I made a 15 round steel mag!

[KrisFox 69]

MMMmmmetal.

[sharkbit 109]

that's awesome man! good job! You should chrome or nickel plate that bitch for some bling! LOL

[Gibbles 23]

Most of the aluminum sheets I have worked with are super soft and have to be heat treated to have any sort of strength.

[Gibbles 23]

and I want a 15rd steel mag.

[Racer 27 37]

Most of the aluminum sheets I have worked with are super soft and have to be heat treated to have any sort of strength.

 

Gibbles do you know how to give it a heat treatment? I am worried about it wearing in after awhile I'm not worried about the strength of it. We use this thickness of alum for louver trays on the inside of our oil pans with out them breaking.

Edited January 27, 2010 by Racer 27

[Racer 27 37]

that's awesome man! good job! You should chrome or nickel plate that bitch for some bling! LOL

 

[Gibbles 23]

Most of the aluminum sheets I have worked with are super soft and have to be heat treated to have any sort of strength.

 

Gibbles do you know how to give it a heat treatment? I am worried about it wearing in after awhile I'm not worried about the strength of it. We use this thickness of alum for louver trays on the inside of our oil pans with out them breaking.

 

Yeah, play around with a sheet, if I remember right it was easy and only required a propane torch.

 

I think the metal cooled off so fast that all that was required was to give it some heat till it changed to a dark color... it's been a while sense I saw how to do it...

 

If not you may need to dip it in water, to get a good heat treat, oil may help it not warp as badly though.

[scattergunner 12]

teriffic!!!!!! I shall anxiously await news of your future plans for this endeavor. if this gets to a production run it would be beyond SWEEEEET!!!!!!!

[funshootin1 10]

Liquid Inspiration provided by busch.....Nice!

[coleman2 2]

Racer 27 Here is a Idea being you have can have the parts cnc punch and let us guys with mig/tig welders finish them up. I think some people would love to weld thier own mags up. Just a thought!!!! Keep up the good work!!!! Coleman

[red_cedar 28]

Metal mags is what the industry has been waiting for!! Nice job !!

[Racer 27 37]

So I got the aluminum mag done.

 

Steel mag weighted 1.75#

Alum mag .675#

 

I shot 2 full mags and on the first I had one low miss feed and then 1 high miss feed. This were the rounds that I had hand cycled and they had a little buggers on the front.

 

Loaded the second mag with fresh rounds and no problems.

 

I'm using a surefire base plate but I'm not happy right now on how its staying on. I've got to do a little tweaking.

Edited January 29, 2010 by Racer 27

[dwg1 3]

thats an awsome job!ill take two of each unwelded,i can weld them up at home.

[uzitiger 193]

You did great with designing and fabricating your own magazines. You also have the skill to weld aluminum which is a different skill than welding steel.

 

This is what I like about this forum, innovative members who make their own accessories and the information to convert their Saigas back to the way AK designer Mikhail Kalashnikov and S-12 designer Gennady Nikononv intended them to be configured.

[Racer 27 37]

uzitiger (and everybody else) thanks for the complaints. I didn't weld the alum mag but I did weld the steel one. I had the guy that does our alum oil pans at work do it for me, I haven't learned how to yet.

 

I'll try to get a video tomorrow but its fucking cold here and I've got my son this weekend.

 

Updates:

 

Alum mag: there is just way to much wear from the shells getting stripped I'm going to have to get it hard anodized to see if that would make it last more then 200 rounds. I hand cycled 15 and shot 30 and there is noticeable wear on the "mag lips". Gibbles called that one but with the amount of alum parts and ar mags that are out there there has to be a solution.

 

Steel mags:

 

I'll try to get a price figured out this week on the steel mags if anybody wants to build there own. I can't afford a business membership but I will donate $1 per mag kit sold. Not much I know but I won't be making much more then that myself.

 

But I have a couple of things to do to fine tune them and will need some time to get the mag bodies and parts made.

 

1. I have no way to nicely make a bent "C" shape to slide a floor plate into on the alum mag I used the base plate off of a surefire mag. I liked this idea but the down fall is that you need to use a AGP spring to get this to work and the lip for the offset of the spring is opposite on a surefire follower then how the AGP spring is bent. So I've been using the AGP follower.

