15-22 Magazine Problem - Have You Had This Issue?

Seems the tolerances on some of the newer S&W mags are tighter than a Scotsman!
I’ve only noticed the issue on newer mags and this is the worst example I’ve seen to date.
It’ll no doubt bed in after a bit of cycling, but it could cause potential feeding and bolt stop issues if used from new.
Always test your gear, guys!
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[@EnglishShooting]

The quality of the 15-22 mags have been in steady decline for a while now, thinner and softer feed lips with the tolerance drifting all over the place. Potentially the moulds are getting too worn and S&W are trying to get every last bit of life out of them causing these issues. Another sign is the logo on the bottom, comparing it to ones bought 7-8 years ago they used to be clean and crisp, new mags have flashing on there and the detail has been lost. Haven't seen the followers binding yet but it's fairly common to sand the inside of the magwell on a new gun to get the mags to drop free.

[@Range23]

I’ve had a few lately that looked decent and performed well out of the box, so they might have changed their moulds now. It seems there’s good and bad ones about, probably stock that’s been floating about for a while and it’s luck of the draw as to what you get. This binding issue has been common on a few I’ve had through lately, but never to this degree. Also, I’ve noticed from machining them for the PCM mags that the newer ones are a much softer blend than the older ones. It’s all cost savings for them. We need someone to design and release a better 15-22 style mag, do you know anyone? 🤔

[@kiltedfrank]

i had a couple binding, but on the little black bit holding the follower, not the springs on the inside. Finally, after looking REAL close I noticed one side of the mag was warped out just enough to bind on the insides of the black pin. Gently and slowly worked it flat with a heat gun and it's smooth as butter.

[@Range23]

A lot of the issues are fairly easy to fix and some just bed in over time. It’s just a shame that they’re there at all

[@carlbruce2131]

Bought 2 m&p15/22 for my son and I to shoot! Same problem and they aren't even a month old! All 4 magazines doing this! Just got a black dog 50 round drum to try it. S&W has really fu on these mags!

[@stevebrown6504]

just ordered a couple and both were defective like this. just have to keep your receipt buying more

[@Range23]

All the ones I’ve had have bedded in with use

[@caminotorino4547]

@@Range23 what does bedded in mean?

[@Range23]

@@caminotorino4547 worn in, settled in, etc. Just means they start working better after a bit of use 👍🏻

[@caminotorino4547]

@@Range23 I have like 10 of these and just recently got the time to use them. I have 6 fde and 4 black. All the fde ones are fucked up and only two black ones are smooth One split lengthwise at the seam in one spot after fully loading it so I dissasembled and ripped it in half, the channels where the follower slides through is all warped like a roller coaster, instead of being level

[@Range23]

@@caminotorino4547 yeah, the quality of them is really hit and miss this last couple of years. Shame.

[@stevebrown6504]

thanks for vid. didn't think i was that unlucky and get 2 duds

[@Shark1940MC]

Have you found a solution to fix this? All 3 of mine squeeze in the dead center and catch the loader. Catches causing complete jams. 1 out of 4 mags works…

[@Range23]

I’ve found that running the follower back and forth along the magazine track usually frees them off enough to feed smoothly. If they’re particularly bad, you could sand the follower where it’s contacting the magazine track.

[@ismaelcruz3523]

Same problem here. Bought two mags and left them for 3 Hrs under the Florida sun and they got stuck in the Middle. S&W responded quickly and they exchanged them (good service). But on my second day out with the new mags one of them was showing same problem again. Bought the Black Drum 50 and it has performed flawless.

[@Range23]

Shame. They used to be much better that what they’re sending out these days 😒

[@rodroller3328]

I"m used to working on cars and lithium grease/lube works great on both plastic and metal parts and does not break down the plastic over time like petroleum grease will. I've got 3 new mags (new gun + 2 mags) and I'm greasing the button channel and spring areas in them. I don't know why there isn't some sort of lube in them from the factory.

[@Range23]

If they were made in tolerance at the factory there’d be no need for any lube. It’s the magazine moulds being worn that’s causing the binding. But I’ve found just running the mag or maybe a tiny bit of sanding in the follower solves it.

