drilling a magazine?

[Goodcat]

If it's broke, don't fix it so I'm asking if this will reduce heat or anything technical.

I have an AK magazine that won't load more than 10-12 rounds. I took it apart and tested the spring and the feeder thingi (what's the technical name for my knowledge? <--- on top of spring with the plastic bullet shape extruding for the first round placement) in another AK magazine and it works fine. This leaves me knowing the shell of the magazine itself is damaged. Upon inspection I found a few areas it was dented in, looks like just enough to bind it halfway down.

My question is, can I just drill a hole through area that is dented in? I have no ways of bending it back out from the inside. I couldn't see this causing any problems, just wanted to some advice! Yes, I know AK mags are dime by the dozen, but I can't stand to not fix something and just toss it. lol

 

[esrice]

My first thought was "will dirt and grime get into the new holes and bind anything up any quicker than normal?"

Follower.

 

[Goodcat]

That's a good point, didn't think about. Then again, I don't plan on carrying weapon much lol, so maybe just good for range time? I'm not worried about crap being in the mag, but the fact that it could feed into the firearm is less than desirable.

 

[indykid]

Unless you plan on carrying that mag through the jungle and across rivers and into mud holes, through blowing sand and snow and.... I think as long as you can get out any burrs you might leave and don't expect to ever sell the mag, drilling out dents is not a bad idea. That is as long as the dents aren't too big.

 

[Goodcat]

Unless you plan on carrying that mag through the jungle and across rivers and into mud holes, through blowing sand and snow and.... I think as long as you can get out any burrs you might leave and don't expect to ever sell the mag, drilling out dents is not a bad idea. That is as long as the dents aren't too big.

they are tiny. for my knowledge, is that you lee? It's funny recognizing people cross-forums :-)

 

[indykid]

I'm not who you think I am, and if you visit other forums, you might be surprised.

Anyway, if you can't press the dents out of an AK mag, they are robust enough that drilling small dents out won't hurt the mag. What does surprise me is the number of dented and rusty AK mags that have been showing up lately. I saw one batch at the 1500 recently that look like they were stored underwater. I picked several up very cheaply and used a dremel to clean out the rust on the inside that was causing the round follower to stick.

By the way, the mag consists of five parts, the mag body, spring, follower, lock plate (goes on the bottom of the spring and floorplate.

 

[Goodcat]

Sweet, thanks for the info! There is a guy named Lee on a local car forum with the screen name "Indykid" too. Which is why I asked. :-) I'm gonna drill tonight and let everyone know the results!

 

[Slow Hand]

If you are worried about dirt and grime getting onsed the mags after drilling, I'd just give it a wrap with some black duct tape. It'll blend in good enough for an AK and will keep the insides a bit cleaner.

Doug K

 

[Britton]

Throw it away and get another that works. Is a 15 dollar mag that important?

 

[Goodcat]

Throw it away and get another that works. Is a 15 dollar mag that important?

"Yes, I know AK mags are dime by the dozen, but I can't stand to not fix something and just toss it. lol"

:-) I can't justify it unfortunately, when it's possible to fix.

Great idea on the electrical tape btw

 

[indykid]

Yea there is just something about taking something that doesn't work right and making it work right. Regardless of cost, it is a great feeling when you take something and fix it, or at least make it work right.

And I can't believe I didn't think of taping the mag after drilling it. Electrical tape or hockey stick tape would work great.

 

[Goodcat]

Ya. I was thinking about trying to spot weld a small sheet piece onto there, didn't once think of tape. lol I've been fixing too many large scale items recently. haha

 

[obijohn]

drill out the dents and don't worry about it. yeah, the mags aren't a bunch of money, but what could it hurt?

 

[don west]

Drillin AK mags(1/4in max)won't hurt,a damn thing. Look at all the mags that hv holes in them to count ammo.Dirt? That AK don't care. Msgt West USAF ret 62-94