 

I'm going to call R&R targets to see if I could buy a surefire follower, lower spring holder, base plate, and there 20 round spring as a kit and also how much $.

 

* I will only offer the mag with the lips for mounting the surefire base. If you can bend the "c" shape let me know.

 

2. On the pic of the steel mag I used 2 pieces a metal welded together. On the alum mag I used one piece that was formed by an offset tool. I can't get the "line" of the offset perfect because I have to do this by hand so it wouldn't be a prefect radius if it would be that way. But if there is 2 pieces you could make them to close together or far apart and not be able to lock the mag in.

 

* So which way would you want it?

 

3. I'm leaving the big slots out and only using a small slot like on the alum mag so you can see if its full.

 

* Do you even want a slot?

 

 

They will all be the same way so what do you guys want?

 

ETA I can put the big slots in some if you would want them. But I don't want to make any special things on them for everyone, it would just be to much.

Edited January 31, 2010 by Racer 27

[Nailbomb 10,221]

the competition guys would want a slot, your average user probably would rather have it sealed to keep out dirt.

 

What market are you looking at? I can't even buy one at that size.

[Racer 27 37]

Nail bomb I started to do this for me to shoot 3 gun with and I thought that I would share pics with everyone and see what they thought. My Dad said to me "if you keep it up you'll have a 1000 hours in that thing". I just told him that its good that I don't have to pay myself.

 

Some people showed an interest in them so I thought that I would help them out. Market? I don't have have one in mind. Just somebody that thinks they could use one.

 

It wouldn't be hard for me to change the capacity. What size?

Edited January 31, 2010 by Racer 27

[pedal2alloy 206]

Hey, post a picture of the feed lips.

 

By the way, I'm sure that aluminum will work if you consider that M16 mags are aluminum (and thin too) and they fire 30 round bursts out of them.

[clifton 354]

Nice Job... Looks good

[billyjoebob 10]

It wouldn't be hard for me to change the capacity. What size?

 

Seems that 8 - 10 capacity historically has the best reliability. Also, most high-cap bans are for mags over 10 rounds (but if you're only sending out the raw parts and the buyer has to put them together, I think you avoid any shipping issues on your end).

 

Oh...and EXCELLENT work on this! The ingenuity of our members never ceases to amaze me.

[dwg1 3]

i like the big holes on the steel mag, it looks "INDUSTRIAL"

[Racer 27 37]

Hey, post a picture of the feed lips.

 

By the way, I'm sure that aluminum will work if you consider that M16 mags are aluminum (and thin too) and they fire 30 round bursts out of them.

 

I don't know if you can see it in the pictures.

 

ETA Click on the picture man does that blow up!

Edited January 31, 2010 by Racer 27

[Racer 27 37]

i like the big holes on the steel mag, it looks "INDUSTRIAL"

 

I can make some with the big slots in them since they are already in one of the programs.

[Raoul_Duke 113]

How have i missed this thread?

 

+1

 

Great job Racer!

[Nailbomb 10,221]

You've already canibalized a AGP mag right? Unfold a set of metal feed lips for a template, and add some weld to either side of the mag for it to lock into. The untreated aluminum is probably too soft to be used like that.

 

And yeah I"m in a ban state so 10 is the limit for me, but you might be better off sticking to the competition guys as theres dealers about to be in the same market with mags that will travel to ban states. gotta find a nitche man.

[cvhanh20 1,052]

uzitiger (and everybody else) thanks for the complaints. I didn't weld the alum mag but I did weld the steel one. I had the guy that does our alum oil pans at work do it for me, I haven't learned how to yet.

 

I'll try to get a video tomorrow but its fucking cold here and I've got my son this weekend.

 

Updates:

 

Alum mag: there is just way to much wear from the shells getting stripped I'm going to have to get it hard anodized to see if that would make it last more then 200 rounds. I hand cycled 15 and shot 30 and there is noticeable wear on the "mag lips". Gibbles called that one but with the amount of alum parts and ar mags that are out there there has to be a solution.

 

Steel mags:

 

I'll try to get a price figured out this week on the steel mags if anybody wants to build there own. I can't afford a business membership but I will donate $1 per mag kit sold. Not much I know but I won't be making much more then that myself.

 

But I have a couple of things to do to fine tune them and will need some time to get the mag bodies and parts made.

