Not good

[S.A. Boggs]

For my Mini14 I bought Tapco 2nd gen mags and loaded one as standby. Recently I pulled the loaded mag as I cleaned my Mini and lo and behold rds started to pop out! Being a 30 rd mag I thought I had loaded it full, upon exam it holds only 27. It unloads itself down to 23 and holds there. I pulled another mag out of storage and it too holds only 27 but so far stays loaded with same.
Recently I tried another brand of mag and empty would not lock into the magazine well. ONLY Ruger has OEM and MSRP is $50.00 and I need ten of them. I am going to regulate the Tapco to range mags and pick up the OEM which I hate to do.
Another ideation is to go to another weapon system that uses available M16 mags.
Comments?
Sam

[lyman]

factory Ruger mags have always been a bit pricey,

and Tapco, being not the best in the would, is not really worth the money

also stay away from Promags,

had I known,,, I just sold a big handful of both OEM and good quality (cannot remember the name, but they were highly rated years ago, Precision something) months ago,

surf thru Gunborker, see if you can find some deals

[Art]

Mini 14s are twitchy in some ways. A while back I found a Ruger mfg 30 round Mini 14 magazine in a pawn shop, brand new, apparently never loaded for $15.00. I don't own a Mini 14 but I bought it anyway and gave it to a friend who is a big Mini 14 fan. Keep your eyes open, they do show up at a decent price every now and then. I would stick to Ruger mags with one of these. Tapcos generally seem to work fine in an AK or Ar platform but Mini 14s are a world of their own.

[S.A. Boggs]

The Mini has much going for it now that is has been redone, still needs the M1 sight. Mags have always been a problem since Bill Ruger "decided" on just a 5 rd mag for civilians. With the folding stock this weapon system is just what the Dr. ordered. Can be deployed from folding to shoulder in the blink of an eye and makes the carbine that much handier. Kinda reminds me of the MP40's that our department had. I went with the TAPCO due to the reviews on their Gen 2. I did a web search and TAPCO is now up with an 800 number. Will be giving them a call on Monday regarding my problem.
I have so many irons in the fire that finding an extra $500 will be problematic now for me.
Sam

[Mark in Ottawa]

For what it's worth, a lifetime ago when I was in the Canadian Army reserves, we were taught never to fully load a mag as doing so puts a lot of strain on the spring and can weaken it. General rule was to load about 2 rounds short of full. We were also taught not to leave a mag loaded indefinitely as the spring can lose its elasticity. Of course, that was then and metalurgy has probably advanced somewhat in the last 50 years.

[S.A. Boggs]

Last night I pulled another mag from reserve and loaded 27. Got up this morning and one round had popped out! Going to take a mag apart and see if cutting one coil would make a difference. One thing I can say good about the mag is that the springs are stout!
Sam

[S.A. Boggs]

Cut two coils off, same problem so cutting coils is no solution. Per Lyman went on a hunt for OEM and found a few deals that appear too good to be true so gave them a pass. Checked Brownells and they had the Ruger's in stock so I ordered 5. Next moth will order 5 more if still in stock. The Tapco are regulated to 20 rd range mags to avoid tossing them.
Sam

[lyman]

Sam ,

I looked thru a recent estate buy I picked up (had a box of Ruger Mags) and no OEM mags other than 5 rounders,

[BudT]

I have loaded M14SA mags 5 years ago and no problems they didn't kick any of the full 20 rounds out and run perfect when I shoot one. One of the reasons I sold my mini 30 is mags were to expensive and unless they were Ruger mags they were not reliable. It's a shame to because I really like the mini platform.

[Former Cav]

did you try Mec-gar or magpul?

[Hal O'Peridol]

Just don't buy Crapco mags.

Original Ruger is best, that's all I have except for a couple 'bargain' mags, which look suspiciously like Promags.

I stick to Ruger 20 round mags.