LAR 15 10 round mag issues

Ganderite

Ganderite

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I have used one for awhile. very hand for doing ammo tests. 10 shots without disturbing the position.

I knew rifle just arrived with three more of them. They seem to have very stiff springs. I can't get #10 in.

I recall a match recently where a fellow had a number of jams using one of these LAR mags. he said it was a common issue.

Can a stiff spring cause jamming?

Any reason why I can't take the mag apart and clip a coil or two?
 
A stiff spring may make it hard to load the 10th round but since you can't fit the 10th round in, I suspect you may need to trim the follower legs.
 
Runningfool said:
A stiff spring may make it hard to load the 10th round but since you can't fit the 10th round in, I suspect you may need to trim the follower legs.
Click to expand...

I have found this with a bunch of mine as well. The 10th is either impossible to get in or darn near impossible. Someday soon I will get around to fixing it.
 
An overly stiff spring will not cause failures to feed. Weak magazine springs are a real problem in any semiauto, and heavy springs are almost always better. The observed misfeeds may have been due to the rounds catching on the front lip of the mag body. I've filed scallops into mine where the case neck was hitting the mag body while the bolt was pushing the top round forward, and I haven't had any feeding problems.

Unless you have spring stack issues (which you probably don't), you should always trim the follower legs rather than clipping the spring. Clipping the spring reduces the service life of the spring, while trimming the follower legs addresses the real mechanical issue (too little space between the feed lips and the follower when fully loaded).

I just got around to replacing the grey followers that came in my LAR mags with olive Magpul followers, and I'm very glad that I did. They now seat on a closed bolt with a firm press rather than a serious blow. They also have less play inside the magazine, and activate the bolt catch on both of my ARs now.
 
^^ Where did you source the followers. I have searched around and can't seem to find any? WIll they import into Canada from US websites?
 
I've had to trim the follower legs on 14 LAR mags. Had to do it again after I installed ranger plates.
I could fit 10 rounds in most but couldn't seat the mag on a closed bolt.
 
SnoPac said:
^^ Where did you source the followers. I have searched around and can't seem to find any? WIll they import into Canada from US websites?
Click to expand...

I got mine from Wolverine. Love those guys!

Calgary Shooting Center gets them in from time to time, too.

Last I checked, Brownells would not ship Magpul followers to Canada.
 
I shortened the legs by about 1/10th of an inch. Clipped one coil, and beveled the front lip of the mag.

It loads easier, feeds well but it still needs a good smack to seat on a closed bolt.

I am now experimenting on coupling them, side by side.

Thanks for all the info, guys.
 
No need to trim the spring, the legs will contact the base before the spring limits capacity.
Trim more off the legs until you can seat the mag on a closed bolt.
 
Clipping coils from the springs is not necessary, and likely detrimental to the performance of the mag.

Some simple math will tell you that the spring will not reach full compression under the follower. The wire thickness is ~1.5mm and there are slightly less than 9 coils. Therefore, the spring under full compression will be ~13mm tall. The follower legs are over 25mm tall.

Clipping a coil (1 of 9) will not only reduce the spring force you're working against to get the last round in, but it will also reduce the spring force when the mag is nearly unloaded. The magazine spring is "pre-loaded" so when the first round is loaded there is sufficient upwards force to keep it in place. Now by losing some of that extra force, if you have 1 or 2 rounds left and you drop or hit your mag, it's more likely that they'll pop out.

The magazine spring also operates the bolt hold open, which in most rifles has another spring that holds it down and out of the way until the magazine is empty. If you clip enough coils, the pre-loaded force in your magazine spring will not be sufficient to overcome the force of the BHO spring, and no more BHO for you.
 
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