[@daveg.8238]

I just received my 3 replacement magazines back from S&W . Worst customer service ever. , 2nd time shooting , the mags failed , called S&W and got an indifferent call person who just told me to mail them back. No information , no acknowledgement of a problem , no improved design. Called the next day to see if they were sending a shipping label , and was told after asking if it was a warranty problem , why am I paying to ship them back? Was lied to and told he would send me one. After a week I figured it wasnt coming , so I paid $11.00 to ship my mags back. Then no email that they received them and no notification that they sent them back. I appreciate that they replaced them , but they are the same garbage that came with the gun I purchased. They arrived in a large box , just loose and rattling around , no invoice or sorry for your inconvenience note or screw you included. Totally turned me off to any future purchase of any of their weapons.

[@Range23]

Oh man, that’s shitty. Nothing puts me off a company quicker than bad CS.

[@jamesk5250]

I just sent 3 of them back to S&W ! They are slowly warping, and the follower channel gets tight spots where the follower gets "pinched" between the lips it rides on, and binds the Mag beyond use !!! Extremely cheap plastic composition, and it is effected by heat if left loaded, even in the carry case !! Definitely "NOT" a quality item, up to older S&W standards. On a recent shooting session, the guns were left in the vehicle for two days with the Mag's loaded, ( KelTek, Glock, etc. Mags & firearms) The only problem was the S&W M&P15-.22 Magazines . Very disappointing ! Waiting for S&W's answer to the problem !! My guess is, the M&P .22 is not a hot weather weapon due to the cheap plastic composition of the magazines !!! It has appeared to me that S&W has had real quality issues for quite a while now !!! Very sad !!! I guess I should have tried the H&K 416/.22 !!

[@Range23]

I’d tend to agree. From my experience, the latest mags are very hit and miss. The older ones were decent quality and the design is good. Shame as they’re pretty expensive here too!

[@daveyandersen]

Yes same problem. Smith and Wesson is sending me 4 new springs. Haven't received yet so hopefully.

[@Range23]

I think the issue is with the moulded bodies of the mags, I tried a few different springs in these and they were all similar. Be interesting to see how you get on with them though. The mags do seem to wear in after a while. But it’s still not good that they are going out like this.

[@mattyobrien5822]

2 of 3 cartridges binde up. There is a flair in/on the cartridge itself! It slows the spring. In this common? Did I buy a turd?

[@Range23]

Some of the smith mags have tolerance issues, usually in the magazine track. Try running the follower up and down a good few times and see if it frees off. They usually bed in with a little bit of use

[@JohnPrescott-cs7nn]

I have this issue with at least 4 mags, makes my 15-22 unusable. I contacted S&W customer service and they absolutely refuse to help. Retailer won’t take them back. Probably the last S&W firearm I’ll ever buy.

[@Range23]

I can be very annoying, especially if they won’t even acknowledge it. Try running the followers back and forth a few dozen times. If that doesn’t work, you could try lightly sanding the follower in areas that it’s been rubbing. Hope you get sorted 👍🏻

[@jamesk5250]

I contacted them & they gave me an address to return them, but that does not necessarily mean they will make it right if it is an ongoing problem !! A better grade of Polymer is needed to say the least !!!

[@8475143117]

YES, this has happened TWICE... The first time I called S&W and they told me to return it to where I bought it. After watching another video about this where they just sent them back to S&W for an exchange, I did likewise after talking to them again... I'm not sure if it was because I left the magazines LOAD when stored and the polymer just warps over time but I won't store them loaded in the future...I also have short 10 round magazines that don't suffer the same issue...

[@Range23]

From my experience it’s just a quality control issue, some of the mags are like this one, they stick straight out of the packet. Most likely the mould is worn and causing the mags to be slightly out of spec

[@8475143117]

@@Range23 you may be correct

[@ACommenterOnYouTube]

Just caught this video also, i got a xmas GC to my local gun shop and i want to use it to buy this AR ... While i don't think this is holding me back, its something to think about.

[@ThePhilipoconnor]

Could you do a video mate on what you did to the wmr mags to make them lock your guncrafts bolt back please?

[@Range23]

It’s something I’ll probably do in the future. I need to revisit the whole concept as I haven’t done anything with them in ages.

[@ThePhilipoconnor]

@@Range23 cheers mate.

[@collinsehi2598]

Yes!!!!! I have had the same issues on the last 4 I have purchased! How have you fixed the issue?

