1911 question

[Steve_In_29]

Solution = hit the mag harder as you slap it in.

[GW]

Try another 47-D. If the same problem occurs
No worries, just push harder.
If the new 47 goes in easier there may be an issue with the older 47-D
Good luck and enjoy shooting that 1911!

[JDay]

Do you have pads on the magazine base? If not adding some may help.

[penguinofsleep]

if you don't want to file it down, then i second the reduced power mag release spring. just don't go too light - you don't want the mags falling out accidentally or during normal function.

i will also echo what others have said - i see no reason why a mainspring housing swap would affect the way mags seated.

[tophatjones]

It's normal. You don't need to do any work to it unless it is preventing you from reliably seating the mag.

[MA5177]

That's how it supposed to work, it's the mag follower pushing up on the slide stop with an empty mag. Try it with the slide locked back and see if it catches.

[PseudoTsuga]

You guys seem to have a reading comprehension problem, no offense intended.
So far we've seen, "hit it harder", "your palm is hitting the mag well before it seats; get basepads" (47d HAS basepads...), "follower is pushing up on slide catch;push harder", etc, etc.

Look, when the top of the mag contacts the mag catch, there still a good inch and a half to two inches of mag sticking out, so all those are invalid.
What we can agree on is that it has nothing to do with the mainspring and housing swap.
Also, some of you clearly haven't felt the difference between one that is tuned "right", and a rough crappy one that was simply dropped in with the casting marks and all.
You shouldn't have to hit the pad with super-violence.
It's a machine and machines are happiest when they're working right.

I ran into this exact same thing on a Springfield lw loaded.
It was so damn bad, that at first, I thought the original owner had run standard length grip screws on thin bushings and grips. It was crazy bad. Like, you had to hit the base of the mag with similar force as to what you'd use punching a guy or something. Pretty much, the only way to reliably seat a mag was to fully depress the mag catch and STILL give it a thump.
In other words, totally unacceptable.
So, the second I got it home, I popped it out (easy, once you do it one time) and started filing and stoning. The mag spring was also ridiculously stiff, so I started cutting off a quarter of a coil at a time (gasp!) until I'd cut off two whole coils!
It was still plenty stiff for reliability, just not ridiculous. And I know cutting coils blows people's minds around here like it's something only a bubba would do, but believe it or not, that's how it used to be done before we could order Wolff reduced power springs. And they are so cheap, that I wasn't worried about it. Plus, you go in small increments, reinstall, try it ten or fifteen times, take it out, and keep at it.
Anyway, after about ten minutes, I had a butter smooth mag catch (that was still plenty positive for the release) and in filing that "ramp" on the catch, felt like a minor speed bump on the way in, like it should.
In other words, it now felt like my $4-5k custom 1911s with about ten minutes of work. Work that any of you can do.
Or, you can just keep slapping the crap out of your mags and think it's "normal".

[Kowan]

I used a Dremel with cutting wheel to cut a coil and a half off the mag release spring on my Springfield Loaded 9 mm.

[shutmdown]

You guys seem to have a reading comprehension problem, no offense intended.
So far we've seen, "hit it harder", "your palm is hitting the mag well before it seats; get basepads" (47d HAS basepads...), "follower is pushing up on slide catch;push harder", etc, etc.

Look, when the top of the mag contacts the mag catch, there still a good inch and a half to two inches of mag sticking out, so all those are invalid.
What we can agree on is that it has nothing to do with the mainspring and housing swap.
Also, some of you clearly haven't felt the difference between one that is tuned "right", and a rough crappy one that was simply dropped in with the casting marks and all.
You shouldn't have to hit the pad with super-violence.
It's a machine and machines are happiest when they're working right.

