Scoundrel
03-09-2012, 04:12 PM
If you bought a bunch of black rotary 10/22 magazines before the clear ones came out, or because you wanted them to be black, and you're sick of trying to stuff an 11th round in there to find out whether the magazine is full or not, this mod is for you.
The mod is very simple: Drill a small hole in the back of the magazine where the 10th round would be, so you can tell at a glance whether there's one in there or not.
But where the heck is that 10th round? Well, I found a photo of the magazine with the cover plate off, guesstimated, and drilled one. And missed. But on the second try, I got it right. So one of my magazines now has two holes in it. Could be worse.
First, the usual disclaimers and answers to expected questions:
1. No, Ruger tech support would probably NOT approve of this plan.
2. Don't be an idiot. Make sure you're working with an unloaded magazine. You don't want the drill to set off a primer. The rounds wouldn't go ballistic, but it sure wouldn't be pleasant if they cooked off in your hand.
3. Yeah, I've made a hole through which dust/lint/moisture can get in. But there's a huge hole in the top where you load the rounds. Deal with it.
Other magazines have load indicator holes, so why shouldn't this one?
4. Don't do this if you're not confident in your ability to measure, mark, and drill, or if you would be heartbroken if you damaged your $22 replaceable magazine.
Anyway, here is how to get it right the first time:
First, make sure you're drilling the correct end. You want the BACK end with the hexagonal nut (NOT the allen head bolt), and the "10 SHOT" marking on it.
I guess you _could_ do the front, but then if you loaded up some lead hollowpoints, the indicator hole might not be very effective. The back gives you the best chance to see the casing because the back of the casing is larger in diameter, flat, and shiny.
http://kahrtalk.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5554&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1331329434
Next, draw a straight line on the magazine (I used a silver Sharpie) between the upper right point of the hexagonal nut, and the place where the groove on the right side of the magazine ends. Then, you'll want to cross that line with another one. The intersecting line should be about 0.17" from the nearest edge of the magazine.
http://kahrtalk.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5555&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1331329441
Then you'll want to drill the hole right where your lines intersect. I used a 7/64" bit, and you can see that I did not center this one perfectly. As a result, I can see MOST of the "C" on the back of a CCI round, but it's not centered.
If you want to be super precise, use a tiny bit to drill a pilot hole, then make it bigger with the 7/64" bit.
http://kahrtalk.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5556&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1331329445
Once the hole is drilled, it will look like crap, so you'll want to de-burr it. You could use a larger drill bit. What I used was a pocket knife, which I twisted around in the hole. This smoothed out the hole, and widened the viewing angle a bit, too.
I also used a cotton swab with a bit of WD-40 on the tip to remove the Sharpie lines, and a can of compressed air to blow out any shavings that might have ended up inside the magazine.
Here, you can easily see that this magazine, while it has some rounds in it, is NOT full:
http://kahrtalk.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5559&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1331329775
Whereas THIS magazine IS full. No more finding out that the magazine is full only when an 11th round will not fit in there.
http://kahrtalk.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5560&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1331329798
The mod is very simple: Drill a small hole in the back of the magazine where the 10th round would be, so you can tell at a glance whether there's one in there or not.
But where the heck is that 10th round? Well, I found a photo of the magazine with the cover plate off, guesstimated, and drilled one. And missed. But on the second try, I got it right. So one of my magazines now has two holes in it. Could be worse.
First, the usual disclaimers and answers to expected questions:
1. No, Ruger tech support would probably NOT approve of this plan.
2. Don't be an idiot. Make sure you're working with an unloaded magazine. You don't want the drill to set off a primer. The rounds wouldn't go ballistic, but it sure wouldn't be pleasant if they cooked off in your hand.
3. Yeah, I've made a hole through which dust/lint/moisture can get in. But there's a huge hole in the top where you load the rounds. Deal with it.
Other magazines have load indicator holes, so why shouldn't this one?
4. Don't do this if you're not confident in your ability to measure, mark, and drill, or if you would be heartbroken if you damaged your $22 replaceable magazine.
Anyway, here is how to get it right the first time:
First, make sure you're drilling the correct end. You want the BACK end with the hexagonal nut (NOT the allen head bolt), and the "10 SHOT" marking on it.
I guess you _could_ do the front, but then if you loaded up some lead hollowpoints, the indicator hole might not be very effective. The back gives you the best chance to see the casing because the back of the casing is larger in diameter, flat, and shiny.
http://kahrtalk.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5554&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1331329434
Next, draw a straight line on the magazine (I used a silver Sharpie) between the upper right point of the hexagonal nut, and the place where the groove on the right side of the magazine ends. Then, you'll want to cross that line with another one. The intersecting line should be about 0.17" from the nearest edge of the magazine.
http://kahrtalk.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5555&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1331329441
Then you'll want to drill the hole right where your lines intersect. I used a 7/64" bit, and you can see that I did not center this one perfectly. As a result, I can see MOST of the "C" on the back of a CCI round, but it's not centered.
If you want to be super precise, use a tiny bit to drill a pilot hole, then make it bigger with the 7/64" bit.
http://kahrtalk.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5556&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1331329445
Once the hole is drilled, it will look like crap, so you'll want to de-burr it. You could use a larger drill bit. What I used was a pocket knife, which I twisted around in the hole. This smoothed out the hole, and widened the viewing angle a bit, too.
I also used a cotton swab with a bit of WD-40 on the tip to remove the Sharpie lines, and a can of compressed air to blow out any shavings that might have ended up inside the magazine.
Here, you can easily see that this magazine, while it has some rounds in it, is NOT full:
http://kahrtalk.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5559&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1331329775
Whereas THIS magazine IS full. No more finding out that the magazine is full only when an 11th round will not fit in there.
http://kahrtalk.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=5560&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1331329798