installing baseplates

[DragonFire]

I got a pack of Pachmayr baseplates to install on my 1911 magazines.

I thought I knew how to disassemble the mags to get the baseplate off, so I could drill them, but obviously I don't since I can't get them off.

So how are they disassembled?

Also, the baseplates came with self-taping screws, but the instructions say to tap the holes in stainless steel mags. I have McGar magazines. How do I know if they're stainless steel or not?

 

[Azrael256]

Not all mags have removeable baseplates. A good many are welded on. If they're removeable, you'll usually find a single hole in the baseplate with a little dimple from an interior floorplate poking through it. Push in the dimple, and the baseplate slides off.

Most of Mec-Gar's mags are either blued or nickel. They do make a stainless 8-rounder. It is distinguished by the straight row of holes in the side of the body rather than the usual zig-zag.

I would guess that they say to use stainless magazines since the drilling removes some finish and leaves a bare metal surface along the threads. Somebody wiser than me may well know a trick or two for dealing with that.