• Watch Out for Scammers!

    We've now added a color code for all accounts. Orange accounts are new members, Blue are full members, and Green are Supporters. If you get a message about a sale from an orange account, make sure you pay attention before sending any money!

Solution for CLE 22LR upper misfeeds using M261 AR15 mag inserts

MLCM24

Private
Full Member
Minuteman
May 2, 2012
46
10
Alabama
Because of frequent misfeeds using the Compass Lake 22LR inserts in 20 round Colt straight AR15 magazines with a Compass Lake 22 upper conversion and a Compass Lake lower, I came up with the following solution after trying a number of different brands of magazines and even removing the follower. The insert seemed to be under undue pressure and was rigidly held in position in the magazine. It did not appear to be adjusting itself to the internal configuration of the receiver and forward path of the receiver/bolt assembly. I considered that this “locked down” position was not allowing a smooth pickup and forward carry into the chamber.
I decided to reduce the AR15 spring tension. I loosened the bottom plate and let part of the spring extend out the bottom of the mag while held in place by the partially inserted bottom plate. At about 10 or 12 “legs” of spring trapped in the magazine, the magazine started feeding with noticeably fewer miss feeds. With 6 and 8 “legs” of spring there were no misfeeds. Four spring legs was too short and the follower was too unstable even with the 22 insert in place. I measured tension on the 22 insert in place with a Warner gauge. It was 34 ounces with 6 legs of spring. I cut the spring to this length. (See picture) Thus far there have been no misfeeds in 400 rounds.
Because the insert is fairly loose, I have to brace it with my index finger (See picture showing finger position) as I load the last 5 or so rounds of the 10 it holds. I also make sure the load insert is positioned so it moves freely when I press straight down with 34 ounces of pressure with my finger. (See picture of this press and picture showing position of loaded cartridge)
I know that there are other solutions to the misfeed problem with M261 inserts and that the reasons I had with misfeeds are not the same for everyone. This is just another solution to try. Please give feedback if you use this and cover any modifications and improvements and even what didn’t work. I would welcome other ideas about what accounts for the misfeed problem. 630882E4-CAA4-466D-B612-A328FFF143D5.jpeg7C251351-F8A4-44A3-B8D7-26A98AFBB102.jpeg3E67D89F-A6C8-4F57-A3C4-0F5CAFF0967D.jpeg13354E06-D707-4D49-A0FE-C594E457E159.jpeg
 
This picture shows both pieces of the original AR15 spring and the cut and bend of the bottom part proximal to
D3046C5F-4F4E-468E-A5C7-776A64AF4D91.jpeg
where the cut was made so it conforms to the angle of the bottom plate.
Next picture shows the shortened spring and other parts that make up the final assembly.
B61DF34F-730E-4A0A-9E5C-30D647B4837D.jpeg
 
I pulled the inserts apart and polished the sides of the follower and the underside and top of the feedlips.
But I do this immediately to every new gun I buy before I even shoot them, so I never had a misfeed problem to begin with.
Flatnose and HP bullets cause trouble also.
Mine worked perfect with Standard Velocity Round Nose.
You know Black Dog makes mags, also??
 
I pulled the inserts apart and polished the sides of the follower and the underside and top of the feedlips.
But I do this immediately to every new gun I buy before I even shoot them, so I never had a misfeed problem to begin with.
Flatnose and HP bullets cause trouble also.
Mine worked perfect with Standard Velocity Round Nose.
You know Black Dog makes mags, also??

Since I have 8 inserts, I’ll polish before I cut another spring! What compound or sandpaper did you use to polish? What grit (or range)?

I’m still working on two BlackDog M261 mags. The forward movement of the bolt is sufficient to almost close the bolt and as a consequence the firing pin strike is too soft to cause ignition and the extractor does not engage. So far BlackDog has suggested trying different ammunition. Prior to asking them I had used 6 different round nose bullets with velocities ranging from 1040 to 1240. They next suggested I file down the “hump” as per instructions on the website. I had already done this when the suggestion was made. I am awaiting their response about what to do next.
 
