Ruger MK 1

A

ammo.crafter

New member
Does any one know how to remove the magazine tension release so that once the mag release is activated, the magazine would drop out freely?
 
The MkI has a heel type release, and it would be pretty hard to get the magazine to drop free unless you attach some kind of extension so the thumb is out of the way. I have never seen that done, but it should be pretty easy.

Jim
 
Volquartsen makes an extended magazine release for the Mk I/II pistols. They work nice and look nice. But the magazine will not drop free unless you hold the release open all the way.
 
With the heel mag release, the need/desire for a "drop free" magazine is somewhat confusing. Your hand is already in place, so why not just pull the mag out rather than risk dropping and damaging it.
 
Some folks just like a magazine to drop free, since they have read up on so-called "tactical" shooting, mainly with 1911 type pistols. Of course, the Ruger Mk I is a target pistol, not a police or defense handgun, but the idea gets planted.

The problem with "drop free" on guns with a heel release is that the release is normally operated by the thumb of the off hand, and the hand itself tends to get in the way of the magazine dropping.

Of course, there is dispute over "drop free" even as a tactical concept; in the real world outside shooting games, the need to change a magazine is so rare as to be nearly unknown. Dropping an empty magazine in a life or death situation is reasonable; doing so on a range can lead to loss of or damage to an expensive magazine. IMHO, leave it to the folks who play those games and can afford to buy new magazines.

Jim
 
Yeah, you never see anyone is those old movies doing a reload.
When the gun is empty it gets thrown at the other guy. :)
But seriously, if the mag drops part way and then requires a tug to get it the rest of the way out seems to be the best of both worlds.
Less chance of losing it and doesn't slow up the reload much, if it's necessary.
 
I was a deputy sheriff for several years and carried either a Model 19 or a Model 36, with one or rarely two speed loaders. I never fired a shot at anyone and was never shot at by anyone. I am an old fuddy-duddy, but I find it hard to imagine a situation where a police officer would have to reload a 16 or 19 shot pistol, or how one could get into a situation where more rounds than that would be necessary. Still, these are different times, and gunfights may be more common, at least if we can believe the movies.

So, knowing that there are some serving police officers on here, I will ask when or whether they have ever had to reload their handguns in a gun fight (or personally know of an officer who has) and, if possible, a summary of the action involved.

Ma
 
Of course, there is dispute over "drop free" even as a tactical concept;
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push a button, the mag magazine flies out, you slap in another and you're ready to rock! Great visual. Very good for speed shooting, extended firepower as fast as possible.

How important is that, really??

A very handy thing for the military, in some minds, in others, not so much. Opinions vary. Note that while the Luger has a drop free magazine, its replacement, the P.38 does NOT.

If you are part of a group, such as a military unit, drop free (and lose in combat) is "figured in" and there are thousands of replacement mags in the supply system.

As a private individual, not so much, all replacement costs come out of your wallet.
 
Does any one know how to remove the magazine tension release so that once the mag release is activated, the magazine would drop out freely?
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If you remove the tension from that heel release, you won't be able to keep the magazine in the pistol; that tension is what keeps that piece rotated so the magazine doesn't fall out the rest of the time.

The drag you feel as you withdraw the magazine should not be a barrier to quick magazine changes. If you bring a full magazine up just as you rotate the bottom of the pistol inward, you can press the catch, withdraw the empty, and insert the full magazine in a simple pull-push motion.
 
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I can't even see rapid reloads as common in the military. If my assigned weapon is a pistol, and I reasonably expect to get in a firefight, the pistol will be swapped for a rifle or M4 carbine, PDQ. (I know about the TO&E, but I also know that any unit has more guns than troops and getting a weapon of choice is not that hard.) I have seen combat photos of soldiers (officers?) firing M9's as fast as they could pull the trigger at something in the distance they couldn't possibly be able to see or hit. Rapid reloads would not help much.

Jim
 
A very handy thing for the military, in some minds, in others, not so much. Opinions vary. Note that while the Luger has a drop free magazine, its replacement, the P.38 does NOT.
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Excellent point. Let us not forget that the original design for the Glock ("Perfection", remember?) had non-drop free magazines. At least until the pistoleros in the USA demanded them for their games. An empty Glock magazine came out like any other, but one filled with a still-useful amount of ammo had a friction fit. (I guess the Austrian Army figured that a half full magazine might accidentally be released and it might be better if if could be pushed back into place rather than lost in the mud, I dunno.) I used my original magazines for years, and it's still ingrained in my muscle memory to strip the magazine out manually as I go for a reload. I figure the extra tenth of a second or so likely won't matter in the real world.
 
I guess the Austrian Army figured that a half full magazine might accidentally be released and it might be better if if could be pushed back into place rather than lost in the mud, I dunno.
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You're right on target.

CZ designs some of their pistols with a "magazine brake" designed to do what the original Glock mags did. The only difference was that the CZ mag brake works on all mags, not just the ones that are partially full. If the mag release is inadvertently depressed on a holstered CZ, the mag will not fall out of the gun under normal circumstances due to the friction created by the mag brake.
 
The Japanese pistols went to an extreme, having a very strong retention spring and a matching notch in the magazine.

Jim
 
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