MAGAZINE MANUFACTURE: can individuals manufacture their own

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emm

New member
When the assualt weapons ban was in effect I asked the question on one of the firearms forums if an individual could manufacture their own magazine? I received an answer from someone who had gotten a letter from ATF. I can't find the letter, but was thinking you couldn't because of the assualt weapons ban, but now that is is gone is it OK to make your own magazines??
 
IANAL, so this is just me guessing.

I would assume you can buy all the parts and assemble your own magazines now that the AWB has sunsetted. I remember seeing during the ban in Brownells that you could buy all the extended wide body magazine parts, but it specifically said not to make hi cap mags out of them, they were only replacement parts for pre-ban mags.

So, now that there is no mag limit because there is no AWB ban...I don't see why you couldn't assemble mags out of parts.

But again...I am not a lawyer. And also, hi cap mags are getting dirt cheap fast, so building your own seems a bit silly, other than Just Wanting To Do It, i guess...
 
Magazines arn't considered firearms.. now modifying a fixed magazine into a detachable one might be questionable..
 
It has never been illegal to make a magazine, unless you were making a magazine who's capacity violated a law. But even during the ban a 10 round mag was just another part and not regulated in any way.

Kind of hard to control an item which rarely has the maker's name on it, let alone a serial number.
 
Unless you live in one of those stupid states that sees fit to regulate sheet metal boxes of certain sizes with springs in them, you're ok. :mad:
 
Even in those states, there isn't any "regulation", just restriction.


I have to ask, how are you planning on building a magazine? Sheet metal is not easy to work with.
 
The only thing really "restricted" are recievers, you can't just make them without some paperwork. Almost everything else is fair game though as far as I know.
 
I have to ask, how are you planning on building a magazine? Sheet metal is not easy to work with.
Click to expand...
Handy speak for yourself :) . I was a sheet metal apprentice for two years and I know many people that can make something like that and I think even I can make one if I had access to a small brake. I made plenty of curved, sample sized ducts for class that looked just like a bannana mag and a straight mag sounds simple by comparison.
 
I was speaking for more than myself, as I've noticed that no custom gun makers seem to attempt this, and even big European companies contract with Mecgar than do it themselves. The very precise dimensions of the feed lips, in particular, are difficult to get right and keep from deforming with use.

I'm not saying you can't do it, but it isn't going to be easy, IMHO.
 
Alright then maybe for Joe Shmoe or even a gunsmith who works with milling and (I assume) not much sheet metal it is difficult. But we don't know if he is a sheet metal journeyman. It would take me trial and error and many tries to get it right, but a decent sheet metal worker could do it without much problem (IMHO). They could probably even build one good enough for a competition gun. Now if we were talking about those pieces of shyt detachable mags made for SKS's, then even I could do a better job than them.

Even if someone did not have access to a box and pan brake, they could still make a decent box magazine with a regular brake with three bends and a spot welder (or even a cheap Wal-mart welding mechine). I also think that the feed lips can be copied to spec and followers made relatively easily (I am still talking about sheet metal workers and not Joe Shmoe and IMO). And aren't springs possible to make yourself from the right steel wire?
 
a tangent
Until Sept 14th, 2004
it was illegal to remanufacture a high cap to fit in another gun
if the magazine stopped functioning in the original gun

that restriction is now gone

a 20 round M-14 .308 magazine can now get crammed into a .308 AK
and gain a lock in lug

FREEDOM!
 
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