AICS mag problem

[Tikkat1x]

after may problems with standard tikka mags it was suggested by many to use AICS, moving on to MT stocks, Now PSE i am able to use them,
however as with the tikka mags its now being a C*&^ and not feeding the first 3 rounds, i lost a fox 2 days ago because of it, first round wouldnt chamber so scooped it out and tried again, no not chambered either, took mag out to have 2 rounds end up on the floor, Charlie plodded off laughing at me,
is there not a decent bar steward mag that i can rely on

 

[Rob-E]

so the mag feeds but you can’t chamber a round? Sounds like your chamber needs a really good clean. I’ve got 3 tikkas and none struggle to feed.

The fact you’ve swapped stocks and mags suggests to me it’s either the chamber or operator error, ie not cycling the bolt far enough back. However assuming the above that the round is feeding but not chambering I would start by giving it a really good clean.

 

[Tikkat1x]

Like all mags, it worked fine to start with,
This is what’s happening. Very strange.
It’s a begara AICS 223 mag.

 

[Eric the Red]

How fast are you cycling the bolt? That looks like the round has kicked because the bolt was cycled too slowly allowing the round to kick up. Failing that, feed lips may need adjusting

 

[Tikkat1x]

i think i do cycle them slowly having had so many problems in the past with the tika mags, didnt want to damage the bullet tip cycling them fast,
i will try some faster cycling tomorrow and see it that works, but its strange how it always cycles 4 and 5, and earlier i only loaded 2 and they both fed, may of just been a coincidence though,
messing about with feed lips was something i was hoping to avoid using AICS mags

 

[Mr. Gain]

I was out shooting some steel with a friend this pm. His rifle is a Ruger American in an Oryx stock. He was using a polymer AICS magazine for 6.5 CM. (Before you ask, I'm sure he'd love to have a man-bun, but his capillary follicles have been permanently unemployed for some time.)
When he babied the bolt, the round hung up, very much as per your photos. Only when he worked it smartly did the cartridge feed straight into the chamber.
This also seems to be something that has developed since he first got the magazine. He is a very low volume shooter, probably well short of the 100-round mark with that set-up.
Having to work the bolt fast feels suboptimal to me, so I'm sure he'd like to find a magazine that works slow as well as fast, too.

 

[Tikkat1x]

iv never been one to work a fast bolt, i see them doing it in videos on youtube, and all i can think is " calm down mate"

 

[carnivore]

I’ve got a howa 223 in an oryx stock with aics I’ve tried polymer and metal mags, mine cycles over top of round half hearted pushing bullet I’ve then got to draw bolt back but not to far to then cycle into chamber it’s a pain in the a#s also, I think on mine thought the shoulder on the mag needs a shave so the round sits slightly higher, nothing is straight forward

 

[royalewithcheese]

I’ve got a howa 223 in an oryx stock with aics I’ve tried polymer and metal mags, mine cycles over top of round half hearted pushing bullet I’ve then got to draw bolt back but not to far to then cycle into chamber it’s a pain in the a#s also, I think on mine thought the shoulder on the mag needs a shave so the round sits slightly higher, nothing is straight forward

Thats a common thing with short action Howa 1500's in an MDT stock, does the bolt come all the way behind the round or does it still sit on top of the round when pulled all the way to the rear?

Feed Problems with Howa in MDT Chassis Systems – Blackforest Precision

 

[carnivore]

Thats a common thing with short action Howa 1500's in an MDT stock, does the bolt come all the way behind the round or does it still sit on top of the round when pulled all the way to the rear?

Feed Problems with Howa in MDT Chassis Systems – Blackforest Precision

It comes all the way back behind it

 

[Tralle]

i think i do cycle them slowly having had so many problems in the past with the tika mags, didnt want to damage the bullet tip cycling them fast,
i will try some faster cycling tomorrow and see it that works, but its strange how it always cycles 4 and 5, and earlier i only loaded 2 and they both fed, may of just been a coincidence though,
messing about with feed lips was something i was hoping to avoid using AICS mags

It may be because spring tension is higher with more rounds in the magazine, which in turn will cause the round to "pop" up more when it clears the feed lips on the magazine.

