10 round mag reassembly

[Johnmuratore]

I'm not a gunsmith, but I'm not a complete goof either.
Took apart my 10 round .40/.357 mag today to clean and lube, and it was a ballbuster to get back together. Luckily I was wearing safety glasses because the floorplate hit me in the face 3 times. That spring they use in the 10 rd mag is STRONG.
Anyone have any tips about how to make this easier?

 

[ginzo]

No, I have issues also, especially with the pinky extensions.

It's all in how you hold your mouth!! You have to be like a magician. Maybe you got to go "abra cadabra".

I'll be curious to see if some one comes up with an easy way. My FS 15 round mags are easy.

I'm not a gunsmith, but I'm not a complete goof either.
Took apart my 10 round .40/.357 mag today to clean and lube, and it was a ballbuster to get back together. Luckily I was wearing safety glasses because the floorplate hit me in the face 3 times. That spring they use in the 10 rd mag is STRONG.
Anyone have any tips about how to make this easier?

 

[PaulS 0706]

Get the largest zip lock bag you can find. Reassemble inside the bag. When things fly apart they 1. won't hit you in the face & 2. won't fly across the room never to be seen again.

Please do not ask me how I know this.

 

[ginzo]

DUH.
I sometimes give this advice, but usually on smaller items, springs etc. It certainly would apply to this situation.

I gotta think outside the box, sometimes I just get vapor locked! (sometimes, I just get the vapors) or is that TMI?

Get the largest zip lock bag you can find. Reassemble inside the bag. When things fly apart they 1. won't hit you in the face & 2. won't fly across the room never to be seen again.

Please do not ask me how I know this.

 

[dlbutler]

Push the spring down and then put some kind of pin, nail, etc through the holes. You can then put the floor plate on. After it is on, release the pin.

 

[Bkreutz]

Thankfully I've never had a 10 round M&P magazine in my hands.

 

[Arlo39]

S&W uses the .40 cal. 15 round magazine spring in the 10 rounders to prevent more then 10 rounds going in both the 9 and 40 mags.

 

[Saudade]

They are a bear to reassemble. The 10 rounders use the same springs as the "full capacity" ones.

Wear safety goggles or a scuba mask. (OK a gallon size zip lock works well but doesn't make for as good a picture!)

 

[Rastoff]

Hmmm, I have no trouble with the mags. Here's how I do it:

• Put punch through hole in the bottom and press on lock plate.
• Slide the base forward about 1/2 way.
• Grasp mag tube with one hand, thumb on lock plate.
• Slide base plate all the way off.
• Control lock plate and spring out with thumb and other hand.

Reverse to re-assemble.

Any spring under tension will be a hazard. Yes, it's strong. Never point it toward yourself. I have yet to have a mag spring launch on me and I've had mine apart many times.

 

[AwfAxis]

One other thing you may try with these 10rd disasters. Getting 10 rds into the mag was tough enough, but when seating the mag, it took a hard slam to get the mag to seat correctly

Although I'm in Nevada, bought 10 rnd mags for California matches. I cut the springs (two loops) at the base end, and used needle nose pliers to reshape the angle. The plates lock in just fine.

The [empty] spring tension now matches my 15/17 round mags (9 & 40). Loading and mag seating is better.

Also, if you put the 9 [10rd] bases on a 40 [10rd] mag, it extends the base plate where you can use a magwell too. This is handy for shooting LTD-10.

 

[Johnmuratore]

Ras,
I had no trouble controlling the spring on the disassemble, did it exactly the way you described. The reassemble was another thing altogether. The floor plate is a fairly tight fit and didn't cooperate by going in nice and square. When I slid my finger off it a little to get the retainer started, the follower, spring and floor plate shot out like a Minuteman coming out of a launch tube. I really like the idea of sliding a nail in one of the round counter holes to hold the spring. I'll give that a try.
We don't have any choice in Mass, 10 is all we get.

 

[Rastoff]

When reassembling, I get the spring and lock plate in there with my fore finger or thumb all the way across back to front. Then I get the base plate started. Once it's started, I move my finger toward the back. The base plate being started and finger on the back should hold everything together pretty well.

Once the base plate is 1/3 on, the finger is not needed to hold anything at that point. Just shove it home.

The nail is a decent enough idea. I just see it as one more step. Of course, if it saves you from amateur rocketry, it's worth the extra effort.