What is required to convert an M1A mag for AR-10 work?
- Thread starter uglymofo
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Badger Arms
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AFAIK, the Armalite kit includes an entire new body, follower, and perhaps spring. All that is required is your floorplate.
I have converted 10 magazines for my AR-10, all of which still function in the M-1A. The process is hard and not recommended for anybody... I wouldn't even do it again myself. After inserting the magazine you intend to modify into the AR-10 to verify it will fit, do the following. This is about 4 or 5 years ago, so I might be off.
1: Disassemble the magazine.
2: Set aside the old magazine follower.
3: Remove the magazine catch assembly from the lower.
4: Insert the magazine body until the top of the lug on the body contacts the bolt hold-open device on the gun. This is best done with the upper and lower separated.
5: Scribe the outline of the magazine catch 'window' from the outside of the gun onto the magazine body. Be careful not to scribe beyond the rectangular area that you intend to remove.
6: Remove body and verify that your scribe marks are precisely where the slot is cut in the magazine that came with the gun.
7: Remove that portion of metal that is in the rectangle. I chain-drilled and then used a dremmel and finally a file to finish the slot, test fitting it in the gun as I went.
8: Cut a slot on the rear of the magazine to roughly the same dimensions as the slot in your factory magazine. Ensure that you don't cut down so far that the lug comes off, but you still must cut enough off for the bolt hold-open to work.
9: Cut back the feed lips on the magazine to the same length as your factory magazine.
10: Modify the magazine spring so that it is identical at the top to the one on your factory magazine.
11: Get some AR-10 followers. Good luck, Armalite doesn't sell them anymore. I was lucky enough to get some when they did.
12: Reassemble and test your magazines. The M-14 magazines out there have spotty finish on them. Armalite magazines MUST have a smooth interior on the front and rear of the magazine to allow the follower to slide freely up and down.
All of this done, it's taken a while to get all of my magazines working well. The new modification kit with the magazine body already modified is the way to go. Better yet, wait till next September and you MIGHT be able to buy the mags direct from Armalite!
The M-14 follower can be used, but it will lock the bolt back ON THE MAGAZINE FOLLOWER after the last shot. This will require that you retract the bolt after the last shot and manually engage the bolt hold-open. If you modify the follower to allow the bolt to close after the last shot, it will no longer operate the M-14's bolt hold-open device. For the sake of being able to convert back, DO NOT TRY TO CUT UP THE M-14 FOLLOWER. You can use the gun fine with just the slot in the side. You can also get USA magazine followers which are plastic and you can make a ramp out of them. I didn't like either of these options. The best way to go is the way Armalite went.
I have converted 10 magazines for my AR-10, all of which still function in the M-1A. The process is hard and not recommended for anybody... I wouldn't even do it again myself. After inserting the magazine you intend to modify into the AR-10 to verify it will fit, do the following. This is about 4 or 5 years ago, so I might be off.
1: Disassemble the magazine.
2: Set aside the old magazine follower.
3: Remove the magazine catch assembly from the lower.
4: Insert the magazine body until the top of the lug on the body contacts the bolt hold-open device on the gun. This is best done with the upper and lower separated.
5: Scribe the outline of the magazine catch 'window' from the outside of the gun onto the magazine body. Be careful not to scribe beyond the rectangular area that you intend to remove.
6: Remove body and verify that your scribe marks are precisely where the slot is cut in the magazine that came with the gun.
7: Remove that portion of metal that is in the rectangle. I chain-drilled and then used a dremmel and finally a file to finish the slot, test fitting it in the gun as I went.
8: Cut a slot on the rear of the magazine to roughly the same dimensions as the slot in your factory magazine. Ensure that you don't cut down so far that the lug comes off, but you still must cut enough off for the bolt hold-open to work.
9: Cut back the feed lips on the magazine to the same length as your factory magazine.
10: Modify the magazine spring so that it is identical at the top to the one on your factory magazine.
11: Get some AR-10 followers. Good luck, Armalite doesn't sell them anymore. I was lucky enough to get some when they did.
12: Reassemble and test your magazines. The M-14 magazines out there have spotty finish on them. Armalite magazines MUST have a smooth interior on the front and rear of the magazine to allow the follower to slide freely up and down.
All of this done, it's taken a while to get all of my magazines working well. The new modification kit with the magazine body already modified is the way to go. Better yet, wait till next September and you MIGHT be able to buy the mags direct from Armalite!
The M-14 follower can be used, but it will lock the bolt back ON THE MAGAZINE FOLLOWER after the last shot. This will require that you retract the bolt after the last shot and manually engage the bolt hold-open. If you modify the follower to allow the bolt to close after the last shot, it will no longer operate the M-14's bolt hold-open device. For the sake of being able to convert back, DO NOT TRY TO CUT UP THE M-14 FOLLOWER. You can use the gun fine with just the slot in the side. You can also get USA magazine followers which are plastic and you can make a ramp out of them. I didn't like either of these options. The best way to go is the way Armalite went.
You are going to atleast want to have the follower for doing a M14 to AR10 mag conversion.
The AR10 bolt will smack/beat the ever loving garbage out of the steel M14 follower.
There can be a minimum amount of work done to an M14 magazine to make it operate in an AR10, at bear minimum changing the follower and milling a slot for the mag catch in the correct location should yield a magazine that locks in place and feeds.
However to get the bolt catch to work there will need to be a slot milled down the back of the magazine that partially eats into the lug that the M14 requires to lock it into the M14 mag well. This lug can be left partially unmilled(only 1/2 requires being milled away) and the mag will retain function in the M14 as well, however the lug may break off sometime in the future as it's weakened by milling away a portion of the lug.
