Category: magazines

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ammo gun belt handgun holster magazines OWB training

I’m Preparing For My Next Pistol Course

December is approaching and I promised that I would take another pistol training class this year. I might not be able to fit it into 2024, sadly, but if not, I’ll try for Q1 of 2025.

That means I’ve to ensure I’m ready. I’ll need ammo and equipment.

I need 600 rounds of range ammo, with 100 of it being frangible.

I already have a duty belt from Wolf Tactical – I received two of them for Chrismas last year. They’re nice belts, too. They’re dual belts with a nice clasp. It’ll accept molle gear, as well.

I also need mag pouches. They can be easily bought from Amazon and I just need something that’ll allow three mags on the belt (whether it’s one pouch or three). I don’t have the mage pouches yet, but I’m thinking of these.

I’m not even sure which gun to take, but it’ll have to be a 1911 or 2011. Why? Because I went ahead and ordered an OWB holster (a requirement for the course) for a 5″ 2011 (it should fit a 1911 as well). Specifically, I bought the QVO Tactical 5″ “Secondary” OWB holster. They’ve what they call a quick-ship version (it’s already built and ready to ship – customization isn’t allowed for those shipments)…it was $100. The holster doesn’t accept weapon-mounted lights, but that’s OK. The holster mounts to the belt via metal angled belt loops.

The current plan is to take m Tisas DS9 since I already have 1000+ rounds through the gun.

If I haven’t yet taken the class by April 2025, I’ll wait a bit because I’m planning on buying two guns this coming spring and at least one will be a 2011. I’m looking at the new Kimber 2K11 – that’s a $2000 gun, so if I get that, I won’t get another. If I opt for something other than the Kimber 2K11, it’ll probably be a Springfield Armory Prodigy DS 5″ with the optic and three mags package, along with the Fusion/Ermox XP Pro. All of those guns are 2011s and should fit in the aforementioned holster. Then again, if I do decide to take whatever I buy in 2025, I’m going to have to postpone the training course until I get enough rounds through whatever I end up buying….I should probably just use the Tisas Carry DS9.

I also have several other compact- and larger-sized guns that I can use for the course. There are guns that I bought over the years that came with their own holsters, and all but the P320 have 3 mags:

  • Sig Sauer P320 Compact – paddle-style holster
  • Sig Sauer SP2022 – paddle-style holster
  • Canik TP9SA (x2) – Safariland-type holsters with paddles
  • Canik TP9 Elite SC – minimal style holster – covers trigger

Of the four above guns, the SP2022 would probably be the one to choose, but I don’t want to be messing with trying to cope with a DA trigger. At one point in time, DA/SA was all I’d carry, but things have changed and I’m now a SA guy – I don’t want to train to use two trigger types, so the SP2022 will be a backup gun for the training.

Or, I could forego that above list and focus on 1911s/2011s. I just didn’t want to bring a 1911 and have issues during the course – I don’t want to be that one 1911 guy that has constant feed issues. The Tisas has only had one fail to feed in like 1200 rounds, so I’m thinking it won’t have issues (I’ll stick with the ammo it’s been eating without fail – Blazer 124-gr FMJ).

Really, the only thing I need to determine now is what frangible ammo to buy. I’ve 50 rounds of Hevi-shot 9mm frangible that’s in the back of my safe, but I’m not sure if the Tisas will eat it (it should – my RIA Commander ate that ammo without issue).

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2011 magazines

MPA DS9 Hybrid / 2011 Magazines are Currently On Sale!

I got an email from GunMag Warehouse today and saw that they are having a sale on MasterPiece Arms DS9 2011 mags. Currently, some of them are around 50% off.

I ordered 3 17-round mags since they’re so cheap. See below – these are regularly over $50 each.

I figured I’d buy a few – I do not know if they’ll fit in my Tisas but if I’m sure if the Duramag fits (it does – I bought a 17-rounder), the MPA DS9 mags will fit. I plan to buy another 9mm 2011 in early 2025, so if these don’t fit in the Tisas, they’ll probably fit in a Romulus or Prodigy (those are the two guns I’m considering buying).

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Glock magazines PSA

Can the Alpha Foxtrot S15 Be Used With PSA’s Dagger Micro 15-Round Mags?

Can the Alpha Foxtrot S15 use the PSA Dagger Micro 15-Round Mag?