I use 240 then 320 black wet or dry, then hit them with polishing compound on a buffer or Dremel buff pad.

Sounds like your mag catch location in your lower may be too high, do you have another lower you can try and see if you have the same problem?

The empty mag should NOT touch the bolt anywhere as it cycles.

Also remove your upper and put a loaded mag in your lower, compare the working mag to the other. Use a caliper and measure the height and angle of the rounds in the two mags. May show you where the problem is.
 
I just measured the seating depth with the mags in the receiver to see if I needed to modify the opening for the magazine catch. I’ll post the reference points I used for measurements of the mags in place in the receiver in case anyone else wants to measure and compare with what I did. I used the top edge of the receiver for one point. For the other point I used a 6” combo square with the flat of the handle resting across the rear flat lip segment the holds the 22 cartridge and then slid the blade down so it rested on the receiver top edge. See the following picture:
C046B12E-E4AE-4B47-862F-10D4005CE784.jpeg

I then measured the blade with a micrometer to get the height above the receiver edge.
1A083CBD-89BC-449F-A842-2FAA3085DF04.jpeg

The depth recorded for the receiver edge to top of rear lip for the AR15 mag with M261 insert was 0.560”. The same measurement using the mag with the shortened spring as previously described with the insert lip assembly “pushed down“ the way it seats with 34 ounces of pressure against the bolt was 0.481”. Since I know this mag feeds ok, this was my reference point for a correct seating depth. I next made the same measure for the BlackDog M261 mag. It was 0.530. The following picture shows that mag in place:
591573AE-243B-4862-B001-4290912011C2.jpeg

I tried it in both a CLE receiver and Colt SP1 and it was the same. Note this is the mag that presses up against the bolt and will not let it close completely. This is 0.049” higher than the known 0.481 that does feed. I’ll now switch to a new reply because of space.
 
Next I removed 50 thousandths of an inch from the top of the mag catch opening in the Black Dog M261 mag using a X-ACTO chisel blade.
083045AF-F4BD-4C5C-A52F-DFA330D7C1A7.jpeg

Here is the mag in place. The depth now measures 0.475”, almost the same as for the insert with shortened spring while pressed down simulating the bolt riding riding over it.
A0668ADD-B024-40F2-A264-6AAEA3F3BC5D.jpeg
FAAFD593-3EB4-415F-B9CD-98D56A31E3F4.jpeg


I didn’t plan on this being a teaser but by the time I finished it was too late to go to the range! I’ll go in the morning and try both the mag catch opening modified BlackDog mag. I’ll also recheck for function the shortened spring 34 ounce M261 insert assembly and the unmodified M261 insert in a mag with standard spring that takes 5 pound 4 ounces to depress that misfeeds so frequently by either crushing the cartridge or failing to feed straight in.

Comments so far have been a real help. Ideas or solutions that worked or didn’t work are still welcome. I haven’t tried everything suggested yet but I will and I’ll post how I did it and whether it works or not for my equipment.
 
I would also compare LOADED mags and make sure the actual round is sitting in the same location and at the same angle. The BD and insert may not hold the round the same...

Also, if you ever rest a mag (after your mag catch mod), while shooting, on anything it will raise the mag and cause feed problems.

I would take some epoxy and fill in the lower part of the hole so any pressure on the bottom of the mag won't raise it. But I'd try it first and make sure it's fixed before you go to the epoxy.

I also cut the top off the BD mag follower that stick up and stop the bolt as I like my mags to drop free, but that is personal preference. If your firing pin hits the barrel without a round in the chamber, you may want to leave it on as it does help with the potential peening that can occur if you snap on an empty chamber.

I make sure I can dry fire all my .22's without this happening by fitting the FP properly.
 
