ARC Mags

[Stag556]

My followers jamb like that also if I do to them what I saw in the video, yet in 300rnds of live fire, it hasn't done it once.
Is it possible that recoil is driving the tips of your bullets under the feed ramp, due to the increased mag internal length, and then the bolt is tipping them the rest of the way?

That's a plausible idea but I can't say for certain what exactly is causing it. I wish I knew but for now I'll have to stick with my AICS mags. I'll hold onto these in case there is a redesign of the follower.

Due to only being able to recreate the issue under live fire and only having my match gun to test them in, I don't want to put the extra rounds down the tube to try and figure it out.


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[Yerman]

Mine jammed today. Is there a tutorial for the fix?

 

[bribassguy]

This isn't live fire but these are factory 140 ELD in my TL2. I'll often get one that will nose dive and fail to feed. I do not think it's an OAL issue.

https://youtu.be/-5orc0AiyLc

I'll try filling down the ears.

 

[Ksracer]

This isn't live fire but these are factory 140 ELD in my TL2. I'll often get one that will nose dive and fail to feed. I do not think it's an OAL issue.

https://youtu.be/-5orc0AiyLc

I'll try filling down the ears.

Good video.
If you carefully drop your mag out when that happens, does the round stay stuck down, or does it push back up by itself?

 

[craigos]

ran ~ 200 rounds of 6.5x47 and 6 dasher through 2 -- shooting and going, not a single issue

 

[LawnMM]

Don't own any, figured I'd see how it was panning out first. I've seen similar problems in the past. The follower likely needs redesign to keep it from tilting and shifting. The next issue may be feed lips.

I had some mags from a vendor that rhymes with ralpha and they would nose dive beneath the ramp and jam regularly. My rounds were long. AI Mags...no problem. The difference was how early the ralphas lost control of the round.

AI Mags maintained control noticeably longer as they moved forward before popping free in the receiver. Sold the damn ralphas and haven't had an issue with AI since. Even with my long 308 rounds.

Anti tilt follower, move feed lips forward to maintain control longer... my suggestions. Talk to the MK machining guys. They have a dynamite 3D printing setup. See if they can work up an anti tilt follower.

 

[Sig Marine]

Don't own any, figured I'd see how it was panning out first. I've seen similar problems in the past. The follower likely needs redesign to keep it from tilting and shifting. The next issue may be feed lips.

I had some mags from a vendor that rhymes with ralpha and they would nose dive beneath the ramp and jam regularly. My rounds were long. AI Mags...no problem. The difference was how early the ralphas lost control of the round.

AI Mags maintained control noticeably longer as they moved forward before popping free in the receiver. Sold the damn ralphas and haven't had an issue with AI since. Even with my long 308 rounds.

Anti tilt follower, move feed lips forward to maintain control longer... my suggestions. Talk to the MK machining guys. They have a dynamite 3D printing setup. See if they can work up an anti tilt follower.

Feed lips on the ARC are very short when compared with the AICS mags, something like 1/4" or so. I agree with the above as another poster in this thread previously said he switched out the follower and spring assembly from either an AICS or Alpha mag into the ARC and it ran well. Hopefully Ted can make some mods and get these to run. Love the concept and the compact size.

 

[MarkLeupold]

I think they'll work in the near future. Ted seems like a knowledgeable guy, and I'm sure the follower redesign is already in the works.

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[bentbolt308]

My tikka wasn't feeding well at all. It was skipping over about every other round. I stretched the spring and opened up the rear of the lips so they are parallel to the front around .410 and haven't had a problem feeding yet. Before I stretched the spring it was trying to push the round front to high and was hitting the top of the barrel missing the hole.

 

[Jericho941]

It seems the problem with mine is not with the mag necessarily, but with my receiver. The internal length of the magazine is longer than my magazine port. So the last round in my arc mag gets stuck under the feed ramp. I guess the only way to fix it is to either go with aics mags, or inlet the feed ramp. Any one know how to do that?

 

[Sheldon N]

Rocked the ARC mag in a match today... TL-3 Dasher. Fed flawlessly. Took 2nd out of 59 shooters. Several other guys using them today as well, no issues that I saw.

 

[LawnMM]

It seems the problem with mine is not with the mag necessarily, but with my receiver. The internal length of the magazine is longer than my magazine port. So the last round in my arc mag gets stuck under the feed ramp. I guess the only way to fix it is to either go with aics mags, or inlet the feed ramp. Any one know how to do that?

