M14 Mag fit problem, with pictures

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elvis3006

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I have a USGI M14 built on a Norinco receiver on a WW big red stock. The problem I have is the CMI mags I have will not fully seat, they fit but the mag catch will not close/lock. I tried two other older USGI mags and they fit no problem. Curiously, the CMI mags will fit if I have the trigger group installed on the receiver group without the stock! Is this caused by a mag catch/release latch not made to spec or is it the CMI mags ? I placed some cardboard shims in between the trigger housing and stock creating some space to allow the mag catch to lock, this seemed to work and now the CMI mags fit. I am not sure if this is a common problem or what the true cause is, anyone experience this before ? Could the USGI stock be out of spec ?
 
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I had this same small problem. My buddy filed the tab on each magazine and now they fit perfectly.
 
does your rifle pass the hammer follow test with the shims in place?
if so, I would bed the trigger group , in that position, problem solved
 
use google to find m14 stock bedding and skip to the trigger part.
m14.ca has some fantastic links on their homepage that might be quicker than google.
easier than me trying to describe

hammer follow tests are in the stickies ;)
 
I don't know if it is related but i have both a Springfield M1A and a few norinco's. My Springfield mags will not work in the Norinco's.
Norinco mags work fine in the Springfield
 
Here are pictures of magazines. The mag pictured on the left is a CMI manufacture and the one on the right is a USGI Borg Warner I believe. Is it me or does the tab on the CMI one look longer than the USGI tab ?
 
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Here are pictures of both USGI stocks, the one on the left has what looks like bedding compound on it where the trigger frame platforms rest, and on the right a WW Big red unmodified stock. When I use the stock on the right only the USGI mags work, the CMI mags will not lock in place. But if I use the stock on the left with the bedding compound it will allow USGI mags as well as the CMI ones. My conclusion is that the CMI mag tabs are out of spec and only work on the stock pictured on the left because of the added material on the stock allowing the longer tabbed mags to seat. Do you guys agree, should I modify the CMI tabs ? Thank you.
 
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Well, since I'm south of the border, we don't get many users with Norincos, so I don't know the personalities of their receivers. Since you state that mags work when the group and the receiver are mated outside the stock, that leads me to believe that the cuts in the receiver legs are on the high side of the spec. Since the stock is not a factor, the slop between the trigger group and the receiver allow the trigger group to angle down, allowing the tab on the magazine to clear the mag latch. You can also clear a little wood where the very back of the trigger group which will allow the trigger group to angle back a little, lowering the magazine latch.

When I bed the trigger group on my rifles, I insert a rubber strip between the trigger group and the safety bridge and I only partially close the trigger group which ensures that the trigger group sits at the proper height for the magazine to work. It also ensures I have good lockup and draw pressure.

Tony.
 
Looks like the problem was the magazines catch blocks or tabs on the mag bodies were lower on the CMI mags than the older USGI ones. After measuring with calipers I found that the CMI tabs were lower on the mag body. I filed down enough on the bottom of the tab of one CMI mag to finally get it to seat and lock in to the WW Big red stock.
 
elvis3006 said:
Looks like the problem was the magazines catch blocks or tabs on the mag bodies were lower on the CMI mags than the older USGI ones. After measuring with calipers I found that the CMI tabs were lower on the mag body. I filed down enough on the bottom of the tab of one CMI mag to finally get it to seat and lock in to the WW Big red stock.
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right on elvis, glad to hear you got er figured out. just goes to show, even us 'experts" don't always give the "right" answer. I suggested bedding the trigger, which would have worked as well. I'm glad you didn't blindly follow that advice and instead took a deeper look at the magazine dimensions. other CMI mag owners may benefit from this discovery ;)
 
45ACPKING said:
right on elvis, glad to hear you got er figured out. just goes to show, even us 'experts" don't always give the "right" answer. I suggested bedding the trigger, which would have worked as well. I'm glad you didn't blindly follow that advice and instead took a deeper look at the magazine dimensions. other CMI mag owners may benefit from this discovery ;)
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Thank you, but without the advice here I would not have figured this out. The mag tabs are identical in length CMI and older USGI, just placed slightly lower on the mag body. True function test will come after firing live ammo. Again thank you to all who gave help.
 
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