How stiff are AR mags in your NEA SL8 AR magwell?

[the_klenzer]

Bought one of the NEA SL8 AR magwell adapters from One Shot (thanks Darren) a couple weeks back and just got to installing it this morning. It was a very stiff fit to get in, requiring the use of a hammer to set the pin back in.

I popped an AR mag in it and it seems to work, though VERY stiff. The mags don't drop free, and require a two handed process to pull out (one holding the rifle/release, the other giving a good tug). Now, the SL8 for me is pretty much a bench only rifle, but I still want to know that these are operating properly and I don't have one that's slightly out of tolerance.

So, how hard is it to get your AR mags out of your NEA adapter?
And, do you (literaly) have to hammer the pin in and out of the adapter to get it in?

Thanks!

PS, NEA if you're reading this, I suggest a thin carboard wrap around the magwell adapter inside the plastic bag it ships in, mine arrived with multiple scratches on it that I'm guessing are from being shipped together in a batch. I'm not anal about accessories, but may save some complaints in the future.

 

[Tachead]

For the money those cost I would send it back man. It is clearly machined too tight if mags wont drop free and are standard mags. And imo any accessory you buy new should be in mint condition because thats what you paid for. A new product. I must read a post about problems with NEA products every couple of weeks. I think they need to seriously tighten their QC. I know every newer company has its growing pains but, they seem worse. I was considering one of their ARs but, until they get their act together my money will be spent on a product with the bugs worked out. Too bad, because I like to support Canadian. And, I know NEA always seems to make good when they screw up but, I myself dont want the hastle. I want to buy a product that will work out of the box the first time. On a side note, I am still glad NEA is trying this I just wont be a beta tester.

 

[North Eastern Arms]

What kind of mags are you using? The only issues we've ever heard of is with GEN1 Pmags as well as the euro Emag (which were slightly oversized in the spines).

The magwell itself is made to go in tight, correct. We suggest using a rubber mallet to tap the magwell up to seat properly. If the takedown pin is tight going in, the magwell itself is likely not all the way in place. It's designed to fit the G36 and SL8. We've sold hundreds of these and haven't had any reports with what you're experiencing. It could likely be a mag issue. What kind of damage is there to the magwell? Is it possible that a sidewall has been hit in? It'd take a pretty good shot to do that though. You can send me a email to dave@northeasternarms.com with a picture and we'll take a look at it to see if anything seems out of place. I'm not saying you don't have an issue, we just need to find the cause.

We have a pile of these in service with various SWAT units and SF units in the US and Europe with no complaint. Even H&K is looking at them.

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Try and see how many of these officers are using AR mags in their G36's ..
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As to the finish on the magwell.. it was shipped to the dealer a year ago and has been in the store since. It wouldn't have been shipped in that condition.

 

[North Eastern Arms]

For the money those cost I would send it back man. It is clearly machined too tight if mags wont drop free. And imo any accessory you buy new should be in mint condition because thats what you paid for. A new product. I must read a post about problems with NEA products every couple of weeks. I think they need to seriously tighten their QC. I know every newer company has its growing pains but, they seem worse. I was considering one of their ARs but, until they get their act together my money will be spent on a product with the bugs worked out. Too bad, because I like to support Canadian. And, I know NEA always seems to make good when they screw up but, I myself dont want the hastle. I want to buy a product that will work out of the box the first time. On a side note, I am still glad NEA is trying this I just wont be a beta tester.

Where to start??

- It's machined to spec.
- It should be received in mint condition, I agree. If he's not happy with it, he should return it to the dealer.
- Problems every couple of weeks? I love how everything is over-dramatic and exaggerated around this place... Are you generalizing or talking out yer arse?
- QC has been tightened. This item has been out for 2 years, there have been no issues reported. In fact it's our most popular exported item and we have more of these in the hands of industry professionals than any other product we make.
- Again, what bugs?
- Our act is fully together in re our rifles.
- Chances are that a year ago when it was made and shipped, it was fine "out of the box".

 

[CNADNSL8-5]

Where to start??

- It's machined to spec.
- It should be received in mint condition, I agree. If he's not happy with it, he should return it to the dealer.
- Problems every couple of weeks? I love how everything is over-dramatic and exaggerated around this place... Are you generalizing or talking out yer arse?
- QC has been tightened. This item has been out for 2 years, there have been no issues reported. In fact it's our most popular exported item and we have more of these in the hands of industry professionals than any other product we make.
- Again, what bugs?
- Our act is fully together in re our rifles.
- Chances are that a year ago when it was made and shipped, it was fine "out of the box".

While I have nothing bad to say about NEA or thier products, the bolded statment is not entirely true. There was an issue with a few of the magwells that did not allow the bolt hold open to operate properly after the last round was fired. I undersdand that these were exchanged for new ones without any hassle.

 

[CNADNSL8-5]

Hey the_klenzer,

Did you remove the tabs in the sl8 reciever?

 

[North Eastern Arms]

Yes, you are correct, I was refering to the spec of the magwell itself. There was an issue with the BHO, but that has long since been resolved.

