5 Rd. MAG Modification

[royce]

Hi. I'm new to AK's (and military stuff in general). I gotmy SAR-1 with two 5 rd. mags. One Original ROM & 1 China. ey were two different heights as well. I took them apart, studied them for about 2 minutes, and cut back the side walls of the followers to about 1/2". I re-assembled them and now they both EASILY accept 10 rds. Have I don't something horrible here...or illegal? Please reply and comment.

[joeyman]

I believe the ban is on the manufacture of magazines over 10 rounds. Therefore it is OK to make 10 round or less magazines.

[royce]

Thanks. Am I the only one to notice this increase in a 5 rd? Does averyone ONLY casre about a 30 rd Mag? I am doing something not illegal, but wrong for the operation of the gun? This looks too easy & nobody else cares.

[royce]

Okay, my grammar, spelling, and sentences were pretty bad on that post! I guessed I exceeded my limits in competent typing. Boy, I just read it back to myself and scared myself. Anyway, you all get the idea of what I am asking.

[JA]

I noticed this phenomenon when comparing the followers of a 5 and 30 round mags. The 5 rd is twice as tall as the 30 rd follower.
It is a wothwhile and legal conversion. A 5 rd AK mag is useless but 10 rd has some merit. The only one I did the "Royce Conversion" to was a 10 rd mag which now holds 15 rounds but was done before 1994.(legal disclaimer)

[EW]

I think Packrat post something about this before, but if I remember correctly, he said to cut off 1 inch.

Here is the link http://www.ak-47.net/akcgi/Forum6/HTML/001580.html

[iscariot]

10 rounders are totally legal. All you need a to cut about an inch off the follower.

[royce]

WOW!! The 'ROYCE CONVERSION'...I like the sound of that. Gee, only in America can you arrive a newbie (just got my SAR-1 days ago) and become famous overnight. See ya' later, boys...I'm goin' to hollywood. Ah, Hollywood, where you can shoot anything anytime, never run out of ammo (they have those 1300 round mags) and never NEVER have any of that nasty recoil.

Anyway, thanks for the replies. I appreciate the privelege to participate on this board. As soon as I shoot the darn thing, I'll have some questions I'm sure.

[iscariot]

If you are going to cut the clips follower, do yourself a favor and use a grinding wheel, what way you won`t have jagged edges. That`s what we did and it works great.

[joeyman]

Hey Royce, don't forget to give us a range review once you finally get around to shooting your SAR-1. (You can tack it onto the SAR Review too to preserve it for posterity.).

[Mikester]

Hi!
I am not sure the 5 round magazines are useless, I think in some states 5 rds. is the limit for deer, elk hunting with a semi-auto. And contrary to what the liberal politicians say, many hunters say the round and rifle are both just right for deer!
Mikester

[Packrat]

I had one rifle that came with a 10 rnd mag, but the follower had been replaced with one with longer skirts, limiting it to 5 rnds. When I put a 30 rnd follower in, I could get 10 rnds in. That's when I started thinking about the space needed for the spring. I then took some of the short 5 rnd mags (have the same follower as the 30 rnd mags) and cut an inch off the follower skirts. They hold 10 rnds easily.

After converting, shoot the magazine at least 3 times. If you have any problems, swap the followers to different bodies. If you can't get the mag to work, tear it apart and replace the follower with an original one. The shorter follower, in a larger magazine body, will sometimes tip and not feed properly. I've been able to find combinations that work, but don't sacrifice dependability for anything.

The small, 10 rnd mags are good for carrying as an emergency store of ammo. Also, they look less threatening.

Most places limit semi-autos to 5 rnds for hunting. And yes, the AK (especially with softpoint bullets) is great for deer, especially in brush. It does get the other hunters going, though. They know it is not a sporting rifle.

------------------
Packrat

[The Reverend]

I'm sure some hunters get excited to see an AK in the field, even if it has a 5 rounder stuck in it. Yeah, I can imagine they have their reasons. (If you're going to shoot at Bambi, you have to make sure to hit her exactly in the [pick your deer bullseye])

I think the real reason is that: your AK is good for lots of applications. You can take that deer down just as well as they can with their bolt-action. You just can't hit with the same accuracy that they can from 300 yards. And so what? You have to work a little harder to get in for the shot. Whoopdidoo.

