[Porkchopper]

Hello All,

Brand new forum member here, and I actually registered tonite hoping to get some help with these.

Went to a gun show and bought two new-in-the-box ProMag M1A/M14 20rd mags. Paid just under $50 for the pair. No receipt provided and don't recall the name of the vendor. Spent a little more money on new packaged magazines assuming that doing so reduced or eliminated any risk.

Got home and put the first into my Springfield "Loaded" M1A and it just falls right out. Just a tap and it drops out. Nothing is catching it and holding it in. Pulled the second one out of its package and same thing.

I immediately went to YouTube and Google thinking that if I'm having this problem, there must be hundreds of others with the same issue. Couldn't find a single video or blog post complaining about ProMag mags and the M1A.

I haven't contacted ProMag yet. Mostly because I have no receipt and won't even be able to tell them the vendor's name. Kind of hoping someone will have a tip for making them work. Searched here before posting though, and didn't find anything.

Any ideas or advice?

TIA,

 

[lefisherman1890]

Did you load these magazines up to full capacity? It is common if you insert a full magazine when the bolt is closed, it won't actually catch and lock due to the pressure of the bolt.

 

[Wasted ammo]

Did you load these magazines up to full capacity? It is common if you insert a full magazine when the bolt is closed, it won't actually catch and lock due to the pressure of the bolt.

If this is the problem then lock the bolt back before inserting the mag.

 

[SA762]

Welcome to the forum. Like the old saying says, live and learn. The current best mags for your M1A can be found at 44mag.com. CMI magazines

 

[48361]

ProMag doesn't have the best reputation for feeding M1A/M14s. Like SA762 said, get some CMI mags.
Welcome to the obsession!

 

[phluxter]

Try CMI mags. Trust me...

 

[DudleyDR]

For commercial mags, what the last three guys said! And there are always genuine U.S.G.I. mags - hard to go wrong there. DI5

 

[GardenValley]

Had you posted a question about the quality of these magazines and other's experiences with them before you purchased any magazines, you could have been armed with the knowledge of which ones were best. That would have saved you both heartache and money.

 

[Porkchopper]

Didn't load the mags at all - completely empty!

 

[MudPie]

I don't want to sound condescending, but you're not trying to load the mags "AR style", as in just inserting the mags straight in, are you ? These require a tilt/rocking style "AK style" if you will. Just asking.

Like the others have said, CMI mags are the way to go. Current military issue and high quality. In fact, I've purchased only CMI mags due to the advice given here. 6 so far and I can see that amount increasing.

 

[Porkchopper]

Had you posted a question about the quality of these magazines and other's experiences with them before you purchased any magazines, you could have been armed with the knowledge of which ones were best. That would have saved you both heartache and money.

Wow. Super helpful advice. You're like the Microsoft Office paperclip, but for guns.

 

[Porkchopper]

Nope. Rocking in completely empty mags. They're just not "catching". The slightest bump knocks them right out. I've owned many rifles and have dealt with tricky mags. Hard for me to believe these could be so far out of spec.

 

[dozerhand]

Forum rules: Pics or it didn't happen

later, dozer

 

[ordnance21XX]

Yep, 44mag.com. CMI magazines This is what I use, Happy Shooting

 

[KurtC]

The M14 has a "unique" method of locking the magazine. The lock in front is spring loaded, the latch in the rear is part of a separate assembly and the top rear of the mag slides into the receiver.

These can combine to give you a lot of variables from one rifle to another. It is therefore important that the magazine is close to original spec.

Pro Mag has a poor reputation for making just about everything. RNGR2

Do USGI, Checkmate or Springfield Armory Inc. magazines lock in properly?

 

[WichitaWrat]

Wow. Super helpful advice. You're like the Microsoft Office paperclip, but for guns.

LOL!
Yup. You'll find that from time-to-time. But by and large, you're in the Central Nerve Center for all things M1A. Lots to learn hereabouts.


WW

 

[Porkchopper]

Kurt, Yes - The Springfield mags lock in properly. Very tight, but thinking this will loosen up a bit over time.

 

[nf1e]

Are you hooking the front of the mag in first and then rocking the rear up to lock?

 

[DudleyDR]

ProMag had a so-so reputation prior to the '94 AWB. And IIRC, they rushed production to build up a stock of magazines prior to the ban's going into place and quality control suffered. Some have gone so far as to say that there was no QC - just get the product out the back door as fast as possible. Confidence in their mags became worse. Other commercially produced mags on the market were hurt by the bad reputation that ProMag instilled in the minds of shooters. A magazine-fed weapon is virtually useless w/o a well-fitting positive feeding mag. You may have to trust a mag to your life. Get what works. Quality should influence a purchase more than price. If ProMag could guarantee you good ones they might do an exchange. If not, toss them. The guy who "dumped" them off on you didn't do you any favor. You should not even consider doing the same to someone else, especially since you know they have a lock-up problem. Best wishes.

PS Don't do what some of these pseudo macho clowns do on internet videos. I see them emptying mags quickly, throwing or tossing the empty on the ground often on dirt or rocks. And often you can hear it hit something hard. Do not abuse your mags like that. One day these idiots will wonder why their mags won't feed properly...and they will blame the mag.

 

[DudleyDR]

Kurt, Yes - The Springfield mags lock in properly. Very tight, but thinking this will loosen up a bit over time.

Tight is good.