Attention machinists and tinkers: Help me with a custom project.

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El Rojo

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Here is what I want to do. I have a PRK legal FAB-10. Yeah I know it isn't a real AR-15, but when you live in enemy territory, you do what you have to do. The problem with my PRK legal FAB-10 is that it just doesn't look right.

Think of any magazine fed rifle. For example: my M1A. When showing off this gun, it just doesn't look right unless there is a 20 round magazine in the gun. Same goes for an AK-47, FAL, or AR-15. They just don't look right unless they have a magazine coming out of the bottom.

With that in mind, I want to attach a dummy 20 round magazine to the bottom of my FAB-10. The problem is I can't just go out and buy a 20 round magazine here in the PRK because it has been proven in court that any magazine with higher than 10 round capacity is inherently evil and these magazines have no choice but to cause mayhem and destruction.

So is there any of you out in free territory that would be willing to pick me up a good looking 20 round magazine? I will send you the money for it. Then I want you to take that 20 round magazine and take out the spring and follower, then cut off the top inch or so of the magazine. Then I will pay you to ship it out to me in the PRK. Legally I don't see why you can't send a non functioning steel body to the PRK. Once you chop off the top inch of it, I don't see how I am going to be able to re-modify it to make it work. And if I do, that would be on me. Plus, who would be stupid enough to cut up a good working 20 round magazine just to send it across the border and then make it a 15 rounder? I can just go to Neveda and buy real magazines if I wanted to do something illegal.

Next comes the part that might be hard for me. I will need to find a way to attach it to the sealed off magwell of my FAB-10. I am not really a machinist, so any and all suggestions would be great. I would think the easiest way might be to drill a hole in the bottom of my FAB-10 and thread it. Then I could attach a metal plate to the inside of the magazine body. Take off the bottom of the magazine and stick a screw driver down in there and screw the magazine on to the reciever. Then replace the bottom of the magazine and there you go. Then if I want to remove the magazine, I reverse the process and then find a short screw to screw back into the mag well to keep dirt and gunk out. If I really wanted to secure it on there well, I might put two scresw in to keep the magazine from rotating out of line.

I would appreciate any and all help you guys could give me on this project. That would be awesome to see the THR guys make something like this happen.

Here are a few pictures of my nuetered beast so you get an idea of what we are dealing with.

http://home.bak.rr.com/elrojo14/pictures/fab10h.JPG

http://home.bak.rr.com/elrojo14/pictures/fab10c.JPG
 
I think some sort of dovetail where the fake mag slides on and then clicks into place would be pretty neat. You could also fill the mag with bondo with a flanged boss for the screw threads...

Let us know how it turns out.
 
I have an Orlite megazine with a broken lips. I guess I can cut part of it out
and ship to you.

Will this work?

-Pat

Edit - My bad... you said that you need a 20 rounder. The Orlite is 30-rounder...
 
I sent you a PM Pat.

Shalako, I am not real machining inclined at this point in time. What do you mean by you "could also fill the mag with bondo with a flanged boss for the screw threads..." What exactly is a flanged boss? The dove tail idea is interesting, how do you propose I create a dovetail on the bottom of the rifle?

Thanks for your help guys. Anyone willing to get me a 20 round mag and make any kind of cut for me, I will pay you! :D
 
At the last fun show in Costa Mesa, someone was selling mag bodies "for replacement/repair use only." Not sure how much the 20rnd bodies were but new 30rnd bodies were $35!:what:

As for attaching. I would cut to desired length and then solder or even rivet a plate to the top. Drill a couple small holes and use a couple of small sheet metal screws or you can tap it. Make the bottom plate easy to take on and off and use the dummy mag for storage. If you attach a 30rnd body, you may be able to hold a loaded stripper clip in there.
 
Great idea on the storage. Man you guys are great.

Correct me if I am wrong though, aren't the mag bodies the banned part? I thought you could get replacement springs, followers, and floorplates, but wouldn't bringing in a new body be the same as getting a new magazine? That sounds awefully suspicious.
 
El Rojo, a boss is just like a short thick-walled piece of pipe with threads on the inside. Its thick walled because if the walls were thin, it wouldn't handle any sort of torque or stress. The flange part would be like some sort of fins coming out the side so that the boss wouldn't rotate after being set in the bondo filler. You would have to find a way to hold the boss squarely in place while you tamp the air pockets out of the bondo, but the bondo sets in about 15 minutes. Then you could either screw the mag directly onto the reciever, or onto the dovetail system (this would be like drifting in a rear sight).

Also, instead of the flange/fins, you could probably just file grooves into the boss to elimate rotation in the bondo filler.

Some of the other ideas might be easier.
 
get some refrigerator magnet tape

peel and stick some on the bottom of the mag well
and some on the top of the "mag"
 
If I wanted the extention and have it work for a hidden compartment I would start with a damaged magazine cut off to match the angle of the reciever and then machine a block to fit the inside of the magazine to prevent it from collapsing and drill two thru holes to attach two strips of formed sheet metal with screws to draw them together and clamping the device onto the reciever much as weaver scope mount rings are attached to thier bases. I hope that this makes sence.
If you would likw to discuss this let me know as others may wish to do it also.
If done correctly I don't believe that it would look too unsightly. It sounds like it would be a fun project.

