View Full Version : stretching magazine springs
flyboy1788
05-07-09, 21:26
I think some of the magazines I have for my 1911 might be wearing out. They are 15+ year old springfield armory 8 round mags. Until I have enough money to go buy more magazines or replacement springs, can I stretch the springs or will they immediatley go back to their previous strength once they are compressed??
this is a widely concluded matter, so don't think some guy on the internet is blowing smoke up your ass: stretching springs doesn't do anything but ruin them. others will be along to bitch about "search function" and/or explain why, i'm sure.
:)
flyboy1788
05-07-09, 21:36
keep in mind this would only be temporary. After this weekend I will buy some new springs, so its not like I will continue to do this.
whats the malfunction? how old are the springs and how many rounds do theyhave on 'em?
flyboy1788
05-07-09, 22:19
whats the malfunction? how old are the springs and how many rounds do theyhave on 'em?
FTF with light reloads and I had a "last round jam" with new manufactured hollowpoints.
Don't do it. You may make things worse.
flyboy1788
05-07-09, 23:44
Don't do it. You may make things worse.
the springs are going to get replaced shortly anyways. what do I have to lose?
RAM Engineer
05-08-09, 06:46
just buy new magazines. If your springs are that old and worn out, your tubes/feedlips are probably shot also. No sense in creating a configuration control nightmare.
thopkins22
05-08-09, 09:50
FTF with light reloads and I had a "last round jam" with new manufactured hollowpoints.
Weak ammo not working right in your gun doesn't really seem like a magazine spring issue to me.
What is a "last round jam?":confused: Is it what you do with the last batch of strawberries? The halftime show in the NBA finals?;)
flyboy1788
05-08-09, 10:25
Weak ammo not working right in your gun doesn't really seem like a magazine spring issue to me.
What is a "last round jam?":confused: Is it what you do with the last batch of strawberries? The halftime show in the NBA finals?;)
Last round jam is a term I have heard used when referring to 1911 mags with flat metal followers, it is when the last round in the mag either nosedives in the mag or does the opposite due to the fact that there is no "anti-tilt" follower involved. I dont think it is the extractor because the rounds cycle great when I sling shot the slide or press the slide release when there is ammo in there. It could have been the ammo I suppose. The hollowpoint jam I am positive wouldnt have happened if I had some nice wilson 47d mags with anti tilt followers, and I have a growing suspicion that they are not pushing the rounds up at a fast enough rate for the slide to properly engage and slide the round into battery.
the springs are going to get replaced shortly anyways. what do I have to lose?
Stretching them will help temporarily (short term). Long term, it will make things worse. You're right though, you have nothing to lose.
Joe Mamma
thopkins22
05-08-09, 12:54
Last round jam is a term I have heard used when referring to 1911 mags with flat metal followers, it is when the last round in the mag either nosedives in the mag or does the opposite due to the fact that there is no "anti-tilt" follower involved.
I'm tracking now.:)
If you are going to ask a question and then not heed the advice, don't ask it. Stretching springs will do nothing at all. And as soon as you reload them they will compress again and you'll be right back at point A. Buy some new followers and springs an rebuild the mags.
Then take some time to learn more about your handgun and what type of malfunctions occur and how to fix them.
the springs are going to get replaced shortly anyways. what do I have to lose?
"failure to feed with light reloads" sounds to me more like the slide is short stroking and not going far enough back to pick up the next round. That would mean the recoil spring is too strong for the load.
IME most 1911 mags benefit from slightly stronger mag springs. I like the Wolff +10% springs and I have used them for years.
1911 mags usually don't wear out feed lips. They may crack or get bent but most mag tubes will survive through several mag springs. The only anti-tilt feature of a 1911 mag with a milspec flat follower is to use an eleven coil spring (like the Wolff) to properly support the rear leg so it can't tilt forward on the last round.
Before you do anything, try the gun with milspec 230gr 830fps hardball and see if it works. If it does your problems are not related to the gun but the ammo.
In any case stretching the mag springs is the wrong response to the problem.
Edited to add: controversy notwithstanding; no 8 rd mag in a 1911 will be ultimately as reliable as a 7 rd mag. It has to do with the gap between the rounds that develops as the stack gets deeper after the fifth round is loaded. The gap causes the top round of a fully loaded mag to nose dive as it leaves the feed lips. The more rounds in the mag the more the dive.
If I were in your position, I would rebuild the mags with Metalform 7rd flat followers and Wolff +10% springs. The best setup I have found is McCormick Powermag tubes fitted the Tripp Research followers and springs.
The interesting thing about the mag feed issue is the rounds most effected are the first to feed. The more rounds you try to put in a 1911 mag the less reliable the second shot becomes. Assuming everything else is working to spec.
JiMfraRED1911
05-09-09, 11:37
http://www.10-8forums.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=34673&an=0&page=0#34673
Just settle it and buy new mags that work in your 1911.
flyboy1788
05-10-09, 11:50
went to the range this weeked. Shot 75 rounds of 230 grain hardball(this stuff did not seem underpowered at all) with ZERO problems. So, I am officially going to blame my previous troubles on the ammo I was using at the time, seeing as my gun apparently is not the problem. That being said, my spent cases were consistently landing about 12 feet to my right, so I might go ahead and replace my recoil spring, and now that I stretched out my mag springs, I will not continue to use them, even though they worked temporarily. Im going to pick up some wolff springs before I go out next time.
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