Ruger magazine modification

[quickslider]

Bullseye I would like your opinion on this. I read on another forum that by grinding a little off the rear feed lips of the Ruger mag seems to eliminate stove pipe jams. Do you know of or have any experience with this modification.

[flyfishtom]

I won't pretend to have the accumulated wisdom and knowledge of the famous "bullseye" but modifying the Ruger mags does work and in many cases is necessary. The problem is so wide spread that I am considering buying a battery operated dremel tool so that I can do the mods at matches. Why Ruger doesn't make the minor change to their mags is beyond me.

[smokey]

I also don't have the knowledge that Bullseye does but I can say that I was having stovepipe issues and did the mag mod and installed a VQ extractor at the same time and my problem is gone. I can't say which one did it since they were done at the same time.
Smokey

[blue68f100]

I was have feeding problem with 1 of the 2 factory mag that came with the gun. After making sure and tweeking the mag that did not work it still had problems from time to time. The LCI must be CLEAN, it can cause stove pipes. I find that most do not take the time to remove and clean it when they clean the gun. After all else had failed I did the mod to the one mag that was having a problem, I no longer have a feeding problem. So the mod does work. I think the reason behind it is that the bullet pop free of the mag about 0.010" earlier preventing the problem. Which means Ruger may have a tolerance problem on their mags during the stamping problem. Or there could be a very small burr that you can not feel and this removes it.

[raw6464]

Just remove the LCI metal tab only (not the whole LCI) first before you start any grinding. It's free and reversible. It's has cured many a FTE problems.

[bebloomster]

The mag mod combined with a Volquartsen extractor pretty much solved any FTE problems that I was having. Runs Federal 510's without a bobble.

[Bullseye]

Bullseye I would like your opinion on this. I read on another forum that by grinding a little off the rear feed lips of the Ruger mag seems to eliminate stove pipe jams. Do you know of or have any experience with this modification.

Are you experiencing these jams? Is it caused by one mag or with all mags? There are several remedies that can solve this problem, one of them the magazine lip modification you mentioned. Another remedy is to just install a VQ Exact Edge extractor. What is happening is the rear of the cartridge is getting knocked off of the extractor claw prior to the casing striking the ejector pin. The case doesn't have enough velocity to clear the ejection port and gets caught in the breech when the new round feeds into the chamber, causing a jam. How is the clearance of your magazines rear lips to the ejector pin? Take a look at this thread http://www.guntalk-online.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=18 Do you have a 1/16" gap between the lip and the ejector? A magazine positioning modification may solve this condition.

If you want some more info on where and how to modify the rear magazine lips, here's a link to the original magazine mod thread from Yzguy's website. http://www.1bad69.com/ruger/stovepipe.htm Down the page it shows exactly where to file the lip edges to reduce stovepipe jams.

Sometimes the LCI tab can impart enough drag on the spent cartridge to knock it off of the extractor claw. Removing the LCI or the metal LCI tab can isolate or remove this problem. http://www.guntalk-online.com/forum/vie ... =2971#2971

All of these changes are effective depending on the source of the jams. The simplest is to install the VQ extractor first. The new claw is better at holding the spent casing than the factory original extractor, and the VQ part lasts practically forever.

Hope this helps.

R,
Bullseye