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This is how I fit Pro-mag magazines to my saiga


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I know there are different beliefs on how to fit magazines and drums to your saiga 12. I have seen others lightly take away from the locking tab on the magazine itself and I just wanted to share with all how I fit the pro-mag magazines to my saiga. This procedure works great for me with no issues.

 

I do not like to take any material away from the locking tab of the magazines. I instead like to slowly take away material from what I am calling the magazine riser tab.

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When I do this I take caution as to how the magazine is aligning within the receiver of the gun. I ensure the magazine does not protrude past being flush as to not cause issues with chambering rounds.

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I slowly begin fitting the magazine and ever so lightly take material off the tabs. After a few passes with my file I refit the mag.

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I continue performing this step and checking internal flushness until I have a solid fit and I hear that nice "snap" as the magazine locks into place.

 

I do not file down or take any material off the locking tab on the top back end of the magazine. I feel that this piece should remain as meaty and as solid as possible

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Once I have completed the fitting procedures and I am happy with the engagement and internal receiver flushness I apply a small amount of gun oil to the magazine and slap her in. At this point your magazine should fit nicely and feel secure when the clip tab is engaged.

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Like I said, I am sure there will be some who may disagree with my procedure but I like to keep the locking tabs as meaty as possible and as long as you ensure the magazine does not penetrate to far up into the receiver this works great. I have done 6 Pro-mags and they all perform very well and lock into the saiga nice and securely.

 

DT

Edited by DTrom
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Thanks I just purchased 2 promags to go with the new saiga12 I am picking up friday. This was my first gun purchase along with possibly getting a pistol and SHTF rifle. Couldn't beat the price on the mags $29 each. I have been lurking on the site for a few months gathering lots of helpful info on converting the Saiga. Stuff like what you just showed has been very helpful to a noob like me.

Edited by obake
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I got a call earlier today stating AJAX had a 2-3 week eta. That is fine to me as I have yet to pick up the Saiga from my dealer. I am ordering all the parts now to get the conversion completed. My dealer does it for $85 labor. He'll duracoat {single color} $180. So my gun will be tied up for a while as I gather parts and pieces. Just thought these were too good a deal to pass up on. Waiting for my tax returns to hit the bank...

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obake, once you have all your goodies, test the hell out them and let me know how the pro-mags operated for you. It seems that the jury is still out on the pro-mags. Although they work great for me, others have had issues. I am interested in your results.

 

Thanks,

 

DT

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What tool did you use to take off the material? Would a dremel on a low speed setting be perfect for this? It seems like you put some arch in the tab, so would a round sanding bit do the job you think? I gotta remember to keep all the shavings/dust out of the mags as well.

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I used small jeweler files, and on one of them I did use a dremel. Both work very well. I didn't put an arch in the tab. The photos may not be the best and for that I apologize. After taking the material off I ended up with a nice clean flat, straight tab. After I finished the tab work, I just blew the mags out with my air compressor. Keep checking your fit while your taking the tabs down. You want to make sure you don't take off too much material. And when you achieve the correct fit you will have a nice solid secure fit and the locking tab will click into full engagement.

 

DT

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DTrom - I recently modded my Pro-mags because they didn't fit my S12 at all. No problems with the riser tab just the locking tab. Unlike you leaving yours alone, I had to take material away from it because it was binding on my mag release. My mag release is one of those mag lock kinds that requires a tool. I gradually reshaped the locking tab using the stock mag as the form to follow (the Pro-mag locking tab is shaped differently from the stock mag) and eventually got it to fit after several tries until it got to a shape and size that would allow it to lock and release freely. However, one thing I noticed after doing so is that the mag feels loose side to side. Fore and aft was fine but the side wiggle is a bit much for me. I checked it against the stock 5rnd mag and the stock one also has a little wiggle except not as much so I figure that it only seems much on the Pro-mag 10rnd due to its length. I'm thinking of adding some foam strips on the sides to maybe tighten it up. What do you think? I would appreciate your help. Thanks.

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DTrom - I recently modded my Pro-mags because they didn't fit my S12 at all. No problems with the riser tab just the locking tab. Unlike you leaving yours alone, I had to take material away from it because it was binding on my mag release. My mag release is one of those mag lock kinds that requires a tool. I gradually reshaped the locking tab using the stock mag as the form to follow (the Pro-mag locking tab is shaped differently from the stock mag) and eventually got it to fit after several tries until it got to a shape and size that would allow it to lock and release freely. However, one thing I noticed after doing so is that the mag feels loose side to side. Fore and aft was fine but the side wiggle is a bit much for me. I checked it against the stock 5rnd mag and the stock one also has a little wiggle except not as much so I figure that it only seems much on the Pro-mag 10rnd due to its length. I'm thinking of adding some foam strips on the sides to maybe tighten it up. What do you think? I would appreciate your help. Thanks.

 

 

Frustrated,

I just sent you a message with my personal contact information. I will be glad to assist in any ways needed.

 

DT

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thegunsource.com is back ordered but they have them for 27.99. Just a thought........

 

DT

Ajax has this pictured as a promag. Is this another mistake on a websight or are there different style promags?

 

That's definitely not an S12 mag. It looks like an AR mag.

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I just got my ProMag recently, and I can barely get it into the gun!

 

I will have to try your fix.

 

 

On a side note, when I hold it side-by-side with my AGP's, the follower in the ProMag sits WAY higher than the AGP's follower. I've read (I think Cobra said it) that there were some problems with some ProMag followers acting as LRBHO's, because they sat too high. Just by looking at mine, I think I'll have this problem as well. Looks like I need to try that fix as well <_< .

 

 

ETA crappy quality cell pics.

 

ProMag on left, AGP on right, in all pics.

Edited by 22_Shooter
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The follower on your pro-mag came up past its stop in the magazine. Push it back in and see if it keeps coming up to high, if so you may need to take the bottom retaining plate off and attempt to widen the follower a bit as in the post. Hope all works out well. I had one that shipped the same way. I took it apart and reset the follower and haven't had an issue since.

 

DT

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thegunsource.com is back ordered but they have them for 27.99. Just a thought........

 

DT

Ajax has this pictured as a promag. Is this another mistake on a websight or are there different style promags?

 

That's definitely not an S12 mag. It looks like an AR mag.

 

Yup that looks like a 40 round Thermold AR mag.

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