Senior Member
Magazines: permanent caliber markings?
Hey folks. I've learned that I have a REALLY hard time telling the difference between my T9 and T40 magazines. There is a very faint embossing/stamping on the T40 magazines to differentiate them, but it's far too faint to make it worthwhile.
I tried using a sharpie marker to put "9mm", "40s&w", and "45acp" on my mags but the ink just doesn't stick.
Does anyone have a tried & true method for marking the mags to make them quickly identifiable?
Senior Member
You can remove the floor plate. Using a center punch and light hammer, on the inside on the floor plate, put a small indentation. This should give you a small outward dimple on the outside of the floor plate that you can see and feel. Obviously, only do this on one caliber of mags and two dimples for the third caliber mags. So, 9mm no dimple, .40 one dimple and .45 two dimples.
Notables:
Kimber Custom II 1911 .45 ACP ("How sweet it is")
Kahr CM9 9mm - Trijicon night sights, Wolff 5# striker spring
Glock 19 Gen 3 9mm - Meprolight night sights, BTGuiderod stainless steel captured guide rod, Ghost Ranger trigger connector, Vickers mag release
Taurus 85 Stainless Steel .38 Special
1977 Smith & Wesson 19-4 2.5" .357 Magnum - Wolff springs, Professional trigger job
1955 Hi-Standard Sentinel R-100 .22lr
1958 Marlin Golden 39-A Mountie .22lr
Norinco SKS 7.62x39
KahrTalk 10K Member
I used one of the finish touch-up pens by Birchwood Casey... the Super Black... flat black... to mark some magazines. Keep it simple and repeatedly mark a 9, 4, or 45, as you like. It wears more much more durably than a Sharpie. The regular gun blue version probably isn't as good on stainless steel.
Wynn
USAF Retired '88, NRA Life Member. Wife USAF Retired '96
Avatar: Wynn re-enlists his wife Desiree, circa 1988 Loring AFB, ME. 42nd BMW, Heavy (SAC) B-52G's
Frédéric Bastiat’s essay, The Law: http://mises.org/books/thelaw.pdf
Thomas Jefferson said
“A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have.”
and
"Peace is that brief glorious moment in history when everybody stands around reloading".
KahrTalk 10K Member
9 dimples for 9mm, and so on.Originally Posted by Markis82
Wynn
USAF Retired '88, NRA Life Member. Wife USAF Retired '96
Avatar: Wynn re-enlists his wife Desiree, circa 1988 Loring AFB, ME. 42nd BMW, Heavy (SAC) B-52G's
Frédéric Bastiat’s essay, The Law: http://mises.org/books/thelaw.pdf
Thomas Jefferson said
“A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have.”
and
"Peace is that brief glorious moment in history when everybody stands around reloading".
Senior Member
It ain't candles on a birthday cake!9 dimples for 9mm, and so on.
Wynn
Notables:
Kimber Custom II 1911 .45 ACP ("How sweet it is")
Kahr CM9 9mm - Trijicon night sights, Wolff 5# striker spring
Glock 19 Gen 3 9mm - Meprolight night sights, BTGuiderod stainless steel captured guide rod, Ghost Ranger trigger connector, Vickers mag release
Taurus 85 Stainless Steel .38 Special
1977 Smith & Wesson 19-4 2.5" .357 Magnum - Wolff springs, Professional trigger job
1955 Hi-Standard Sentinel R-100 .22lr
1958 Marlin Golden 39-A Mountie .22lr
Norinco SKS 7.62x39
Colonel
Some of the guys around here had a place laser etch stuff. They did magazines, knives, flashlights, all sorts of stuff. They had their names or badge numbers etched. Looked very nice and durable as heck.
By the time I heard about it, it was too late to get in on that program.
The outfit quit doing it.
I'm sure there are other places around that do it and a mag being pretty flat I would think it wouldn't be too expensive.
A trophy shop might even be able to do it too.
In Memory of Paul "Dietrich" Stines.
Dad: Say something nice to your cousin Shirley
Dietrich: For a fat girl you sure don't sweat much.
Cue sound of Head slap.
RIP Muggsy & TMan
"If you are a warrior legally authorized to carry a weapon and you step outside without that weapon, then you become a sheep, pretending that JOCKO will not come today."
Senior Member
Great suggestions, folks! I'll check on having them dyed or powder coated. If nothing else, it would be great for the color to (at least) stick where the mags are already engraved with "KAHR" and "40" so that the lettering would stand out more against the SS mag bodies.
I've heard that it's possible to powder coat objects at home in your own oven. True? Not true? Has anyone tried it?
KahrTalk 1K Member
The results of that are less than desirable. Powder coating happens at the ionic level, takes more than just an oven.
Attitude: it takes 43 muscles to frown, 17 to smile...and 3 for proper trigger squeeze.
The olive branch is considered a symbol of peace, and good will. Last time I checked, it's still a switch.
Senior Member
A YAG laser that can mark stainless steel is more expensive than CO2 lasers that are more common in small businesses such as trophy companies.
BUT, they can use a painted on product (Cermark, or Thermark) on the stainless, then the CO2 laser permanently burns that paint onto the surface. Then they wash off the paint. The burned text looks nice and dark (black or almost black). I have had it done on other stainless and non-plated aluminum parts and it worked very well.
I never thought of marking my magazines this way before! Thanks for bringing up this topic.
Many people buy small CO2 laser machines for home-based businesses, so a google search should easily find someone local.
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