That's what I'm talking about with feed lips length and how far forward in the receiver the round is controlled. If they pop free too early they can drop or dive under the ramp. Ideally you want them controlled long enough that they can only slide up the ramp by the time they pop free. The follower can also contribute to this if it tilts. The bolt puts forward pressure on the round, and the follower dives and jams the round.

 

[Ksracer]

It seems the problem with mine is not with the mag necessarily, but with my receiver. The internal length of the magazine is longer than my magazine port. So the last round in my arc mag gets stuck under the feed ramp. I guess the only way to fix it is to either go with aics mags, or inlet the feed ramp. Any one know how to do that?

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I loaned my mag that has 400 rounds through it now to my buddy to try in his Defiance. Same mag, same caliber, same 2.800 OAL rounds, the only difference, my feed ramp is clearanced, his is not. His would feed the first time, but jam the second. Didnt matter if the mag was full, or if it was the last round. When his bolt closes, the first round drags the lower round forward, and under the feed ramp. When the upper round clears the feed lips, the lower one pops up and the nose is already stuck under the ramp. Google Rem 700 feed ramp notch and that should get you the info you need. If not, Pm me. The reliable fix in these mags for people who don't want to clearance their feed ramps is probably going to be a spacer of some type in the front of the mag to keep the rounds rearward.

 

[DunInOne]

Ok I thought I would follow up on my experience with these mags so far as I had a few hiccups this weekend same as many others... 1. feeding at home no live fire perfect 2. Live fire at the range concrete covered 60rds perfect 3. Practical match on a range outside little dust perfect 4. Weekend camping 120rds dusty dirty desert shooting= 7-8th round nose diving under feed ramp out of 120 rounds maybe 5-6 misfeeds. Same problem many others experience with the follower hanging up in the front of the magazine. It does pop up freely quite easily so I think this could be fixed without much trouble. Ted did say they need to be kept clean but they have only had 3 outings... I'm thinking the problem is when recoil happens the rounds move forward then feeding becomes a problem. Spacer or longer feed lips may be the trick

 

[Eagle1899]

Ran mine in a match on Sunday. TL-3 in a MPA chassis shooting straight 6BR. No problems what so ever.

 

[cwall64]

This isn't live fire but these are factory 140 ELD in my TL2. I'll often get one that will nose dive and fail to feed. I do not think it's an OAL issue.

https://youtu.be/-5orc0AiyLc

I'll try filling down the ears.

Same issue with TL2 and 6.5 Creedmoor at 2.81", touch the round and it pops up. TL3 and 6 Dasher works flawlessly for me.

 

[LRI]

Maybe I can help here...

Yes, the COAL that the ARC magazine accommodates is longer than some receivers will allow for without modification. If we go back 5,6,7 years this was a "big deal" here on the hide. Seemed like everyone was whittling away on receivers to make stuff work. This seems to be an intermittent problem.

The ARC magazine is no different.

I've already done a few actions like this specific to this magazine. Not a big deal. There are points to consider and I will share with you what I've learned.


IF you are doing this work, understand first that just notching the lower feedramp won't cut it. You have to think about how the cartridge behaves as it travels upward through the "gauntlet" of the magwell and into the feedlips. It is an arc movement. That means the projectile tip is drawing part of a circle as it moves to present itself to the face of the bolt.

The notch has to be widened for the whole system to function properly. It's a simple enough toolpath to create on a cnc. Manually it'll be a little more work, but not impossible. Ignoring this will create the condition where the whole thing falls apart. the tip of the bullet gets hung up.

$75+shipping and we'll knock it out. Day or two rotation in the shop. I want the whole gun. I'm not going to do this unless I can qualify the work on YOUR setup. Me cobbling stuff together here on odd/end parts to check just won't cut it. It might cost a little more, but it costs a whole lot more to ship it 2 or 3 times. . .

Happy to help.

C.

LRI

 

[Citius7]

Ran a match on Saturday with my TL3 MPA 6mm Comp Match Improved (6mm Unicorn) not a single issue. The ARC mag was able to get my COAL with 115 JLKs to where I need them to be 2.851. It was perfect. Dad ran same setup running 6mm Lapua. No issues at all. To date neither of us have had a single fail to anything with the ARC mags.

 

[craigos]

Rocked the ARC mag in a match today... TL-3 Dasher. Fed flawlessly. Took 2nd out of 59 shooters. Several other guys using them today as well, no issues that I saw.

TL3 in a Dasher loves the ARC mag

 

[ZY100]

PDC custom Chassis and Defiance Deviant...smooth-smooth in two different rifles.