I ran into this exact same thing on a Springfield lw loaded.
It was so damn bad, that at first, I thought the original owner had run standard length grip screws on thin bushings and grips. It was crazy bad. Like, you had to hit the base of the mag with similar force as to what you'd use punching a guy or something. Pretty much, the only way to reliably seat a mag was to fully depress the mag catch and STILL give it a thump.
In other words, totally unacceptable.
So, the second I got it home, I popped it out (easy, once you do it one time) and started filing and stoning. The mag spring was also ridiculously stiff, so I started cutting off a quarter of a coil at a time (gasp!) until I'd cut off two whole coils!
It was still plenty stiff for reliability, just not ridiculous. And I know cutting coils blows people's minds around here like it's something only a bubba would do, but believe it or not, that's how it used to be done before we could order Wolff reduced power springs. And they are so cheap, that I wasn't worried about it. Plus, you go in small increments, reinstall, try it ten or fifteen times, take it out, and keep at it.
Anyway, after about ten minutes, I had a butter smooth mag catch (that was still plenty positive for the release) and in filing that "ramp" on the catch, felt like a minor speed bump on the way in, like it should.
In other words, it now felt like my $4-5k custom 1911s with about ten minutes of work. Work that any of you can do.
Or, you can just keep slapping the crap out of your mags and think it's "normal".

pseudo, where are you located?

[SurferSeth]

I had a similar issue on my Kimber on it's first range trip. At one point my brother slapped the mag in so hard that the slide locked up and could not move forward or back, couldn't eject the mag, etc. This was with CMC powermags. After a few more trips inserting the mag loosened up and it functions just fine. It isn't "butter smooth" or anything, still a noticeable bump, but it works fine now.

[tophatjones]

You guys seem to have a reading comprehension problem, no offense intended.
So far we've seen, "hit it harder", "your palm is hitting the mag well before it seats; get basepads" (47d HAS basepads...), "follower is pushing up on slide catch;push harder", etc, etc.

Seriously? The OP says he has a "small issue", the mag requires "additional pressure to fully insert the mag". This is normal. He's not saying he needs to slap the **** out of the mag to get it to seat. That's not normal.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. In addition, only work on the gun if you know exactly what you're doing because the work may have unintended consequences. As Geo of EGW says, garage 'smiths' with dremels keep him in business. Same damage can be done with files but take more reps to do the damage.

[PseudoTsuga]

Seriously? The OP says he has a "small issue", the mag requires "additional pressure to fully insert the mag". This is normal. He's not saying he needs to slap the **** out of the mag to get it to seat. That's not normal.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. In addition, only work on the gun if you know exactly what you're doing because the work may have unintended consequences. As Geo of EGW says, garage 'smiths' with dremels keep him in business. Same damage can be done with files but take more reps to do the damage.

You're right, TopHat. When I read it, I took from it that he HAD to depress the mag catch to insert like I did with the horrible mag catch on my SA loaded.
I inferred. My fault.

My smarmy response was inexcusable.
I had just found out that I lost two very close friends in an accident and was trying to take my mind off of that by reading cal guns. Lots of fail on my part. Sorry guys.

OP, I live in a tiny town called El Portal, located in the river canyon, five miles down river from the valley, right at the border of Yosemite national park.

But I'm at my girlfriend's house in Alameda in the east bay, quite a lot.

[Kowan]

Seriously? The OP says he has a "small issue", the mag requires "additional pressure to fully insert the mag". This is normal. He's not saying he needs to slap the **** out of the mag to get it to seat. That's not normal.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. In addition, only work on the gun if you know exactly what you're doing because the work may have unintended consequences. As Geo of EGW says, garage 'smiths' with dremels keep him in business. Same damage can be done with files but take more reps to do the damage.

That's true if you don't know what you're doing. I taught myself after dropping a gun off at the gunsmith only to find out he farmed the work out to a no skill "gunsmith".
I got to fix the work I paid for and from that point on, I did my own work unless the cost of the needed equipment outweighed me doing it correctly.

[PseudoTsuga]

That's true if you don't know what you're doing. I taught myself after dropping a gun off at the gunsmith only to find out he farmed the work out to a no skill "gunsmith".
I got to fix the work I paid for and from that point on, I did my own work unless the cost of the needed equipment outweighed me doing it correctly.

I love working on my guns. I get a lot of satisfaction from it. Of course, I have a few books that really help.
Hallock's .45 auto handbook is, to me, indispensable.

[Kowan]

I love working on my guns. I get a lot of satisfaction from it. Of course, I have a few books that really help.
Hallock's .45 auto handbook is, to me, indispensable.

Exactly. Plenty of shared knowledge out there to take advantage of.