Magazine Fabrication - Anybody Tried It?

[RifleMan]

I'm almost ready to start on my Mauser scout project, and have come up with an idea that I know nothing about.

 

There are several after-market detachable magazines for K98 sized actions, but I have a pair of intermediates (a 24/47 and an M48). So far, I haven't found any after-market magazines that will fit this action length, so I thought that it can't be impossible to make my own 5-10 round mags, and develop them a bit.

 

But then my question is, how the heck do you make a detachable magazine? I imagine I'd need some sort of sheet metal bending jig, but beyond that, I can't find much in the way of information on the development of magazine tubes, floorplates, followers, etc.

 

Anyone here ever tried anything like this? Do you just start with something that's already out there, and modify it (I suppose that could be much easier)? Any help would be appreciated. At this point, I'm moving forward with a clip-charged scout, but a detachable mag would be easier to reload.

 

Thanks,

Nathan

[gun nutty]

The Remington 788 has/had a single-column detachable magazine; the rifle came in .308. It should be fairly simple building "tracks" in the fore and aft of the existing Mauser magazine to hold the 788 mag. Toughest thing I see is the release.

 

The M1A/M-14 also used .308 Win mags. You could use these by removing the sidewalls of the existing Mauser mag.

 

The Savage 110C, Remington auto and slide rifles all have magazines. I don't see why you need to re-invent the wheel.

 

[RifleMan]

I finally got back around to looking at this again, and realized the the M1A mags I have had forever don't line up right with the Mauser receiver (without the Mauser magazine walls in place). It looks like I would have to make some cuts to the bottom of the receiver in order to make it work, and, well, I'm not that interested in having a detachable magazine to reload the gun with.

 

I did check into the 788 magazines, but they only carry three rounds, and that's going to make loading even harder, in general.

 

I also found a Badger Ordnance magazine floorplate and detachable magazine system designed for the Rem 700, but I don't have one in-hand to see if I could adapt it out to the Mauser... anybody else happen to know if that would work?

 

For now, I'll go forward with the idea that I'll charge the weapon with stripper-clips, which is what I had planned originally.

[milsurpcollector]

There is a company called xs sight systems that makes a sleeve to fit over a standard military mauser barrel to mount a scout scope on, you epoxy it to the barrel. and use a pistol scope.

 

I used it, but as the barrel heated the point of impact changed. I would not reccomend it.

 

As to your actual question, The are a few tactical rifles that use detachable mags.

 

Robar, HS precision, Macmillian????

 

If you are good with fabrication, cut off the mag box from a 98 trigger guard and weld up another from 1/4 ( or smaller) square bar stock.

 

That way you can match the dimensions of the M1A mag.

 

Another way would be to slit the front of the trigger guard and bend until you can fit a M1A mag in there.

 

 

You would still have to work on the bottom of the receiver and figure out a locking system.

 

How about using a No.4 Enfield, you could convert it to .308 just by a barrel change and modifying the extractor.

 

It would see much less work

 

 

http://www3.sympatico.ca/shooters/JC1.htm

 

 

 

 

[RifleMan]

A good idea, on the Brit, but I already have the Mauser actions, and originally didn't want a detachable magazine, so this was just an afterthought. But thanks for the reply. Especially on the XS sight sleeve - that's what I had planned to use to mount the forward scope. I'm leaning towards soldering it on, instead of epoxy.

[BobVZ]

Here is a 20 rd possibility:

 

http://www.e-gunparts.com/DisplayAd.asp?ch...perSKU=&MC=

[odies dad]

I have not tried it on a intermediate, but a Mini 14 magazine fits nicely into a 98 mag well. If you use a Mini-30, it may feed 308 OK.

I am using a mini-14 mag on a 223 Mauser.

[RifleMan]

I don't think a Mini-30 mag will hold .308 - they are made for 7.62x39.

 

I've pretty much given up on this idea. If anyone had info on custom fabrication, then I *might* be interested, but it looks like using other magazines will be just as difficult as making my own to fit. Stripper clips will work just dandy, since there won't be a scope mounted directly above the magazine.

 

Thanks for the responses!