How to dis-assemble 41 magazine

[7cstevan]

Seems like it should be so simple, but I'm stumped. I have two Model 41 mags, one vintage from 1958 and one brand new one.
How do I get them apart? It seems as if I should push the follower down until the follower button is in line with the circular hole in the slot on the side, but the bottom of the follower hits the foot of the magazine first, before the button will line up with the round circle cutout in the slot on the side of the mag.
Mostly it's the new one I want help with-- I want to swap the large button that is on the left side of the magazine to the right side and the small one on the right side over to the left. That's the way my vintage mag. is set up and easier for me to load being a righty.
Also, the vintage mag has a hole in the floor plate with button inside it--It moves, but it still looks like the foot or floorplate of the magazine is crimped in? Is it? Or do you just push in the button and pull (harder) on the floorplate?
Finally, the new mag (bought it today) does not have the hole in the floorplate--so does how or if does it come out of the new mag. FYI, the new mag has a plastic follower, and the vintage one is metal of course.

Please advise--don't want to force or break or bend anything.

Steve

 

[armorer951]

For the new mags w/o the hole, I use a small tool with a hook on the end inserted through the "hole" at the bottom of the follower slot to pull the spring and lower plunger up away from the base plate and then push the base plate off from back to front. Very hard (for me at least) to get the base off. It comes off at the angle defined by the two small tabs stamped in the sides of the magazine body. (slight angle)

I only have one of the older style magazines....I insert a punch through the base hole, push up on the baseplate then use leverage on the punch to pull the base from back to front.