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Post by hairy apple on Mar 23, 2010 23:45:07 GMT -5
 I've been wanting to do this for a while. I took a KA Thompson magazine, chopped out the middle and gluded it back together. Had to clean up the chopped area a little more, there is a pretty nasty seam right now, but I'll sand it down tomorrow and probally paint it. I am going to go ahead and convert the rest of the box to 20 round size, so I will do a step by step write up tomorrow as well. Feeds great, and seemed to hold about 50 rounds or so... probally more, but I didn't want to push it too far. It's a pretty easy thing to do if you're looking for 20 round length without having to have hicaps. |
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roma
Private
4th Ivy division
Posts: 247
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Post by roma on Mar 24, 2010 2:51:05 GMT -5
I made it another way. I took short hicap magazine, chopped out the middle of long magazine internals about 6 cm and glued it back together. Then inserted it into shell of short hicap. It fits perfect without any additional work and seam.
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Post by hairy apple on Mar 24, 2010 10:47:55 GMT -5
I do like the idea of putting them into hicap shells. But then you have to buy both the hicap and the KA mags... although it would be really cool as they would be metel. I had considered it actually but was able to do this very quickly, maybe 20 minutes. I imagine once I sand the seams and repaint it it you won't be able to see the seams at all. I've got pretty good at covering seams.
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Post by CharleyNovember on Mar 24, 2010 10:56:29 GMT -5
I just took a high cap and cut the bottom down took out the middle section of the internals. Voila 20 round length holds about 150 rounds so well in the mid cap range. No seam.
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Post by lrich on Mar 24, 2010 13:42:26 GMT -5
I first made 20 rd magazines for 2 reasons. I got a great deal on 20rd mag pouches, and my friend lost my high cap, so i was left with only 1 low cap magazine (this was ~2 years ago, so before KA started making mags). Therefore, i needed magazines, and i wanted them to fit in the pouches. First, I took a CNC machine, and gutted m85 mags for springs and made 20 rd. length magazines out of polypropylene (and aluminum tape on the outside for a metal feel), I've used and abused them for over 1.5 years and they work great, though the tape has taken a beating. As I ran out of mag springs, i ordered a metric ***ton (80) of shotgun shell mags to gut for springs, but found out they have square springs, so i got lazy, and just plunked the shells in plastic externals  (Awesome part is you can make "cute" little minimags) Both times admittedly i did skip making the "feedlips", because before i lost the high cap, i had already bent those feedlips, and those were metal, so i figured plastic ones would just break or even bend faster Also, the first idea has a seem (they are clamshell, pinned together), while the second doesn't, its 1 solid block with a hole milled in it for the shell (and i left these unpainted for the picture so you could see the shell and magazine, otherwise these would be all black)  |
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Post by hairy apple on Mar 24, 2010 15:05:37 GMT -5
Here we go... Marked the length of the 20 round mag on the 30.  Chopped out the differance from the middle. Pulling the two halves apart is pretty hard, it takes a lot of force. Then make sure you clean up the edges so it glues back together cleanly. Same with the cuts, make sure they are clean or it wont' go back together right and won't feed.  Cleaned up the cuts, and gluded it all together.  Sanded down the seams, and used filler to clean it up.  |
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CptJericho
Private 1st Class
"We got to stop the Germans from getting the secret weapons!"
Posts: 495
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Post by CptJericho on Mar 24, 2010 15:29:40 GMT -5
you planning on selling these?
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Post by hairy apple on Mar 24, 2010 15:38:32 GMT -5
No... I am just posting it so if people wanted to try it they can see a way to do it. Just sharing ideas.. that's all!
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Post by sarge12 on Mar 24, 2010 16:43:34 GMT -5
werent 20 rounders mainly used in the paicific theatre?
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Post by 5thrangerbat on Mar 24, 2010 16:44:40 GMT -5
Actually 20rds were more common. used in all theaters.
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Post by hairy apple on Mar 24, 2010 17:09:37 GMT -5
The 30 round magazines came out with the M1A1 to replace the drum magazines that the new gun could not use. The 20 round magazines were used from early war until the end. They fit into the 5 cell pouches and they allow you to lay down prone easier. I've made three so far, the barrel broke off my thompson while I was testing the last one so I stopped working on mags and started trying to figure out what I have to do to make my gun whole again...  I'll paint the three tonight though and hopfully the seam will be gone mostly. |
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Sgt_Tom
Technical Sgt.
Combat!
Posts: 3,580
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Post by Sgt_Tom on Mar 24, 2010 17:12:49 GMT -5
Amazing Hairy Apple and Irich. Definitely a harder approach Irich took, definitely creative though as their were no KA mags. I'll have to try this sometime.