Your AK can serve as a TSHTF weapon too. So if Biff and his yuppie pals get drunk and offended that you are participating in thier sport without having paid $1000+ for your weapon, you can manage to hold all of them off with your 30 rnd mag. Or 75 rnd drum.

Most hunters I know are great guys and wouldn't have a problem with it. But some out there may be such punks that they treat you like a piece of shit. Kind of like the guys who diss someone over the brand of shirt they wear to a party. Especially when he paid $300 for his crummy designer outfit and you show up well dressed ala ROSS Dress For Less and still manage to pick up your woman of choice. Ha ha ha ha! Got money left over for a few dates and a thousand rounds of ammo, Biff! How do ya like dem apples?

So the AK is no Weatherby. Any other news?

[This message has been edited by The Reverend (edited 12-14-1999).]

[royce]

"And on the 9th day, Royce modified all of his 5 rd. mags...and it was good"

Range Report: 10 rds. in...10 rds. out. End of story. Cut those followers and make the 5's into 10's. The feeding did not miss a beat.

By the way, this was the first time I shot my new SAR-1 (1st AK) and it was SWEET! This is the finest most pleasant shooting rifle I have ever handled. That long, slow, soft recoiling travel of that bolt carrier is like muic...and the shots went exactly where I pointed them to...every time. This gun is a good shooter. Now I undertand why AK fans are so much more emotional about AK's then other shooters with other guns. I am now the converted.

[LAgunman2K-3]

hmmm now i wonder where ive heard that line before --lol

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and on the 8th day GOD made the AK-47 and saw that this was good

[Jay_S]

I just made a killer deal on a bunch of mags, among them five Chinese five-rounders. I'm planning on modifying at least a few of them into ten-rounders. Is there any specific tool recommended to use when cutting/trimming the mag follower? I've seen reference to using a "dremel", but to tell the truth I don't know what that is.

[Jimbo1776]

<a href="http://www.dremel.com/Dremel.html">Info on Dremel.</a>

[JA]

All work on AK's and accessories can be done easly with a Dremmel tool and a #409 cut off wheel. I have tried the fiberglass cut off wheels but they are too thick and wear down quickly.

[Jay_S]

Any recommendations for non-power tools for trimming mag followers?

[Jay_S]

Originally posted by CAV Trooper:
Royce,
Hate to pop your bubble on converting 5 round mags into 10 rounders but you sure ain't the first to bring up this subject.

Packrat posted the origional thread about this some time ago and I re-posted one myself a number of weeks ago giving credit to Packrat.

You're just a tad bit late to claim credit for the idea.

I'm not sure he has actually claimed credit for the idea. It was "JA" that first refered to the "Royce Conversion".

[CAV Trooper]

Jay_S,
Just re-read the thread. You're right...JA called it the "Royce Conversion". Sorry about that Royce.

[CAV Trooper]

Royce,
Hate to pop your bubble on converting 5 round mags into 10 rounders but you sure ain't the first to bring up this subject.

Packrat posted the origional thread about this some time ago and I re-posted one myself a number of weeks ago giving credit to Packrat.

You're just a tad bit late to claim credit for the idea.

[zinz]

The "Royce Conversion" rolls (and rocks)

[Pete]

Originally posted by Jay_S:
Any recommendations for non-power tools for trimming mag followers?

Tin snips and a file to smooth the edges out with. That's what I used (I was in a hurry and couldn't find my dremil).

You might be able to put a block of wood inside it (for support) and then cut it with a hacksaw.

[jsn]

Danger will robinson!!! carefully remove just enough of the follwer to JUST get in 10rds.the first mag i did this to would hold 11rds with no effort,this whole 10rd limit is bull but stay with in the law on this one 10rds is ok but if you ever got caught with one that would hold 11 ya just might have to spend some time with bubba the love gorilla!!!

john
BTW SOG international in shotgun news has used chicom 5rds mags for 3.59 ea i got 20 of them all were in great shape no rust or pitting good finish and have worked without any problems 1-800-944-GUNS

[This message has been edited by jsn (edited 06-18-2000).]