Jump to content

Orlite Magazine Mod


Recommended Posts

See Range Report Below

Since my fishing season is over and I don't hunt, I have more time on my hands than usual. That means tinkering with stuff that I ordinarily wouldn't. After doing my .223 Saiga conversion, I picked up a couple of Orlite/Galil 35 round plastic mags for $10 apiece to have when I got Dinzag's bullet guide. Well, the bullet guide never happened. Instead, I'm going to get the AR-15/AK adapter from Magnolia State Armory and go that route. That left the two Orlites orphaned.

 

I decided to see if I could modify them to work without a bullet guide so they wouldn't be wasted. These mags were already modded a la Dinzag's tutorial: http://www.dinzagarms.com/downloads/223_mag_options.pdf to fit the Saiga.

 

Here's what I came up with.

 

To lift the front of the cartridge to line up with the chamber, the front of the mag needs to be built up with something durable. I decided to try a nail. For my first attempt, I used a 4d finish nail trimmed to the width of the front of the mag. I glued it in with some J-B Weld and filed off the slop when it dried. It didn't quite work because the bullet tip would just barely hang up under the nail. After a bit of filing, the mag began to feed and chamber each round smoothly in the Saiga. However, after the filing, there wasn't much of the nail left.

 

For the second mag, I tried a larger diameter nail. This one was .10 inches. (Don't know what type of nail) Here's the process I went through.

 

First the mag needs to be filed so that the nail will be set back as close to the tip of the round as possible without touching it. I did this with a small mill file.

 

Side view

gallery_4307_183_18448.jpg

Top view

gallery_4307_183_37396.jpg

This involves a bit of trial and error. I used the whole nail to get the relief right and then cut it to fit.

gallery_4307_183_12528.jpg

Then it was just a matter of mixing the J-B Weld and gluing in the nail.

gallery_4307_183_17214.jpg

I let it sit for 24 hours and then filed off the excess glue, reinserted the follower, spring and floorplate and "Voila" a functioning Orlite without the need for a bullet guide.

 

Finished Product

 

gallery_4307_183_39605.jpg

As yet, I've not had the rifle to the range to test fire it. The modified mag hand cycles smoothly, chambers and extracts each round. This is the first week of shotgun season in CT and our club range is closed for the week. I'll try to get out next week and will follow up this post with a range report.

Edited by pogy
Link to post
Share on other sites

Got to the range today to test out the magazine mod. It didn't go well! Apparently the J-B Weld is not strong enough to withstand the violent cycling action of the bolt. I got about 4 shots from each of the 2 mags I modified before the glue let loose.

It's a bit of a disappointment. Maybe there is a better way to fasten the nail to the mag but I don't have any ideas right now.

Just wanted folks to know that it probably isn't worth the bother after all.

Link to post
Share on other sites
Got to the range today to test out the magazine mod. It didn't go well! Apparently the J-B Weld is not strong enough to withstand the violent cycling action of the bolt. I got about 4 shots from each of the 2 mags I modified before the glue let loose.

It's a bit of a disappointment. Maybe there is a better way to fasten the nail to the mag but I don't have any ideas right now.

Just wanted folks to know that it probably isn't worth the bother after all.

You could build up the front feed ramp area by plastic welding.

Link to post
Share on other sites
You could build up the front feed ramp area by plastic welding.

Or use plastic welding (with a soldering iron, like they use for welding chunks of Saiga shotgun mags together) to attach the nail. If you need extra plastic, you could use the mag floor plate as a source (it looks like the same plastic to me).

 

Or how about cutting a vertical slot with a hacksaw, say 1/4" or more deep, and slipping in a thin piece of steel (spring steel, or maybe even a piece of hack saw blade, teeth down?), and plastic welding that in place? You could 'notch' the left & right ends of the steel with a Dremel tool cutting wheel or grinding stone, and 'spot weld' it in place (fill the notches with melted plastic). If the vertical slot was deep enough, it would keep the rounds from pushing the steel out of place, because the mag body itself would be resisting the forward pressure every time a round fed off the top of the steel piece.