I checked the angle of the loaded cartridge using the upper shoulder of the mag as the horizontal reference point using SPI angle gauges. This way of measuring was highly “eyeball dependent. For both the M261 insert loaded with 2 rounds and the BlackDog M261 mag loaded with the same number, the angle was 5 degrees. For the BobSled single feed the angle was close to 1 degree. See picture:
398722F1-9258-4872-8BBD-63A6EC755770.jpeg

At the range I loaded Ehley Club in the BlackDog M261 mag that I had modified by chiseling out the mag catch opening upper border by 50 thousands of an inch. The first two magazines loaded with 10 rounds each time fed flawlessly. The third magazine had a round that failed to fire. The strike looked strong. I tried single loading twice and each time the strike looked fine but the round failed to fire. I think the problem was the round and not the feed. The fourth 10 rounds fed without a problem.
The Ehley Club is a target velocity 22. It has not been as reliable in cycling the bolt assembly in my 22 conversion unit as has been the Small Game Bullet. I usually use CCI Small Game Bullets which have a higher velocity and flatter trajectory in the Rifle Silhouette Matches I shoot with the CLE AR15 22 conversion upper. Tomorrow I’ll try them.

The suggestion about cutting the top of the follower off on the BlackDog mag makes sense. I always count as I fire anyway and now that I have looked, I just don’t like seeing the bolt resting on the back of the follower. It looks sloppy rather than a well engineered solution.

Epoxy for the catch opening will come after more testing. I’m hoping I can find a shim piece to epoxy in rather than epoxy fill that may need filing.
 
I don't like the epoxy either, but it's the simplest solution....
What I would do ( because I have access to lots of stuff in my shop and lots of time to tinker), is find a very small setscrew, ie, 4-40 or 5-40 and drill a hole in the plastic body of the mag in just the right spot to stick up .050" and fill the gap. It would even be adjustable...LOL
You don't need to tap the plastic, only drill the right size, as the setscrew will tap it's own threads in the polycarbonate body.

EDIT: One more observation...your 20 round AR mag looks VERY well used, make sure the feed lips are good and not bent or worn. The mag catch hole looks a little odd, too, but it may just be the pic.
 
Last edited:
As much as I would like for my CLE 22 AR15 upper to work with all brands of ammunition, the real world set in today. From yesterday when 4 magazines of 10 rounds in the BlackDog M261 magazine modified so it would feed correctly in my CLE equipment, I already knew that Eley Club (1085 FPS) fed 4 mags with 10 rounds each with only one misfire (dud) and no misfeeds.

Today I started with two full mags of Wolf Match Target (1050 FPS) which fed flawlessly. I then interspersed with 2 mags of CCI Small Grain Bullet (1235 FPS), followed by like numbers of Wolf then CCI and so on. This method of testing assures that each round had equal exposure to changing conditions in the receiver and magazine such as carbon buildup from firing. All were 40 grain round nose 22 LR. Each time I went back to a mag of Wolf Match Target, there were no malfunctions. Each time I went to the interspersed CCI SGB, feed malfunctions occurred. This was variously for 1st rounds, second rounds and rounds in any other position in line. The misfeeds occured with both 5 round and 10 round loads in the magazine.
It appears that the modification to the BlackDog M251 mag that was specific for my CLE equipment (raising the mag catch opening so it seated .050” lower in the receiver) did provide reliable feed for two target velocity loads (Eley Club and Wolf Match Target). The one brand of higher velocity 22LR (CCI SGB) tested malfunctioned so frequently that it would not be reliable enough for use in competitions fed from a BlackDog magazine in my equipment but would be useful with single feed (and is the cartridge I do use for metallic silhouette matches).

I know this has been tediously detailed but it does present one way of testing ammunition for function that is fair to both brands tested today.

Does anyone have a small piece of .050” polycarbonate shim that will fit across the bottom of the BlackDog catch opening? I’m still looking for the easiest way to fix that!
 
I think these were made to run SV ammo, I never had any luck with HV stuff in the 2 examples I had. You would probably have to have a heavier recoil spring or a bolt buffer of some type to slow the bolt velocity down.
McMaster-Carr will have your shim stock and the correct glue for the polycarbonate.

