jmckechnie 1 Posted February 4, 2011 Report Share Posted February 4, 2011 Got my rifle a few weeks back and it's been a real hoot to shoot. I do seem to have a problem with my Surefire 10r magazine. It will not lock into the mag well with 10 rounds in the magazine. It locks in fine with 9 though. Is there something I can do/file on the magazine? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Gunfanatic 221 Posted February 4, 2011 Report Share Posted February 4, 2011 Got my rifle a few weeks back and it's been a real hoot to shoot. I do seem to have a problem with my Surefire 10r magazine. It will not lock into the mag well with 10 rounds in the magazine. It locks in fine with 9 though. Is there something I can do/file on the magazine? When you have the mag fully loaded can you push the top round down any? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jmckechnie 1 Posted February 4, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2011 I can push it down a tiny bit but it's not a measurable amount Quote Link to post Share on other sites
csspecs 1,987 Posted February 4, 2011 Report Share Posted February 4, 2011 Probably have a coil of the spring getting caught under the follower.. Or the spring is to long. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Gunfanatic 221 Posted February 4, 2011 Report Share Posted February 4, 2011 (edited) I can push it down a tiny bit but it's not a measurable amount Ya there is not enough slack in the mag to seat agents a closed bolt. I’m not too familiar with how the surefire mags are set up so pics of the mag disassembled will help. Edited February 4, 2011 by Gun Fanatic Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jmckechnie 1 Posted February 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2011 Would you think it's the triangle end cap that might be too tall and not allow for full compression? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Gunfanatic 221 Posted February 5, 2011 Report Share Posted February 5, 2011 (edited) Would you think it's the triangle end cap that might be too tall and not allow for full compression? Seems like allot of spring for such a small mag. Quick test to find out is assemble the mag without the spring (just the follower and 2 base pieces) and put 10 rounds of ammo in. Then see how much distance there is between the top round and your feed lips. If there is enough to clear the bolt when loading you need to cut a coil or two out of the spring, if not you may have to trim the follower and base some. Edited February 5, 2011 by Gun Fanatic Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jmckechnie 1 Posted February 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2011 I loaded it without the spring and it snapped in perfect. I am a bit hesitant to trim the spring down as I'm not sure how much to cut. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mike38 26 Posted February 5, 2011 Report Share Posted February 5, 2011 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
csspecs 1,987 Posted February 5, 2011 Report Share Posted February 5, 2011 If the spring is stopping the mag from being installed in the gun it means its fully compressed.. And in my understanding of springs, over compressing lowers the life span of a spring. In my magazines I leave the springs roughly twice the length of the magazine body. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Gunfanatic 221 Posted February 5, 2011 Report Share Posted February 5, 2011 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bozo123j 0 Posted February 6, 2011 Report Share Posted February 6, 2011 I have notices the same thing with my Surefire magazines. They are last round hold open mags, the bolt is held open by the metal on the follower. If you compare the factory Saiga mag to the Surefire the follower has a much higher lip. You can try cutting the spring shorter hoping it will still function corectly.Grind the top of the follower down to same hight as factory magazine. Pull the bolt back all the way when installing mags with ten rounds.Only install nine rounds into mags. Please inform us on what route you take. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Maurice Middleton 4 Posted February 6, 2011 Report Share Posted February 6, 2011 My Surefire .223 mags won't lock up with the full ten rounds in them so I just keep 9 rounds in each. My Surefire 7.62x39s, however, will lock up fully loaded. Go figure. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jmckechnie 1 Posted February 6, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 6, 2011 Thanks for all the help guys. I've sent Surefire an email asking them what they think. I don't think it's a dire situation, more of an annoyance. I think I'll be heading the AR adapter route but this has been a good learning/mod experience. I'll probably clip the spring and see what happens. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jmckechnie 1 Posted February 7, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2011 Hi James, You must have the bolt open when loading your firearm with our mags. If you want to load the firearm leaving the mag in than load the mag with 9 rounds. Regards; SGM TACTICAL LLC Tech Department The response I received from SGM. Now that I think about it, it makes perfect sense. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
.308Winner 0 Posted February 7, 2011 Report Share Posted February 7, 2011 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Maurice Middleton 4 Posted February 8, 2011 Report Share Posted February 8, 2011 Be-that-as-it-may, I like my SGM mags and have had no problems other than that previously stated. If I ever buy a .308 Saiga I will, however, consider a different brand of mag. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
