Can a gunsmith in Australia make a magazine?

[Mr.Seacucumber]

I was just wondering can anyone in Australia make rifle magazines?

[BBJ]

I doubt it could be financially viable on an ad hoc scale.

I'm be almost sure it would cost you more in the smiths time than it would to just buy a factory mag.

[bladeracer]

I was just wondering can anyone in Australia make rifle magazines?

I can't think of any reason why not, other than cost perhaps. It'd probably be most cost effective to modify an existing magazine to fit your purpose.

[Mr.Seacucumber]

Mmm I'm just trying to find a way to get more magazines for my Vektor, either make magazines, modify readily availed metal magazines or modify the gun to take readily availed magazines. Don't really care about the cost just want to do it.

[Mr.Seacucumber]

I doubt it could be financially viable on an ad hoc scale.

I'm be almost sure it would cost you more in the smiths time than it would to just buy a factory mag.

Factory magazines don't exist and I would want a few.

[<<Genesis93>>]

Mags are just a stamping thats folded and spot welded.....

Poly mags, injection molded..... have die - will inject, plenty of places would do it for you, if cost is no barrier

Whats a vektor? maybe it takes a standard pattern of mag....

[bladeracer]

Mags are just a stamping thats folded and spot welded.....

...and heat treated

[Mr.Seacucumber]

Mags are just a stamping thats folded and spot welded.....

Poly mags, injection molded..... have die - will inject, plenty of places would do it for you, if cost is no barrier

Whats a vektor? maybe it takes a standard pattern of mag....

This beast of a thing, Vektor H5, it takes standard Galil magazines which cant be purchased in less then 12 rounds :/ I have both a polymer and a metal one (10 rounds) . Which places would do that can you point me in the direction? haha

[scotty87]

Mags are just a stamping thats folded and spot welded.....

Poly mags, injection molded..... have die - will inject, plenty of places would do it for you, if cost is no barrier

Whats a vektor? maybe it takes a standard pattern of mag....

This beast of a thing, Vektor H5, it takes standard Galil magazines which cant be purchased in less then 12 rounds :/ I have both a polymer and a metal one (10 rounds) . Which places would do that can you point me in the direction? haha

Have you tried buying mags from NZ? Send an email to guncity they might be able to help. No idea what involved to import mags though.

[Mr.Seacucumber]

Mags are just a stamping thats folded and spot welded.....

Poly mags, injection molded..... have die - will inject, plenty of places would do it for you, if cost is no barrier

Whats a vektor? maybe it takes a standard pattern of mag....

This beast of a thing, Vektor H5, it takes standard Galil magazines which cant be purchased in less then 12 rounds :/ I have both a polymer and a metal one (10 rounds) . Which places would do that can you point me in the direction? haha

Have you tried buying mags from NZ? Send an email to guncity they might be able to help. No idea what involved to import mags though.

Yea I thought about that and they don't have any either, they just never made Galil mags below 10 rounds apart from 10 custom made Oze mags which I have one of.

[AusTac]

Not to sure of the regs/laws but since you've got a functioning mag, just reverse engineer it for some form of jig, wouldn't take much to press, weld heat treat, being a military firearm i'm sure the mags would be a little... agricultural from factory

[Mr.Seacucumber]

Not to sure of the regs/laws but since you've got a functioning mag, just reverse engineer it for some form of jig, wouldn't take much to press, weld heat treat, being a military firearm i'm sure the mags would be a little... agricultural from factory

Do you know anyone who could do that in Australia? Would love to have a chat with them

[AusTac]

Well firstly id look up to see if you need a license to manufacture a magazine ( i would assume so.. but you never know )

Then id get in contact with an engineering mob, boilermaker etc, it wouldn't be cheap.... but sounds like it'll be worth it for you

Ideally modifying a existing mag would be perfect, something like import straight to a smith for chopping i'm not to sure how it would work to ensure its all legal

Otherwise try the black market, no laws to worry about ( jks obviously )

[No1Mk3]

G'day Mr Seacucumber,
Any competent engineering tradesman could make what you want. I have made magazines in the past for fun and profit when I still worked as a Fitter and had access to the machinery needed. We have a young fellow in the club that makes his own mags now and then, and a friend of mine out of Yea has made Luger snail drum mags by hand in the past. Provided the mag you make is capacity compliant for the class of licence you have there are no laws forbidding you making them. I also have a friend with a 3D printer who has made mags recently. Ask your nearest sheetmetal worker for a price estimate, Cheers.