If you are just shooting for fun in the Sillywet matches the AR will be cool, but if you ever want to get serious, the slow lock time (7-8 ms) of the AR will be impossible to overcome compared to a true striker fired bolt gun (1-2 ms) with comparable shooters. It's a huge handicap while shooting anything positional.
 
Last edited:
I used small dowels (one to hold the follower down) or my finger and polished the feed lips on one M261 insert with 400 wet or dry sandpaper. I didn’t disassemble the unit. The bottom piece was held down tight by the bent metal catch and I didn’t want to rebend something to disassemble the piece so I could polish the sides of the follower and take a chance on breaking the catches off. This picture has been edited some to more clearly show the surfaces (bright areas) that were polished. This is a well used insert and the edges were already somewhat smooth from use.
0F2D31B3-E1FA-4669-A37C-FDD337EA0D0E.jpeg
 
Today using the M261 insert (with polished feed lips) in a AR15 20 round magazine with the AR15 spring reduced to just 6 legs for a pressure on the insert of just over 2 pounds, I fired 5 times with the mag loaded each time with 10 rounds of Wolf Match Target 22LR. Again there were no misfires or failures to feed with this target velocity load.

The reduced strength spring modification for the M261 insert in a 20 round AR15 magazine described in this post is what I am going to continue using in my Compass Lake M261 upper with a Compass Lake 223 lower.

This post has also described a way to reduce spring tension and check for function prior to cutting a spring and described how to measure the reduced spring pressure that worked for my equipment and problem. Prior to trying this solution, I was able to see the insert held in place by the standard strength spring push up on the bolt. This, in retrospect and after it was pointed out to me, was a real tip-off that either the magazine catch was holding the magazine too high (as was the case for the BlackDog magazine) or under too much pressure (and possibly with the magazine catch position problem also) as was for the M261 insert. I chose the “reduce spring pressure” solution. It worked and is certainly easier than modifying the magazine catch opening and filing polycarbonate or metal and filling in with epoxy.

Thanks for all the additional help by my fellow poster who kept this project moving along.

I’d still like to hear from anyone else that uses this solution for a similar problem or even a different problem.
 
Now that I have made this modification in a number of magazines, I need to point out another variable to consider when deciding how much spring to cut off. Not all springs have equal force. If there is too much force, i.e. the spring is too long, feed problems can occur.
Measuring with a Wagner gauge, the optimum pressure, after reassembly and insertion of the 22LR adapter is in the range of 2 to 2-1/2 pounds. This is the force necessary to depress the insert the 3/32 of a inch or so necessary for it to be stopped from further travel by the magazine frame. (Of course when force is released, the insert springs back).
The attached photo shows the placement for the measurement.

3895D18E-955B-4FD3-B8D8-EFEE14F07683.jpeg
 
Wanted to bump this up to see how these mods have played out over time? I have been working on trying to get my CLE upper to work with the inserts seated in 10rd mag bodies. I'm located in California, and I generally prefer to only travel with the true short body 10rd'ers. I've noticed that my rifle fed much better (95ish%) reliability, with the inserts in old GI style 30's, but in the shorty's I was jamming 50% of rounds fed or worse.
My current set up is 10rd aluminum mags with the follower removed, and the spring wrapped around the insert. The spring pressure doesn't feel all that heavy, but it does tend to torque the insert to the back of the mag, rather than the front. Do you guys feel that your inserts are normally pushed to the front, or rear, and do you feel that makes a difference in feeding? I could probably put a kink into the bottom coils to try to push the insert forward, and do some polishing work. Otherwise I'll have to find a vendor with 20rders who's willing to do some custom work for me to modify a mag to 10 rds, but still work with the insert.
 
I have also tried removing the follower and letting the spring hug the 22 feed insert. This was a common suggestion for something to try years back. I could never get it to work. I concluded that everything was too loose and the insert was not being held in a proper alignment to feed. The insert could be centered so it fed the first round and usually a few more but it shifted out of the more neutral center position as firing continued and eventually misfed. I gave up on this “fix.”