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Post by specimenhex on Mar 24, 2010 17:20:59 GMT -5
The 30 round magazines came out with the M1A1 to replace the drum magazines that the new gun could not use. The 20 round magazines were used from early war until the end. They fit into the 5 cell pouches and they allow you to lay down prone easier. I've made three so far, the barrel broke off my thompson while I was testing the last one so I stopped working on mags and started trying to figure out what I have to do to make my gun whole again... I'll paint the three tonight though and hopfully the seam will be gone mostly. HeadShot over on the UK forum sells barrel fix kits at a fair price that come highly recommended |
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Post by hairy apple on Mar 24, 2010 23:02:40 GMT -5
The 30 round magazines came out with the M1A1 to replace the drum magazines that the new gun could not use. The 20 round magazines were used from early war until the end. They fit into the 5 cell pouches and they allow you to lay down prone easier. I've made three so far, the barrel broke off my thompson while I was testing the last one so I stopped working on mags and started trying to figure out what I have to do to make my gun whole again... I'll paint the three tonight though and hopfully the seam will be gone mostly. HeadShot over on the UK forum sells barrel fix kits at a fair price that come highly recommended Thanks, but I think that JB weld and a metel tube inside have done the trick. I think it will live. I will finish the magazines tomorrow and have photos of the finished ones. They look OK, the seams aren't as hidden as I would have liked, but it's not bad either. |
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Post by volkssturm on Mar 25, 2010 16:32:57 GMT -5
I've fixed two Thompsons with a piece of conduit, JB Weld, and a couple screws for good measure. Seems to work.
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deacon
Private 1st Class
Posts: 748
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Post by deacon on Mar 25, 2010 22:57:08 GMT -5
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Post by hairy apple on Mar 25, 2010 23:12:00 GMT -5
Funny, you are the second person to show me that. I didn't get to work on them today... I work nights and the 4 hours a night of sleep caught up to me today... I pretty much just slept the day away. However, I'll have them all done tomorrow as I have an event Saturday and I need all my magazines!
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Post by dj6150 on Apr 9, 2010 22:10:57 GMT -5
Hey hairy great idea. Did you ever get around to finishing them?
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Post by hairy apple on Apr 10, 2010 18:30:37 GMT -5
Yeah, I did. Sorta. I did 3 of them. Used them at a game and loved them. I am now going to convert all of the ones I have (13) into the 20 round size. There is a slight seam, but not so bad that it takes away from them. They are great for going prone as they don't stick down as far and get in the way.  |
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Post by mastermike95 on Jun 20, 2010 18:26:38 GMT -5
How much would you pay(you mean charge?) if I gave you my thompson mags to shorten to 20 round length?
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Post by CharleyNovember on Jun 20, 2010 18:35:40 GMT -5
Mastermike do you have hicaps or lows/mids? hicaps are pretty easy to convert yourself.
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Post by mastermike95 on Jun 23, 2010 2:36:58 GMT -5
I have both. I would think a low cap would work better.
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Post by CharleyNovember on Jun 23, 2010 10:56:47 GMT -5
You would think wrong sir I have some pics around here somewhere that I need to repost.
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Post by hairy apple on Jun 23, 2010 15:29:47 GMT -5
The hi caps are SUPER easy to do. I'm not really willing to build them to sell, I just post things like this to help show people cool ideas to do.
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Post by gunner on Jun 23, 2010 16:45:14 GMT -5
Ryan, you da bomb man!!! LOL
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Post by mastermike95 on Jun 24, 2010 1:59:43 GMT -5
ok ill try the hi cap mag. Idk i like low caps or spring magazines just for the fact soon as u put in the magazine ur ready to fire. I hate spinning that thing on the bottom. Is it possible with the 50 round magazine?
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Post by mastermike95 on Jun 24, 2010 14:19:00 GMT -5
Is it possible with a 50 round thompson stick magazine? They ususally come with the cyma thompson but i know that the newer m1a1s are being sold with the 300 round hicap mags now.
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Post by hairy apple on Jun 24, 2010 16:49:56 GMT -5
Yeah, actually I think the CYMA ones would be a lot easier then the Kings Arms ones as they unscrew so you don't have to split them in half and reglue them. I was going to try it with one and just never got around to it... but I'm sure it will work and they will be just as easy if not easier.
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Post by mastermike95 on Jun 25, 2010 13:37:18 GMT -5
what should i cut the magazine with? Sorry im new to all this gun converting n stuff. a normal saw?
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Post by hairy apple on Jun 25, 2010 19:06:33 GMT -5
I used a band saw for the first one, but I found that it was hard to keep the cuts straight enough. I ended up using a metal blade on a chop saw and almost melting through it. You have to spend some time cleaning off the edges, but it chips off easy and quickly. MAKE SURE YOU TAKE THE SPRING OUT BEFORE YOU CUT THEM IN HALF!!!!!
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(Awesome part is you can make "cute" little minimags)
I'll paint the three tonight though and hopfully the seam will be gone mostly. 