I’ve asked that question on at least one 1911 forum and was told that it wouldn’t work, but no one has tried.

I’m not interested in hearing assumptions.

It either will latch or it won’t

It will either release and drop free from the mag well effortlessly or not.

It should feed properly.

The Alpha Foxtrot S15 is built around Shield Arms S15 15-round mags, which are 3rd-Party mags made for the Glock 43X and the Glock 48. Because of that, the AF-S15 can also use the OEM G43X and G48 mags, although those particular mags have a 10-round capacity.

In the quest to check for yet another source of mags for the AF-S15, I’ve ordered one PSA Dagger Micro magazine, which has a 15-round capacity and can be used with G43Xs and G48s.

I saw that PSA had the mags in stock. I ordered a blem mag with the Micro Slick finish, for $29. Shipping was $9.99 and the total was $40.72 (shipping is always a lot and I didn’t need anything else from PSA).

Note that the Dagger Micro mags are polymer-coated, even around the mag latch area, which means that this will be a wear point, as the AF-S15 uses a metal mag catch within it’s mag well. I’m also curious if the mag will slide easily into and out of the mag well, and also unlatch without hangup issues.

I ordered one mag to test, initially, as I didn’t want to order 2-3 only to find that they won’t work.

The test results will determine if I order more (specifically for range use).

I’ll share my findings with the rest of the world, as I keep seeing folks asking this question or outright verbally assuming that the Dagger Micro mags will work with this gun.

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1911A2 45ACP base plate Century Arms magazines R1 Remington

Looking for mags that fit your RIA 1911A2?

When I bought my RIA 10mm 1911A2, I tried to order A2 mags from AdvancedTactical.com (Armscor parts/support site).  The showed as having plenty in stock but apparently, they were out, because my order sat for a month before I told them to cancel it.  In fact, they’re still showing as out of stock at the time of this posting.

I tried looking at other places but most stores are out of stock.  The only stores I saw that had them were in places like Alaska and Canada and they required $100 in purchases before they’d even consider sending to you (shipping was free, though).

I then saw in a 1911 FB group where a guy stated he’d bought Remington R1 .45ACP double-stack mags and that the mags latched into the gun.  The mags fed ammo reliably into the handgun.

I decided to seek out that magazine type.  Again, I had a difficult time finding a place that had them in stock, but I finally found that Century Arms carries them.  I ordered two of the mags on 3/9.  It is now 3/18 and they’ve arrived at my door.

The first mag latched without issue, but the second one initially would not latch.  Ground the top of the mag’s catch hole just a tad.  It now latches.

Both fit without issue, although latching is pretty tight…this can be fixed by ordering thinner base plates (or slightly grinding the top of the catch hole on the mag).  The mags are designed for 45ACP and will hold 16 rounds of 45ACP.  I loaded one mag with 10mm and was able to load 18.

I will be visiting the range tonight or tomorrow to test feeding/functionality with both mags. I’ll test with 16 rounds as well as 18.

These mags are $9-$10 cheaper than the mags Armscor sells and they appear to be more readily available.  I’ve been trying to get mags since 1/31 and Armscor went out of stock around that time.  I could find Para mags but didn’t want to hack/cut/file a mag.  Granted, I had to grind one of the mags I bought, but it was a 10 sec grind where you wouldn’t even notice an alteration.

The base plate on the R1 mags are rather thick.  They protrude from the magwell a bit, but they can be changed to something less thick (or they can be ignored for shooting purposes).

OEM magazine
OEM magazine
R1 magazine
R1 magazine

As of 3/9, Century Arms had them in stock.  I’m not sure if they’re still showing as in stock but if you need 1911A2 mags for your RIA, Century Arms is currently the place to visit.

UPDATE (3/19/2021):  I took off the base plate on the OEM mag to see if it’ll fit on the R1 mags.  It does.  So, if you buy the R1 mags, you can buy OEM base plates from Armscor and fit them on the R1 mags.

UPDATE (12/21/2021): Century Arms has stopped carrying the Remington R1 double-stack mags.  🙁

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California Freedom Week magazines

CA Man Charged With Buying “High Capacity” Magazines

Sourced from ABC30.com:

Freedom Week used as defense for South Valley man facing gun magazine charges.

https://abc30.com/freedom-week-pheng-yang-gun-law-challenge-tulare-county/6241874/?fbclid=IwAR3K8RLhpfIWEttlHRwXP-ZO9yEltqohECfk8x65wMOr5AZcLcFJcb7-aOg

Summary:

Pheng Yang purchased standard capacity magazines when a judge ruled last year that the CA law banning magazines with a higher capacity than 10 rounds was unconstitutional.  The ruling lasted a week before it was reversed, but this time frame allowed CA citizens to purchase standard capacity mags during that span of time (called Freedom Week).  

