Colt 20 round mag fit problem with AR

B

Bobbalouie

New member
Hi! I own an Olympic Arms AR which came with a PC 10 round mag, which fits the rifle well. I just picked up a Colt 20 rounder in excellent shape at a gunshow which I haven't shot with yet. When fit into the rifle empty, the Colt requires quite a rap to get it to seat and latch. It requires quite a bit of pressure on the catch to release as well, and it feels as though the catch is binding.

Is this normal and does it mean I need to gently take a little off the top of the catch hole on the mag with a file?

Thanks a bunch!

Bobbalouie

By the way, it's amazing how much lighter than the factory mag the Colt mag is!
 
You ran into the same problem a lot of non-Colt AR15 buyers face. Out of spec magazine well. :(
 
Yeah////

It's called "Non Milspec"..................
Tired of beating same old drum..........
There are REASONS for milspec products.:(
 
Hmmmm, Olympic? They still casting their lower receivers? This is something that a person can occasionally run into with cast lowers. Not to say the forged lowers can't be screwed up as well, but they have to be machined like that where as the cast lowers come out of the molding process sometimes out of spec.




You said you still experience it when loading the magazine as empty so it's not the same as when somebody tries to lock a loaded magazine into the rifle while the bolt is closed and you feel the restistance of the magazine spring further compressing as you lock it in with a closed bolt.



What you might consider checking on your rifle is the very front of the trigger guard, make sure that it isn't rubbing against the back of the magazine as you insert it. On one of my rifles the forward portion of the plastic trigger guard protrudes into the magazine well just a tad. With 30 round magazines it doesn't hinder them being a drop free magazine and I don't feel any resistance inserting them, but with the 20 round magazines for some reason they fit just a little tighter and won't drop free because of the trigger guard and the fact that the 20s must be just a little different with exterior dimensions. The area on the 20s that hangs up on my trigger guard is that rib that goes down the back of the magazine for the bolt catch portion of the follower.



Definitely try another magazine or two, not just 20s but maybe a good mil-spec 30 round magazine as well.

Hope everything works out.
 
Thanks for the replys!!!

I compared the mag to a newer one and found that the left feed lip was spread upward just a tiny bit. When I looked at the geometry of the well, I realized that on the AR-15, the mag seats right on the feed lips. With a hammer and block I gently tapped the left feed lip back into shape and the mag seats a little easier now.

Thanks again,

Bob
 
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