Should've put all my Q's in one thread, but I just thought of this.

Again, I bought some Royal Ordnance SA80 mags. They are steel. I took apart one to see what kind of follower it has, and getting the floorplate off is a HUGE pain. It doesn't seem like they should be this hard to take apart. Are they just not supposed to be disassembled or are they just hard to take apart because the metal is inflexible and they are new?

~AbM

I am curently changing the springs and followers in twenty of the British steel mags. The first few I took apart were a pain in the neck. I think it is because they are new.
I started using a very fine set of needle nose pliers. The kind I use to do electronics work. These are fairly thin and small. I use them to grab the floor plate end tab. The one that sticks up at an 30degree angle off the back of the floor plate, and I pull and work it loose that way. The floor plate will usually come loose with a little effort, and with no damage to the mag or its floorplate retaning tabs.
If you decide to go this route make sure the needle nose you use are as small as possible with a very fine tip, so you can grip the rear end of the floorplate with out marring the finish on it. Goodluck!

Is it just me or are needle nose pliers the easiest tool on earth to lose?

~AbM