[Mr.Seacucumber]

G'day Mr Seacucumber,
Any competent engineering tradesman could make what you want. I have made magazines in the past for fun and profit when I still worked as a Fitter and had access to the machinery needed. We have a young fellow in the club that makes his own mags now and then, and a friend of mine out of Yea has made Luger snail drum mags by hand in the past. Provided the mag you make is capacity compliant for the class of licence you have there are no laws forbidding you making them. I also have a friend with a 3D printer who has made mags recently. Ask your nearest sheetmetal worker for a price estimate, Cheers.

Awesome, I'll just have to find a fitter. What kind of printers do they use for 3D printing?

[<<Genesis93>>]

Well firstly id look up to see if you need a license to manufacture a magazine ( i would assume so.. but you never know )

Then id get in contact with an engineering mob, boilermaker etc, it wouldn't be cheap.... but sounds like it'll be worth it for you

Ideally modifying a existing mag would be perfect, something like import straight to a smith for chopping i'm not to sure how it would work to ensure its all legal

Otherwise try the black market, no laws to worry about ( jks obviously )

No licence required for mags....

Just dont exceed 10rds capacity if you possess a corresponding lever or pump centrefire (15 for bolt,pump,lever RF and bolt CF)

I dont see why heat treating is necessary, the mag isn't subject to repeated loading, bending, stress... even the lips contact a softer material.

[bladeracer]

I dont see why heat treating is necessary, the mag isn't subject to repeated loading, bending, stress... even the lips contact a softer material.

Because the lips are under pressure of the spring as well as the following round coming up to them as the bolt moves reward.
If the lips aren't strengthened they don't last long at all.
The best way I've found is to cut the feed lips out of billet and just hang a box off that.

[Sydor]

Have you contacted David Waters? He makes mags for Tikka.
You can find the necessary details on http://www.aihpa.com/Sponsor/Sponsor.htm
I bought a few mags from him for my Tikka and for my friend's Tikka. Quality products and good service.

[<<Genesis93>>]

I dont see why heat treating is necessary, the mag isn't subject to repeated loading, bending, stress... even the lips contact a softer material.

Because the lips are under pressure of the spring as well as the following round coming up to them as the bolt moves reward.
If the lips aren't strengthened they don't last long at all.
The best way I've found is to cut the feed lips out of billet and just hang a box off that.

No... the steel, even mild steel / carbon steel, formed into the lips [plastic deformed] has a tensile strength that would withstand the relatively insignificant spring force without approaching anywhere near a limit ...my opinion is no heat treatment necessary...but thats only my opinion.

[bladeracer]

I dont see why heat treating is necessary, the mag isn't subject to repeated loading, bending, stress... even the lips contact a softer material.

Because the lips are under pressure of the spring as well as the following round coming up to them as the bolt moves reward.
If the lips aren't strengthened they don't last long at all.
The best way I've found is to cut the feed lips out of billet and just hang a box off that.

No... the steel, even mild steel / carbon steel, formed into the lips [plastic deformed] has a tensile strength that would withstand the relatively insignificant spring force without approaching anywhere near a limit ...my opinion is no heat treatment necessary...but thats only my opinion.

You're right for short-term use. If you want to get a reasonable amount of life out of it without having to reshape the feed lips constantly, heat treat them or make the feed lips from billet. Feed lips don't need to bend very much at all to cause feed problems. Heat treating the feed lips is _very_ easy and quick with no downside.

[Oldbloke]

Why dont you buy the galil magazines? If 12 is too big, shorten it

[Mr.Seacucumber]

Why dont you buy the galil magazines? If 12 is too big, shorten it

Victoria police only accepts magazines at the original capacity.

[Chronos]

Any old school gunsmith (by that I mean not some guy with a lathe that threads barrels and calls himself a gunsmith) should be able to modify something to work, I'd be looking at actually modding the Vektor to accept something like an AI mag or P-mag or something else with a retention system that can be made to work

Chronos

[bladeracer]

A quick Google says you can get mag well adaptors for the Galil to take AR15 mags, does this adaptor fit your Vektor?
I saw at least two manufacturers of these adaptors so I would think it'd be fairly easy to make something similar for the Vektor to allow you to use 10-round AR15 mags.

