Orsetto Lavatore
Plinker
I got bored today, and said to myself: "self, I bet you could make a 1911 magazine work in your S&W 4506!" ... "Don't be CRAZY self - you know those are two different guns" I replied.
Well, I happened to have a cheap chintzy "USA" brand 1911 mag handy, so I busted out the dremel and went to work. A few minutes later, I had it.
What did I have you ask? A functioning magazine for my 4506! It feeds cartridges flawlessly, activates the slide lock reliably, and ejects from the well with authority. See attached video of the function test:
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OmM937IDGA"]YouTube - 1911 Magazine Conversion for S&W 4506[/ame]
The only 'catch' is that the last round position keeps constant pressure on the slide lock, so the slide locks back with one round still in the mag - you lose one round capacity. I'm working on a fix for that.
Anyhoo: I still intend to use S&W mags for this gun, but I though I would share this, simply because 1911 mags are so much more plentiful and so much cheaper. Its not an optimal conversion (YET) but it could come in handy in a pinch.
I will tinker with it until I get it perfect. I'm debating if I should take out the follower tab that activates the slide lock (and lose the last-round open feature) or if I should weld a piece of spent brass to the follower (keep the slide lock activation, but lose 1 round capacity).
Well, I happened to have a cheap chintzy "USA" brand 1911 mag handy, so I busted out the dremel and went to work. A few minutes later, I had it.
What did I have you ask? A functioning magazine for my 4506! It feeds cartridges flawlessly, activates the slide lock reliably, and ejects from the well with authority. See attached video of the function test:
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OmM937IDGA"]YouTube - 1911 Magazine Conversion for S&W 4506[/ame]
The only 'catch' is that the last round position keeps constant pressure on the slide lock, so the slide locks back with one round still in the mag - you lose one round capacity. I'm working on a fix for that.
Anyhoo: I still intend to use S&W mags for this gun, but I though I would share this, simply because 1911 mags are so much more plentiful and so much cheaper. Its not an optimal conversion (YET) but it could come in handy in a pinch.
I will tinker with it until I get it perfect. I'm debating if I should take out the follower tab that activates the slide lock (and lose the last-round open feature) or if I should weld a piece of spent brass to the follower (keep the slide lock activation, but lose 1 round capacity).
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