Darned if you do!

G.T. · 10-30-2022, 11:04 AM

Hi to all, well, I got to thinking, (always a bad thing for me to do!) and I realized that a lot of the queries and questions I get on drum magazines are from the very first time users?

And, most all of them are geared to initial operation, or failed efforts on loading or correctly using the drum? How tough can it be? Well, sometimes the, "baby turtle stage" can be a pretty rough, on people and parts!
On the drum operation, it all boils down to the winding lever and the mainspring. You cannot be timid or weak in your operation of this item or you're going to have serious regrets about owning a drum in the first place. And, you might get hurt as well.

So, lets look at the drum right out of the box. Initially, I was packing the drum with the winding lever locked at full strength position, with a sticker across it stating that you better be ready for the strong spring and lever rotation, because once you unlock it, the rodeo was about to begin!

Failing to do so has resulted in smacked fingernails, drums flying across rooms, drums flying into gun cabinets, sprains, bruses, and the list goes on.
So, I decide to ship the drums with the mainspring, and winding lever in the relaxed position, but this caused another issue, the follower can pop out of the mag tube because of when the mainspring is relaxed, it puts max pressure on the follower spring! What to do!
Well, I decide to make a small dummy like Delrin plug that contains the follower spring for shippment, and so the customer can learn about the winding lever spring from the bottom up rather than from the top down. I still put a warning lable on the winding lever, but, I took for granted every one would see the plug as just that and neglected to note that it needs to be removed prior to loading, and as a result, it jams the mag every time. Soooo, I am now making the plug out of aluminum, and wraping a "REMOVE" lable on it so we have a fighting chance first time out!
I now realize that to the first time user, it might as well be a German landmine in their hands. There is no substitute for experience and knowledge, and extreme caution needs to be used until you become familier with the drum and its quirks.. Hope this helps a bit on those drums being purchased lately... best to all, til....lat'r.....GT..

10-30-2022, 11:04 AM	#1
G.T. Lifer Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Chandler Arizona Posts: 3,530 Thanks: 1,334 Thanked 3,711 Times in 1,014 Posts	Darned if you do! Hi to all, well, I got to thinking, (always a bad thing for me to do!) and I realized that a lot of the queries and questions I get on drum magazines are from the very first time users? And, most all of them are geared to initial operation, or failed efforts on loading or correctly using the drum? How tough can it be? Well, sometimes the, "baby turtle stage" can be a pretty rough, on people and parts! On the drum operation, it all boils down to the winding lever and the mainspring. You cannot be timid or weak in your operation of this item or you're going to have serious regrets about owning a drum in the first place. And, you might get hurt as well. So, lets look at the drum right out of the box. Initially, I was packing the drum with the winding lever locked at full strength position, with a sticker across it stating that you better be ready for the strong spring and lever rotation, because once you unlock it, the rodeo was about to begin! Failing to do so has resulted in smacked fingernails, drums flying across rooms, drums flying into gun cabinets, sprains, bruses, and the list goes on. So, I decide to ship the drums with the mainspring, and winding lever in the relaxed position, but this caused another issue, the follower can pop out of the mag tube because of when the mainspring is relaxed, it puts max pressure on the follower spring! What to do! Well, I decide to make a small dummy like Delrin plug that contains the follower spring for shippment, and so the customer can learn about the winding lever spring from the bottom up rather than from the top down. I still put a warning lable on the winding lever, but, I took for granted every one would see the plug as just that and neglected to note that it needs to be removed prior to loading, and as a result, it jams the mag every time. Soooo, I am now making the plug out of aluminum, and wraping a "REMOVE" lable on it so we have a fighting chance first time out! I now realize that to the first time user, it might as well be a German landmine in their hands. There is no substitute for experience and knowledge, and extreme caution needs to be used until you become familier with the drum and its quirks.. Hope this helps a bit on those drums being purchased lately... best to all, til....lat'r.....GT..