Posted: 6/13/2010 5:07:58 PM EDT
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so here is the question, is it illegal to make a custom cap mag for a pistol? is this against any Iowa law?
the reason i ask, i have a FNP-9 and i want a High cap mag for it, but i don't think anyone makes them... i have metal working experience so i was planning on modifying one of my mags and achieving my goal with a custom mag, but before i go and chop up a perfectly good mag i wanted to make sure it isn't illegal to do in Iowa. so if anyone could answer my question, or know of a place to get a high cap mag for a fnp-9 the help would be appreciated... also have any of you done custom mags before and have any advice? |
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As far as I understand it as long as you are not changing the function of the pistol to full automatic or putting a pistol grip on it as in an AR type pistol (AOW) then you should be good to go.
As far as custom work on mags.....I really don't think I would go there, most problems with function and relaibility can be traced directly back to the magazines and unless you are very good at it I really wouldn't want to bet my life on this for a carry weapon. Romper |
you can do it. you're allowed to do your own smithing and modification on your own weapons provided you don't reach outside the law. also, there are certain regs that apply to weapons that have been manufactured outside the US and imported. i don't believe this is an issue with the magazine, provided it is detachable, but the balance of the FN would probably be subject to some of them. i'm assuming yours is an imported weapon of course.... we don't have a mag cap restriction for general use, but there could be some weirdo dnr reg somewhere for hunting purposes... you never know about dnr 'administrative' rules.... 
i agree with romp in that if this was a carry weapon, i'd probably not trust it and it is also true that some of the best conceptual weapons of all time suffered from an inadequate magazine and feeding system. ...food for thought. on another note, i'd be tickled to see what you come up with. you might come up with the next best thing since sliced bread, which is hard to top, but possible. pics are a prerequisite here too! |
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this is in no way intended to be for carry... like you guys said most failures take place with the magazine (that's why you change out your mags every so often in your carry pistol/HD, so you don't ruin the spring....so i read). I'm not skilled enough that i would trust my life to the mag feeding properly... but for something fun to show off and take to the range i thought it would be a fun project.
this really comes from the fact that i like to give my brother shit about his glock and tell him my FNP is better (do i know for sure? no, but i do like my FNP better then has G17...personal taste) and the only thing he can come up with is well my glock has a 33rnd mag... i then tell him that even with my 17rnd mag i can place more rounds down range more accurately then he can... so im going to be aiming for around 28 rounds in the mag. we will see how it turns out. ill make sure to post pics. p.s. thanks for the info on the Law |
| Just food for thought. Playing around with my FNP a Beretta mag will fit into the mag well fine (you just need to widen the mag catch hole to make it work) and has the same roughly the same geometry and will feed round (I only cycled by hand). Hi cap -92 mag are much cheaper then a replacement FNP mag you might experiment with one of those. just my 2 cents |
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(that's why you change out your mags every so often in your carry pistol/HD, so you don't ruin the spring....so i read). lately lots of people are saying leaving a magazine loaded doesn't hurt a thing-it's the cycling of the spring(like when it feeds the rounds) that wears on a spring. I'm not an expert and haven't tested either idea, just commenting that it's been said. |
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(that's why you change out your mags every so often in your carry pistol/HD, so you don't ruin the spring....so i read). lately lots of people are saying leaving a magazine loaded doesn't hurt a thing-it's the cycling of the spring(like when it feeds the rounds) that wears on a spring. I'm not an expert and haven't tested either idea, just commenting that it's been said. compressed springs loose their mass elasticity over time. it happens to all springs and there is no way around it. the question is a matter of time, not if... however, with mag springs in most quality mags utilizing quality metals don't got to shit as fast as many people think. so many err on the side of caution and replace the springs routinely.... |
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you can do it. you're allowed to do your own smithing and modification on your own weapons provided you don't reach outside the law. also, there are certain regs that apply to weapons that have been manufactured outside the US and imported. i don't believe this is an issue with the magazine, provided it is detachable, but the balance of the FN would probably be subject to some of them. i'm assuming yours is an imported weapon of course.... we don't have a mag cap restriction for general use, but there could be some weirdo dnr reg somewhere for hunting purposes... you never know about dnr 'administrative' rules.... !922R import parts count rules dont apply to handguns, only long guns. I don't believe there is any restriction on mag size for a hunting handgun, only caliber size (for Deer anyway). If it were my project, I would graft two of your factory FN 17 rounders together with a TIG welder, that way you are using the factory feed-lips and angles on top, and a factory floorplate on the bottom. For a spring I'd probably go with a spring from a Berretta 92 28 rounder, or possibly the one from a Glock 33 rounder. Post pics when you are done. 
ML |
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yea i was planning on using at least one of the factory mags for the top feed ramp...but seeing as how they are $50 each, i was thinking about drafting up a design and having it cut out of some steel on a cnc and then bending the steel to shape... weld together, then weld that to thefactory mag, longer spring and see what happens.
that is a very general breakdown, the plan may vary when it comes time to start the project. |
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so finally a month later i got some pictures to post up
the weld isnt the prettiest ever but it is very strong. i will probably do a little bit of bondo to try and fill in the few craters, so it doesnt look all poopy when painted. Who knows the best way to paint a mag? i would like to use cerakote from brownells but i dont have an airbrush, i read that stuff holds up real nice to wear and can be used to paint Mags. and here it is 
24rounds vs 16rounds 
in the gun its clear that the mag needs to be a graphite black, the silver is just making it pop to much. well what do ya'll think? P.S. septic i read on your website for CCA you do cerakote paint, how much would it be for you to paint this guy for me? |
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P.S. septic i read on your website for CCA you do cerakote paint, how much would it be for you to paint this guy for me? i'm doing a run of several other pieces in matte black cerakote shortly. if you can get it to me in the next few business days i can throw it in with those. no charge... if i have to mix up a fresh batch and fire up the kiln just for your stuff there will be a charge - reasonable of course... but if you can get me your metal soon then no worries... also, these parts will hit 300F so whatever you use to fill holes needs to be able to adhere to some heat... |
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alright sweet. i will give ya a call tomorrow before i head out.
and i could put like 100 down on the scope this week just for ya to hold it for me, but i dont have the cash to pay it off this week. also, can i bring some 45 ammo and run a mag threw the Super V? it would make my day. |
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alright sweet. i will give ya a call tomorrow before i head out. and i could put like 100 down on the scope this week just for ya to hold it for me, but i dont have the cash to pay it off this week. also, can i bring some 45 ammo and run a mag threw the Super V? it would make my day. yup. |