Fixing Magazine Lips?

[Big John]

I have started having problems with almost all of my aftermarket Mini-14 magazines in the past few years. The lips all seem to be bent out of shape and are causing various types of jams. Out of 11 aftermarket mags, 10 of them dont work properly/reliably (only one 30 rounder works properly/reliably). 9 of the ones that dont work are pre-ban 30 rounders I have had forever, and one is a 20 rounder box type magazine that looks just like an M-14 magazine.

Are there any tricks to fixing magazine lips? Ive never had to fiddle with mag lips before so I have no clue what I am doing here. I have tried simply bending them back to shape with a pair of pliers... and that just made the one mag I tried it on even worse. I was thinking about shaping a peice of wood or metal to the inside contour of a good magazine and its lips then using that to beat them back into shape with a soft rubber hammer. Any idea's?

[ar15barrels]

I have a special pair of 1.25"-wide-jaw pliers for tweaking lips.
Short of those, use a crescent wrench adjusted tight against the sheetmetal to be able to create the bends exactly where ou want them.

Your idea of a custom anvil is a good one.

[Big John]

Would it be better to straighten out the magazine lips first, then bend them back to the correct shape, or just try and fix them as is? Some of them are quite uneven and have a wavy shape to them. Im thinking of using a 2X4" shaped to the internal specs of a good magazine (the top few inchs and the lips) as a forming die of sort. Thanks for the help and suggestions in advance.

[ar15barrels]

Would it be better to straighten out the magazine lips first, then bend them back to the correct shape, or just try and fix them as is? Some of them are quite uneven and have a wavy shape to them. Im thinking of using a 2X4" shaped to the internal specs of a good magazine (the top few inchs and the lips) as a forming die of sort. Thanks for the help and suggestions in advance.

Don't work the metal any more than you need to.
I would tweak the lips as necessary to both make them straight and return them to the desired shape.
If you feel that the steel is not properly hardened, I would consider hardening it some more as well.
This would be done after the bending and would hopefully make it hold shape better.

[Utha Schleigle]

Don't work the metal any more than you need to.
I would tweak the lips as necessary to both make them straight and return them to the desired shape.
If you feel that the steel is not properly hardened, I would consider hardening it some more as well.
This would be done after the bending and would hopefully make it hold shape better.

I concurrrr.

Bending the mags too much can promote cracks. I ruined one mag by making the lips uneven and over bending. Vice Grips make a vice-gripps with wide flat-smooth jaws for holding together welding projects. As is or with piece of leather wrapped around the mag lips you could adjust the lips one unit. Some times the sell them near the clamps in Home Depo.

Hardening is a good idea after you get them set. Some mags are untreated mild steel. The metal is so thin a propain torch is probable good = any thing bigger go mapp. Do not put a mapp canister on a propain torch or it is melt down time. Just get lipps hot and quench in water. No need for the whole mag. If you have gas stove you can do it there too.

Do not burn yourself - use channel locks or wide mouthed vice grips to hold while heating and make sure it is cold before drying, oiling and reassembly.

[JTROKS]

Wood anvil may not last for 2 mags. Anvil is always nice, but with all the mags you need to fix you need to make it out of steel.

JTROKS

[bridgeport]

Have you checked the inside of the lips for burrs or roughness? sometimes just taking a jewelers file and a bit of emery to them make them run smoother. I always try to start with the least invasive techniques and then progress on the bending and or removing slight amounts of material. Also before tweaking your mags, make sure that it is the mags, because if you "custom fit" a mag and other mags dont function in your rifle then you have a one mag rifle. So, check function in conjunction with your tweaks.