Bolt open with Elander mag

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ktu

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Hi all

Was wondering if any of you had an issue with the bolt catch not fully engaging with the Elander AIA mags. After the last shot the bolt stays open but if you remove the AIA mag, the bolt slams shut. I bought second mag from another vendor and the same issue.

I have a Norc M305 with an upgraded spring guide in a Boyd's stock. I reassembled the rifle without the stock, trying to eliminate things, but no luck. 2 factory 20/5 and aftermarket 5 round mags work flawlessly.

Thanks for looking and any advice.
 
I have one Elander mag that functions fine and the other two the bolt wont stay to the rear if I remove the mag .
The bolt is held to the rear by the mag follower when this is occurring . If I hit the bottom of the mag when seating it I can get these 2 mags out and the bolt will stay to the rear.
I think the 2 problem mags are not seating correctly .
 
All 5 of my E-Lander mags worked without issue in all 3 of my M305s.
Keep in mind the M305s aren't exactly built to tight tolerances.

I did have a similar issue with 2 Springfield mags that I purchased. The bolt hold open tab on the mag follower was just a tad smaller on the Springfield vs. the Norinco ones.
I swapped in the Norinco followers and the Springfield mags worked fine.

It may be worthwhile to try an aftermarket mag release, as it may hole the E-Lander mag a little higher and allow the follower to push the bolt hold-open latch better. Of course, this may affect your ability to use the Norinco mags.
 
Do what I did.... Swap the norc follower from a 5round shorty mag into AIA mag that is giving you problems. I had to do that with one of my AIA mags purchased back in 2009. Been working perfect ever since
The bolt stop tab is a bit more generous on the norinco followers.
 
I had the exact same problem in my old M14.
I doubt it's the Norc M14 at issue because a lot of people have been saying that they will use multiple E mags in the same Norc M14 and some will work perfectly and others won't. Sounds like inconsistency in the magazines to me.

My mag didn't sit high enough because of the lug on the spine of the magazine body. It was slightly higher up on the spine when I calipered it compared to my standard magazine that worked flawlessly.
It left the cartridge case rim just below the bolt face so it wouldn't cycle rounds unless I put constant upward pressure on the bottom of the magazine.
And then if I did that, it would do the same thing others have reported. The magazine follower would hold the bolt to the rear instead of engaging/pushing up the bolt catch because (again) the magazine sits way too low in the receiver.
Sounds like a very common problem. Would have tinkered with it to make it work like I do with most of my guns. Maybe weld a small touch of steel to the bottom and file until it worked. But at almosr $120 taxes and shipping in for one single magazine and then with the "altering a magazine to fit a semi auto....". F**k that!
I ended up returning it from where I bought it after they told me they "checked it out and there was nothing wrong with it". Got my money back but ate the shipping cost personally.
Was a huge dispaointment for me.
 
45ACPKING said:
Do what I did.... Swap the norc follower from a 5round shorty mag into AIA mag that is giving you problems. I had to do that with one of my AIA mags purchased back in 2009. Been working perfect ever since
The bolt stop tab is a bit more generous on the norinco followers.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info Thomas :)
 
Well I switched out a mag follower from a M-305 mag and it fixed the problem with the bolt not staying to the rear .
Good news !! Now the mag will hold 11 rounds !! :dancingbanana: :dancingbanana:

Oh wait a sec here come the black helicopters .....

The followers on the Elander mags have a metal tab on the bottom that limits the mag capacity to 10.
The M-305 mag I used was limited by using a rivet so if I would need to use a mag that was limited internally and use that follower after I cut the bottom .
Or I guess if I could weld a tab onto the bottom of the M-305 follower from the riveted mag .
 
chalkriver said:
Well I switched out a mag follower from a M-305 mag and it fixed the problem with the bolt not staying to the rear .
Good news !! Now the mag will hold 11 rounds !! :dancingbanana: :dancingbanana:

Oh wait a sec here come the black helicopters .....

The followers on the Elander mags have a metal tab on the bottom that limits the mag capacity to 10.
The M-305 mag I used was limited by using a rivet so if I would need to use a mag that was limited internally and use that follower after I cut the bottom .
Or I guess if I could weld a tab onto the bottom of the M-305 follower from the riveted mag .
Click to expand...



Oh is that why your going nuts looking for followers.
 
Hypothetically speaking, does this fall under the dreaded "modifying a mag to function in a different rifle" category?
 
Odd Shot said:
Hypothetically speaking, does this fall under the dreaded "modifying a mag to function in a different rifle" category?
Click to expand...


Good question .....I would be modifying it by adding a modified M-305 mag follower to ensure it still only was able to fit 10 rounds .....Stupid freakin rules ...this is starting to look like a lot more trouble than its worth. lol
 
Dunno but the followers were near identical when I last checked. My AIA (not elander) mag still only takes 10 with the norc follower.
 
chalkriver said:
Good question .....I would be modifying it by adding a modified M-305 mag follower to ensure it still only was able to fit 10 rounds .....Stupid freakin rules ...this is starting to look like a lot more trouble than its worth. lol
Click to expand...

Maybe overthinking this?
AR beowolf mags take more than 10 .223 rounds and no black helicopters are swooping in on those selling or using them...
 
chalkriver said:
Good question .....I would be modifying it by adding a modified M-305 mag follower to ensure it still only was able to fit 10 rounds .....Stupid freakin rules ...this is starting to look like a lot more trouble than its worth. lol
Click to expand...

You could always just buy another m305 and try your luck using the E Landers in the new one. :p
 
Not working as well as initially hoped for �� Going back to the original set up with stripper clips.
 
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Im having an issue in my norc m305 where the last round gets crunched by the bolt, it looks like it short stroked kind of, with the rear of the round sitting proud of the action and the projectile bent and half in the chamber...It does this every single time on the last round in the magazine.

No issue with these mags in my M1A.

Thoughts? I am using a extended bolt release if that matters. The norc was built by the M14doctor back when he was the M14 doctor and has been perfect in every regard, it just doesnt seem to like these mags.
 
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