I put the follower back in so there would be a stable platform for the bottom of the insert to rest against. To see if it is firmly seated without cant, I just gently push straight down a few times on the center top of the insert and usually can feel if it is seated against the follower correctly. If it is, it doesn’t tend to slip out of alignment with firing. Reducing spring tension as described in this post was absolutely necessary.

I don’t think I have talked with anyone that uses the 22 conversion inserts for the tightly timed stages of competitions where a miss feed will take the competitor out of the running for that stage. The reliability is just not there. For noncritical practice, miss feeds are only a nuisance. I actually almost always single feed because I use the gas gun 22 conversion as a trainer for slow fire matches like the NRA Tactical midrange matches so I get practice with the same trigger and stock.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Vodak
Thanks for the response MLCM24. Would you mind describing the front to back positioning of your inserts in the mags? Is the front tab located over/inline with the front edge of the magazine, or does it sit a little behind it?
I don't mind the occasional misfeed, but right now I'm destroying almost as many rounds as I get to fire. I'd certianly like to get it to the point where I can use it for practicing positional shooting. But more than that I want it reliable enough to hand off to a new shooter to have fun with and get comfortable with an AR style rifle.
 
Let’s see if these pictures help. The first picture shows the position of the front tab. It is in line with the front of the mag. I took the picture so it would show this correctly and without distortion.

The middle picture shows the angle of the insert within the mag through the catch opening.

The third picture shows a insert laid on the mag showing the position of the insert within the mag.

I can add other views or explanation as needed and if I’m not addressing the right point.
 

Attachments

  • 81FB9C0D-BDFE-49A4-87BC-D59EED2048E7.jpeg
    81FB9C0D-BDFE-49A4-87BC-D59EED2048E7.jpeg
    254.4 KB · Views: 77
  • EC4805DD-73E3-45FF-8612-9414053AD96A.jpeg
    EC4805DD-73E3-45FF-8612-9414053AD96A.jpeg
    219.8 KB · Views: 76
  • 5F30D760-08EF-42B1-A767-65479765A980.jpeg
    5F30D760-08EF-42B1-A767-65479765A980.jpeg
    341.4 KB · Views: 82
Here’s another idea.

The conversion insert extends down about 3-1/4” from the top of the magazine. How long is your”short” 10 round magazine? Can you post a picture of the short mag with the insert laid in position on the outside (similar to one of the pictures I just posted). I am concerned that there isn’t enough clearance below the insert for the insert to “float lightly” on the spring and a follower so it feeds without binding. The system didn’t feed properly with a full strength spring that held everything rigid and locked when in place. That’s why the spring had to be shortened. Not too loose but loose enough to function.

It might be that the short 10 round mag simply can’t work because it is too short to allow proper seating with the proper tension


I don’t have a short mag to try. Let’s see if the mag measurements and picture lend support or discredit to this idea.
 
Those are great. With my current set up my inserts sit further back. I'm also unable to use the follower at all with the purpose made 10 round magazines due to the length. I'll try to take a few photo's tomorrow evening for comparison, but I'm getting the feeling I need to just get some blocked 20's on order, and modified to only be used with the inserts exclusively.
 
Here’s another idea.

The conversion insert extends down about 3-1/4” from the top of the magazine. How long is your”short” 10 round magazine? Can you post a picture of the short mag with the insert laid in position on the outside (similar to one of the pictures I just posted). I am concerned that there isn’t enough clearance below the insert for the insert to “float lightly” on the spring and a follower so it feeds without binding. The system didn’t feed properly with a full strength spring that held everything rigid and locked when in place. That’s why the spring had to be shortened. Not too loose but loose enough to function.

It might be that the short 10 round mag simply can’t work because it is too short to allow proper seating with the proper tension


I don’t have a short mag to try. Let’s see if the mag measurements and picture lend support or discredit to this idea.
 
Keep in mind that most factory blocked magazines are not designed to be opened and removing the “permanent“ seal may also cause problems because of state regulations. This may preclude access to the spring for reducing the length for a more reliable feed.

