Magazine Feed Lip Adjustment - How to?

[KarlG]

I have several stainless steel magazines for my AMT Backup in 45 ACP. It should be noted that the magazines have the same feed lip design as the 1911. The feed lips of the AMT magazines that I have are not consistant. I have identified the magazines that function and the ones that don't function. From looking at them and hand feeding rounds through the magazines I can see that it is the feed lips that are causing the problems (too wide, too soon or too narrow and holding the bullet back). Some are waaaaaay off.

Are there any tools or methods to form the feed lips of 1911 magazines for proper feeding? Will reforming the lips cause any metalurgy concerns (work hardening, tempering if heated, etc.)? Does anybody know of a manufacturer that would potentially form the lips for a fee (since AMT is out of business)?

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[jarhead]

Go to Brownell's and order their 1911 magazine "anvil & yoke" tool. This tool allows you to perfectly form your magazine lips to a uniform and consistent setup... it's about $50, but well worth the money. Using this tool properly should have zero fatique effect on good quality steel.

 

[KarlG]

Bless you jarhead.

 

[KarlG]

Has anybody used the tool jarhead suggested? The Brownell's write up says it is to modify a magazine to feed wadcutters. Would this feed ball and hollowpoints as well?

Thanks,

 

[jarhead]

What it does is reshape the lips (consequently, if your lips are out of shape it will fix that too). The reshaping changes old styple 1911 magazine lips that had somewhat of a taper to release the cartridge - the new style lips are parrallel. This new style is what you will find on Wilson, McCormick, etc magazine.

I shoot primarily ball... if a magazine will feed semi-wadcutters, it will feed ball. Semi-wadcutters are a tough round to get from a magazine and up the pipe - but once the magazine to throat relationship is right, it is 100% reliable...

 

[jarhead]

Incidentially, this tool is perfect for knocking the SA XD .40SW magazines to perfectly handle 9mm (and gives 15 round capacity to boot)...

 

[KarlG]

Thanks again jarhead. I am always pleased and impressed with the brain power and knowledge base that I find at this site.

 

[Bob Brown]

You can get a piece of steel about 4" long, 1/4" thick and 1/2" wide, come back 1/8" from one end and make a hacksaw cut about 1/4" deep into it. Then round off the corner above the end of the cut so the piece will fit in between the lips okay. You can use this to shape the lips on most mags to either raise the resting point of the rounds, direct the nose either up or down, and you can file back and polish the front of the feed lips to allow the round to release quicker as the slide pushes it forward.
What you're after is a mag that'll release the round at a time that the base of the case will pop up and into the claw of the extractor. You can check this by slow-feeding some dummy rounds.

 

[KarlG]

Thanks Bob. I purchased the tool from Brownells as Jarhead suggested. It seens to work well with the magazines I have that the lips are spread too far apart. I will try your method with the others to see if I can make things go a little smoother. I will also try the slow feed test. I live in the city so every time I change something I have to wait until I can go to the range before I know if it will work...