The Deal With Mark II Magazines - and the Solution

[Josh Smith]

Hello,

I do all my own work on my guns.

A while back, I got a Mk II BTVS. Pretty good rifle though the barrel wasn't freefloated like it was intended to be - so I fixed it.

After making Rifleman at Appleseed with a 10/22, I broke out the Mk II for some fun. I didn't have any extra mags, so I was loaned some 10 round mags, and dang near shot a perfect score - with a bolt gun yet!

After the Appleseed shoot, I went to buy my own magazines. Imagine my disappointment when the new magazines were junk. Only my 5 round mag works correctly.

I have a background in combat handgunning, and I find this unacceptable.

So, I took the 10 round magazines apart.

Imagine my surprise when I discovered that they are just a downsized, curved (for the rims) version of the 1911 magazine!

I checked the feeding, and sure enough, it's a controlled feed, just like the 1911 pistol.

Better yet, the magazine springs are modeled after the 1911 magazine springs.

I tweaked a few things and got better reliability out of them, but still not 100%. This occurs in 1911 pistols as well when you go with a larger-than-normal magazine size. Just the nature of the beast.

However, these should still work. The follower is a poor design but can be tweaked. What's really needed are good springs - these are by far the worst springs I've seen in a stock magazine. They are almost like Bic pen springs in quality!

Stretching them and giving them a lil' twist upward work for one or two mag fulls - then the spring settles back to its stock length.

What we really need is a good quality, heavy duty spring.

I'm sure Wolff makes something like this. If not, they need to. I need your collective help to find a heavier duty spring. It would look like a 1911 spring and likely be in either a conversion kit for the 1911 or in a Ruger .22 autopistol - I'm guessing. I'm also thinking that Llama made some smaller Government-type model pistols in .22 - these may work.

I've never owned an automatic .22 as I'm a lefty and they just now started making them. However, if you happen to have a magazine for, say, a .22/45 laying around and want to compare springs, it would be appreciated.

Mostly though, the magazines are junk. And that sucks because the rifles are very nice. Skimping on the magazine though will almost always kill reliability.

If we make enough noise, I'm sure somebody - perhaps even Mec-Gar - would pick up manufacture of aftermarket mags which are not sub-par quality.

Just some random thoughts... and I got another idea for a mag, so I'm gonna go try it out.

Any help would be appreciated.

**********

Later...

Ok... EUREKA!

I sacrificed one of my 10 round mags, interposed the springs, and modifed the follower to be more 1911-like on the bottom and front.

It works like a $30 magazine now - which, when you think about it, is what it is! ;D

I wonder if we can get just the springs... putting the springs togther will solve the feeding problems 100%.

Don't like sacrificing a magazine to do this though.

Josh

[JCalhoun]

I've never encountered any spring problems with the Savage 5 or 10 rounders when I had a Mark II. I did, however, see several mags that had to get the lips bent a little here and there to get them to feed correctly.

You are correct though. They are a flimsy cheap made piece of work.

[sharpshooter]

???MKII magazines have nothing in common with a 1911.

[Josh Smith]

Sure they do. Especially if you look at the spring from say, a Novak magazine. Similar follower as well.

Josh

[sharpshooter]

[img width=600 height=450]http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y48/sharp-shooter/applesoranges.jpg[/img]
Jeez.....now that you mention it, they look identical. ???

[Josh Smith]

[img width=600 height=450]http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y48/sharp-shooter/applesoranges.jpg[/img]
Jeez.....now that you mention it, they look identical. ???

You might try reading for content as well as context... ::)

[img width=600 height=450]http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b191/WabashShootist/Savage%20Mag%20Fix/1911springcomparison1.jpg[/img]

The springs, man... the SPRINGS are the same! As is the controlled feed! Might look different but functions the same!

Josh

[shelbyfan]

It's amazing, I knew exactly what you were talking about, it's like you typed in English.

[Josh Smith]

The only ties they have is the style. That would make them the same style as about 90% of all magazines. Since you seem to be a 1911 guru, why don't you adapt a 1911 magazine that was used for the .22 conversions into your MKII?

I think you completely missed the idea of how I did this... there's a pictorial thread below.

Josh