The ruling (also the reversing) judge stated that the law could not be enforced against those who bought standard capacity magazines during Freedom Week.  

The judge’s statement will now be tested, as Pheng’s brother is a felon and a parole search was issued, which meant that Pheng’s home had to be searched.  Deputies found the magazines during the search.  Felony charges were filed against Pheng.

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AK-47 AMD-63 Arsenal Bulgaria gunmagwarehouse.com magazines steel

I’ve Some Bulgarian Surplus AK-47 Mags Coming My Way

I ordered 5 x AK-47 magazines from Gunmagwarehouse.com this past Thursday.  They will arrive sometime Monday.  These are Bulgarian mags with the typical ribbed look.  They’re made of steel and are 30-round mags with a polymer follower (I’m not bothered by that).  They’ve good reviews.  I ordered these to replace the Croatian mags that my AMD-63 seems to hate.

I still have not shot the SAM7UF nor tested the Croatian mags on that particular rifle.  That’s coming soon.  I do believe the SAM7 will accept the Croatian mags, though, as I stuck a loaded mag into the firearm and the rifle chambered a round without issue (something the AMD-63 won’t do with those mags).

UPDATE:  I was finally able to order some snap caps in 7.62×39 (they are plastic, though, and are already chipping and cracking).  I ordered five of them.  I tested the Croatian mags with them since I didn’t really want to test by chambering live rounds in my house.  All four of the Croatian mags will properly mount in all my AKs but the PSA AK-P.  The non-PSA AKs will actually strip the snap caps from three of the mags and chamber the fake rounds.  One mag has issues where none of the AKs will feed rounds from it (note that I did not test that mag in the SAM7 – I tested it in the AMD-63).

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AK-47 AMD-63 canted front sight Croatia Cube+ magazines Polaroid

Range Visit on 2/19 – took the AMD-63 again

Range Notes:

Shot 52 rounds (1 hour session).  40 of these were PPU ammo from the last range visit.  The last 12 were the new RAS 7.62×39 ammo I recently bought.

There were no malfunctions.

I tried to use the Croatian mags again, thinking that they may work if they had less ammo, so I put in 5 rounds.  It would not strip ammo from the mag with this rifle.  These mags will be for the SAM7 only, I guess.  A pity…they look nice and have are BHO.

I spent the whole hour range session chasing the bullseye.  I found that if I put the target out further (40 yards for me, since I can’t see the target beyond that), I had a better aim.  At 25 yards, the bullets drop, even if my POA is at the bullseye.  At 40, it raises near BE level.  Now, I’ve to ensure my trigger squeeze is consistent, because I think I either flinch a lot or I’m jerking the trigger, as I had a lot of flyers to the lower left.

I also think my front sight is canted to the left.  I saw footage from the new camera.  I saw the spine of the rifle and the front sight looked off.  I’ll ask questions  on the forums and maybe see about finding a gunsmith that can straighten it.

I’ll take the SAM7 out next just to see if I can hit the BE easier than the AMD-63 (note that some Arsenals DO have canted sights).

The new camera works GREAT!  I just need a bigger micro SD card, as I ran out of card space at the range today!

Oh, and the bolt carrier tail is pretty mangled.  I may have to take a file to the ragged edges.  It hasn’t hung on the rear trunion…yet.

Range footage is here:

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AK-63DS AMD-63 Croatia feed issues Hungarian jam magazines steel

Recent AMD-63 Range Visits and Issues with Croation Magazines

For brevity, below are my range notes from today’s range visit.  I also visited last week:

Had issues today.  The new Croatian mags will not work in the AK-63D/AMD-63.  They will not feed ammo into the firearm.  At all.  Two of them won’t strip ammo from the mag and two jammed when trying.  Luckily, I had one of the Atlantic Firearms mags with me (they are new also)…it fed and fired without a hitch, so I had to use this one mag during my session, stripping out ammo from the non-functional mags and reloading that ammo into the functional mag.  It took a bit of time and I only had an hour (range was packed, too).