 

[Suputin]

And imo any accessory you buy new should be in mint condition because thats what you paid for. A new product. I must read a post about problems with NEA products every couple of weeks. I think they need to seriously tighten their QC. I know every newer company has its growing pains but, they seem worse. I was considering one of their ARs but, until they get their act together my money will be spent on a product with the bugs worked out.

I would assume that you nor anyone else would have any issues with Colt parts?

Did you know that Colt dumps their upper receivers into a big box with no wrapping or other protection at all? Have you ever seen a bunch of Colt uppers before they have been assembled? Their condition is a long way from "mint condition" I can assure you. As well the paint from the white number markings is usually smeared over parts of the upper and they generally look like shat.

My point being that the standard which you expect NEA to live up to is not even close to the standard that Colt gets away with. Yet people love Colt and hold it up as the peak of AR manufacturers. Colt can do no wrong and it seems on this board NEA can do no right.

 

[Tachead]

Where to start??

- It's machined to spec.
- It should be received in mint condition, I agree. If he's not happy with it, he should return it to the dealer.
- Problems every couple of weeks? I love how everything is over-dramatic and exaggerated around this place... Are you generalizing or talking out yer arse?
- QC has been tightened. This item has been out for 2 years, there have been no issues reported. In fact it's our most popular exported item and we have more of these in the hands of industry professionals than any other product we make.
- Again, what bugs?
- Our act is fully together in re our rifles.
- Chances are that a year ago when it was made and shipped, it was fine "out of the box".

I am just going from what I read on here and there has been more then a few threads on issues with your products. You have always made the customer happy and fixed the problem though as I said. I am sure you have tightened up QC and that is good to see. I didnt mean any disrespect. I am glad you are doing what you are doing and appreciate your effort. I just have seen quite a few posts about issues. I hope your new batch of rifles are well recieved and maybe one day I will own one. I havent seen one in person yet or fired one and hope to soon as a friend is getting one. Whats with your anodizing though? Is it really that purple in person? Also, I think you need to work on your pricing on some items. Like the magwell we are talking about. $150 is too much for just a 6061 series magwell only when you can get a 7075 series (which is a higher cost material as you know) Spikes tactical complete lower for less then $150. I hope cost will come down as production increases.

 

[Tachead]

I would assume that you nor anyone else would have any issues with Colt parts?

Did you know that Colt dumps their upper receivers into a big box with no wrapping or other protection at all? Have you ever seen a bunch of Colt uppers before they have been assembled? Their condition is a long way from "mint condition" I can assure you. As well the paint from the white number markings is usually smeared over parts of the upper and they generally look like shat.

My point being that the standard which you expect NEA to live up to is not even close to the standard that Colt gets away with. Yet people love Colt and hold it up as the peak of AR manufacturers. Colt can do no wrong and it seems on this board NEA can do no right.

Well I dont know much about Colt but, every LMT, Noveske, and Stag I have ever seen (not that I have seen that many) is immaculate. So is pretty much every firearm I have bought. Customers expect that these days. As said though, it could have been damaged after it left NEA's hands. Did you use Canada Post to ship NEA?

 

[easysauce]

I had an issue with mossburg, sent me 6 mags that needed work with an angle grinder to fit the 702 they were made for, still havent heard back from them (2+years)

smith and wesson took A YEAR to get me magazines, and needed ME to explain the export process to them and find them the paper work, and such, from THEIR (USA) export department... and was rude about it too, I literally had to escalate that one up the whole freaken company.

I have not ever seen an issue that NEA was not willing to fix, right away, and I mean they get called out on everything since they are on this forum and will respond...

maybe when i get my 7.5 pdw from them it will spontaneously combust, but I bet Ill be able to run that thing 5k rounds with out cleaning at least.

 

[the_klenzer]

Thanks for the reply Dave, I of course only tried it with one genetic Ar mag, will try it with better mags tonight. The scratches don't bug me, just makinga suggestion to improve packaging, your customer response is excellent, didn't mean to give anyone an opportunity to jump on you. This is probably the 8th Nea thingI have and am overall very happy and have had almost no trouble with anything else.

 

[the_klenzer]

Update...
Bought some Pmags and tried it again... it works. Then I went back and looked at the mag I was trying that was crazy stiff. It was a 6.8 mag, not a 223 mag. Duh. That'll teach me to organize my mags better.

Anyway, it works well with PMags. It's not a big springy drop free like an XCR where it basicaly spits the mag across the room... but is fine for me.


As for the stiff installation... The first time I tried it I think the little springy thing on the wagwell pin was seized or something, as the next time I tried it, it came out easily, by hand, and went back in by hand, no hammer needed. The magwell is ever so slightly loose now, just a tiny bit of play/wiggle. Is that within spec?

Thanks everyone and props to NEA for making some fun toys even more fun.

Oh and, for CNADNSL8, I have *not* removed the tabs. It took AR mags all the way in so I tried it at the range and it fired fine with them still there. Upon inspection, mine do look a little worn so maybe it was just enough to allow AR mags in. I only had a couple minutes so didn't do any extensive testing, I'll blast it tomorrow for a full update, maybe there will be problems in the long run.