Vern
 
I don't think (read: I'm not a lawyer, so don't belive me) that any mag parts are controlled in any way, and all are OK to order to replace broken or worn parts.

Also, news flash, IT IS NOT ILLEGAL for a private citizen, of any state, to purchase a magazine in Nevada!

It makes sense when you think about it, how can a state law cross state boundries?

It ONLY becomes a crime if and when you bring it back across the CA state line. So just make sure it's no longer a magazine, but a hunk of metal, when you do.


Note; The above does NOT apply to firearms, I belive one must reside in the state in which one purchases a firearm, and that this is federal law. Actually, I need to look that one up.
 
Yeah I know how easy it would be to buy a mag in Nevada and bring it back, but that is so illegal I would never, ever do such a thing. :rolleyes:

I will look up the PRK code on the magazine ban real quick and see what it says.

I could not find anything about the components of a large capacity magazine, just the large capacity magazine.

I also saw where I can leave the state with a large capacity magazine and return with that same magazine. So I guess I should take all of my large capacity guns with me whenever I go out of state.

"Well officer I left the state with 15 magazines and that is how many I am bringing back with. I swear." What a joke.
 
Here (I hope) is a pic of one I just made from scratch. It is not perfect as I was just trying to see how it would turn out. and see if the general concept was acceptable before I put much time into it,

Vern

Nope didn't take I'll have to try again.
 
I'm beginning to hate computors.!!!
Seems that I just get something going and it goes into a mule mode. I hate to say that I am the problem. Oh well.
The false magazine that I would build would have a base that attached like the one in the picture and be held in place with a bracket placed around the trigger guard. Therefore no machining on reciever. I would attach the box with a small hinge on the back and a latch on the front to allow the "box" to be swung down and to the rear to allow access to the interior for storage of cleaning supplies, greese, trigger lock& key etc. ( maybe it should hinge to the front??)
The whole thing would be very light wieght as it would be made aof alluminum.
If enough interest is generated I would build some hard tooling and make a few of them. I believe Brownell's offers a coating to match the finish of the rifle.
I have no idea what the cost would be. Any ideas as to what something of this nature would sell for?? $20.00??? More? Less? I'm not in this to get rich just cover the cost of my hobby.
 
I don't know how much people would be willing to pay, freedomv. It sort of depends how many FAB-10 owners there are out there and if they want their nuetered FAB-10 to look like a real man's AR. We know of at least one, but other than that I am not sure. Make a few and whatever it costs you, add a few bucks and see what happens.
 
Yeah I know how easy it would be to buy a mag in Nevada and bring it back, but that is so illegal I would never, ever do such a thing.
Click to expand...

Well, the purchase in Nevada WHILE YOU ARE PHYSICALLY IN NEVADA should be perfectly legal (check with your lawyer to cover my ???.)

And the import of a NON-FUNCTIONAL magazine is, well, importation of a hunk of metal, and should not be controled in any way (again, check with your lawyer.)


So, I'd just grab a mag and cut it in Reno, then drive back. But I'm not you :)


Ah, the joys of reading every CA firearms law on the books, about three times now. Maybe I should sue the DOJ for the brain cells I lost?
 
My closest point of exit is Stateline on the 15 or more realistically Vegas. I don't feel like taking a 9 hour round trip just to get a cut up mag. That is why I am attempting to use Internet resources.
 
El Rojo, importing hi cap mag parts into cali isn't illegal. I ordered new 15 round mag bodies from cz-usa to rebuild my existing mags. Parts is parts. Now if you build mags out of parts that is a different story. Call somebody that sells mags and explain you just want the body not the mag. Mark
 
I received a broken Orlite platic 30 rounder (thanks to one of our fellow THR members for that!). I think the bottom of the lower's sealed off mag well is so thin, I don't think I can thread it. The guy at the hardware store suggested I use machine screws. I bought stainless steel machine screws and I went to work on the magazine. The hacksaw took quick care of the plastic mag, it most certainly won't hold many rounds now! I then decided to use wood to seal up the end that I am going to attach to the upper. I managed to cut a block of wood and use the Dremmel to squeeze it in the magazine with a tight fit. I decided to just use some silicon I had lying about to secure the wood to the end of the mag. I will let it dry tonight and tomorrow I will drill my holes through my wood. Then I will have to make a final decision if I really want to drill into my lower!!! That thing wasn't cheap! Worst comes to worse, a nice piece of electrical tape will seal the lower back off or I can just glue this thing on. The wife has the digital camera, but I will get it tomorrow and take some pictures to share with yall.

Just putting the magazine flush with the mag well makes the rifle look ten times bettter! I most likely get my 11.5/5.5" upper in the mail by Friday or Saturday (please USPS don't make me wait till Monday). I think having a fake 30 rounder on there will make the rifle look ten times better. We will see. :D
 
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