Less rounds in magazine = less spring tension = less pop.

The root cause i think is that the round clears the feed lips on the magazine a tad to early, but it may be down to design. Short round and a long action.

I would try to fiddle with the feed lips, perhaps widening a bit toward the chamber end will make them "pop" out of the magazine less.
(Being able to adjust feed lips is one of the good things about the aics mags!)

A short video of the action cycling would be nice.

 

[Donkey Basher]

As @Tralle has said, the round is exiting the magazine too early, compounded by more upwards force from the compressed spring. Try a different make of magazine - maybe borrow one before buying??

 

[malmick]

Considering that you've swapped stocks and the magazine system and still have the problem you might want to have a closer look at the bolt and see if the cartridges are not being picked up due to that. I had a similar issue, not Tikka, had the springs replaced for the various claws and ejector, problem solved. Is it extracting and ejecting cleanly by the way? Factory ammo or reloads?

 

[Foxyboy43]

Hmmm.
Mags are funny things - I went to the rifle club yesterday armed with my .22 CZ and twelve different subsonics to see whether any were better than my go-to CCI. As part of the trial I used an old 9 shot steel mag given to me a while back and which had been temperamental with the CCIs so I had done a bit of fettling and it seemed to work fine. Fine, super, dandy, I was very pleased with the result as it pretty much cycled all the assorted bullets including the CCIs really well.
Soooo, pleased with my efforts last evening I took the CZ out for some bunny bashing - unusual these days because the bunnies over my way have already been well bashed with various man-made pestilences but this was a cry for help so off I went…
Upon arrival I discovered that I had left the proper 5 shot mag at home in my shooting bag but fortunately had stowed the newly honed 9 shot in the cheek-riser pouch on the wee rifle - phew, what a relief, bring on the bunnies….
From the very first attempt at chambering the sodding mag refused to offer up the bullet and jammed, bugger! Damned thing refused to cycle - on the rare occasion it did a second quick shot was thwarted by a jam - a total buggeration! No matter what I did the little buggers lay totally flat in the magazine rather than inclined upwards - each one required a wrestling match to free it before reinserting. As an aside and an unexpected bonus I was using my Zulus V1 and now have lots of recordings demonstrating the extent of my swearing vocabulary.
The one positive is I shot 17 rabbits though it should have been quite a few more…

 

[TringSaint]

How fast are you cycling the bolt? That looks like the round has kicked because the bolt was cycled too slowly allowing the round to kick up. Failing that, feed lips may need adjusting

Should that make the bullet kick out sideways? I often feed rounds in slowly by pushing the bolt forwards with my thumb (esp when going for a second deer) and I never have chambering issues.

Perhaps the feed lips are worn / not evenly spaced? If so then I can imagine on a plastic lopped mag that the round could be let go too early, resulting in the round popping out of the feed lips too soon and before the bolt has it centred.

 

[Tikkat1x]

Considering that you've swapped stocks and the magazine system and still have the problem you might want to have a closer look at the bolt and see if the cartridges are not being picked up due to that. I had a similar issue, not Tikka, had the springs replaced for the various claws and ejector, problem solved. Is it extracting and ejecting cleanly by the way? Factory ammo or reloads?

extracts and ejects fine, home loads
im going to mess about with the feed lips a bit i think, but ideally its something i dont want to be doing, i just want a mag that works.
would a steel one be better.

 

[malmick]

Sending PM

 

[Tikkat1x]

Proving difficult to heat up the mag lips in boiling water as I’d done before with original tikka mags. Can’t get a grip on the lips with the mole grips.
Pics are of 1 round in. And 2 rounds in.

 

[C h r i s]

Feed lips too wide at the chamber end. I'd try a different brand, the polymer looks like its weakened/softened, splaying the feed lips.

Metal would be better.

Accurate Mag .223 5.56mm 5 round AICS magazine

 

[malmick]

These are loaded with 1, 2 and 5 rounds. Your second photo looks to me like the round will jump out of the mag before the bullet enters the chamber, hence mis-feeds.