Mag catch was just a hair tight, but easily fixed with three strokes of a file.

 

[ddavis]

UPDATE:

Ran through a club match with the ARC mag (with original ARC follower with tabs filed down) in a Mausingfield action and I had typically 1 failure per mag. I believe it was when I was down to the last 3 rounds. Bolt would ride over round, and I'd have to pull bolt back, push round down level in mag and run bolt again. A minor annoyance that didn't cost me any points, but definitely something that needs to be fixed. It had just rained the night before so very little dust. Mag was clean. Not sure what to do about this beyond what I've done with the file already.

-Dan

 

[Sheldon N]

If bolt is over riding round then you don't have enough case presentation to the bolt head. Either something to adjust in the mag latch to get the mag to sit higher (not exactly sure how) or open up the feedlips a bit so the case sits higher and gives more to present to the bolt face.

 

[nexusfire]

PDC custom Chassis and Defiance Deviant...smooth-smooth in two different rifles.

Mag catch was just a hair tight, but easily fixed with three strokes of a file.

Did you file the mag or the catch?

 

[ZY100]

Did you file the mag or the catch?

The Mag...my AICS, Alpha and Magpuls all fit fine. The ARC fit, but you had to very deliberate and firm....so much so I could see it raise its head at the worst time. I will say the ARC mag locks in rock solid. ZERO play.

 

[ddavis]

If bolt is over riding round then you don't have enough case presentation to the bolt head. Either something to adjust in the mag latch to get the mag to sit higher (not exactly sure how) or open up the feedlips a bit so the case sits higher and gives more to present to the bolt face.

I think it was due to the follower sticking in the mag. All I'd have to do to fix the issue was stick my finger in the action and push the rounds down and they would pop back up to full height, solving the problem.

 

[nexusfire]

My issue is when I rack the first round, round below it gets pushed forward and won't load after shooting the previous round. I have to use my finger and push it towards the rear of the mag. Too much spring tension? 6.5cm with lapua brass.

 

[bribassguy]

I think it was due to the follower sticking in the mag. All I'd have to do to fix the issue was stick my finger in the action and push the rounds down and they would pop back up to full height, solving the problem.

This is the same issue I am having in the video.

 

[bribassguy]

Did anyone find a solution to this or is it time to put mine up for sale?

 

[superde]

A lot of people seem to be having problems with these mags. I have 3 and they have run flawlessly in 2 rifles - 6BR (defiance) and 243 (impact), both in AIAT chassis. I did file down the follower wings a little from the get go just because of what I read here. I need 5 more, so if you don't want them, send me a PM - it will save me a few $.

 

[briang7511]

I bought an extension kit for my arc mags and they also run flawless. per the instructions it says to measure the spring, then stretch it. pulling on it didnt really do it, i had to bend it at the bends to acheive this. Needed a little tuning but they run fine now. Also run in a defiance. If any one doesnt want their mags feel free to send them to me!

 

[RampedRaptor]

Any updates on the reliability of these magazines? My rifle gets dirty and I don’t want issues to arise due to a delicate magazine. Does Ted intend to release a gen2 model that corrects the feeding issues some of you have experienced?

thanks

 

[Pusher591]

Any updates on the reliability of these magazines? My rifle gets dirty and I don’t want issues to arise due to a delicate magazine. Does Ted intend to release a gen2 model that corrects the feeding issues some of you have experienced?

thanks

No updates as I know but Mark Leupold did say the follower re-design was in the works a while back but haven’t heard anything else about it.

Im gonna try to run them in my 6.5 PRC. If they work, great. If they don’t I’m gonna put a MPA mag extension on it and run the AICS 10rd spring in it to see if I can get away with it. If that doesn’t work I’ll just swap over some 5rd AICS mag springs/follower and be done with it.

 

[ddavis]

Mine seems to work fine now. I can't remember if I took it apart and sanded the follower a bit more, or if it just got "broken in" after my initial filing, but the last few hundred rounds have had no problems. IIRC when I spoke to Ted on the phone a couple months ago he basically said he shouldn't have jumped into the mag making business, it was a lot of trouble. He didn't say what the future holds for ARC mags. It seems like a simple follower re-design would solve the issues.

 

[RampedRaptor]

IIRC when I spoke to Ted on the phone a couple months ago he basically said he shouldn't have jumped into the mag making business, it was a lot of trouble. He didn't say what the future holds for ARC mags.

