Modified Beretta 84 to 81 mags... Can it be done yourself?

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TTv2

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I have the 81, it's awesome, I plan to get more mags in the future. I like the 81 so much that I'm thinking of buying a second one and reaming the chamber out for .32 NAA as the .380 Beretta 84 magazines would work for that cartridge given it's a bottleneck .380 ACP case and the 84 mags will work in the 81 as Mec Gar mags were modified by some to use in the 81.

Since I think I'm going to do the .32 NAA conversion in the future and with those mags having a capacity greater than 10 rds, I'm thinking I should grab some of the Mec Gar Beretta 84 mags ASAP. However, if I don't get around to doing the conversion I'd have a bunch of 84 mags in my possesion that could be modded to shoot .32 ACP.

So, what all needs to be done to modify the 84 mags to work in the 81? I presume a follower, but also the feed lips would need bending, no?
 
I have modified two or three of the 84 mags to work in the Beretta 81s. There was an online discussion and I think a YouTube video that showed how to do it. I used a small hammer and tapped the top of the feed lips with a sort of a rolling or pushing motion till the gap closed to the dimension of the 32acp magazine. Took about 15 minutes. Can’t remember if it still locks the slide back but all feed just fine.
 
Why not just buy new 81 mags? They are available on several web sites. $36.95 at my LGS.
I have no issue buying 81 mags, but if you read my post you'd see that I'm considering doing a .32 NAA conversion for a second Beretta 81 and those use the 84 mags. If I end up changing my mind in the future and don't do a conversion, I'll have 84 mags that have no uses and would like to be able to mod them to use in the 81.

The Mec Gar 84 mags also seem to cost 10-15 bucks less than the 81 mags do, but that's not the sole reason I'm looking to use them.
 
I like the idea on a 32NAA in the Beretta 81. Always wanted a 32NAA barrel for one of my Makarovs ! Never fired that round but did own a North American Arms chambered in 25NAA. That’s one wicked little round and has an uncomfortable recoil.
 
I like the idea on a 32NAA in the Beretta 81. Always wanted a 32NAA barrel for one of my Makarovs ! Never fired that round but did own a North American Arms chambered in 25NAA. That’s one wicked little round and has an uncomfortable recoil.
Pretty sure everyone has said that about the NAA Guardians regardless of what they were chambered for. .25NAA is better than .25 ACP, but if I had the choice of any bottleneck caliber below .32, it'd be the 5.45x18 in the PSM pistol. I wish we could get those in the US.
 
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