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Mag issues

TPatz

Private
Full Member
Minuteman
Oct 4, 2012
60
14
Fresno, CA
I'm having issues with my only mag for my gap 10. I live in California so I have a 10 round dpms. I know I need to get more but nobody in town has any so it will take some time. The mag sticks a bit which causes the tail end of the cartridge to sit too low and this often results in the failure to chamber a round or a jam. Is this a common issue? Any easy fixes or mag recommendations?

Thanks
 
Can the GAP10 use Magpul mags? If so, there's a few places that sell 20 round LR308 pinned to only take 10 rounds.
 
I have had a host of different issues with DPMS factory LR-308 mags over the years. Some are run 100% while others are FAR from it. I've had issues with mags having feedlips out of whack, as well as mags where the mag catch holes had been cut out of position in relation to where they should be...either of those could be causing your issues.

First and foremost...ensure that you actually have the mag seated completed in the rifle and that it is fully locked in place. Once that's done, have a look and see if it appears that the magazine truly isn't being allowed to insert far enough from the lower into the upper receiver to permit proper functioning. Also, with a loaded magazine, see if the rounds are resting against the feedlips of the magazine completely. If the rearward-most portion of the feedlips are bent or otherwise out of spec, they can cause the mag itself to push downward on the rear portion of the case body and cause the issues you are describing. Aside from those couple things...not a whole not more you can do at this point.

I also second the getting more (DIFFERENT) magazines recommendation. The Magpul 20LR series PMAGs are excellent. Magpul is intro'ing a limited capacity, 10-round version in the coming few months if you want to or you can wait that long. If not, and you can get someone to ship them to you, cutting down a 20-round Magpul mag and pinning the floorplate on to "manufacture" a CA-legal 10-round mag can be done fairly easily with simple tools (you'll need them shipped to you as a "magazine repair kit"). As sentry1 said...before the last craze of buying some places like MidwestPX offered cut-down and otherwise limited capacity 20LR PMAGs, but since the basic factory mags have become so scarce and expensive (double retail give or take), nobody has the limited capacity, modified mags available right now unless you stumble across some here or BARFCOM.
 
Thanks for the help. The magazine is seating In the rifle properly and everything seems to be fitting nicely. The slide mechanism is what is getting hung up. It often does not push a round up and flush with the feed lips. The feed lips appear to be in perfect alignment though. I'd think a stiffer spring would solve my problem. Ill jump back on the hunt for some new pmags. Thanks again.
 
Last month I found a couple of the DPMS steel mags for reasonable price and in stock at a place in Arizona. There was a thread here where someone listed their name. I called, paid and they were shipped the next day. I'll try to dig around at home and find the name and info if you like.
 
OK, so I got a couple steel DPMS 10 rounders at Healy Arms. Used to be Wildlife Callers. Here's a link:
Healy Arms

It looks like they are rebuilding their website so just call them. I found their phone service very pleasant.

Also, this company looks like a new player in the mag market, D&H Industries, at Wideners:
Widener's Reloading and Shooting Supply INC

You may want to call them to verify fit, but a comparison with my DPMS steel mags by picture makes me believe that these are for this pattern rifle. Plus the price is better.

Good luck.
 
I just had the same issue on saturday with my GAP-10 and a dpms mag. I bought one from wildlife callers and I traded my 20 round pmag for another to someone on the board. The one I got from wildlife callers works great but the one I traded for does the same thing on the 3rd round left in the mag. I only load 5 at a time, 1 and 2 chamber fine and 4 and 5 chamber fine and the bolt fails to pick up the 3rd one. I know its the mag and not the gun cause my other mag runs fine. I'm going to try slightly bending the feed lips up so the round will sit a little higher and get picked up by the bolt.

If anyone has any other suggestions, I'm all ears.
 
To those others experiencing mid-mag hang-ups...try taking them apart and looking for any burrs inside the mag bodies that might be causing the follower to catch/bind. If you find one...a quick dremel (depending on where it is) or little sanding/polishing should remove the issue. Also, double-checking the feedlips to ensure that they aren't out of whack is a good idea, but generally, that'd cause more issues that 1 in 5 or at a fixed interval like always on the 3rd round out of 5 in the mag.
 
It's always my preference not to use lube inside mags unless it's dry graphite. Lubes tend to grab dirt and sand and really jam things up, in my experience and opinion. Most feed issues are mechanically related in my experience.

- worn magazine spring - replace with new or improved spring
- feed lips damaged or improperly formed - gently reform/bend for proper function
- sharp edges or burrs on stamped parts - use stone to smooth out
- worn/malfunctioning magazine latch - check both magazine and latch function and look for cause
- bad magazine design or construction method - replace with good magazine :)


EDIT: Out of interest, I just called and spoke to my favorite aftermarket gun spring supplier, Wolff Gunsprings, to see if they currently make an upgrade/replacement mag spring for DPMS/SR25 pattern mags. It turns out that they currently do not list one and have yet to address this spring, but they have been considering it as a future item. It seems they have received a bit of interest in this item. So maybe 6 months to 2 years from now that will be a reality.
 
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