15+1 in 40sw, 22/23+1 in 9mm with mag extensions!

[burningsquirrels]

"Pearce Grip Mag Extension - Fits Ber92, Brng HP, & Sig P228/P229, Black" is the part i ordered, and here is the result:



basically i omitted the cage insert in the base, then i trimmed the follower around the sides and cut its height in half (measurements to come later) and then i profiled the front and rear a little to reliably go in and out of the mag extension. this worked with my mec-gar 12 round mags to hold 15+1 (hooray limited division!) and measures 5.55" with dial calipers... but I had an issue with the SP-01 factory magazine: first, since the tube is longer, it obriously won't make the 141mm limit for limited division, and two - the spring plate won't fit into the basepad. so if you trim the spring plate on it, and work on the follower, you should be able to get 23 like eerw - i put my 40sw follower and spring plate and got 22+1 easily. again - it won't be limited division legal, but it'll help if you have a no-rules steel match or something or other...

[Stuart]

good stuff...

[burningsquirrels]

yup. thanks to you too, i knew what part to order!

i got another match tonight with a classifier that i'll shoot as production and limited, pins thursday, and going for production and classify in both production and limited on saturday.

[jameslovesjammie]

Great post!  Was this the part you used?  http://www.pearcegrip.com/beretta_p2.htm  Part number PG-BHP9?

I've never modified a mag before.  If you do another, could you post a step by step?

Thanks!

James

[hartzpad]

I'm still having problems with my Beretta +2 basepads sliding partially off the mag tube sometimes (spring keeps it from coming all the way off).  Have you found any way to lock the basepad in place?

[Stuart]

hey anyway to get another round in??
if you could get 16+1 in..you could get through two 8rnd arrays before a reload..which would give you a little more flexibility in stage management

[burningsquirrels]

james.... i ordered it from topglock, and yes it looks like the same one.

hartz.... no i have not. when it's on my belt it's fully loaded, so it doesn't move. when it's slammed into the gun, it's still fully loaded and won't move - and that's the last my hand touches it till it's dropped. while shooting, it didn't move... so at this point, i see the defect, but it doesn't look like an issue since it's either fully loaded and can't move, or being unloaded then dropped.

eerw - to fit another 40sw round through the top, i need another cm of space, and the follower is only 9mm high... so on math alone i think it's a no. i thought about the 8 round count thing too. but hey, at least i can legitimately be competitive in limited division with major power factor! i'm still waiting for someone to bring a mag gauge next week before i order twelve more.

[burningsquirrels]

success!

the above pictured mag passed the uspsa mag length gauge with flying colors and about 1mm or more of room to spare.

i ordered only 4 more because 6 total of 15 rounders will probably be more than i'll need to compete. i'm only planning to have four on the belt anyways. still 60 rounds, the same as if i was in limited-10.

i'll try and do a step-by-step later this weekend if i have time. i'm trying to hit a non-uspsa action pistol match on saturday and perhaps even a steel challenge match in SC if i can get enough people to carpool and the commander general approves.

[jameslovesjammie]

Good luck in the match!  Are you using a magwell?  What's your limited setup?

[burningsquirrels]

well, i found an 11-87 for 3-gun! turns out one of the guys i know well had one that he was working on. tomorrow i get to grab it at a sweet price and he'll show me how to do it piece by piece, so no match.

my limited setup:
$250 CZ-40b
i fitted a comp hammer, SA trigger, and a few springs, made some thin grips, and that's about it. nothing fancy.

[burningsquirrels]

i did a step-by-step, kinda. enjoy: http://www.czforumsite.info/index.php?topic=20107.0

[jameslovesjammie]

Thank you SO MUCH for posting this!  Very helpful.  I plan on shooting production for a year before I switch to Limited, but I am going to buy the mag extensions now anyway.  Things never get cheaper.

[burningsquirrels]

Things never get cheaper.

amen!

like i warned in the thread... 1. be careful not to mess the back top area which holds the slide back, and 2. i haven't cooked up a way to retain the base when there's less than 14 rounds in the mag, but i consider it a non-issue since the only time i can see any forces acting on the extension are during reloading - when it's fixed in place by the follower and ammo while fully loaded with 15.

[hartzpad]

I think I'm going to try a button head screw and a piece of sheetmetal to secure the extension in place, kind of like the Taylor Freelance CZ mag extensions:

[burningsquirrels]

i thought about that already, but i'm afraid the screws would interfere with follower travel. plus, 'm not sure if the walls of the extension could take it. i saw how the magazines for my friends' guns are set up - and those extensions have beefier plastic where the screws would go for those plates...