I have 4 M14 mags that are unconverted that I'm going to do only partial conversions on for my AR10. I'm gonna mill the slot for the mag catch and change to an AR10 follower, reason for not going further is I am going to get an M1A eventually and I'd like to have a set of mags that function in both rifles with zero monkeying around with. The mags as modified will not operate the bolt catch in either of the rifles but atleast they will be completely interchangable between the two rifles, having the versatility of using same mags in either rifle is enough to give up the use of a bolt catch in my opinon.
The AR10 bolt will smack/beat the ever loving garbage out of the steel M14 follower.
There can be a minimum amount of work done to an M14 magazine to make it operate in an AR10, at bear minimum changing the follower and milling a slot for the mag catch in the correct location should yield a magazine that locks in place and feeds.
However to get the bolt catch to work there will need to be a slot milled down the back of the magazine that partially eats into the lug that the M14 requires to lock it into the M14 mag well. This lug can be left partially unmilled(only 1/2 requires being milled away) and the mag will retain function in the M14 as well, however the lug may break off sometime in the future as it's weakened by milling away a portion of the lug.
I have 4 M14 mags that are unconverted that I'm going to do only partial conversions on for my AR10. I'm gonna mill the slot for the mag catch and change to an AR10 follower, reason for not going further is I am going to get an M1A eventually and I'd like to have a set of mags that function in both rifles with zero monkeying around with. The mags as modified will not operate the bolt catch in either of the rifles but atleast they will be completely interchangable between the two rifles, having the versatility of using same mags in either rifle is enough to give up the use of a bolt catch in my opinon.
JWH 223
Member
Thermolds
I have had great luck converting M1A 20rd Thermold mags for my AR10s. It is more work because some of the outside body has to be removed along as adding the Mag catch. I haven't replaced the followers, they are also plastic and don't cause any troube....they don't hold open of'course.
The first one I did completely with a dremmel...later ones I used a small mill.
They have been working flawlessly and the even hold 20rounds as apposed to the 18 or 19 that my Armalite mags hold.
Don't get me wrong, I think the Armalite mags are a better unit in the long run, but I really like the thermolds.
My $0.02
I have had great luck converting M1A 20rd Thermold mags for my AR10s. It is more work because some of the outside body has to be removed along as adding the Mag catch. I haven't replaced the followers, they are also plastic and don't cause any troube....they don't hold open of'course.
The first one I did completely with a dremmel...later ones I used a small mill.
They have been working flawlessly and the even hold 20rounds as apposed to the 18 or 19 that my Armalite mags hold.
Don't get me wrong, I think the Armalite mags are a better unit in the long run, but I really like the thermolds.
My $0.02
Badger Arms
Member
JWH 223
Member
***????????
Did I miss something here?
Did I miss something here?
JWH 223
Member
Oh, no.....I get the mods stuff, Uglymofo.
I don't understand Foto Inu's post..........
I don't understand Foto Inu's post..........
JWH 223
Member
I got you...sorry I blew up. I was thinking maybe he meant that there was an ATF problem. It's been a long day
Badger Arms
Member
ATF says that the magazine has to still function in the M-14 in order to make it legal. Completly removing the tang would prevent the magazine from still functioning in an M-1A/M-14 and would therefore constitute the 'making' of a high capacity magazine punishable by eternal damnation and whatever else the DOJ can come up with. I'd stay away from the hellfire and brimstone myself and LEAVE THE BOTTOM OF THE TANG ATTACHED. As far as usefullness in the M-1A, my mags still work just fine in an M-1A, but I don't own one anymore.
Warning: Chinese magazines tend to be a little oversized and might not fit in your Armalite mag well. Only one of the 6 Polytech mags I had on hand when I was doing the mods fit. Out of the 12 GI magazines, 10 fit and two didn't. Go figure.
Warning: Chinese magazines tend to be a little oversized and might not fit in your Armalite mag well. Only one of the 6 Polytech mags I had on hand when I was doing the mods fit. Out of the 12 GI magazines, 10 fit and two didn't. Go figure.
Not sure about you BadgerArms, but back 5-6 years ago when I was doing my conversions simply by getting an Armalite conversion kit, the block on the back of the magazine were fully removed.
Sometime along the way Armalite started only partially milling the lug on the back of the magazine such that the converted mag would still lock into an M1A/M14.
Personally, I wish I could put the lugs back on my 4 mags that were done from conversion kits, I'd like to have additional mags useable in an M1A without having to try to hold them in place.
Sometime along the way Armalite started only partially milling the lug on the back of the magazine such that the converted mag would still lock into an M1A/M14.
Personally, I wish I could put the lugs back on my 4 mags that were done from conversion kits, I'd like to have additional mags useable in an M1A without having to try to hold them in place.
Badger Arms
Member
Armalite told me that they'd gotten permission to modify the mags with the lug-less boddies, however BATF recanted and said they would have to stay there. I was able to purchase JUST the follower, pin, and pin spring from Armalite prior to their halting all such sales. BATF legislatively, uh, I mean administratively banned them. Don't you love how the Justice Department can interpret laws?
Looks like followers alone are still being sold from Armalite for self conversions....
Interesting news... There's a new aluminum folower out there that was designed for more harsh conditions,
http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=3&f=62&t=171784
Regular folower kits at 13 dollars with aluminum follower kits going for 22, complete magazine conversion kits going for 30.
Interesting news... There's a new aluminum folower out there that was designed for more harsh conditions,
http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=3&f=62&t=171784
Regular folower kits at 13 dollars with aluminum follower kits going for 22, complete magazine conversion kits going for 30.
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