I've got a problem where the follower in Lancer AWM mags doesn't engage the bolt catch in either of my two AXTS lowers. Instead, the follower gets caught on the front edge of the bolt catch's tongue, so the bolt doesn't hold open after the last round, and when ejecting the mag it has to be pulled out instead of dropping free (if the mag still has rounds in it, it will drop free). I've tried several GI aluminum and Magpul mags in both AXTS lowers without experiencing this problem, and the Lancer AWMs work fine in my Noveske lower.
I got out my calipers to measure what was going on, and the tongue on the AXTS bolt catch protrudes about 0.0125" less into the mag well than the Noveske bolt catch does, despite them being the same length. Since both the bolt catch and the magazine have a little wiggle room, I wasn't able to determine how much of the 0.0125" is caused by which part. It could be the distance between the bolt catch and the rear of the mag well or it could be the distance between the rear of the follower or magazine body and the rear of the mag well. Since the AXTS uses a proprietary bolt catch, I can't just swap it.
I contacted Abe at AXTS about it and he said they designed the bolt catch specifically to work with GI and Magpul mags, and that the tongue sticks out as far as it safely can without catching on the base of cartridges. He also took the time to ask some other manufacturers (he didn't say specifically which), and that they have also seen this issue with Lancer AWM mags.
Obviously, the easy fix is to use GI or Magpul mags. The problem is I already have a ton of Lancer mags because I prefer them. I've also tried putting GI and Magpul followers in the Lancer mags, but neither fits. I'm posting here to find out if anyone else has had a similar experience with Lancer mags, and to find out if anyone has a better idea than either replacing all my mags or having a modified bolt catch custom made.
Cheers!
-Vorp
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