LRHO and mag issues

[OldFatGuy]

The 5 rnd mag I got with my gun works the LRHO just fine at the range, but when I rack the slide with that mag in it, the LRHO misses the slide. I have a 6 rnd mag that works fine. So I did a little investigating, and for some reason, whenI slide the 5 rnd mag in until it clicks, once I let go it will relax a little bit, and that little bit is enough to miss the slide. The 6 rnd mag slides in and clicks, and it holds tight. So I'm wondering what it is about this 5 rnd mag that makes it do this. It works fine on the range, for now. It must be with everything going on the slide stop catches the slide while it's still available. Is this common? Might a new 5 rnd mag not have this issue? Is there a fix for it? I examined both mags closely, and I don't see any difference. I didn't take a micrometer to it, maybe I should.

[muggsy]

The slide stop spring may be incorrectly adjusted or the follower may be hanging up in the magazine. The mag spring may also be weak. It could also be that you aren't pulling the slide fully to the rear. BTW, most people might not know what a Last Round Hold Open is. On this forum we usually refer to it as a slide stop.

[OldFatGuy]

The slide stop spring has had some tough times, maybe I'll get a new one. I took both mags apart and oiled them slightly, but the 5 rnd does seem to be a little weaker, but it's as new as the gun, a few months. I am racking the slide the same all the time, so it's not that. This issue has been bugging me for a while, but today was the first time I compared the two mags and studied the issue closer. I didn't really consider the slide stop spring til just now reading your post. It is a little funky because I kept missing it with the slide stop when putting it back together and discovering my gun wasn't working right! I like to play with things til I break em. The slide stop is just one part of the LRHO mechanism, but I understand what your saying. Think I'll get a new spring before I take pliers to this one!

[OldFatGuy]

Well, I think I got the spring straightened out, same issue. For some reason that mag is dropping after it clicks in.

[muggsy]

The slide stop spring has had some tough times, maybe I'll get a new one. I took both mags apart and oiled them slightly, but the 5 rnd does seem to be a little weaker, but it's as new as the gun, a few months. I am racking the slide the same all the time, so it's not that. This issue has been bugging me for a while, but today was the first time I compared the two mags and studied the issue closer. I didn't really consider the slide stop spring til just now reading your post. It is a little funky because I kept missing it with the slide stop when putting it back together and discovering my gun wasn't working right! I like to play with things til I break em. The slide stop is just one part of the LRHO mechanism, but I understand what your saying. Think I'll get a new spring before I take pliers to this one!

You shouldn't oil the magazine. The magazine should be clean and dry. Oil attracts dirt like a magnet and can contaminate your primers.

[muggsy]

Well, I think I got the spring straightened out, same issue. For some reason that mag is dropping after it clicks in.

The mag dropping a bit is normal. The slot in the mag that the mag release clicks into is much wider that the part of the mag release that clicks into it. The mag may move as much as an eight of an inch.