These are the ones that are available from CDNN, right? I picked up a couple a year and a half ago, because of a favorable review in a magazine done in 1994. I thought it would be nice to have increased capacity w/o an extra inch of mag body protruding. Turns out there is a reason Sigarms and Beretta do that with their factory 20 rounders. To keep them feeding reliably.
When I received the magazines, I was disappointed that the metal used in the body was so flimsy. It rattled like sheet tin does. The follower has literally nothing below the cartridges that can stabilize it in the mag body or on the magazine spring (though it is not a coil type but a constant force ribbon type) as it travels, making it susceptible to feed problems.
In order to remove the baseplate/pad, you would have to start by removing 2 screws that secure it to the magaine body. This is probably to keep owners from having problems with the ribbon spring. The only positive point is the method of joining the magazine ends at the back of the body, which is much like the Sig factory mag's construction. But what is it worth when the magazine body seems to be of some untreated metal?
To tell you the truth, I have not even used mine at a range, since I have USA magazines that I have tinkered with to become more reliable by adding factory springs and followers (though they are of good construction anyway).
The Eagle brand might be a magazine to have as a range magazine or a novelty, but not to stake one's life or welfare upon. Stick with factory or Mec Gar mags that you have run through your Sig for personal or home defense purposes, and probably even go for USA brand for range or plinking reasons before the Eagle.
