Lol. Im sure some of you have heard me complain that certain grips dont support the plunger tube. As i was doing some work on my Loaded i noticed it was loose.

This is my most used, carried, and shot semi. I dont think i have an accurate round count but its over 10k.

Looks like it needs a new one. Ironic that my M1 is getting fixed now as well but ill do the work on this.

I just need the tube and the tool to stake it right?

Should be. The staking tool isn't particularly expensive. I think i got mine from brownells.

I just went through this on my Colt Commander. I had a gunsmith do it, parts and labor less than $50 if I remember correctly.

That Colt had thousands of rounds through it, I bought it 18 years ago. It was kinda concerning when the slide stop popped out during an IDPA run

The tool I've used for this chore for many years is the Gun Runners - Plunger Tube Staking Tool.  Unfortunately, it appears to be discontinued.  Brownells is cashing in on this by offering its own version of the tool.   Deep River Customs also offers one as does EGW.

You must make sure that the frame holes through which the legs of the plunger tube pass are adequately chamfered to accept the metal that is displaced when the legs are flared out by the staking tool.  I put a drop of red loctite in the holes to help hold the tube tight after staking.  Also be sure to slide a drill bit or pin gauge of the appropriate diameter into the tube before staking it to prevent the tube from collapsing.

Chamfering the holes on the inside of the frame is easiest using a 3.1 mm diameter diamond burr with a 1/16" shank that you can buy from Lasco.

Cutting about .25" off the length of the shank allows it to be passed through the plunger tube leg holes from inside the magazine well of the frame.  Then I chuck the exposed shaft into my Dremel and slowly grind a bevel into the hole.



You can see the flared leg studs don't extended above the surface of the frame.  The bevels are just a touch too deep but the plunger tube is well and truly secured.

I've had good luck with the tool from Brownells.

Awesome idea on the burr tool. Thanks.

IMHO, the Brownells tool is the best designed of the bunch...often the plunger tube feet are too short,
and the frame holes need to be cut quite/chamfered deep in order to properly and firmly stake the
plunger feet to the frame without loosening.

If you use a pin vise instead of a dremel  you will be able to control your speed and depth of cut more easily.

Many guns do not have sufficient flaring of the holes to mount the plunger tube.

They need a decent amount of flare on the inside edge for the staking to displace metal into.

It is a little bit of hand work that must be done.
A ball shaped cutter that is inserted and has the shaft passing though the hole is required.
You then withdraw the cutter slightly in the rotary tool and move it around the hole in the frame.

It can also be done using a smaller ball cutter that can fit though the opening from the outside
then moved around to cut the relief.

Either way it is fine hand work.

It's also possible to go in from the top of the magwell with a diamond ball burr.

Yes. With a round ball, it doesn't matter whether the shaft is 180 degrees or 90 degrees to the centerline of the hole unless you can't get deep enough doing it sideways. You also have to be very diligent doing it that way and have the frame in a vise or clamp so it can't move.
You don't want the ball to jump out and run around in the magwell a few laps. :)