Is a D-class licencee or Collector or dealer allowed to import the larger capacity mags? Then they can shorten them to 10-rounds and sell them on to you as 10-round mags?

I also saw that IMI made 5-round mags for the Galil which you could then extend to 10-rounds if you must have ten.

[Bills Shed]

I dont see why heat treating is necessary, the mag isn't subject to repeated loading, bending, stress... even the lips contact a softer material.

Because the lips are under pressure of the spring as well as the following round coming up to them as the bolt moves reward.
If the lips aren't strengthened they don't last long at all.
The best way I've found is to cut the feed lips out of billet and just hang a box off that.

I have built a couple of magazines for the old hornets and as a machinist all I can say it is the time taken for the build that will cost. As it is a one of and if you do not have very specific drawings, the build will be one of trial and error. That said I have found that the hardest part was not the build but the function of the mag. There is plenty of forums out there stating how the mag fits but does not feed. If it looks pretty but does not work you have done your dollars. The build is not that hard if you have one to measure up and the springs and followers are easy. What it will take is a lot of is time and patience, same as any one off, hand built and fitted part.
Best of luck
Bill

[Mr.Seacucumber]

A quick Google says you can get mag well adaptors for the Galil to take AR15 mags, does this adaptor fit your Vektor?
I saw at least two manufacturers of these adaptors so I would think it'd be fairly easy to make something similar for the Vektor to allow you to use 10-round AR15 mags.

Is a D-class licencee or Collector or dealer allowed to import the larger capacity mags? Then they can shorten them to 10-rounds and sell them on to you as 10-round mags?

I also saw that IMI made 5-round mags for the Galil which you could then extend to 10-rounds if you must have ten.

Yep they make the adapters but for the semi auto Galil, they won't fit in this Vektor as it has a different receiver, that's if I was able to important them in the first place which I can't due to customs being customs.

Nope even if they are shortened th still count as the original capacity.

Those mags are beyond impossible to find, like on a whole other level or rarity.

[Mr.Seacucumber]

Any old school gunsmith (by that I mean not some guy with a lathe that threads barrels and calls himself a gunsmith) should be able to modify something to work, I'd be looking at actually modding the Vektor to accept something like an AI mag or P-mag or something else with a retention system that can be made to work

Chronos

Yea this is the same conclusion I came to aswell, I've been contacting a few gun smith, I think modifying the gun itself will be the "easiest" way to go.

[Supaduke]

Do you really need more than 2 mags? Sounds like a lot of time and money for a small amount of convenience. From what I'm reading it really doesn't seem cost effective. Money better spent on something else, like another rifle. Can't imagine many situations where you would really need that 3rd mag in a hurry. They don't take that long to load up. Just an observation, it is your money of course , to be spent however you see fit.

[Mr.Seacucumber]

Do you really need more than 2 mags? Sounds like a lot of time and money for a small amount of convenience. From what I'm reading it really doesn't seem cost effective. Money better spent on something else, like another rifle. Can't imagine many situations where you would really need that 3rd mag in a hurry. They don't take that long to load up. Just an observation, it is your money of course , to be spent however you see fit.

I have one mag, the 12 round one had to be given to somone who isn't me due to the legislation state you can't posses a mag which is high capacity and have the rifle it goes into, which I only just found out it was 12 so yea, I have one mag now haha.

Yea I could spend it on something else but at the end of the day it raises the selling price of the rifle so it's a kind of investment. Plus I'm not aloud anymore rifles, the misses is onto me haha finally caught up to the fact the fun safe was filling up haha.

[bladeracer]

I have built a couple of magazines for the old hornets and as a machinist all I can say it is the time taken for the build that will cost. As it is a one of and if you do not have very specific drawings, the build will be one of trial and error. That said I have found that the hardest part was not the build but the function of the mag. There is plenty of forums out there stating how the mag fits but does not feed. If it looks pretty but does not work you have done your dollars. The build is not that hard if you have one to measure up and the springs and followers are easy. What it will take is a lot of is time and patience, same as any one off, hand built and fitted part.
Best of luck
Bill

Yep, making the mag is easy, making it work is much harder
It's a lot easier if you start with a mag with feed lips that work and simply modify the capacity.