When I got home, I tried to see if the SAM7 would load ammo from the Croatian mags.  It would.  It seems the AK-63D/AMD-63 does not like the Croatian mags, even after I fixed them so that they’d latch into the mag well (before that, they wouldn’t even latch).
The firearm never got hot because I only fired 49 rounds from it.

I also had to readjust the front sight because I was hitting very low.  To raise the POI, I had to lower the front sight post.

I’m hitting low left still, which indicates I’m flinching.
The fired brass is dinged at the opening lip on a lot of the spent cases.  As well, there’s brass dings on the outside of the ejection port.

Need to open up the firearm to check to see how the bolt carrier tang is.  Also need to check the front trunnion and bolt for wear.

Also, I experienced some trigger slap…stings a bit.

Additionally, I shot the last mag standing up.  I was able to put the majority of the 15 rounds in the middle of the paper (there were two flyers).  I think if I keep practicing shooting while standing, I can get the hang of it, if I lean forward and keep the stock planted deep in my shoulder pocket.

I may need to get a new rear sight…this one is difficult to see, which affects front/rear sight alignment.  It’s difficult for me to hit where I’m aiming if I can’t properly align the sights.

There’s 171 rounds through the AMD-63 now.  I brought close to 200 rounds with me but only fired 49 due to magazine issues (mentioned above in the range notes).  Plus, I only had an hour to work with and the range was crowded tonight.  Will try again tomorrow (and not use the Croatian mags when I do).

Some pics of the rifle’s internals:

I’ve an BG-AK lower handgrip coming (these are back in stock as of now).  This was on my wish list.  I also have a Zhukov stock on my list, as well as a rail that would fit where the rear sight resides (for the SAM7UF).

I also have 1000 rounds of Red Army Standard FMJBT on the way (lead core).

I’ll post again after my next range visit (which may be tomorrow).

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AK 63 Arsenal Atlantic Firearms magazines SAM7UF

Steel Mags From Atlantic Firearms

I bought a 4-pack of 30-round steel mags from Atlantic Firearms a few days ago.  They arrived today.  They were filthy but thoroughly protected from rust and corrosion.

I cleaned them.  I actually took them apart and soaked them in dish soap (Dawn) and hot water, then scrubbed them, then let them air dry.  I then gave them a coat of oil and put them back together.

All four fit in my SAM7 (they fit very snug but not as tight as the PMAG it came with).  All four also fit in my AK63, although loosely (I don’t mind — as long as they don’t come out). 

I still have to test them at the range, though.

I’ve the other set of Croatian mags arriving tomorrow.  I’ll have to scrub them down as well, but I may save that for this weekend.  I’ll test fit them to the SAM7 tomorrow, though.  I hear these mags can be problematic when it comes to fitment.  We’ll see.  If they are, I’ll just file them a bit.

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AK-47 AK-63DS AMD-63 Arsenal magazines Magpul SAM7UF SAM7UF-85 Tapco

I’m Attempting to Expand My Knowledge of the Arsenal SAM 7-UF

So, I’ve been not only looking at SAM7UF reviews online, but doing things such as swapping mags between my AK-63DS and SAM7UF.

I’ve 6 Tapco mags that came with the AK-63DS.  The Arsenal came with one Magpul (Gen 1, I think).  The SAM7UF will not take the Tapcos.  The AK-63DS will take the Magpul without issue.

Most people talk crap about the Tapcos, mainly because of issues like this, but this really isn’t an issue with Tapcos.  It’s an issue with the Arsenal.  Why is the mag well that tight?  My ratty-assed AK-63DS will take both without issue, so it’s NOT the mags, and in the AK-63DS’s case, it isn’t the gun.

If I want to take the Arsenal to the range, I’ll only have that one mag, unless I go to Cabelas and pick up a few Magpul mags.  I solved the problem by ordering 3 metal Polish mags from Atlantic Firearms and 4 metal Croatian mags from Apex Gun Parts (both groups being 30-round mags).

I also added 550 cord to both arms of the spars of the collapsible stock.

Eventually, I’ll also find some bakelites, but they’re really scarce.  In fact, it was moderately difficult to find even European metal mags.

The plan is to continue to take my AK-63DS to the range and practice with it.  I’ll use my experience with that particular gun as an AK-47 baseline of knowledge.

I also have to order more ammo, but I’ve enough for a decent start.