 

1. I have no way to nicely make a bent "C" shape to slide a floor plate into on the alum mag I used the base plate off of a surefire mag. I liked this idea but the down fall is that you need to use a AGP spring to get this to work and the lip for the offset of the spring is opposite on a surefire follower then how the AGP spring is bent. So I've been using the AGP follower.

 

I'm going to call R&R targets to see if I could buy a surefire follower, lower spring holder, base plate, and there 20 round spring as a kit and also how much $.

 

* I will only offer the mag with the lips for mounting the surefire base. If you can bend the "c" shape let me know.

 

2. On the pic of the steel mag I used 2 pieces a metal welded together. On the alum mag I used one piece that was formed by an offset tool. I can't get the "line" of the offset perfect because I have to do this by hand so it wouldn't be a prefect radius if it would be that way. But if there is 2 pieces you could make them to close together or far apart and not be able to lock the mag in.

 

* So which way would you want it?

 

3. I'm leaving the big slots out and only using a small slot like on the alum mag so you can see if its full.

 

* Do you even want a slot?

 

 

They will all be the same way so what do you guys want?

 

ETA I can put the big slots in some if you would want them. But I don't want to make any special things on them for everyone, it would just be to much.

Your pretty handy in the fab shop, your employer must be pretty cool to let you to do stuff like this at work. I worked as an automation machine builder at this one company and as long as we got our work done we could use shop tools and machines and even on shop time! The owner was really cool that way, he seen it as a way to keep us sharp and on top of our game. As far as the aluminum feed lips, they won't work even with hard anodizing. Hard anodizing is a process designed overall wear and can resist some direct impact wear but not constant impact which is what is going on with the feed lips. If you want too use aluminum you have figure out a way to mount harden steel lips to the aluminum panels and have your aluminum panels hard coated. BTW looks good and good luck with the rest of your project.

[billyjoebob 10]

You've already canibalized a AGP mag right? Unfold a set of metal feed lips for a template, and add some weld to either side of the mag for it to lock into. The untreated aluminum is probably too soft to be used like that.

 

I agree with nailbomb. I would think your best bet is either an all-steel mag (despite the heavier weight), or a different material on the feed lips, like the stock mags and AGP's have.

 

It looks like the combo of the brass rim on the shell and the upward force of the mag spring is taking a heavy toll on your alum feed lips. I don't know if heat treating will give it enough strength...shotgun shells are totally different dynamic compared to rounds in an AR mag.

[Nailbomb 10,221]

It looks like the combo of the brass rim on the shell and the upward force of the mag spring is taking a heavy toll on your alum feed lips. I don't know if heat treating will give it enough strength...shotgun shells are totally different dynamic compared to rounds in an AR mag.

I agree, AR mags don't have to deal with the back rim of the shell dragging at a single point, and have a longer distance to transfer the weight.

[Racer 27 37]

Thanks for your insight guys.

 

Nailbomb I was thinking that the market (if there is one) will just kind of find me. I'm figuring that it would be competition people or people that just want to blast. I've also got something else in mind for the comp guys but it will be awhile and I don't want to give anyone ideas and have them beat me to the punch. I don't know if it will work but if it does it will be awesome.

 

Lets be realistic this is going to be nowhere as good as Cameron's steel mag when he gets it out there. The biggest thing that this has going for it is that it is 15 rounds. I've shot it with 15 rounds of high brass and the front mag lip is still attached. I will make a 20 round one also I just need to get the springs.

 

Cameron I started working for my Dad about 8 years ago after getting my Electrical license. So he's okay with it even though he doesn't understand my passion for firearms. He is the one that gave me the idea to use the offset wheel on the alum mags. I had to have my machinist make a different offset tool because the one we had was for a diff. thickness metal. I haven't tried it on the steel mags yet but I believe that it will work.

 

I'm thinking of having my friend machine the sides of the alum mag so I can slip on the feed lips that come on the AGP mags but think that it will be to thin afterward and break. I'll check into it.

Edited January 31, 2010 by Racer 27

[Racer 27 37]

Well got a price for the steel mags. Price does not include anything but the mag body unwelded. I can't get the springs any cheaper then anyone else unless a lot of people would like one and I could buy in bulk.

 

Capacities are 8, 12, or 15. $20 plus shipping.

Edited February 2, 2010 by Racer 27