View Full Version : Poor Man's Magpul Magazine Enhancement for AR magazines
The purpose of this thread is to show people with standard aluminum AR mags how to create a "Magpul" without spending $8 a piece for them. I was shown this by my team leader on day 1 when I got to my company in the Airborne Infantry and all members of our platoon were required to do this to their magazines. Besides creating an effective magpul it also creates a convenient way to store the magazine after you have emptied it, which is to simply clip it onto a carabiner.
All of the magazines that I carried for 4 years had this mod done to them. I never once had a problem with them snagging on something or creating any kind of malfunctions within the magazine itself.
All that is needed for this is some 550 paracord ($10 for 100 feet), screwdriver, scissors, and a lighter.
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l216/jleable/IMAG0291.jpg
1) Cut a length of paracord roughly 8"-10" long, then you pull the guts out of the paracord leaving just the outer cord.
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l216/jleable/IMAG0292.jpg
2) Tie the paracord into a loop with a square knot.
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l216/jleable/IMAG0293.jpg
3) Trim the extra length outside of the knot and melt the ends with a lighter, this prevents the ends from ever fraying.
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l216/jleable/IMAG0294.jpg
4) Take the screw driver and pry open the floor plate half way. Place the knot of the paracord loop in the middle of the spring.
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l216/jleable/IMAG0295.jpg
5) Slide the floor plate forward over the top of the cord. I find it easiest to work it over one side at a time.
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l216/jleable/IMAG0297.jpg
6) Finish sliding the floor plate all the way forward and you are done!
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l216/jleable/IMAG0298.jpg
Here is what the mags look like in a rack system.
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l216/jleable/IMAG0290.jpg
This is old news. We were doing this about 20 years ago. I have also seen numerous floorplates get messed up from them being yanked on.
I personally prefered the other method which was making a 550 loop and using green 100 MPH tape.
It ain't old to everyone. Good idea.
kenken
Drhorsepower
04-11-12, 16:11
This is old news. We were doing this about 20 years ago. I have also seen numerous floorplates get messed up from them being yanked on.
I personally prefered the other method which was making a 550 loop and using green 100 MPH tape.
It must be old news if you call it 100 mph tape, it 200mph tape nowadays!!! I'm just kidding.
Thanks for sharing. I wonder a guy could use 550, drill two holes, one on each end of footplate and tie inside. It might create a bigger held loop to grab on to.
johnpuga1982
04-11-12, 16:25
...a "Magpul" without spending $8 a piece for them.
Where are you getting P-mags for "$8 a piece?"
I was shown this by my team leader on day 1 when I got to my company in the Airborne Infantry and all members of our platoon were required to do this to their magazines.
Were you all loading 28 or 30 rounds per magazine?
Yep, we used 550/90mph tape back in the early 80's... We were not cleared for the good 100mph.:D
What's 10 MPH among friends?
Yep, we used 550/90mph tape back in the early 80's... We were not cleared for the good 100mph.:D
Where are you getting P-mags for "$8 a piece?"
He never said P-mag, he's referring to their magpul (magazine pull) product.
This is old news. We were doing this about 20 years ago. I have also seen numerous floorplates get messed up from them being yanked on.
I personally prefered the other method which was making a 550 loop and using green 100 MPH tape.
Sorry for the dumb question, but do you have pics of the best way to set this up? I'm thinking a knot in both ends of the cord, lay the cord in the ribs and tape around it. But I've been wrong at least once today.
Thats exactly how we did it.
Sorry for the dumb question, but do you have pics of the best way to set this up? I'm thinking a knot in both ends of the cord, lay the cord in the ribs and tape around it. But I've been wrong at least once today.
Canonshooter
04-11-12, 17:20
Yep, we used 550/90mph tape back in the early 80's... We were not cleared for the good 100mph.:D
Gorilla Tape FTW.....
Great post, thanks for the photo detail.
Good post, thanks for the "in a pinch" info.
I knot the ends individually then pull the loop up through the hole in the floorplate.
Loop ends up at one end so you can index by feel and nothing monkeying the middle area of the spring or follower.
If nothing else the plate can't slide off without dealing with the knots as they 'lock' inside the mag body once installed.
It will likely bend if really reefed on as IG said, but the loop anchors much closer to the bigger mag tabs so significantly more force has to be applied before it can even come close to bending.
I'm about 75% certain the cord would pull out of the plate before the plate got tweaked actually, but never done myself nor seen others that needed that much force to extract so there is a bit of gray area.
Thanks for sharing, always helpful to see another way to do something.
I knot the ends individually then pull the loop up through the hole in the floor plate.
That's how I used to do it way back when. But you don't have to knot the ends individually, I just knot them together in one knot and pull through the bottom of the mag plate.
