replace the followers as well.
Any suggestions as to what followers to use ?
Flat or round?

 

[1911Tuner]

Mec-Gar

Howdy Ken...I thought you'd disappeared.

The last round FTF...I'm guessing that it's either a rideover feed...aka Live Round Stovepipe. Both are technically a Bolt Over Base...( the two are related, but slightly different)with the live round stovepipe getting caught nose up between the slide and the barrel...or the round chambers with the extractor rammed against the back of the rim....stopping the slide from going to battery.

In the case of the former, a heavier spring will help. If it's the latter, a
spring may help, but may not eliminate it completely because the follower
doesn't have a dimple to keep the round from slipping forward under recoil induced inertia. It's a crapshoot, and I don't know if Wolff makes a spring to fit the magazine. The follower design is probably proprietary too, and I've never seen a replacement follower for Mec-gars that are any other style besides the ones that come in'em.


Bolt Over Base feeds occur because the magazine spring tension is
at the minimum on the last round, and it can't get the round up to position in time to meet the slide. The breechface catches the round in the
extractor groove and pushes the butt-end down, causing the nose to stick straight up. This one can be dangerous. If it gets mashed in just the right
position and the primer pressure detonates, BANG...brass shards aplenty
right in front of your nose.

The Rideover is different in that the slide hits the side of the case forward of the extractor groove, and wedges the round between the breechface, magazine and feed ramp in a hard stem-bind. The side of the case gets
gouged and deformed, but doesn't have the mini-frag potential of the
Live Round Stovepipe.

Rx: Lose the Mec-gar and get some proper magazines.


Hope this helps...

Tuner

 

[ken grant]

Tuner

As I told you,I lost all my guns and reloading equip. to a fire. Have been busy trying to replace some of them.
A friend quit shooting and reloading and sold me his Dillon 550B and I have busy setting up a place to reload and also trying to shoot a little.
I now have everything I need except casting equip. and will get that soon.
Thanks for the info on the Mec-gar mags.,I am going to play with them a little and see if I can get them to work as range mags.
One question that I would like your thoughts on---- in both 7&8 rd. mags--which follower would you use? Flat or round?Metal Form O.K.?
Just put Wolf springs in some mags. last night and will try to use them today. They are both 7&8 rds. that FTF on last round at times.

Thanks again for all your info!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Am looking forward for more!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I do a search everytime for yor posts!!!!!!!

 

[1911Tuner]

Mags

Ken asked:

One question that I would like your thoughts on---- in both 7&8 rd. mags--which follower would you use? Flat or round?Metal Form O.K.?

Well, it's no secret that I don't care for 8-round magazines in a 1911, (.45 Caliber) so my answers will be a mite slanted. Even though many report
perfect function with 47Ds, Powermags, and Shooting Stars...in THEIR pistols. I've tried several of them over the years, including the original
Devels...and found them to be too inconsistent across the board to recommend them for ALL pistols. You'll just have to gamble the bucks and see how they do in yours.

Metalform round followers are probably the best new follower design that I've used. They don't have the sacred dimple that I preach about, but the shape of the top helps to keep the last round where it needs to be. The
problem is that they come with an inadequate spring...and it's proprietary
to the design. Any old spring won't do. I THINK Metalform offers an
extra-power spring for those magazines, but I'm not sure.

The recipe for the best results is a Metalform 7 round magazine with a flat,
dimpled follower and a Wolff 11-pound spring. Metalform will upgrade
to the Wolff spring for a nominal extra charge, and it's money well-spent.

Get Ken Hallock's little paperback and use the template to set the follower angle. Some of Metalform's followers need to have the slidestop shelf
tweaked outward a bit to provide reliable slidelock. Grasp the top with a
set of pliers with jaws as wide as will fit between the bends. With the
front of the follower facing you, wedge the tip of a screwdriver between the
cartridge seat and the slidestop shelf and lever the shelf outward just a
tiny bit. Don't get carried away, or the shelf will snap off. Looking down
on top of the folllower, you want to see just a narrow "V" of light between them.

If you can arrange a group buy, Metalform gives a huge discount on orders
of 50 or more magazines. You can mix and match, and get them for about
half price. Some forums stage group buys, and everybody gets good magazines without a big cash outlay. Blue or stainless, with stainless being a little more costly. A group buy gets the blue ones down to about 12 bucks each with the Wolff springs. Call their toll-free...punch 4 on the
touch-tone, and ask for Ginny. You can go to their website to see the
styles available, including mags for the Colt Woodsman.

Luck!

Tuner