Posted: 6/29/2024 10:13:20 PM EDT
|
I had a USGI magazine that wouldn't fit in standard AR mag wells. Normal people toss defective mags. Me? I kept it in storage for 10 years and today decided to make it a fun project: an absurdly tiny flush mount Ruger American Ranch magazine. The end result holds 5 rounds. Rough contours were done with an angle grinder. Finish work was done with a file. Cut the spring from 15 wraps to 3, and trim the follower center post to be as long as the tail. Attached File Bending the tabs is as simple as torch heating, then peening them over the baseplate. Cold bending will just snap them off. You can see that I forgot to include a front tab. Still works fine though. Attached File Homemade 5 vs factory 10, 20, & 30. Attached File And in the Ruger. It still sticks out a little bit. I could have gotten away with making it about 1/8" shorter, but I can now comfortably carry the rifle at its balance point. Attached File Total time was about 40 minutes. |
|
Quoted: Neat! A subflush AR mag could be a good way to make a couple bucks at the range. "I bet you twenty bucks I can fire more than one round from this rifle that clearly has no mag inserted!"  Magnetospeed sold a 3 round mag with no mag catch - it sits on top of the mag catch. ProMag makes a flush fit steel 5 & 10 rounder, both flush w/ the bottom of a stock AR magwell. Thermold makes a 10 round mag and the wide floorplate is the over insertion stop. |
|
Quoted: I had a USGI magazine that wouldn't fit in standard AR mag wells. Normal people toss defective mags. Me? I kept it in storage for 10 years and today decided to make it a fun project: an absurdly tiny flush mount Ruger American Ranch magazine. The end result holds 5 rounds. Rough contours were done with an angle grinder. Finish work was done with a file. Cut the spring from 15 wraps to 3, and trim the follower center post to be as long as the tail. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/434195/IMG_5940_jpeg-3254004.JPG Bending the tabs is as simple as torch heating, then peening them over the baseplate. Cold bending will just snap them off. You can see that I forgot to include a front tab. Still works fine though. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/434195/IMG_5939_jpeg-3254005.JPG Homemade 5 vs factory 10, 20, & 30. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/434195/IMG_5938_jpeg-3254003.JPG And in the Ruger. It still sticks out a little bit. I could have gotten away with making it about 1/8" shorter, but I can now comfortably carry the rifle at its balance point. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/434195/IMG_5941_jpeg-3254016.JPG Total time was about 40 minutes. Krylon the lower half of the mag to match the stock? |
|
Now you need to add a "pull" to it: Attached File Attached File you basically remove the innards from the paracord and tie a knot in each end and insert it in the base plate as you slide it closed. |
| I had a friend visiting from Israel in the early 2000's. At LGS he came across 5 rounders that looked just like the one you have made. He bought all that they had (15 or 20). He told me that this is a perfect gift for his son and his friends that served at IDF at a time. While of duty, they must carry their's M4 with mags detached, and this little 5-rounder just hides in the magwell, giving them better chance if situation arises. |
|
Quoted: Well ain't that something. A while ago I made some 5 round clips that would go perfectly with your 5 round mag. https://i.postimg.cc/Bbk0BQtM/20220627-185520.jpg Well it was 1 prototype. Works fine. I really should make more. I have a sudden urge to mill the top off of the receiver, file in some stripper guides, and add a magazine disconnect. |
|
Quoted: That's outstanding op. I need to attempt this with a couple of mags for my Grendel ranch. BTW awesome username and avatar After bending over the tabs, drive the floor plate back out (you might need a drift or punch) and file the rest of the body down a little bit further. Peening directly on the floor plate makes it absurdly tight, so filing a little bit more relief afterwards makes it able to be hand-disassembled again. |
|
Quoted: That's pretty awesome. I imagine that the stripper is roughly the same length as the spoon? I have a sudden urge to mill the top off of the receiver, file in some stripper guides, and add a magazine disconnect. Quoted: Quoted: Well ain't that something. A while ago I made some 5 round clips that would go perfectly with your 5 round mag. https://i.postimg.cc/Bbk0BQtM/20220627-185520.jpg Well it was 1 prototype. Works fine. I really should make more. That's pretty awesome. I imagine that the stripper is roughly the same length as the spoon? I have a sudden urge to mill the top off of the receiver, file in some stripper guides, and add a magazine disconnect. Buy one of these & mod it to fit: https://cogburnarsenal.com/product/mini-14-clip-guide-582/ |
|
Quoted: That’s what I was thinking. Quoted: Quoted: Does it drop free easy enough? Think it might be worth doing a paracord loop like the early mag pull tabs to give something to pull on? That’s what I was thinking. OP can probably push it out w/ his pinky through the open action. Or load it through the open action and not have to remove it at all. He's not walking point w/ the thing. |