[@Range23]

On all the mags I’ve had this issue on it’s the actual mag body that’s the problem. It’s like the mould is getting worn and the spring channel is out of spec as a result. I’ve found that just repeatedly cycling and using the magazines seems to sort them out. There is no other fix really, as you cannot get to the spring channel to sand/polish it.

[@collinsehi2598]

@@Range23 do you know of any alternatives to the S&W mags? I really don’t even want the rifle anymore because all the mags I’ve bought make it useless. S&W takes forever to respond so I’ve basically got a very expensive paper weight

[@Range23]

@@collinsehi2598 is it a 15-22 rifle you’ve got?

[@Laurencoen]

I’ve had this problem with all the new sw mags I’ve purchased for my M&P 15-22. Very frustrating as it causes regular jamming.

[@Range23]

It seems to be luck of the draw as to what you get. The QC has definitely gone downhill over the last few years. I I’ve found they usually free off after a bit of running the follower back and forth though

[@murlinthomas9858]

I have had the same problems too...

[@murlinthomas9858]

The mags seems to warp in the middle and the loading pins stick

[@DowntimeMedia]

@@murlinthomas9858just realized this was the problem with my mag. The follower tracks warped in/out and don’t let the slider move at all

[@JerryBehlmann]

have had similar problems with 4 out of 5 mags.thumb assist loader hangs up about halfway through its travels allowing only 5 to10 rounds to load. These are crap mags . hopefully can get an 💱 from Smith and Wesson.

[@Range23]

The quality of them has definitely dropped lately

[@lawrencemartin1113]

Send em back and get a replacement. Terrible quality control. I had a problem with last round hold open I took a very small round file and very, very gently, filed the top inside curved end of where the orange follower stops at the top of the mag. It allowed the follower to stop a fraction higher in the action after the last round was ejected. It solved the problem! I also put a very light coating of silicone on the sliders of my mags so they run very smoothly. Never enough to collect extra dust and dirt, but it made a difference to the smooth running.

[@StonedWithSticks]

Just got one the other day. Brand new and it has same issue but the spring falls off inside the mag and gets tangled. $30 is too much for a junk product

[@Range23]

Agreed. When you’re paying those kind of prices you’d expect them to work!

[@gonzalo4to]

Hey bro. I saw in another video that you use a closed magazine for the 15-22. Can you tell me what brand is it?

[@Range23]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/sJO9eIhmZaqEr9E

[@ACommenterOnYouTube]

the mold itself is swelling at that point where the spring is giving you resistance.

[@roguereborn9545]

Just bought 14 new mega for me and the wife’s little rifles and all 14 have this issue

[@Range23]

It seems to be much more common than it used to be with them

[@darylsimmons919]

I noticed the plastic case on one of mine is defective and causing it to bind

[@Range23]

Sadly, this seems to be the case with a lot of the newer mags.

[@J1ayJ]

Silicone spray after taking apart maybe

[@Range23]

To be honest I don’t think it’ll be an issue once it’s been cycled a few dozen times and bedded itself in a bit. It’s just interesting to see how the tolerances and quality control with these mags has changed over the years.

[@michaelworkman9606]

I have the same problem with 2 of my 7 mags

[@Range23]

It’s a fairly common issue, but they usually bed in

[@ACommenterOnYouTube]

this clearly looks like a defect in the making process. Yes you guys are buying "new" mags but these new mags are all stored some where in some warehouse where they are exposed to heat and the heat is warping that center section. Its either a manufacturing issue or there was probably a BUNCH of them, like a few thousand or more that got screwed up in the process and now those are just sitting there waiting to be sold while the rest are out in the world working fine.

[@Range23]

That must be one hot warehouse 😂 It’s most likely just the mould wearing out over time, you can see the loss of detail around the S&W logo too

[@ACommenterOnYouTube]

@@Range23 Well yesterday, using my Xmas GC i purchased this MP15-22 and got 2 additional mags for it. I checked all 3 mags and all 3 followers move up and down freely with no center resistance so.

[@MoAZ1382]

Take out your loading buttons. That's usually the issue, not the springs...

[@Range23]

I’ve found it’s normally the track that the follower and spring ride in. I think as the moulds get worn it makes the track tighter. I’ve been seeing it quite a bit lately.