Help me restore these reduced capacity magazine to original capacity

Fryerpower · Sep 17, 2013

First, I'm in Tennessee we have NO restrictions on magazine capacity.

I picked up four modified Pachmayr magazines for about 10 bucks each. It looks like someone was trying to figure out where to dimple the sides of the magazines to reduce their capacity. Two of them will hold 10 rounds. The other two will hold 11 rounds.

I disassembled one and looked everything over. Everything looks fine. There are just two dimples in the sides that prevent the follower from traveling past the 10/11 round point when the magazine is assembled.

My first inclination is to simple drill out the dimples and then trim up the edges of the holes to remove the burrs.

Are the holes going to be too big and weaken the structure of the magazines?

Any other ideas?

Jim

(Mods: Are magazines considered accessories? If not, please move this to handgun autoloaders.)

jojo200517 · Sep 17, 2013

Those dents are pretty big, I don't think i'd bore them out due to how big the hole would be and dirt getting in unless they were just going to be range mags. I doubt it'd weaken the mag to the point that failure would ever be an issue, they aren't under THAT much stress.

How about disassembling the mags and sliding some type of flat metal bar inside from the bottom and trying to work the dent out?

edit; Before I put too much work into it i'd see if they fed and functioned well as is, no point in going to the trouble removing dents if they don't feed anyway.

Fryerpower · Sep 17, 2013

jojo200517 said:
Before I put too much work into it i'd see if they fed and functioned well as is, no point in going to the trouble removing dents if they don't feed anyway.

That is a good idea!

Jaymo · Sep 17, 2013

If those dents are as deep as they appear, they will have stretched the metal.
You may need to drill out the center of each dent, maybe 1/4" diameter, before ironing out the dents. I wouldn't be worried about drilling out the dents. Some magazines are completely open on the sides.

Sam1911 · Sep 17, 2013

I'd just drill them. There are pretty big holes in some magazines and they work just fine.

rcmodel · Sep 17, 2013

If you drill them out, there will be a raised rough edge inside the magazine you will have to deal with somehow.

rc

Fryerpower · Sep 17, 2013

rcmodel said:
If you drill them out, there will be a raised rough edge inside the magazine you will have to deal with somehow.

rc

Good call.

It will take a 1/4 to 3/8 inch drill bit to drill it out.

I bet one of these will fit through the hole. I can use it to pass through the opening on one side and then work it around the inside of the hole on the other side. That should take care of the lip.

http://www.amazon.com/20pc-Mounted-...9462816&sr=1-5&keywords=dremel+grinding+stone

-Jim

scaatylobo · Sep 17, 2013

How handy are you ?

Open the bottom of the mag and find a steel/brass bar to place inside under those ridges.

Then put the bar in a STURDY vice,and using a BRASS hammer,SLOWLY start to tap the ridges down.

A bit of heat will help [ do NOT burn them ] and they should reform.

If you want it to go easier,drill some small holes in the ridges to allow the steel to expand.

That is my best suggestion,and of course you try one mag to see how that works.

SDC · Sep 17, 2013

If you can find a long, thin C-clamp, you may be able to just disassemble the mags, slip the solid end inside the mag, and screw the other end down to flatten the dimple out.

cheesebigot · Sep 17, 2013

If you can find a long, thin C-clamp, you may be able to just disassemble the mags, slip the solid end inside the mag, and screw the other end down to flatten the dimple out.

Close. Take two ordinary C-clamps and 2 sturdy steel bars. Sandwich the dented side of the mag between the flat side of both steel bars. Clamp each steel sandwich as close to the mag as possible to bring the dents back to near flatness.

Fryerpower · Sep 17, 2013

I have a leather hammer and a rubber hammer. Either would work fine for that.

In preparation for taking them to the range I loaded the magazines tonight. Two are 10's, one is an 11 and one is a twelve. The marks one the side of the magazines are all at slightly different heights. Someone way definitely trying to figure out where to dimple them to make them 10 round magazines.

Fryerpower · Sep 19, 2013

Didn't make it to the range today. Hoping to get there tomorrow.

Jim

Jim Watson · Sep 19, 2013

It looks like the magazines are "lanced," either slit through or grooved nearly through, EXCEPT in the dimples. This was a common method of keeping them from being converted to full capacity. If you drill out the dimples and maybe even if you apply too much pressure to flatten them, the tubes will fall apart.

The Lone Haranguer · Sep 19, 2013

How much is your time worth?

There appear to be score lines at the dimples. Even with a suitable mandrel on the inside of the tube, trying to flatten them with a hammer is likely to crack and break the tube, which was their intention. And the size of the hole needed to eliminate the dimple seems likely to weaken the tube in much the same fashion.

Fryerpower · Sep 20, 2013

OK, the two 10 rounders and the 12 rounder work fine. The 11 rounder likes to go in a little too far and causes feed failures. The rounds go straight forward and bind on the ramp. If I pull it down just a little it works fine.

The lines are at the dimples and are very shallow, but oddly it is scored on the inside also. He must have used a tool like tweezers with spikes on the inside so that it made the inside and outside marks at the same time.

If I drill out the dimples I will do it to the 11 rounder to see how it works. If nothing else they are solid range magazines for $10 each.

Jim

RetiredUSNChief · Sep 20, 2013

I agree...play with the 11 rounder to see how it goes.

If I may make some suggestions with respect to the drilling:

Use a drill press and solidly block up your magazine in a clamp or other suitable device to minimize movement during drilling. Use sharp bits, not old/dull ones.

Using a drill press on an immobilized magazine means you can precisely control the pressure and drilling speed, not to mention eliminate wobbling of the magazine.

Also, to further minimize the stresses felt by the creased magazine during drilling, start with a small bit, say 1/8 inch, and incrementally work your way up through larger sizes as you go.

Once you've sufficiently drilled out the dimple, dress up the edges with a small rattail file.

9mmepiphany · Sep 20, 2013

The lines are at the dimples and are very shallow, but oddly it is scored on the inside also. He must have used a tool like tweezers with spikes on the inside so that it made the inside and outside marks at the same time.

What makes you think they weren't made that way at the factory?

Fryerpower · Sep 20, 2013

9mmepiphany said:
What makes you think they weren't made that way at the factory?

Because they are at slightly varying heights and mark the middle of the dimples. If the factory is that bad at controlling their processes on their 10 round line that they produce 10, 11, & 12 round magazines I would say the process is out of control.

Jim

Fred in Wisc · Sep 20, 2013

You might want to try a uni-bit or stepped drill bit. They distort the edges a lot less on thin metals. For a couple mags the Harbor Freight cheapies should work fine.

http://www.harborfreight.com/3-piece-titanium-nitride-coated-high-speed-steel-step-drills-91616.html

9mmepiphany · Sep 20, 2013

Fryerpower said:
If the factory is that bad at controlling their processes on their 10 round line that they produce 10, 11, & 12 round magazines I would say the process is out of control.

Might be why the only magazine related parts they currently sell are bumper pads and followers for 1911 magazines

Help me restore these reduced capacity magazine to original capacity

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