hi_cap_mag_mod

At right is my AK103 (now an AK74S) with a modified mag made from a Polish 7.62X39 outer magazine shell with the internals of a Marui hi cap mag. Although this magazine was chosen for this article, I believe that the basic techniques used can be targeted for other mags such as the Russian style 5.45 mags using Star hi cap or G&P mid cap internals. (Version II of this will cover the latter calibre type). Whichever you chose is up to you depending on your favorite AK variant. This article may answer some questions regarding exactly how to get it done. Read on and enjoy.

The above pics show the early stages of the modification. A quick comparison of the mags on the upper left. The black plastic mag was purchased from SKSman.com and had a nice asthetic quality that I liked a lot. First I had to remove the base plate in order to get the spring and follower out of the mag. This is simple but one must use caution; the spring is under a lot of pressure and can shoot out of the mag once the base plate is removed. The follower is seen in the 2nd photo, top row. 3rd photo shows how a screwdriver is used on the tab at the bottom of the mag. Once depressed, the plate can be slid back to expose the spring.

POINT THIS AWAY FROM YOUR FACE!

I won't be held responsible if you are stupid enough to get hurt removing the god damned spring. Wear eye protection and don't fuck around. There... I said it.

Anyway, where was I... oh yeah - OK, once the plate is removed, I slowly guided the spring out (photo 1, bottom row) and tossed it aside. Keep the plate, though. You'll need this for the mod. Photo 2, bottom row shows the parts after dis-assembly. Photo 3, bottom shows how I checked the obvious measurement difference between the 2 mags. See, the realsteel mag is longer because more of the upper portion feeds into a real AK magwell. This will need to be trimmed. Bottom row, photo 4 - I used painters tape on the mag to clearly show my mark. This is where I will make my cut. Remember, measure twice, cut once.

I made the cut using a Dremel moto-tool and the heavy type cut off discs. These are prone to breaking and fragments can do serious damage to your face so use this with caution.

A full face mask is a good thing to have when using these discs. I had a small bit stick into my cheek when a sudden break occured.

This "QuickGrip" clamp was indispensible. Keeping the mag steady during cutting is crucial. To my amazement, I found that the mags are STEEL reinforced. This made cutting the mag a bit more time consuming but still easy work for the Dremel. I went through 3 discs for this part of the mod. It is important to NOT force the disc. Just run your moto tool at a fairly high speed and let the disc do the work. I used an old 3 inch wide paintbrush to clear the debris from time to time as I cut. You would think a simple hack saw would work for this but the cuts can get quite tricky. Just stick to a moto tool and go slowly.

These photos show the remaining cuts. I used my hobby vise to hold the mag up on end for the narrow portions. I really took my time and was careful not to overcut. Following the drawn lines paid off and I was able to get precise fitting. The 3rd photo shows what the mag looks like when I was done. Seems more like I used an explosive charge and not the Dremel. Looking ugly but this will soon change. Last photo on right shows how I cleaned the edges using a synthetic fiber wheel. A wire wheel in the Dremel would do just as well.

Now I've left the realsteel mag alone for a bit and concentrate on the Marui magazine. Removing the internals is easy and doesn't require a whole lot of effort. At the top of the mag is the catch - this has a small pin inserted and must be removed (photo 1). You can use the head of a finishing nail to push it out. Lightly tap it with a tool of some kind and you will see it start to push through to the other side. You can then use a pair of pliers as I did (photo 2) to pull it all the way out. *If you can, try to remember which direction you pulled it from. It should go back in in the same direction; too many "in-and-outs" in opposing directions will kill the friction fitting and loosen the pin. Anyway, once this is removed, the internals slide right out. Photo 3 shows the only part I cut from the internals- a small plastic tab at the bottom. Photo 4 shows my initial test fit.

Upon test fitting the internals, it's obvious that there is still some cutting to be done. This is only a bit left on the back portion of the mag (photo 1). Second photo shows the way in which I made the top cut straight and even - using the disc sander. It should be noted that I left a few milimeters extra in my measurements to allow for these type of clean ups. Third pic shows that I'm almost there. I made sure that the ammo cover was left unhindered. I didn't want any portion of the mag to be too snug here - this would make opening the cover practically impossible. Last pic on the right shows my progress... another mag awaits!

This is what you want to see at this stage - a nice, tight fit of the mag catch with pin inserted back into position. There may be some wobble to this part but no worries... it will be tacked in place permanently very shortly. This photo also shows how dead-on the top cut is since I sanded it with the disc sander. The internals now fit the upper part of the mag perfectly. Nice!

The base plate - I lucked out. My measurements were exact and the wind wheel stuck out from the bottom of the mag at just the right distance. The first 2 photos show the wheel in relation to the plate. I just eyeballed it and tossed the plate in the hobby vise and started cutting. Top row, last pic shows the modded plate ready for fine sanding and buffing. I made sure there was no remaining burrs left to cut my finger when winding. Photos at left show the plate installed and teeth exposed at correct distance.

The rest is cake. Grab some PC7 or some type of 2 part epoxy adhesive and mix it thoroughly. Apply it to the top front of the mag and the inside of the catch. Remove the excess and press the catch back onto the mag. Slide the pin back in and you're done. I added a touch of crazy glue to the top edge as extra strength. I used a razor to feed the glue in slowly. Once everything dried, I tested the fit and feed in the magwell of the AK. "Click!" - IN it went. I painted the grey adhesive and called it a night.

Well, there you go. It doesn't have to be this particular realsteel mag to make this work. This mod will work for any number of AK mags and you could even use a Star hi cap for use in a realsteel AK74 mag. I've also applied this to a Bulgarian waffle magazing with standard internals. This is even easier as there is no wind wheel to be concerned with.

I really wanted something different for my AK103 and I find myself using this magazine for my AKMS quite often. It's been almost 2 years since I did this and the mag is still rock solid. Part II will deal with modding a realsteel 5.45 caliber AK74 bakelite magazine and inserting the Star hi cap internals as mentioned previously. Anyway, hope you found this article helpful.

camo.