Wood magazine bottom falling out
 

Hi,

Had quite a weird experience at the range. Just loaded the mag with 5 bullets, placed it back in the luger, picked the luger up, ready to hit the target (or at least something near it) :D

The mag bottom failed, dropped out, followed by the mag spring and five bullets...

Now I know how these poor dutch KNIL people felt using the first series spring-catch magazines :)

The good news was that I was using a later woodbottomed magazine with a replacement wood piece. Guess the replacements that Sarco sells are not really fit for duty... The wood bottom piece snapped right off at the pin area.

http://home.concepts.nl/~vlimmere/p08/bottom.jpg

The replacement mag bottoms that Sarco sells frequently have the wood grain running the wrong way... this means that the stress of the mag spring is ALWAYS on the bottom and being held in only by the small piece that the pin runs through... if the grain is parallel to the bore it will eventually suffer a failure just like you show...

The wood grain should properly run perpendicular to the bore for strength.

Oh well,

It did have the 'made in india' warning sticker :)

I don't use my original nickel mag for the same reason. The wood bottom on my shooting mag had a chip missing from one of the 'buttons', so I thought I'd replace it with a fresh one.

Needless to say the old bottom is in place again..
(and I still have a new mecgar as a spare)

For better replacement wood bottoms, I do stock GT's entire line (standard unmarked commerical, also available marked Germany or Cal.9mm, Naval concentric circle type and the Swiss metal insert style). TH

I have had G.T.'s Navy wood bottoms installed on three of my WW1 mags and they are the best. Made right and beautiful too. You really can't find any better than he makes. Grain is correct, G.T. knows what he is doing. I doubt if he is making all that many more of these so get em while you can...Jerry Burney

Thanks Jerry! For your most kind words! Alas, it is true, I haven't made as many for sale as in years past... just too many irons in the fire! Hopefully in the future, I'll be able to offer complete mags! Thanks again! I think your navy rig is top shelf! till....later.....GT