Newish SIG 226 Mk 25 and magazines spontaneously dropping during firing

[Citadelgrad87]

A shooting buddy has a nice Sig 226 Mk 26 that he shoots the heck out of. It's about two months old, less than 1K rounds. Thus far is has been 100% in IDPA, dusty conditions and a variety of ammo.

Last night we met up and he had some new magazines. They are Meg Gars. I have some for my 1990s vintage 226, and they have been flawless.

well, last night, I inserted a mec gar and seated it as I always do and about 3 shots in, the mag dropped. I put it back in and pulled very hard on the baseplate, and it was definately in. Two shots later, it was on the bench. Every one of the 3 mags falls free during firing. None of the factory Sig mags do this. My own Sig factory standards do not fall out.

I found some vague references to Mk 25s doing this, but not much in terms of a fix. Several guys swapped out mag released and reported no change, while a few said it fixed the problem.

Holding the offending mags next to those that function doesn't show any obvious issue.

Any help?

Thanks

[Sandspider500]

Measure it.

[Citadelgrad87]

Measure it.

Can you be less specific? Measure what? The distance to the mag catch cutout? The size of the cutout? The protrusion of the mag catch?

[Experimentalist]

From the description of your experience we can minimize the odds of pistol or shooter as culprit.

The MecGar mags are likely out of specification either in dimension or material composition. Given the pistol's magazine catch has an evidently tenuous hold on the MecGars, one might speculate some dimension of the MecGars is insufficient to consistently engage the mag catch. This might allow the magazine to rotate out of engagement under recoil, even though a static load test indicates proper engagement. You ask which dimension to measure, and I am not sure. My first suspicion would be magazine width near the engagement point. Alternatively depth could be an issue.

Another possible dimensional shortcoming may be in the "window" where the magazine catch engages the MecGar magazines. Is it properly located and sufficiently deep?

Alternatively the composition of the magazines could be out of spec, either through material quality (affecting stiffness) or quantity (thickness). This could conceivably allow the magazine to deform under recoil and thus disengage the magazine catch.

This is all speculation on my part of course. Hoping it helps you to narrow down the cause.

[Barang]

the factory magazines are functioning properly so my guess is the mec-gar is out of spec. maybe rent a p226 and see if it does the same. if i were closer to you i'd love to bring my mk-25 and see how it behave with those new mags. i have dozens of mec-gars and they're all working fine.

[Spyder]

Did the Mec Gar mags drop out while HE was shooting it or just you? A pre-coffee reading seems like it could be just you, and hand placement hitting mag release? Otherwise like the other folks, measure the mag catch hole in the magazine, maybe with calipers from the top down and from the bottom up to see if positioning is right? If that's the case, easy fix with a file for a few seconds to enlarge it whichever direction it needs to be moved.

[OlderThanDirt]

Unfortunately, aftermarket magazines are not always identical and frequently have less quality control. It could be the placement of the magazine catch or even the dimensions of the magazine body. Even a slight variation in the magazine feed lips could be causing some downward pressure. Aftermarket magazine problems were the norm decades ago. Also, variations in manufacturing, like with AK firearms and magazines almost guaranteed barely perceptible variations that affected fit and function.

[Citadelgrad87]

Did the Mec Gar mags drop out while HE was shooting it or just you? A pre-coffee reading seems like it could be just you, and hand placement hitting mag release? Otherwise like the other folks, measure the mag catch hole in the magazine, maybe with calipers from the top down and from the bottom up to see if positioning is right? If that's the case, easy fix with a file for a few seconds to enlarge it whichever direction it needs to be moved.

Sorry, no, both of us. It started when I was shooting it, but continued with both of us shooting. i have had a 226 since 1990 and have significant experience with it including a 4 day LAV class, never had an issue. I am positive I was not hitting the mag release, and I watched my buddy, neither is he.

I am going to bring my own 226 next time and see if we can replicate with these mags.

His factory 10 rounders are 100% in 5 IDPA and about 6 range sessions. Never any issue of any kind. These mec gars will not fire 3 rounds without dropping free in recoil.

[Citadelgrad87]

Unfortunately, aftermarket magazines are not always identical and frequently have less quality control. It could be the placement of the magazine catch or even the dimensions of the magazine body. Even a slight variation in the magazine feed lips could be causing some downward pressure. Aftermarket magazine problems were the norm decades ago. Also, variations in manufacturing, like with AK firearms and magazines almost guaranteed barely perceptible variations that affected fit and function.

Agreed.

But mec gar MAKES factory mags for Sig. That's why I am baffled.

[sigstroker]

Mec gar has changed their design over the years. Compare the ones that don't work to an old one. Or buy some zipper-backs if that's possible.

[Spyder]

Annoying, but I bet still an easy fix. Hit them with dykem or a sharpie and see if they're running in a funny spot. Apply file.

[lexo98]

When I first got my Sig I mixed up my 92FS mags and P226. They worked but didn’t fully latch.

[SkyHawk]

Pull the grips off, take a look at the engagement. See if the catch is fully seating and how far into the mag it seats compared to factory mags, Also make sure the mag catch is not worn where it goes into the mag. Measure the width of the mags with calipers and compare them to factory mags - also check the new mags for any side to side play in the magwell, to see if they could slip off the catch. Be sure the spring tension of the mag catch is sufficient to keep it engaged under recoil. Report back please.