L39a1 magazine issue

[Merlin266]

Hi all, wonder if anyone can shed any light on the magazine fitted to my L39a1. The part no is CR 141A 65 the last bit of the number appears to be either a small D or E. I understand the loading platform role of the magazine on the 7.62 rifle, with this fitted to my rifle it will only chamber the round on the right side of the magazine facing forward. I've added some pics of the magazine and what appears to be machining inside the magazine housing

Information

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[Alan de Enfield]

The small D is actually a combination of E, F & D and is the Enfield manufacture marking (logo)

[Maxwell Smart]

The machining marks in the magazine well seem to be correct for a 7.62 magazine.

The magazine itself looks genuine.

How many rounds do you put in the magazine, before you start trying to work the bolt?

If you are using "snap-caps" to test, which brand?

Does the bolt completely fail to pick up rounds on the left side, or does it miss feed them so that the bullet spears off-centre and jams into the face of the breech?

[Merlin266]

I have loaded 5 rounds into the magazine, when it comes to loading the 1st round from the left side, the bolt collects the round initially but then after about 10mm of movement the bolt rides over it.

[Maxwell Smart]

It seems to me that the issue may be with the left hand magazine lip(s).

The magazine sits up high enough (courtesy of the machining in the well) to allow the bolt face to strip the round off the top of the stack, so that is good.

After about 10mm forward movement, what COULD be happening is that the cartridge case is being caught on the bottom side of either lip, which deflects the round downwards enough that the bolt-face rides over it. Suggest try the feeding again, and see if there is any downwards movement there.

Llikely contact points are the front of the rear lip, or the rear of the forward lip.

[Peter Laidler]

Max has the aswer pretty well but it could also be that the magazine is loose at the rear and not being pressed up high enough before the mag catch engages.

Magazines HAVE to be fitted to the rifle. That's why they are numbered to it

[Gil Boyd]

Merlin,
An obvious question, have you ever removed the springs and rested them at all?

[gsimmons]

Typically springs don't set if they are left compressed or not. It's the(in the case of a steel watch mainspring)winding and unwinding of the spring that causes it to set.

[Peter Laidler]

You're right there Gary. It's a bit like the little wheeze of stretching a tired spring to put a bit more ooooooomph back into it. Great until you load it up again and its soon back to oooooomph-less state again. Fatigue fxxxx springs

We had some old Bren wartime Bren magazines found on the old everleigh DZ. Loaded with .303" ball and pretty well rusted through. When Sgt Taff twisted one, off flew the base plate followed by the retainer and spring and .303 rounds scattered over the workshop floor where strictly speaking there should NEVER, ever be live ammo! The spring was still (just) inside the acceptance length

[Gil Boyd]

Well................I have to say contrary to those views, I have personally found that 7.62 mags fitted to the SLR for long durations on operations filled with 20 rounds did cause issues on feeding. It was SOP to leave the springs out after cleaning the magazines on a very regular basis.
It could have been the mags we were supplied with from where ever were not up to it, but we certainly had some issues.