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Posted: 3/4/2013 6:47:25 PM EDT
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I have an Armory USA/Global Trades Bulgarian SSR-85C-2. Based on research, I believe it's an AK-47/AKM Hybrid with a milled receiver. I have 4 Bulgarian surplus mags that fit well -- lock up is tight, almost no play. I have bought some Tapco magazines and more recently some US Palm AK-30 magazines -- the rear tang won't lockup. I've filed down the back tang on a couple of my Tapco which "fixed" them, but I'm not about to do that with the relatively expensive US Palms.
Is this normal? It seems like if I modify the mag catch, my metal Bulgarian mags would rock back and forth. Here's a pic of the rear tangs of working and non-working mags for my gun. Left -> Right 1. Tapco Unmodified - Won't lockup 2. Tapco Filed Rear Tang - Fits fine 3. Bulgarian Steel - Fits fine 4. US Palm AK30 - Won't lockup. http://i.imgur.com/KOu0DIXl.jpg Thanks, C |
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Once you are sure that the mags are fully entering the well and the top face of the locking lug is what stops the mag (not the mag guide pin in the receiver), and the catch still drags on the lug and won't engage, you have no choice but to fit the thicker lugs to the gun as you already have been doing, by reducing the height of the lower face. You never mess with the upper face of the lug because that is what sets the height of the feed lips to the bolt. The alternative is to modify the catch by filing it down, which would make the other mags too loose, so that is not a good solution. The only time that is done is when steel mags won't lock, and that is most always done during gun assembly/manufacturing or if the catch is replaced.
I usually do this on polymer lugs without tools, by gently forcing the mag catch onto the lug and releasing, over and over, getting easier as you go, until it will just barely latch by itself. If it's too thick to do that, you'll have to file a little to get started. Some mag catch edges are not straight, and this way you use the mag catch to shave off just what it needs to fully engage. But the quick way is to take a few strokes with the file at a time until you get close, and then let it break in with use. |
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