homemade extended mag release

[zenman223 460]

OK so I'm looking to make myself an extended mag release and i guess I'm wondering of the people who have made their own, what did you make it out of and how did you secure it?

 

i have some small Allenead set screws i was thinking of using. just drill and tap with some thread locker. i believe this will work but i found some "tinner's rivets" at ACE i would rather use. i just dont know anything about how to use them! do they work with a standard rivet tool or do i need a special tool for them? would they even be worth using? or should i stick with steel rivets? if so could you recommend a size? sorry guys, i worked in a toolroom on an industrial construction site for 2 years and know all kinds of specialized tools but i know squat about rivets

 

second, im curious if anybody has cut up something they had laying around. i thought about using the old trigger guard after messin with it i think its too wide and too hard! i know i can buy something to make it out of but id rather cannibalize something thats just collecting dust! any input on this is greatly appreciated, if you made your own(with basic tools) please share how.

also i searched but couldnt find much.

 

J

[Heath_h49008 442]

I used a 1/2" wide strip of 16ga steel and welded it onto the back of my factory latch.

 

Mock it up with cardboard first to get your bends right. A local welder might charge you $5-$10 to TIG it in place. (If he wants to try a torch just find another guy.)

 

MAKE CERTAIN YOU REMOVE THE LATCH AND SPRING!!! The heat of welding will destroy the spring if you try to do it on the gun.

 

While you're at it, you can bend up a trigger guard and weld up all the holes you don't need. (I used 13ga for my trigger guard.)

 

And while you are having that done, you can get a left side bolt handle welded on as well!!!

 

Crap... Did I mention once you start doing your own fabrication, you just can't stop?

[zenman223 460]

yeah if i had a tig welder i would be set!! ive been thinkin about a left side charging handle, i just dont like the way the cover looks after its done. i may get it done one day anyway right now im workin on smaller things, mag release and safety mainly.

 

Im kinda looking to do it with screws or rivots mainly b/c i dont know anybody right off hand with a tig welder and would rather do it all myself. but if all else fails i may just try and find a welder around here to do a few things!

 

anyone else have any exerience doing this without welding or know about those "tinners rivets"?

[mgconnor13 206]

I used some sheet metal (don't remember the thickness) and riveted onto the mag release also put some JB weld between the too pieces just to be sure.

[Cobra 76 two 2,677]

Yeah I've made and installed a few. Got any old appliances laying around or know where you can find some junk ones? I used the inspection / cover plate from the back of an old washing machine to make mine from. It's steel and about 18 or 19 Ga @ .045". Plenty hard enough for the job but easy enough to work with. Worked well for me.

Attaching them by the drill and tap method is a beeotch so be ready for that unless you rivet them. Not sure about the tinner's rivets or how they work. I'll look into that. Aluminum "pop rivets" work ok but I don't care for how they look, and they can be hard to get tight enough sometimes.

Another thing to consider is you don't want much sticking out on the forward surface where your mag lug rides.

 

[6500rpm 670]

AK trigger guard-rivited. Extended release-spot welded. Safety lever stop-hex head screw-drilled and tapped, green locktite, and mushroomed flat inside with a rivit forming tool just for good measure.

[admbleg 35]

AK trigger guard-rivited. Extended release-spot welded. Safety lever stop-hex head screw-drilled and tapped, green locktite, and mushroomed flat inside with a rivit forming tool just for good measure.

I like how you have your safety stop, and the look of the AK trigger guard.. I have the CSS trigger guard with safety stop I am not happy with it, the Safety goes right past most of the time. Looks Great Awesome custom touches

 

Not meaning to Hijack this tread about the mag catch...

[saigaguy09 3]

Damb 6500, you could unlatch a wrathmaker doorstop with that release.

[zenman223 460]

thanks for the input guys, just to be clear by extended i mean i want it extended back so i can reach it with my index finger, if it matters

 

as far as it being a PITA to drill and tapp, I figured it would be and to be honest thats the only reason i havent already started.

 

also about the forward surface where the mag is inserted that was my main concern, thats why i was gonna go with the set screws because (if it worked) they would be flush! thats also why i wanted to know about those tinners rivots b/c they look like little thumb tacks with about a 1/16 or 1/8 shaft and there only about 3/8 long. of course theres diffrent sizes but my point is there's some really little ones with almost perfectly flat heads!. i was also concerned with not being able to get them tight enough but those little sure look like they would do the trick.

 

 

ETA, i stopped being lazy and looked myself. apparently tinners rivets are not aluminum, there all steel with a zinc or aluminum finish and you do need a special tinners rivet setter to use them. the size of the rivet dictates the size of the setter. actuallt after THINKING i believe i could use a punch and a hammer. i think thats what im gonna do(try to do)

Edited October 22, 2010 by big-J

[Cobra 76 two 2,677]

This is how I make mine....