This is old news. We were doing this about 20 years ago. I have also seen numerous floorplates get messed up from them being yanked on.
I personally prefered the other method which was making a 550 loop and using green 100 MPH tape.
I'm pretty sure this method was the inspiration for the original magpul.
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trlcavscout
04-11-12, 22:03
I cut a wire tie and slide it in the 550 cord then tie both ends so it sticks up. But I usually just end up useing them to hang the mags on hooks.
As mentioned it is funny how we were doing this a couple decades ago and now it resurfaces here and there are those who have never heard or seen it before. Thanks for making me feel old. :)
As mentioned it is funny how we were doing this a couple decades ago and now it resurfaces here and there are those who have never heard or seen it before. Thanks for making me feel old. :)
Standing at a picnic table charging mags at a class, a fellow student stood wide-eyed at my stripper clips and spoon.
"Where'd you get those? Who makes those? Can I get those online?"
I never like putting the 550 in my floorplate, like IG said easy to bend those things, my last unit were dicks about using issue mags, so I got some skateboard grip tape and wrapped the bottom 3 inches of the mag with that. Worked good enough.
Standing at a picnic table charging mags at a class, a fellow student stood wide-eyed at my stripper clips and spoon.
"Where'd you get those? Who makes those? Can I get those online?"
http://i1209.photobucket.com/albums/cc390/jsop0331/HomerFacePalm.jpg
http://www.kryptonitekollectibles.com/images/prod/BurnsExcellentSticker.jpg
Everything that's old, is new again. It's a retro thing. ;)
Everything that's old, is new again. It's a retro thing. ;)
Retro Ranger Plates!
KISS rifles should run KISS Ranger plates. :D
No self respecting airsofter would be caught dead without this type of mag pull! Haha.
Seriously though, I second the Gorrilla Tape. That shit rocks. Also, why remove the inner strands from the 550 Cord? Just curious.
Thinner, lighter, allows tighter curves and smaller knots.
Thanks for the inspiration. I may try the inside the mag version on another.
Tada:
11842
RogerinTPA
04-12-12, 09:07
This is old news. We were doing this about 20 years ago. I have also seen numerous floorplates get messed up from them being yanked on.
I personally prefered the other method which was making a 550 loop and using green 100 MPH tape.
Agreed, and dare I say, beyond 20 years ago...:blink:
Originally Posted by GI_Jared
"...a "Magpul" without spending $8 a piece for them."
Where are you getting P-mags for "$8 a piece?"
He didn't say anything about getting P-Mags for $8 a piece.
I hope you aren't paying $8 a piece for these. :laugh:
Package of 3 is usually $6-7.
This is a Magpul...
http://images.lowpriceguns.com/i.php?a=10&id=77520&w=394&h=278
KyAKGuy
Everything that's old, is new again. It's a retro thing. ;)
only to people who aren't old...
:(
As mentioned it is funny how we were doing this a couple decades ago and now it resurfaces here and there are those who have never heard or seen it before. Thanks for making me feel old. :)
Agreed!
This, along with fastex buckles on old TA-50 gear (sewn at the shoe repair shop) was high speed low drag back in the day :)
This is old news. We were doing this about 20 years ago. I have also seen numerous floorplates get messed up from them being yanked on.
I personally prefered the other method which was making a 550 loop and using green 100 MPH tape.
I agree. I've seen the floor plate come right off with the 550 under it.
Use 100mph tape around the bottom portion. I've even used 100mph tape about 3/4" thick to stiffen the 550cord around the base of the magazine so that it stays erect, allowing for a more uniform "magpul"
Heh, somewhere in my collection, I've got a picture of me sitting atop an LAV-25 turret at CAX in 1998, ginning up the green-tape-and-550-cord pulls.
Can also be done with tape, alone. Take a piece of Gorilla tape, or similar, long enough to make a pull, fold it in half lengthwise (adhesive sides inboard and contacting each other). Leaves the outer part of the tape on the inner and outer sides of what ends up being your pull loop.
Word to the wise, if you don't give yourself enough cord or tape for the pull in that configuration, you make mag disassembly (cleaning, follower swap, whatever) a royal PITA, if not impossible.
Also, cord provides little to no padding if you're dropping mags on hard surfaces. If that's a concern, using tape for the pull or as a wrap for cord pulls provides some semblance of rigidity, and therefore some padding.
Nightvisionary
04-13-12, 18:51
Welcome to 1968. And he thought it was a new idea:D
It must be old news if you call it 100 mph tape, it 200mph tape nowadays!!!
Huge leaps in tape technology!!!:laugh:
This is something you don't see done too much anymore, but it works.
If you are using the paracord/tape method, I've found that a braided length of cord sticks up best of all and is easier to grasp with gloves.
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