How do you deal with your unreliable magazine?

If I am unable to repair them, I get rid of them. Now having said that, the only magazine I've ever had problems with was a CZ- 70, da** floor plate came loose and dumped every thing. The rest of my magazines I've had very good luck with, I can't remember when I had a bad magazine that I couldn't fix ( other than that CZ-70 }. BTW, on the CZ-70 , one of my friends mentioned he had a CZ-50 mag that he needed the internals, problem solved, two became one.
 
I had a couple of no-name magazines for my Mini-14 that didn't work right from the start. Threw them away. If good quality pistol mags start giving me trouble, I disassemble them and clean them. If that doesn't help, new springs and/or followers can be found online fairly cheap.
 
I had a couple of no-name magazines for my Mini-14 that didn't work right from the start.
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made by the tens of thousands, just before the ban hit in the '90s. I had a few. total crap.
 
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Magazines are consumable parts. If you want, they can be maintained with parts, but it's easier and probably better for self-defense weapons to get new mags.
 
I have one old magpul at may that won't lock the bolt on my AR open. I keep it in my range bag because it keeps me on my toes.
I keep a sperate stash of "just in case" mags.
But that's it.

Granted I only ever buy new OEM mags for my pistols - and only buy pistols from reputable manufactures - but they've all been perfect.
Beretta, Glock, Ruger, S&W, S.A., and Walther.
Boringly reliable, all.

I take that back. Back when I first got in to shooting and had a 1911 I did have some problems with various mags - Nighthawk, and Chip McCormick. About the only mags that gun did like we're Wilson, and the two it came with.
I put them all in a box with my first couple of failed attempts at finding a holster, and then threw them in when I sold the gun.
 
I have a 15 rd aftermarket mag for my BHP that I don't completely trust. It doesn't malfunction consistently, just often enough that I've designated it for range use only.
 
Agree with Kraig

I don't want them back into circulation so I stomp on them and then throw them as far as I can. (I get ****** off first, obviously)
 
I'm sorry, but most of the replies here are insane! :eek:
Magazines are very simple machines. Most of the time they can be easily repaired. Even if you can't fix them yourself, there are people who would gladly take them and repair them. Just mark them and put them away until you find someone who wants them.
Crushing, stomping, destroying them might even indicate that you have an anger problem.
 
Honestly, I have not had any mag problems.
I have owned probably 50 magazine-fed pistols through the years (at least half of them 1911s).
I have had a few pistols that I could never get to function satisfactorily (all of them Kel-Tecs, total of four) and even though I bought additional new mags and various types of ammo, (and performed the legendary Fluff and Buff) they never came good. So I really doubt it was a magazine problem, but rather a pistol design/execution problem. Similarly designed LCPs (two so far) functioned perfectly....

So honestly, I dealt with the Kel-Tec issue by selling each with full disclosure (or, in one case, by giving it away). And I won't buy another. Don't care how cheap it is or how cool it looks.
 
The ones I've had were always able to be fixed without a lot of work, deburring a follower, cleaning a ton of unburned powder out of it, replacing a messed up spring, or tweaking the feed lips, and that's about it. I've never had one that I had to trash. Not even the junky Pro-Mag Beretta 92 mags that didn't work very well in a 92 worked fine in my Kel-Tec SUB-2000 without any tweaking, and afterwards are 100% ok in a 92 now. They all had the same issues, followers that were pretty badly molded and after a little sanding/filing, they were fine. They do sound very "boingy" when they hit the ground though.
 
Welcome to the forum and thanks for asking our advice. What I would do

HP-Sauce said:
Most of the time the body itself is fine and the problem stems from Spring/Follower/Base pad issues.
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None had problems with the lips?

Before I disposed of any, I would tinker with them, most definitely. I would even try my hand at making replacement parts (I almost never succeed, but do like a challenge). Only after I completely ruined it and all its component parts would I throw one away.

But that's just me.

Lost Sheep
 

  • If a mag is somehow worn thin, I may keep the follower and spring (if fairly fresh) and trash the rest. I've never encountered THAT problem with a mag.

  • If the spring has lost it's zest, I get a new spring. They're NOT expensive.

  • If the follower is bad -- not a common problem for a mag that was previously sound and functional -- I get a new follower. They're not expensive.

  • If the mag tube is dented, parts are retained and the tube is tossed.

I've had and shot a lot of guns over the past 25 years, but I've never had that many problems with good quality or factory mags. Springs are the one part that can wear out unexpectedly. As Bill notes, above, they're pretty simple machines.

If you just throw them away, you have more money to spare than I do.
 
I got tired of the magazine working/not working in which of three 1911 45's song and dance. Had a box with thirty magazines that might work all depending on the phase of the moon.
Bought a 45 acp revolver.....Oh Lord is it nice! If it fits in the cylinder , it will shoot and eject! No more fickle magazines and no more chasing brass all over creation.
Tired of tinkering....Gary
 
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