380 FTF (small magwell) feeding problem?

[MedBro]

EDIT: Mags were bought from FTF, not zmag my apologies

Hi yall, I bought 3 of the small magwell 380 mags from FTF a while back (last May) but never got the chance to try them out until now as I recently got a Lage M11A1 upper for my RPB M11.

The followers on all three bind up regularly and I have to smack the mag base 7-10 times per mag to get it to feed. This happens with steel case and brass case ammo, with both the stock and Lage uppers. I knew these mags wouldn't be around for long so bought em when I could last year, but I'm really disappointed after this range trip. I tried loading/unloading them manually a bunch of times over the last week trying to wear them in, but it doesn't appear to have helped.

Anyone else have this issue and know how to solve it? The followers look pretty smooth to me, so other than the magazine finish being kinda rough and the spring not terribly strong (just like the stock mags afaik), I'm not sure what the root of the issue is or how to solve it. I've kept the inside of the mag clean and dry as I've always been taught to do, but maybe I should grease it up? Maybe I was raised wrong, but I'm loathe to do that.

Appreciate any help or advice you can give! I absolutely love the Lage M11A1 upper btw. Design and build are top notch.

 

[Offmarksman]

I wasn’t even aware of a small zmag? I know the oem factory small magwell mags go for a pretty good price, but they seem to work well.

 

[MedBro]

Hold on, let me eat crow for a minute, I remembered these as being Zmags but apparently I have dementia
I bought them from FTF

--edit--
Also, I bought several S-31 mags from Zmag around the same time and also just got to try them out at the same range trip, they are fantastic. I just got everything confused in my head. Again, my sincerest apologies

 

[A&S Conversions]

Have you tried graphite to lube the inside of the mags?

 

[strobro32]

I left my review here.

 

[Gaujo]

I'm having the same problem!

 

[slimshady]

If the inside of the mag is roughly finished, I would find a piece of wood or flat steel that fits inside and spans the whole width of one side, glue some 220 grit wet or dry sandpaper to it, and sand it smooth. Finish up with the paper and some oil. Follower should slide much smoother.

Any grease or heavy lube inside will just attract and trap grit, all you want is enough oil to keep it from rusting.

 

[MACchat]

I’ve experienced this, too.

 

[Gaujo]

I gotta say, for a $70 mag, And especially for one that I had customized, I'm pretty irritated.

 

[strobro32]

I had a great day with the MAC 380 SMG and CFW A Bolt this morning. Once you get the FTF 380 mags running well, they are a HOOT2SHOOT!

We usually start the day with 300+ rounds, about 10 mags. I've been using the "Ranch Dog" 100 grain flat point bullets that I cast and powder coat. They have been feeding really well in the M11/380. The barrel and A bolt are supper easy to clean, unlike the cast bolt and FMJ ammo. The A Bolt is supper soft shooting both suppressed and unsuppressed. The cast and CNC OEM bolts feel almost violent in the gun since I've been using the CFW bolt. I suspect the A Bolt will create less wear on the lower in the long run.

I may end up ordering more FTF mags. I wish the mag springs were not so stiff and they could make followers that permit 32-33 rounds like the OEM. Loading the mags and leaving in the safe for a week helps with the stiff springs.

I also lost a bid on GB for OEM mags this week for the same price as the FTF mags. I'm always looking to buy OEM "Cobray" marked mags.

 

[Landric]

I have several of the FTF magazines and they are a combination of the blued ones and the parked ones. I had my M11A1 at the range today and it worked perfectly with the mags using the Baby Ghost upper but I couldn't get the Lage .380 upper to feed. I don't think that was actually a magazine problem since they worked perfectly with the Baby Ghost.

The M11A1 also ran like a top with the Max 31k but of course that has its own magwell so that was expected. So, I was 66% successful.

 

[MedBro]

I had a great day with the MAC 380 SMG and CFW A Bolt this morning. Once you get the FTF 380 mags running well, they are a HOOT2SHOOT!

We usually start the day with 300+ rounds, about 10 mags. I've been using the "Ranch Dog" 100 grain flat point bullets that I cast and powder coat. They have been feeding really well in the M11/380. The barrel and A bolt are supper easy to clean, unlike the cast bolt and FMJ ammo. The A Bolt is supper soft shooting but suppressed and unsuppressed. I'm surprised how violent the OEM bolt feels on the gun. I suspect the A Bolt has less wear on the lower.

I may end up ordering more FTF mags. I wish the mag springs were not so stiff and they could make followers that permit 32-33 rounds like the OEM.

I also lost a bid on GB for OEM mags this week for the same price as the FTF mags. I'm always looking to buy OEM "Cobray" marked mags.

Got any tips on how to get them running well?

 

[strobro32]

I would start at sanding the sides or followers if they are sticking. If that doesn't work, send them back. FTF needs to know about it.

I still think they should not weld the back seems together. It makes the tubes too small.

 

[Pharmerjohnson]

I recently bought some of the 380 mags from FTF. They seem to run fine when I use the original upper, but all failures to feed with the Lage M11A1 Mark II upper. The original mag works fine with the Lage upper. Any suggestions to make the FTF mags work with the Lage upper?

 

[45]

Tear mag down file any burrs rough spots check follower, clean after . spray all parts with dry spray silicon, reassemble . check for smooth feeding . If o.k good . If still having issues try a good cotton sock , turn inside out spray bottom half well with dry silicon spray , Turn sock back out . Put 30 rounds at time in sock , massage rounds in sock . load mag again and ckeck , this is one of Toms old tricks if i remember right .

 

[strobro32]

Be sure to let FTF know about the problems. I wrote a review for them. I called CS and told them. I called about a year later and asked if they made improvements. They said it was the first time they had heard about problems. :bang

1.They need to leave space in the rear seam. The mag bodies are too small. The ammo binds. Use the resistance welded plates at the top and bottom like the OEM.
2. Use the older smoother finish
3. Reduce the size of the plastic follows or make the older style steel followers or create space in the tubes but not joing the rear seems by leaving a little space like the MAC/RPB mags.
4. Use less strong springs.

They are currently out of stock. I hope they make the changes on the next batch. I'd buy more.

 

[Gaujo]

Ya I had to sand down rough spots in mine but got it to work.

 

[Pharmerjohnson]

I failed to describe the issue I am having. Using the FTF mags with the Lage upper every round noses into the bottom leading edge of the chamber. The original mag works fine, and the FTF mags work fine in the original upper. It's as if the mag doesn't seat high enough for the Lage upper, or the angle of the round is incorrect for the Lage upper.

 

[strobro32]

Have you compared the height of the rear plate of the FTF mag to the mag that functions? Compare the measurement the top of the feed lips to the mag catch on both mags. If the measurement of the FTF mag is greater than the older mag, you will know it the FTF mag is at fault.

If the mags are consistent, another option is check the feed ramp height. A crescent wrench can bend up the feed ramp until just before the bolt hits it. Go slow. A few thousandths makes a big difference on some M11s.