# Para Magazine



## mt-in-mass (Mar 15, 2007)

I have 2 post ban 10 round nickle and 3 preban 14 round black for a p1445. All of them produce FTLs... The more I use the 10 rounders the less FTLs I seem to get, so I am blaming the mags rather than the pistol. Is Para Quality control so bad that 5 of there mags cause FTLs? or do you think a gunsmith (or return to para) is in order? I love the gun, but the FTLs make it impossible to use as CCW or competitiion...


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## milquetoast (Nov 25, 2006)

Most likely source of probs in a magazine is the spring. If it's happening with all mags, could very well be the gun. (Tired recoil spring.) If it were my gun, I'd order new springs from Wolff. Something worth doing every year or two whether needed or not. Replacing springs in a pistol (and magazines) is just an ongoing maintenance cost -- like getting regular oil changes for your car.


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## DJ Niner (Oct 3, 2006)

mt-in-mass said:


> I have 2 post ban 10 round nickle and 3 preban 14 round black for a p1445. All of them produce FTLs... The more I use the 10 rounders the less FTLs I seem to get, so I am blaming the mags rather than the pistol. Is Para Quality control so bad that 5 of there mags cause FTLs? or do you think a gunsmith (or return to para) is in order? I love the gun, but the FTLs make it impossible to use as CCW or competitiion...


Okay, I'll man-up and confess that I'm unfamiliar with the term/acronym "FTL". FTF, FTE; yes; FTL, no. So: what exactly are you seeing/getting/not getting when you shoot your pistol? Describe the problem completely; the more details, the better chance we have of helping you.


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## mt-in-mass (Mar 15, 2007)

Sorry, like any other discipline you get some "techno speak" that may be local to your area, or maybe used only in a certian context.. my appoligies.. I do it at work too (get yelled at quite often!!!)..
FTL is failure to load.. The round .. for any number of reasons, does not go into battery.. (FTE is failure to eject....)

In my case, the round does not come to the top of the magazine, thus the angle at which it assumes when the slide moves forward is too steep and gets lodged halfway in to the chamber..... easy to clear (tap, rack bang).. but like I said.. in CCW situation, that is dangerous, and in competition it costs time.... 

I ordered a metal follower, and have been told that there is some "dry"teflon that I may want to try as well...

Tnx for making me speak english


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## DJ Niner (Oct 3, 2006)

Thanks for taking the time to clarify; I have a much better understanding of the problem, now.

First point: I think it is unlikely that you have that many "bad" magazines, especially if they are all factory mags. I suppose the springs could be weak, or they could be having other problems, but the odds are against it, in my experience.

Second: I would diagnose this problem as a failure to feed or a failure to chamber, depending on exactly where the round is hanging-up on the ramp. 

- If the bullet is nosing down into the base of the ramp, then I'd say it's a failure to feed, and agree that it could be magazine-related; but I'd also take a look at the ammo I was using. Do you do all or most of your shooting with one or two types/brands of ammo? If so, you may want to try a couple of other types/brands and see if the problems go away. Low-powered ammo can fail to drive the slide far enough to the rear to "pick up" the next round in the mag properly; this can look like a mag problem, when it actually is ammo-related. Soft brass in the casings can cause rounds to hang/snag where other harder-cased rounds would have no problems feeding/chambering. I've actually seen a large batch of big-name-brand factory .45 ammo that had softer-than-normal brass casings, and the rims were slightly larger than spec; a bad combination for reliability, and when the user switched ammo, his problems went away completely.

- If the bullet in the cartridge is hanging-up on the feed ramp, near the middle of the ramp or higher, then I'd ask you to check the REAR of the cartridge case next time it happens, and see where the rim of the cartridge is resting, and take special note if it is just starting to touch or slip under the extractor. In many 1911 designs, extractor tension is absolutely critical to feeding reliability, and if the extractor has too much tension on it, it will interfere with the round as the rim slides up the breechface and under the extractor hook. You can check this tension by disassembling the weapon, and with the slide assembly in one hand, hold a round of ammo and try to slide the rim up under the extractor with the other hand (thumb and forefinger). As you try to slip the rim up under the extractor, if you feel the rim "feed hard", bind, jam, hang-up on a sharp edge, or snag on something (sometimes the firing pin hole or extractor hole in the breechface can have a sharp edge or burr on it, which will also interfere with chambering), then the extractor might need tuning, and possibly the breechface area could need some attention and deburring. Even if the tension is good, a burr on/under the extractor hook can duplicate the problems you are seeing.

Finally, I'd ask you to keep a sharp eye out for brass chips or shavings in the breech area. If they are present, it is a sign that something is snagging/shaving bullets or casings as they feed up and into the chamber. A small amount of small stuff after firing hundreds of rounds is probably not a problem; a bunch of shavings after 50 shots, or large chunks/shavings could be a sign that something is not right.

Hope this was helpful.


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## mt-in-mass (Mar 15, 2007)

tnx.. a lot to check for and I will...

All factory mags. NIB (same for the pistol.. 3 months old). Ammo is Winchester white box 230Gr FMJ.


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## DJ Niner (Oct 3, 2006)

Try a box of CCI Blazer (original aluminum-case stuff), maybe some Blazer Brass, Remington UMC, or Federal American Eagle. All are close to the same stuff, but the prices will vary (a LOT, nowadays). My .45 ACP really likes the Blazer aluminum-cased stuff. Can't reload the cases, of course, but still good ammo.


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## mt-in-mass (Mar 15, 2007)

Tnx to all... I took the Mags to a local Gun shop, the owner is a smith. He looked the mags over and found a crease on the front side of the hi caps (real small, and paint was not damaged, so he thought it to be a manufacturing issue).

Para has given me an RMA for them... I'll send tham back tmrw.. Tnx again for the repsonse.... and Blazer loads are in my future.. when I shoot IDPA, it is hard (read impossible) to stop the show so I can police my brass.. The cheaper non-reloadbale will be fine if it is quality stuff like you say...

Tnx again to all


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## mt-in-mass (Mar 15, 2007)

*What happened*

I got 3 new 14 round mags from Para today (They are pre-ban.. I do line in the PRM and noted that fact on the problem description to them...). I ran each mag 3 times at the range. Not one issue.:smt033 The return recipt said that it was shipping and handling wear.... I have issues with their reason, but not with the results....


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## gmaske (Jan 7, 2008)

mt-in-mass said:


> The return recipt said that it was shipping and handling wear.... I have issues with their reason, but not with the results....


That's another way of saying they were bent or out of spec. from the factory.


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## mt-in-mass (Mar 15, 2007)

+1 GMASKE... thats what I figured.. What ever happened to "my bad.. sorry"? but maybe thats a different thread


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