Mine didn't drop free, I did the benchvise mod and they now all drop free. You take apart the mag and squeeze the mag spine gently with the vise. Take care not to do it too hard to pinch the metal or pop of the solderings.I installed the mag release from HiCal : http://hical.ca/norinco-type-97-t97-left-side-magazine-release/ I like it (besides a bit of retro fitting into the frame). I wish the handle is just slightly longer like 2cm more so I can even reach out with my trigger thumb. Very fast mag release IFF your mag drops free. I wish my LAR15 drops free like the one in the vid above![]()