A work around is to use a Black Dog magazine if one is made for your upper. Are you using a M261/CLE style upper. You will need the one that is made for use in your upper and is assembled with screws so it can be disassembled. There are posts on a couple websites describing how to cut down a 10 round Black Dog magazine to about 5” length and retain the max 10 round capacity. Some other minor fine tuning may also be needed.

Search for “shorten Black Dog polycarbonate magazine “ on this website for one example.
 
I bought three of the Black Dog M261 mags a couple of years ago, hoping that they'd work in my CLE 22RF upper and be reliable enough to allow me to use this rifle while I'm out at night with my dog - we see enough coyotes & racoons around the house at night so that I wouldn't think of letting her out to go do her business before going to bed without me along to be her 'bodyguard'. I bought the CLE machined match grade Douglas bbl and modified M261 from CLE, then put an upper together using Aero Precision parts, including a floating handguard with rails at 12:00, 3:00, 6:00, and 9:00, and have a TK16 LED flashlight in a picatinny rail mount and a pressure switch replacing the tail cap so my left hand can easily turn the light on if I need to take a shot at a predator threatening Bea-dog. Unfortunately, the BD mags haven't worked well at all - but some of the mods made by MLCM24 gave me some ideas that may make them usable after all. It's not that I don't have enough of the M261 insert mags to work, but they're more of a PITA to load than the BD mags are.

This is the 2nd dedicated 22RF CLE upper I've owned - bought the 1st one as an assembled upper from CLE back in the late '90s while I was still in the hunt for leg points for the Distinguished Rifleman Badge, but sold it to a friend who was also shooting leg matches after I legged-out in 2001. That 1st upper was very accurate, and mostly trouble-free, but I've had a few issues with this one that I put together myself. Had one round fire out of battery, which blew the extractor out of the boltface. I wasn't able to find it, so had to order in spares from CLE. It just hasn't been as trouble free as the one Frank put together for me, and because I've got too many other irons in the fire (including several precision 22RF bolt rifle projects on Stiller 2500XR, 40X & Vudoo V-22 repeaters, V-22S single shot, and now a Vudoo Three-60 action that I need to barrel), this AR22 just doesn't get enough attention. So when a thread like this one comes along, I pay attention and file the information away for future use. So thanks to both MLCM24 & Hellbender for the info!
 
mag1.jpg
mag2.jpg
mag3.jpg

Here's the relative size of the insert and 10rd magazines. Hopefully you can see where the insert is being held to the rear, instead of the forward edge of the magazine. I think I'm going to start by polishing up the rough edges on the feed lips, and trying to bend the bottom coils of the spring so as to lean the insert forward instead of back.
If I try to go with 20rd magazine's I'll have to do something like put a cross pin in below the top "wings" of the insert, but above the follower. That should would allow it to float normally, but prevent their being used to feed ammo normally, which would keep me legal. Ideally I can find a shop that does mag blocking already to do it for me. If not I can buy blocked mags and modify them. So long as I pin the top side before removing the capacity limiter I stay legal here.
It would probably be more cost effective to buy the blackdogs, and sell my inserts. But I enjoy a bit of a challenge, and prefer the look and feel of the metal magazines.
 
I agree. The short magazine is too short to be workable.

Here’s a measurement to consider. When I used a 20 round magazine and cut the spring down, with the follower simply resting on the spring, there is just under 2-1/2” clearance left for the insert before any spring tension comes into play. See picture.

Do you know how much clearance is above the follower when it hits the block for 10 rounds? Hopefully the spring can be cut so there is about 2-1/2” clearance and the follower is still above the block. My concern is that with 2-1/2” clearance, 12 or 13 rounds of 223 will need to load before spring tension is engaged (I loaded this many in a mag with cut down spring and insert removed). You may need to try less spring cut down than I am using. Anyway, another variable to consider.
 