That doesn’t exactly build confidence. I picked up 2 that are slightly used and will give them a try with the 6creed. I’ll be sure to post back how they work whether good or bad.

 

[ddavis]

That doesn’t exactly build confidence. I picked up 2 that are slightly used and will give them a try with the 6creed. I’ll be sure to post back how they work whether good or bad.

Just be prepared to file the "ears" down on the follower if it doesn't work right. That will likely solve any issues.

 

[Natestreo]

Anyone have 2-3 of these that they're having trouble with and want to sell? I'd like to try them in my setup. Willing to dremel the hell out of them and make it a project if necessary lol. PM me

 

[Stoweit]

Are these mags solid now?

 

[Random_Scrub]

Are these mags solid now?

Curious as well best I can find is that they aren’t; however, a fix is coming soon, and will be given to those who already purchased.

 

[Sheldon N]

Update on my ARC mags. I've got a pair that I've used for about a year now without issue. Filed down the ears off the follower when I got them and they've been trouble free for thousands of rounds... until a couple weeks ago at the Quiet Riot PRS match.

Very dusty conditions, gritty/sand dust. Had my mags go into full lockup, refused to feed. I had even seen them start to hiccup and had wiped them out and wiped off all my rounds and reloaded the mag, but that didn't help. Cost me several stages worth of points, had to borrow a mag to finish the match.

Nothing to do with the follower, it's the geometry of the double stack constricting into a single stack feed. There's a lot of pressure on the side walls of the mag from the brass, and this friction can overcome the upward pressure of the spring, even though the spring is really strong.

They work okay in normal conditions, but my advice is if you are going to shoot in dusty environments I would steer clear.

 

[lash]

Update on my ARC mags. I've got a pair that I've used for about a year now without issue. Filed down the ears off the follower when I got them and they've been trouble free for thousands of rounds... until a couple weeks ago at the Quiet Riot PRS match.

Very dusty conditions, gritty/sand dust. Had my mags go into full lockup, refused to feed. I had even seen them start to hiccup and had wiped them out and wiped off all my rounds and reloaded the mag, but that didn't help. Cost me several stages worth of points, had to borrow a mag to finish the match.

Nothing to do with the follower, it's the geometry of the double stack constricting into a single stack feed. There's a lot of pressure on the side walls of the mag from the brass, and this friction can overcome the upward pressure of the spring, even though the spring is really strong.

They work okay in normal conditions, but my advice is if you are going to shoot in dusty environments I would steer clear.

Well that is disappointing to hear. I use AW mags in my Stiller and like them a lot for their short size, very solid construction and consistent performance. I am awaiting a Nucleus action that will not accept AW mags and have been considering the use of ARC mags due to the similar size.

It sounds like I need to reconsider and go in a different direction for feeding this new action.

 

[Stoweit]

Well that’s not good news.

 

[BANG...ping]

I have two mags purchased from LRI about 8 months ago. I only use factory Hornaday 6.5 Creed 140 ELD's in my RPR. I have about 1000 rounds through the mags. The mags have never failed to feed, extract, or eject. I can even rest the gun on the mag with no problems feeding new rounds. However, I have noticed occasionally that after chambering a new round after 2-3 seconds I could hear the remaining rounds shift up in the mag indicating that they were stuck for a short time. This happened when the mags were fairly new. I haven't noticed it in the last 500 rounds though. Seems like something was a bit tight but ran in. The mags now work great. After several matches with them they still work great when cycling the bolt fast or slow. The only thing to be aware of is if you get any grit in the mags, they will begin to hang up. However, Ted makes it clear that they need to be kept clean. And for what it is worth my RPR has never failed to feed, extract, or eject in the 2600 factory rounds since it was new with PMAGS, AICS mags, or ARC mags ( I did have some problems with someone else's reloads once). The ARC's are the best because they are short and feed real smooth.

Bang

 

[lash]

I have two mags purchased from LRI about 8 months ago. I only use factory Hornaday 6.5 Creed 140 ELD's in my RPR. I have about 1000 rounds through the mags. The mags have never failed to feed, extract, or eject. I can even rest the gun on the mag with no problems feeding new rounds. However, I have noticed occasionally that after chambering a new round after 2-3 seconds I could hear the remaining rounds shift up in the mag indicating that they were stuck for a short time. This happened when the mags were fairly new. I haven't noticed it in the last 500 rounds though. Seems like something was a bit tight but ran in. The mags now work great. After several matches with them they still work great when cycling the bolt fast or slow. The only thing to be aware of is if you get any grit in the mags, they will begin to hang up. However, Ted makes it clear that they need to be kept clean. And for what it is worth my RPR has never failed to feed, extract, or eject in the 2600 factory rounds since it was new with PMAGS, AICS mags, or ARC mags ( I did have some problems with someone else's reloads once). The ARC's are the best because they are short and feed real smooth.

