Rolling ammo in magazines

[EMC]

Is there any credibility to the theory that ammo will "roll" inside magazines which is supposed to cause creasing where contact is made against feed lips? Has anyone experienced a rolling ammo crease malfunction? It seems to me that spring tension would keep that top round stable, however middle rounds sometimes ride loose allowing them to bump around but not "crease".

[Chuck Haggard]

Never heard of such a thing.

And what is the mechanism of said "rolling" to cause it to happen?


This sounds vaguely like the AR15 gas rings myth, but worse..............

[LSP972]

They do move radially in the magazine under recoil; sometimes.

This is something we must watch for when having to use chamber marks to match up cartridge cases. For that reason, we make index marks on the cartridge with a permanent marker pen and take care to load all of them in the same orientation.

Sometimes the rounds do indeed "roll" a bit under recoil. But creasing the cartridges or otherwise causing a malfunction? Never seen that one.

.

[Chuck Haggard]

Easy test, mark a round with Sharpie, check it regularly.

[EMC]

Here's the reference from an old gun rag article containing a quote from a Beretta employee. Seemed like urban legend to me so I thought I would bring up the topic.

http://www.defensivecarry.com/forum/related-gear-equipment/6148-magazine-spring-madness.html

" Carlton Nether, Customer Service for Beretta USA, tells us keeping a pistol magazine loaded for an extended period doesn't cause magazine spring failure, however, failures to feed can result. He says, "The ammo will 'roll' in the magazine. If the mags are kept loaded and moved around a lot -- say on a cop's belt -- the rolling action can, over time, cause creases in the cases. These creases can cause malfunctions. Also the top bullet will roll against the magazine lips and creasing can occur there as well. Just check old ammo that's been bouncing around in a magazine for a long time.We tell police officers if they keep loaded magazines, take a few seconds to "cycle" the ammo. Periodically unload the mag and reload it in a different sequence. This movement will allow the bullets to be in different parts of the magazine and help eliminate creasing."

[BLR]

Rounds can, and often do, roll as the column moves up in a staggered mag.

Rolling w/o use? What's the energy source? The mag spring isn't moving.

[EMC]

Rounds can, and often do, roll as the column moves up in a staggered mag.

Rolling w/o use? What's the energy source? The mag spring isn't moving.

Movement source in my case would simply be everyday carry movement (walking) and exercise in the form of running 3-4 times a week. The running part was what reminded me of the quote in the article.

[Chuck Haggard]

If running bounces the ammo in your mags then you need new springs IMHO.

[EMC]

If running bounces the ammo in your mags then you need new springs IMHO.

Exactly my thought as well. I'm sure some rounds do move when you carry a magazine with lots of repetitive movements, in fact I know they do because rattle sounds with double stack mags are common. I'm just skeptical of that movement being enough to scratch or deform cases to the point of causing malfunction.

[TGS]

Sometimes my HK P2000 mags will have a round inside that rattles (smacking the mag will sometimes stop it). The gun has still never had a stoppage, and there's plenty of tension on the ammo.

[JV_]

Sometimes my HK P2000 mags will have a round inside that rattles (smacking the mag will sometimes stop it). It happens with my Glocks too.

It's probably a common double stack problem where the rounds don't stagger correctly. I know my Glock mags don't always alternate as they get deeper in to the mag column ... which makes the witness holes a bit less valuable.

[TGS]

It happens with my Glocks too.

It's probably a common double stack problem where the rounds don't stagger correctly. I know my Glock mags don't always alternate as they get deeper in to the mag column ... which makes the witness holes a bit less valuable.

Yup, ditto on the witness holes.

Certainly not something that qualifies for new springs, IMO.

[JV_]

Certainly not something that qualifies for new springs, IMO.Agreed. I've heard the fix commonly called the 'Austrian Smack'.

[EMC]

Agreed. I've heard the fix commonly called the 'Austrian Smack'.

I think it's definitely not brand specific, my FNP mags would do the same. One round somewhere in the column lacks friction against the others and moves freely. Any minor change in spring pressure like inserting a mag against a closed slide could either cause or solve the rattle.

[Corlissimo]

Sometimes my HK P2000 mags will have a round inside that rattles (smacking the mag will sometimes stop it). The gun has still never had a stoppage, and there's plenty of tension on the ammo.

Have experienced the same with my P30L, using only factory mags too.


~ Typos brought to you by my lazyness & in attention to detail.

[Drang]

If running bounces the ammo in your mags then we'd be seeing more FTF/FTE in issue M4s/M16s

FIFY.