Attachments

  • FE420904-CFA9-4C03-8E5F-26547EC2360C.jpeg
    FE420904-CFA9-4C03-8E5F-26547EC2360C.jpeg
    322.3 KB · Views: 46
Last edited:
You are correct about the length of the insert being to long to fit on top of the follower in a blocked magazine. It would need to be a set up dedicated specifically to these inserts, rather than something I could use for 223 as well.
I did have an idea yesterday evening which I think will work with my short magazines. I realized that the reason the insert was being pushed to the back was because the front edge of the spring was bumping into the ribs in the magazine. I removed the normal mag spring, and instead installed a round spring with guide rod into the back of the magazine. It’s not quite as stable as when it’s locked into a mag with a follower, but it does sit at the forward edge of the magazine now, and floats against the bottom of the bolt group like it should.
mag4.jpg
 
Last edited:
Ran 30 rds each through two different mags today. I had some (3) failure to feeds on rounds one, (2x) or two (1x), and one failure to eject. But after that they ran the remaining rounds without a hickup. I think that if I were paying more attention to making sure the mag is seated correctly, and the first round is at the right angle it would stop jamming that first round as well. I will try to find a spring that fits a little better. I believe that will help as well. The two I used were made by taking a tension spring, stretching it out into a compression spring, and crushing the top coil to fit inside the insert. Not pretty, but functional.
One up side to this, is that it's really easy to remove the insert for loading. I've always found it a struggle to load all ten rounds with the insert wanting to push down into the magazine or flop around side to side. With the round spring I just slip it out, load it, and pop it back in.
All in all I think this was a success, and a good starting place for anyone else who wants to give these a try, but is limited to reduced capacity magazines.
 
  • Like
Reactions: MLCM24
Problem solving. I’m always amazed at the ways things can be solved that I could never have thought of! Congratulations.

When the spring modification is fine tuned, would you please add a picture of the final assembly mock-up or does the above picture do that job now? Did you continue to use a guide rod? Is it left in place or only used during assembly? It may take a picture illustrating its use for me to follow.
 
Last edited:
I found that the spring guide rod didn’t have any effect on reliability in testing.
When installed it was simply placed inside the spring to prevent it from bowing when under pressure. The locations of everything are basically what is in the photo above, minus the guide inside the spring.
It does dampen sound though- without it in place I could hear a slight ringing coming from the magazine.
I used a piece of dowel rod to test. But I think I’m going to lathe turn a plastic rod to have a foot at the end. And I’ll use that even though it was functional without it.
Update-I spent most of my morning playing around with this project. I came to the realization that a better solution may have been sitting in front of my face the whole time. When I first got this upper I dismissed Pmags as an option almost immediately. Pmags are too narrow to accept the insert without binding, and I didn't want to file out the interior to make them fit. This might actually be a reasonable option if one were to either file the inserts rather than the mags, or just thin out the mag walls enough to fit though. Pmags have tighter spacing between the feed lips, so they would do really well at keeping the insert centered in line with the bore.
Lancer L5's on the other hand are shaped more like a standard metal magazine, and the insert drops right in. I took an extra mag spring, cut it down to a single coil, bent a leg into it, and clipped that onto the Lancer mag base plate. It's a really good combination. The insert has a little bit of "float" still so that it rides on the bolt group, but it also bottoms out on the mag base plate, keeping it in position for loading. I'll have to get back out to the range to verify, but everything feels very promising so far.
mag6.jpg
mag5.jpg
 
Last edited:
Shot the Lancer mag conversion this morning and feel that it's the best option for my low capacity magazine situation. Slightly better feeding than the metal mag But that may be attributable to my having a better understanding of some of the first round jams.- I found that having the bullet nose slightly up for the first round works more reliably than counting on the insert ramp to lift it.
It's also easier to load cartridges into the insert in the short Lancer than in the short metal mag, or standard capacity (30 rd) metal mags I have.
For me I think this will be what I stick with going forward. If anyone else is interested in trying this, and the description of my spring mods are unclear, feel free to PM me, I'll gladly help out if I can.