7th round will not fit question

[StreetSweeper56]

Just curious, anyone else ever notice the 7th round of some brands of shells will not fit in the M4 tube? 

[John P.]

Not all shells are the same length.  Some people buy certain shells for this reason.  Some cut a couple coils from their mag spring.

[StreetSweeper56]

11 minutes ago, John P. said:

Not all shells are the same length.  Some people buy certain shells for this reason.  Some cut a couple coils from their mag spring.

Correct, the reason I ask is I mentioned that on another forum and someone claimed if I couldn't fit 7 rounds of ANY manufacture in the tube it was defective (lol). Said he's been "working on guns for 50 years" and had never seen that. Apparently he's never noticed shotshells can vary in length between manufacturers either so I wanted feedback here, seems dubious.

Edited January 27, 2024 by StreetSweeper56

[John P.]

Yeah, it’s been a topic since I’ve been on this forum (2007).

[EzGoingKev]

I could just barely fit 7 rounds of Federal LE133 in my gun. 

I replaced the OE magazine cap with one from Rx Arms. His cap has more internal space than the OE cap. Now I can fit 7 rounds with no problems. 

[sonyman74]

I did a comparison once of about 6 different brands of 2-3/4" 00 buck shots.  The shortest one was a tad shorter than 2-3/4" and the longest one was nearly 3".  The one almost 3" was curled with a cardboard stop in the end vs. folded and crimped like most.

[StreetSweeper56]

20 minutes ago, EzGoingKev said:

I could just barely fit 7 rounds of Federal LE133 in my gun. 

I replaced the OE magazine cap with one from Rx Arms. His cap has more internal space than the OE cap. Now I can fit 7 rounds with no problems. 

Yes I know, I have 3 and they work great. The reason for the inquiry I spelled out in my 2nd post i.e. someone trying to tell me the tube was "defective" if 7 rounds of any make wouldn't fit. I tried searching but couldn't find any thread on it though I know I've seen it at least once.

[JillV]

I'm in one of the merely free-ish states that doesn't allow the full tube, so hypothetically 5+1.

However, as said in the thread all shells aren't the same, & in my rig which is Hornady slugs in the tube, only 4 fit. 5 almost does, but not quite. 

I get around this by ghost loading, so I have 4+1+1 when topped off.

I don't store it that way however, when I store it & leave the house I empty the chamber first.

[nyc71]

I not convinced is the crimp on the shell, I can fit seven LE13300  in the 1301 tube but not on the M4.

[benelliwerkes]

As mentioned above variations in the un-fired cartridge overall length can effect magazine load capacity difference and has been discussed for many years on this forum. The crimp on the un-fired cartridge is not relevant. The open crimp on the fired cartridge is relative to chamber length dimensions, i.e. 2-3/4" open shell should not exceed this length after being fired or extraction / ejection problems may arise.  Comparing one firearm magazine capacity to another is apples & oranges. 

 

Edited February 1, 2024 by benelliwerkes