 

Or you could sell your Orlites (before they become 'toast' - I admit it, I've managed to remove absolutely ALL value from firearms parts by experimenting with them, so I know from experience ;>) & buy something else...

 

;>)

 

(If it was me, I might try the vertical slot with the chunk of hack saw blade plastic welded in place, with the top of the steel at the same height you figured would work with a nail. KISS Principle! Everyone can get hack saw blades! Obviously, you wouldn't have the rounded profile of the nail to help the rounds feed, so maybe you would have to adjust things [using a grinding stone in your Dremel tool?] - go a hair lower? Or it might not even work at all. I've got a feed ramp that works with my Orlites, so I'm not inclined to experiment [although it's extremely interesting!!!]. Obviously, a cheap, easy & reliable mod to the mags would be an excellent alternative to installing a feed ramp! ;>)

 

Pogy - excellent photos (& ideas), by the way!

Link to post
Share on other sites

Thanks for the tips BB. I think I'll hold this little project 'til the depths of winter. I need to clean my fishing gear and then reload all the .223 and 9mm that I shot this summer. My Magnolia State Armory adapter will be here soon and I'll get to play with that.

Sorry to see your state went Blue! :o

Edited by pogy
Link to post
Share on other sites
Sorry to see your state went Blue! :o

Me too. Look at the map of the US by county, and you can see that BO's gun-control-liberals carry the big cities, in general, and that freedom-loving Americans carry everything else. No surprise, IMO: folks who live in rural areas often have a better grasp of reality (especially concerning guns). I'm in Colorado - apparently we've got too dang many Boulder-Left-Wing-Whack-Jobs & Ex-Californians.

 

Just my opinion, no offense intended to any other forum member...

Link to post
Share on other sites
Got to the range today to test out the magazine mod. It didn't go well! Apparently the J-B Weld is not strong enough to withstand the violent cycling action of the bolt. I got about 4 shots from each of the 2 mags I modified before the glue let loose.

It's a bit of a disappointment. Maybe there is a better way to fasten the nail to the mag but I don't have any ideas right now.

Just wanted folks to know that it probably isn't worth the bother after all.

I tried the exact same mod last year and had the same results you had. If you have any luck with the plastic weld please post it. I would be interested to see how it comes out.

Link to post
Share on other sites
I tried the exact same mod last year and had the same results you had. If you have any luck with the plastic weld please post it. I would be interested to see how it comes out.

 

Had another thought, FWIW - how about a steel staple, the width of the mag body, instead of a nail? Cut groves in the side of the mag for the staple's legs (maybe shorten them, and hit 'em with a file on the sides so they will hold when you 'plastic weld' them in place - the legs might keep the whole works from coming apart, long term).

 

As always, the 'prime WECSOG directive' should be to modify the cheaper part (the mag) before you mess with the more expensive part (the receiver or trunnion). Or just go with the KISS principle (previous experience), and buy a ramp from Dinzag (which has - so far - worked 100% for me ;>)...

 

Obviously, I like the idea of a simple mod to the mag, or I wouldn't keep thinking (& posting ;>) about it...

Link to post
Share on other sites

Bob, You made me feel guilty that you were spending more time thinking about this than I am. I tried a variation of your "staple" idea. I took a 4d finish nail and bent it into a "U" the width of the cartridge channel on the mag. I drilled two small holes to slip the upside down "U" into. After some fiddling I had the correct height. It hand cycles the rounds pretty well but will still hang one up every few. This may have a lot to do with the O.A.L. of the Wolf ammo. My reloads are a bit shorter and seem to cycle better.

I'm sure this is stronger than the first try. I haven't even glued it in yet. It may be quite a while until I get back to the range to test this out. While the idea still intrigues me, I just don't know how much actual utility the mod will have. Thanks for the ideas. Paul

Link to post
Share on other sites
...Thanks for the ideas. Paul

Hey, Compadre! I'm an idea man (which means you probably don't want to hire me for a real job ;>)! Sometimes I make those ideas work, other times they go down in flames - I post the info either way! Most important: thanks very much for your innovative approach to using Orlite mags (and risking your bought-and-paid-for hardware) in the process!

Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
  • Chatbox

    Load More
    You don't have permission to chat.
×
×
  • Create New...