I just got a new M&P 9 Pro, which came with two magazines. I shoot USPSA, so I ordered three more at $35 a piece. However I want to shoot a match on Thursday. What to do?
I got to thinking: I have five 17 round magazines for my Ruger SR9c, also made by Mec-Gar, which look quite similar to the S&W magazines (I refuse to write or say "mag" or "ammo").
So I decided an experiment was in order. I took one of the the Ruger magazines and my trusty Dremel, and ground the front right of the body to create a ramp for the S&W magazine catch. The magazine wouldn't go into the pistol without pushing the catch button otherwise. The Ruger has and ambidextrous catch that uses a hole on the front of the body which obviously won't work. So, again, I took the Dremel with a cutoff wheel, and cut a notch on the side.
My new hybrid magazine seems to work perfectly. Snap caps fed perfectly, and the slide stays open when the last round is gone. The upshot is that these are high quality, OEM magazines, not garbage, that are significantly less expensive than Smith's. You used to be able to get these in two packs for less than $40, which is also less than the suggested price of ONE genuine article.
I got to thinking: I have five 17 round magazines for my Ruger SR9c, also made by Mec-Gar, which look quite similar to the S&W magazines (I refuse to write or say "mag" or "ammo").
So I decided an experiment was in order. I took one of the the Ruger magazines and my trusty Dremel, and ground the front right of the body to create a ramp for the S&W magazine catch. The magazine wouldn't go into the pistol without pushing the catch button otherwise. The Ruger has and ambidextrous catch that uses a hole on the front of the body which obviously won't work. So, again, I took the Dremel with a cutoff wheel, and cut a notch on the side.
My new hybrid magazine seems to work perfectly. Snap caps fed perfectly, and the slide stays open when the last round is gone. The upshot is that these are high quality, OEM magazines, not garbage, that are significantly less expensive than Smith's. You used to be able to get these in two packs for less than $40, which is also less than the suggested price of ONE genuine article.
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