First Impressions of my new ProMag 32 round Magazines

**MagRelease** · December 28th, 2012, 06:56 PM

Hello All,

I just pulled my ProMag 32 round magazines (9mm) for the Ruger P series out of the box and put some rounds through them. As many of you might remember, I have a Ruger P95..

I'll briefly go through my first impressions after shooting a box of ammo. I loaded the first magazine up to the brim, it loaded all 32 quite easily with a speed loader. With the slide closed I put the full magazine in, which fit quite nicely and latched fully to my surprise. After racking the slide and firing a round, the slide locked back as if there was an empty mag in the gun. There was no jam, and the magazine appeared to want to feed the next bullet easily, the slide just locked itself back. So I took it out, closed the slide, repeated, same thing happened.

I then loaded 10 rounds into the other brand new 32 round mag (I ordered two), and inserted that mag into the gun, closed the slide and proceeded to fire all 10 rounds flawlessly. The only difference I saw there was that instead of inserting the mag with the slide closed and racking the slide to chamber the first round, I inserted the mag with the slide OPEN first, and released it to chamber the first round AFTER the mag was inserted. As I was not sure if this could be the source of the first magazines problem, I loaded that one back up with the full 32 and attempted again with the slide open prior to inserting the mag. After chambering the first round via the new method (insert mag with slide open, release slide to chamber) the magazine performed flawlessly and fed all the following rounds. I stuck 10 more in and tried it again through this method with equal success.

So, it appears that the latter method works perfectly. Perhaps I am too new to auto-loaders to realize that one should always do things this way, but I am wondering why it would make a difference to do this?

Anyways, in conclusion, I am very pleased with the ProMags thus far. They seem to be of decent quality in construction which was relieving because I had been skeptical. They accept the full 32 rounds with zero problems, and feed well so far (assuming the above method).

Any thoughts?

**harold63** · December 28th, 2012, 09:48 PM

So they functioned well with ten rounds, but not the thirty two. Sounds like the feed lips are spreading open too much with all the thirty two in there. If I read this correctly, you didn't reload the full thirty two back in the one that malfunctioned, you just did ten, twice.

If the feed lips open too much, the follower can hit the slide lock when the slide goes back while a round is still in the mag (that will only happen with one round in mag, though). It is not supposed to do this. The follower has a notch on it that lifts the slide stop when the last round is ejected. Sometimes it will be the ammo that hits the slide stop. Load it full again and rack the slide chambering a round, then, rack the slide, again, pulling it all the way back and let it slingshot. If it locks open, look in to see if the ammo is hitting the slide lock. Obviously, you want to be at the range when you do this with your pistol pointed down range. If it is the ammo hitting the slide stop, then you will want to close the lips some, but may also take a little off the slide stop. Hard to really say without looking at it. ProMags are good, but a lot of them need some tinkering to get them working, properly. None of my 20 round HK Promags worked without some love, but they wouldn't lock the slide back on an empty mag. Some dehorning of the bottom of the followers cured that problem.

Can you post a pic of this?

**MagRelease** · December 28th, 2012, 10:13 PM

Originally Posted by 300WM

So they functioned well with ten rounds, but not the thirty two. Sounds like the feed lips are spreading open too much with all the thirty two in there. If I read this correctly, you didn't reload the full thirty two back in the one that malfunctioned, you just did ten, twice.

If the feed lips open too much, the follower can hit the slide lock when the slide goes back while a round is still in the mag (that will only happen with one round in mag, though). It is not supposed to do this. The follower has a notch on it that lifts the slide stop when the last round is ejected. Sometimes it will be the ammo that hits the slide stop. Load it full again and rack the slide chambering a round, then, rack the slide, again, pulling it all the way back and let it slingshot. If it locks open, look in to see if the ammo is hitting the slide lock. Obviously, you want to be at the range when you do this with your pistol pointed down range. If it is the ammo hitting the slide stop, then you will want to close the lips some, but may also take a little off the slide stop. Hard to really say without looking at it. ProMags are good, but a lot of them need some tinkering to get them working, properly. None of my 20 round HK Promags worked without some love, but they wouldn't lock the slide back on an empty mag. Some dehorning of the bottom of the followers cured that problem.

Can you post a pic of this?

Sorry, I was not very clear on that part so I went ahead and edited it. I did actually load the first magazine with a full 32 rounds after I fired the 10 successfully in it the second time using the listed method. It fired all 32 flawlessly and only locked the slide back when it was empty like it is supposed to.

P.S. Which part do you want a picture of? Or did you just want a picture of the ridiculous looking 32 rounders sticking out of a P95? hahaha

**harold63** · December 29th, 2012, 09:33 AM

Originally Posted by chillafusion

P.S. Which part do you want a picture of? Or did you just want a picture of the ridiculous looking 32 rounders sticking out of a P95? hahaha

Well, if it is working, then neither. It may have been a glitch, piece of debris, or something of the sort as it should work correctly if you load a full mag into the gun with the slide racked or closed. Makes no difference. I'd be curious to know if it still locks the slide back when you load it with a full mag with the slide closed, and if it does, take a pic of the ejection port from the top.

If the SHTF, those mags won't look ridiculous.

**MagRelease** · December 29th, 2012, 01:16 PM

Originally Posted by 300WM

Well, if it is working, then neither. It may have been a glitch, piece of debris, or something of the sort as it should work correctly if you load a full mag into the gun with the slide racked or closed. Makes no difference. I'd be curious to know if it still locks the slide back when you load it with a full mag with the slide closed, and if it does, take a pic of the ejection port from the top.

If the SHTF, those mags won't look ridiculous.

Yeah, that was my thinking as well... I couldn't imagine how it would make a difference whether or not the slide was racked or closed for the first round.. But if it happens when I take them out next time, I will take a pic for you.

**Arrdy** · January 1st, 2013, 05:51 PM

I never use a new mag without a good cleaning and oiling 1st. Did you clean them before 1st use?

**MagRelease** · January 2nd, 2013, 12:04 AM

Originally Posted by Arrdy

I never use a new mag without a good cleaning and oiling 1st. Did you clean them before 1st use?

I did not actually... And really, I don't even know how to clean them.. I will look into it!

**MagRelease** · January 2nd, 2013, 04:02 PM

300WM still around?

I was firing some more rounds out of the ProMag's, and was having the same feed issue again.. Locking the slide open as if the mag were empty; however, this time I found that if I bumped the mag upward from the bottom, the slide would close and chamber. So it must not be locking all the way back, it is catching on somewhere.. It was dark aside from our lighting so I did not get a picture.. Will try to do so for you soon.

Also, I took about 10 rounds out, and it proceeded to fire and chamber properly.. So maybe it does have to do with being full to 32 also.

**nateebobo** · January 3rd, 2013, 09:32 PM

probably the lips giving a hair and letting the bullet nose just barely scrape the slide stop inside, pushing it up. may be able to relieve the side of the stop to make them work if your intent on keeping them. less rounds, less pressure on the lips so this would be plausible and many aftermarket 1911 slide stops need adjusted to alleviate this as well.

im thinking this while i write and may have just confused the hell out of you, i hope you follow what im getting at.

lock the slide back, load that mag till full, insert magazine and look down into the ejection port from the top and all around the inside of that slide lock to whats rubbing on it. may possibly be only every other round rubbing in there. i hope i explained this alright but im betting that stops getting hit on the inside by part of the cartridge, bullet or edge of the mag body.