California Shooter 1 Posted October 7, 2013 Report Share Posted October 7, 2013 I loaded it without the spring and it snapped in perfect. I am a bit hesitant to trim the spring down as I'm not sure how much to cut.Just cut at the arrows progressively until you get it to fit in your gun. Cut here.jpg If you don�t want to mod your mag any you could just contact surefire and explain your problem and see what they can do for you. I tried this modification per this post, but still could not get a 10-round Surefire mag with ten rounds in it to lock into the receiver after I had removed three coils in succession. I had previously modified the follower stop by snipping a bit off the pointed bit because I thought that the follower was bottoming on this bit. Didn't help. What I found to work was to trim about 1/16" off the bottom of the follower skirts. I discovered that if I removed the magazine spring only and loaded ten rounds into the magazine that I still could not get the mag to lock into the receiver. Then I left both the spring and the follower stop out, loaded ten rounds, and the magazine locked into the receiver easily and snugly. I am holding off modifying the other Surefire mags that I have until a range session confirms that what I did works. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
thebobrusso 27 Posted October 8, 2013 Report Share Posted October 8, 2013 Here is my "LOVE" story with Surefire: From: xxxxxxxxxxxxx@yahoo.com To: surefiregunmags@aol.com Sent: Sun, Feb 6, 2011 7:46 pm Subject: SSGMP308 I have seven of your SSGMP308.Two of them are already broken just by the pressure of loaded ammo.Not sure if another five will survive: very shitti material, IMHO!How the hell can I fix them?Any glue?Tnx. From: Philip <surefiregunmags@aol.com> Subject: Re: SSGMP308 To: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@yahoo.com Date: Monday, February 7, 2011, 11:07 AM Hi TNX,The only problem we have had with this mag revolves around the .308's bolt alignment and people putting 25 Rds in the mag and than trying to load the mag into the firearm without holding the bolt open before inserting the mag. If the bolt is ripping the left side of the feed lips off than the bolt is out of alignment and Russian American Armory will have it fixed for you.If you are loading the mag into the firearm without holding the bolt open than you are causing the damage yourself.The material happens to be the best material used in the production of any American Mags that we know of. We have not had any complaints of this nature.Please send the two mags back to us for replacement via USPS with signature required and we will send you new mags. Regards;SGM TACTICAL LLC2404 E. Broadway Ave.Maryville TN. 37804 From: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@yahoo.com> To: Philip <surefiregunmags@aol.com> Sent: Mon, Feb 7, 2011 2:46 pm Subject: Re: SSGMP308 BTW, mine are 20rdn not 25.I load them with 20rd, not 21, not 19. Just 20. But anyway, you are telling that I must open the bolt before inserting magazine?And then I need to release the bolt and as a result - load the chamber...I wouldn't like to keep the rifle with LOADED CHAMBER - it is unsafe.The bolt of my Saiga is not out of alignment: it works perfectly with original IZHMASH 8rd magazines. And I do not have to hold bolt open while I insert original magazines (I have three of those).So, the problem is not the Saiga's design.I'm not sure that all of my seven magazines are covered by your Warranty anymore, because I cut out those stupid liberal ribs on them - to make magazines straight and flat for carrying them in my chest rig.Just tell me, what kind of glue I can use?Tnx. From: Philip <surefiregunmags@aol.com> Subject: Re: SSGMP308 To: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@yahoo.com Date: Monday, February 7, 2011, 12:04 PM Whatever the capacity you cannot load the mag into the firearm with the bolt closed. If you want to keep the firearm with the mag loaded and not have a round in the chamber than load 18 Rd's into the mag. You need to have room for the bolt to pass over the upper round. in the mag. The bolt needs to be able to push the round. down when it passes over the top. The original mag has space for the bolt to push down on the top round. We make mags to meet different state requirements therefore we cannot allow for the possibility of getting another round in them.There is no glue that we know of that you can use on glass filled Zytel.If you have modified the mags in any way they are not returnable for replacement. Regards;SGM TACTICAL LLCTech Department From: xxxxxxxxxxxxx@yahoo.com>To: "Philip" <surefiregunmags@aol.com> Monday, February 7, 2011 3:44 PM "We make mags to meet different state requirements therefore we cannot allow for the possibility of getting another round in them." That's not truth: I also have 7 of your .223Rem 30rd magazines for Saiga and I can easily load any of them with 32 rounds!!! Should I, as a Law Abiding Citizen, report this to ATF? Also, your .308Win magazine's body is MUCH thinner than .223Rem. - probably, because of the dimentions of the the Saiga's .308Win reciever. In this case you'd make them out of better quality material or reinforce them with the metal, like Glock� does with their magazines. And there's NO "Whatever the capacity you cannot load the mag into the firearm with the bolt closed. If you want to keep the firearm with the mag loaded and not have a round in the chamber than load 18 Rd's into the mag. You need to have room for the bolt to pass over the upper round. in the mag. The bolt needs to be able to push the round. down when it passes over the top. The original mag has space for the bolt to push down on the top round." information on the magazine's Warranty Card or product's description, available for customers. Otherwise I wouldn't spend my money on those. So, what glue should I use?Tnx! So, DO NOT BUY!!!!!!! your not being a complete jerk in you conversation wit them.... but most times you get more being nice and professional then having remarks like.... I cut out those stupid liberal ribs on them Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jerry52 893 Posted October 9, 2013 Report Share Posted October 9, 2013 No problem with mine but did have to file the catch so it would snap in on all of them Quote Link to post Share on other sites
555JM 10 Posted October 20, 2013 Report Share Posted October 20, 2013 In NY, we don't need no stinking 10th round (or 9th or 8th). In fact, if we load any beyond the 7th, we're Class D felons. Guys that commit negligent homicide get a lesser charge. Consider yourself lucky. /whine Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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