Sticky 1911 Magazines

[dillontjernlund]

I purchased a few surplus 7 rounder 1911 magazines (.45 auto) at a gun shop a few months ago. They worked fine in my Firestorm 1911 for a while, but after a few rounds had been fed through them, they began to stick in the mag well when I pressed the magazine release.

This eventually got so bad that I had to pull them out with a pair of pliers. I resorted to taking the magazines out to the shop and touching up the sides with some 250 grit sandpaper on the sanding belt, this worked for a while, but the stickiness came back!

My question is am I doomed with these old mags? Should I invest in a better companies magazines? If so, who? Any help would be great.

Thank you.

 

[KenW.]

I had to force myself to keep the mag release button depressed until the mag fell free. Just hitting the button and releasing it before that point caused extra drag that interfered with smooth reloads.

 

[Drail]

Look closely at the notch in the magazine that locks the mag into the catch. Is it peened or deformed in any way? There may be a burr inside the mag catch or the tiny pin inside it that is holding it tightly against the mag body and not allowing full release. Remove the magazine catch and look closely at it. There will be a shiny smooth surface where the catch slides along the mag until fully inserted. Any burrs there? The next thing would be to look inside the magwell of the gun. Are there any bushings or other parts protruding into the magwell? It doesn't take very much to induce enough drag to hang a mag. If you keep looking you will find it. If all of your mags do this the problem is going to be in the gun. If it only happens with a few mags then look at them and measure them against the mags that do fall free. One problem that baffles a lot of people with 1911s is the front of the disconnector can preotrude into the magwell and rub against the rear of the mag. Sometimes it needs to be slightly dressed down with a file to keep it out of the magwell. Best way to inspect the magwell is with the slide removed and using a good light source. Look at all four sides of the well. If you bought bargain price "surplus" mags I would almost bet they're out of spec. There haven't been any real surplus mags on the market for many years but there are tons of fake ones.

 

[David E]

I purchased a few surplus 7 rounder 1911 magazines (.45 auto) at a gun shop a few months ago. They worked fine for a while, but after a few rounds had been fed through them, they began to stick in the mag well when I pressed the magazine release.

Your problem appears to be crap mags with a crappy heat treatment.

You can "tune" them, but it won't last, judging from your post.

Buy some quality mags and end the frustration.

 

[9mmepiphany]

I agree with David E, it is time to throw them out and start over.

Remember that 1911 magazines are a consumable item...like brake shoes and turbos...when they start malfunctioning, it is a good idea to dispose of them. Good quality magazines are that much more and will offer a longer service life.

In a 7 round capacity, I'd recommend the Metalform with the round top followers

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

Here is what to do with those magazines:

 

[rcmodel]

Look inside the mag well and see if any of the grip screws are sticking through the frame & dragging on the mag.

If they are?
Take them out and file or grind them off shorter.

rc

 

[MICHAEL T]

Their cheap junk replace them with good mags .