Bang

See the part that I bolded in your post. That's the rub for some of us. I mostly shoot in Florida, where fine sand gets into everything eventually if you do anything other than bench shooting. If I am going to have to worry about keeping the mags spotless during practice or a match, then it's a problem. I may try one and use other mags as backup, if I can get one from the PX reasonably.

 

[BANG...ping]

See the part that I bolded in your post. That's the rub for some of us. I mostly shoot in Florida, where fine sand gets into everything eventually if you do anything other than bench shooting. If I am going to have to worry about keeping the mags spotless during practice or a match, then it's a problem. I may try one and use other mags as backup, if I can get one from the PX reasonably.[/QUOT
Yes, fine grit seems to be a problem. I was at a match in North Carolina a few months ago and it rained hard all day. I kept wiping my hands off as much as I could but the fine grit seems to get everywhere

See the part that I bolded in your post. That's the rub for some of us. I mostly shoot in Florida, where fine sand gets into everything eventually if you do anything other than bench shooting. If I am going to have to worry about keeping the mags spotless during practice or a match, then it's a problem. I may try one and use other mags as backup, if I can get one from the PX reasonably.

Yes, grit seems to be a problem. At a match in North Carolina a few months ago it rained hard all day. No matter how hard I tried, I could not keep fine grit off my hands. Eventually, my mags got dirty and when loading new rounds into the mag I could feel that the rounds did not move freely up and down when I pressed down with my fingers. I then switched to my spare PMAG. No problem. That is why I mentioned in my previous post that the ARC mags feed so smooth. I had become so used to the smooth feeding ARC mag that the first round with the PMAG required so much more effort that I thought there was a malfunction! But as I said, when clean they always work in my RPR. Seems like a small bit of fine tuning will make these great mags better.

Bang

 

[ultrarunner7]

Fellas. I ordered one of these mags and it doesn't fit in my AXMC or my Short Action Customs rig with a Manners stock. I called ARC and all they told me was "it should fit". I measured the rear and its longer than my AI mags. I'm pretty disappointed. Fits in my MPA Chassis.

 

[kthomas]

Update on my ARC mags. I've got a pair that I've used for about a year now without issue. Filed down the ears off the follower when I got them and they've been trouble free for thousands of rounds... until a couple weeks ago at the Quiet Riot PRS match.

Very dusty conditions, gritty/sand dust. Had my mags go into full lockup, refused to feed. I had even seen them start to hiccup and had wiped them out and wiped off all my rounds and reloaded the mag, but that didn't help. Cost me several stages worth of points, had to borrow a mag to finish the match.

Nothing to do with the follower, it's the geometry of the double stack constricting into a single stack feed. There's a lot of pressure on the side walls of the mag from the brass, and this friction can overcome the upward pressure of the spring, even though the spring is really strong.

They work okay in normal conditions, but my advice is if you are going to shoot in dusty environments I would steer clear.

One of my squad mates had an ARC mag that failed in that same match. Had the LRI follower. He ended up throwing that mag as far as he could after a bad stage, not sure if he ever got it back....

 

[Sheldon N]

One of my squad mates had an ARC mag that failed in that same match. Had the LRI follower. He ended up throwing that mag as far as he could after a bad stage, not sure if he ever got it back....

Lolololol.... I was this close to drop kicking my ARC mag off the ledge after the tire stage in Utah.

 

[B-P-UU]

You have to grind the top of the mag catch down on the ARC's to work with most BM's. Compare it to an AICS catch and you'll see what I mean. Most BM's are designed so AICS mags don't over-engage.. or seat too deeply in the mag well.

 

[B-P-UU]

Fellas. I ordered one of these mags and it doesn't fit in my AXMC or my Short Action Customs rig with a Manners stock. I called ARC and all they told me was "it should fit". I measured the rear and its longer than my AI mags. I'm pretty disappointed. Fits in my MPA Chassis.

See my post above..

 

[HH4]

Lolololol.... I was this close to drop kicking my ARC mag off the ledge after the tire stage in Utah.

Were you able to get your mags working again?

I just picked one of these up to use with my Tikka in a KRG Bravo and it will only feed the first round in the magazine.