6 Common Pistol Magazine Problems and What to Do About Them

It’s funny how some shooters are so meticulous about keeping their handguns spotless and shiny, but never give a thought to the magazine.

Granted, a magazine has fewer moving parts and in general is far less complex than a handgun’s action, but it is still a precision component without which the gun would go from an autoloader or a repeater to a single-shot.

Now, we carry a variety of pistol magazines for sale that are viable as replacements for many of the world’s most popular handguns, but let’s not get to that point.

Routine pistol magazine maintenance can help you avoid common problems like this. And if not, these are some common problems along with some basic fixes.

You Can’t Fully Load the Mag

If you have a mag that’s supposed to take, say, 10 rounds, and you can only jam 9 rounds down in there, this actually might not be a “problem” in the conventional sense of the word.

Likely, you’ll experience this issue (if at all) with a new magazine, and one that has a fresh, stiff spring. Most mag springs are very strong and need to be broken in.

For the first couple hundred rounds, the mag spring might be a little stiffer than you like. Try loading the mag with snap caps and leaving it loaded for a while to compress the spring.

After a few weeks, it should get easier to load that last round - or the last few.

The Mag Won’t Seat

There could be a few reasons that a given mag you have won’t seat. The first thing you should check is the feed lips. If they are deformed in some way that makes it impossible for the mag to properly fit up into the mag chute against the base of the slide, there’s your issue.

Another issue could be with the mag catch itself. The mag catch, like the spring, needs to break in, but if you can’t insert the mag far enough to seat it, that’s a problem. This can be made more difficult when the mag is loaded.

If you have an intransigent mag, empty it and try charging the gun till the mag catches, then drop it and repeat the process several times. This will help break in the mag catch. Don’t be afraid to really slam the mag up in there the first few times to speed up break-in.

The Mag Won’t Feed

This is probably the most common issue, all told, with respect to pistol magazines - they won’t feed or jam for some reason or another.

The most common cause of a pistol magazine that will not feed properly is an accumulation of fouling. It’s that simple, dirty mags don’t feed well. Drop the mag, disassemble it, clean it till it’s spotless, and try again.

A mag that is not seated properly also will not feed. Make sure the mag catch is engaged before attempting to load and fire the handgun.

If the mag has deformed feed lips, they can also hinder the ability of the mag to feed, and will result in jams. Minor deformations to steel and aluminum feed lips can be rectified; if the feed lips are rough they can also be sanded down. But anything more severe than this will require the magazine to be replaced.

Lastly, a deformed follower or a fatigued spring can also cause rounds to jam rather than feeding properly. Replace these parts and check to see if the issue solves itself.

The Mag Feeds, but Jams on the Last Few Rounds

This is not a common problem, but it is fortunately one of the easiest to diagnose. In almost any case, a magazine that feeds reliably up until the last few rounds has a mag spring that is beginning to fatigue.

Normally, a fatigued spring will snap, but if your mag spring is still feeding a few rounds but not the final ones, disassemble, discard the old spring, and replace it with a new one. That should fix the problem.

The Mag Rattles When Loaded

If your magazine rattles when loaded, it means that the spring is offset and not properly aligned or seated within the mag tube. Try giving the mag tube a sharp rap to set it back into place.

If that doesn’t work, strip out the rounds and give it another rap. If that fails, take it apart, reset the mag spring, reassemble, and see if that fixed the issue.

The Mag Won’t Drop

If the mag won’t drop, it likely means one of two things. One is that the mag needs to be broken in. Oftentimes mags are a little sticky when new. Charge and drop the mag, pulling it free, a few times, and after that it should drop freely.

It could also be that the mag is swelling when full, which could occur for a variety of reasons but the main one is likely that the mag is dirty. Empty the mag, disassemble, clean out the inside and outside of the mag, ensuring there are no fouling deposits left, dry the components, reassemble the mag, and try again.

Explore Pistol Magazines for Sale to Replace End-of-Life Mags

No matter how well you care for your pistol magazines, or replace the mag spring, there will come a time when it will be more worth your while simply to replace the whole mag than to continue patching it up.

Shop our collection of pistol magazines for sale to find an appropriate replacement. We carry a wide range of mags compatible with popular pistols and one of our top sellers is our 1911 mag, which cannot be beaten either for price or performance.

In addition to our pistol magazines for sale, we also carry a wide range of rifle magazines for popular platforms, along with M1 Garand clips, which are used in place of detachable mags.

Shop our collection and if you have a rare or esoteric firearm and you need a mag or a clip for it, get in touch with us and we will help you find a suitable replacement.