Solution for losing pistol mags

D_murph

Hi there, new to the game myself as of the last 3 weeks and Im loving it.

However, I had an incident during an indoor game a few weeks ago where I lost a mag for my WE Hi Capa Dragon 7 inch pistol. The mag release button must have gotten pressed in the holster when I was running around etc and the mag fell out. Fortunately, another one of the lads found it on the floor and gave it to a marshal whom I got it back from. Scary few minutes though.

I was very lucky it was an indoor event but I have been thinking that if it were to happen to me in a woodland skirmish, I would probably (and most likely) never see the thing again :eek:. I had been taping the mags in place after that happened but thats messy when you want to reload so I came up with an idea for a much cleaner and faster method of holding it in place during the week.

Things you will need.

Some black electrical tape
Some sticky back sided velcro
Some non sticky back sided velcro.
A scissors.

Take the electrical tape and wrap a few layers of it around the handle of the gun and tightly. Make sure it is neatly wrapped also and that there are no raised areas where the tape didnt sit flat as they will afect the sticky velcros grip on it.

Cut off a few small strips (about 1-2cm long each) of the sticky velcro. Its best to use the softer side of the velcro for this as the other side could be irritating to your hand when holding/shooting the gun.

Attach one of these to either side of the handle by sticking it to the electrical tape. It will stick well to this and that is why you wrapped it in tape in the first place.

When both of these are well fixed in place, measure a strip of the non sticky velcro (rougher side obviously) that will reach all around the bottom of the handle (from one of the velcro strips on the handle to the other on the other side) with the mag in place and cut off any excess.

Now you have a velcro holding strap that will not leave your mag fall out in battle and peace of mind also. It does not look ungamely either and its a quick job to pop it off to switch mags when youre reloading also . You dont even really have to re-wrap the mag until youre done shooting anyway as it will not get in the way if you just leave it hang loose.

If you reckon it looks like crap, you can just cut the insulating tape and peel it off the gun with no harm done and the velcro is €1.50 a metre in a sewing shop. €3 for a metre of each type you will need (sticky and non stick) is a hell of a lot cheaper than a lost mag.

I have done this to 2 of my pistols this evening here and it worked perfectly on both. The mag will not fall out even when I hold down the release button and even shake the gun harshly lol.

Guns converted: WE Hi-Capa Dragon 7 inch green gas semi auto gun and a KWC Taurus PT 99 C02 semi/full auto gun also.

Sorry I took no pics but if done correctly, it is barely noticable unless youre looking for it .

brenak47

I have made similar gadget.I use the elasticated band 11/2 wide u buy in any material shop. Wrap a piece around the grip till it meet approx 135mm and then cut a few mil shorter as it will stretch burn the 2 ends 2 seal it and then sew together and filp inside out so thread is against the grip.U then sew another piece approx 85mm long from one side to the other with either end about half way up the side of the other strap.When done it should have a T shape to it and this will just stretch over the grip wrapping around and under the mag.I have made a few of these for friends and they all say they work a treat.
Quick pic from my phone

D_murph

Thats a handy gadget alright and looks easy to make and to use as well.

I love things like this about hobbies in general. Someone always has a good idea to solve someone elses problem and its in clubs or on forums like this that you see them .

I also tested out my version today at a woodland skirmish in Cork. I worked a treat but I need to move the velcro on the handle of the gun down a bit as its too far from the base of the handle and the mag so it can get pushed off from the arse of the mag making it useless. I had it that height up the handle to avoid covering some features on the guns handle but it backfired slightly. You learn as you go .

Southern Dandy

While I understand the problem and what is an easy solution by bren there must be a way of tackling the problem which is the giant mag release button the hi-cappa has, There must be an aftermarket part to prevent it from releasing by accident.

I remember A.I made a diy solution by cuttin a piece of pvc and shaping it around the mag release button. Nice bit of work have to say, ill try and see if I can find it for ye somewhere. While most people are not overly fussy about quick mag changes it might save ye a bit of time changing it with yer mag holder solution.

brenak47

Im one thats not fussy in quick mag change. But with what i made the bottom strap just pulls out of the way and u can drop your mag without having to take the whole thing off each time.I would be interested in seeing the mod u were talking about might have a look for it myself.

sharpy2010

Southern Dandy wrote: »

While I understand the problem and what is an easy solution by bren there must be a way of tackling the problem which is the giant mag release button the hi-cappa has, There must be an aftermarket part to prevent it from releasing by accident.

I remember A.I made a diy solution by cuttin a piece of pvc and shaping it around the mag release button. Nice bit of work have to say, ill try and see if I can find it for ye somewhere. While most people are not overly fussy about quick mag changes it might save ye a bit of time changing it with yer mag holder solution.

Seen that same solution, really handy actually. It needs 2mm thick plastic, super glue and a rotary tool. The idea is really good as is brens.
I'll have to try brens as my kj sig226 mag is a little lose and lost one already but I've 2 TM mags that fit perfectly. Weird one

Inari

To be honest I thought the solution was rather simple - use tape/velcro/elastic etc, or use a molded plastic holster such as the Serpa. It's the fault of the fabric-based holsters. Most of them are cheaply made to fit a majority of pistols, and this universal ability comes at the price of tripping mag releases. If you get custom made fabric holsters for a specific pistol, or even for a range of pistols, they'll typically be more rigid and less likely to press the switch.

Personally I'd just use electrical tape if using a universal holster (cheap as hell, just durable enough to hold a mag in without affecting reloading at all), or use a serpa.

sharpy2010

Inari wrote: »

To be honest I thought the solution was rather simple - use tape/velcro/elastic etc, or use a molded plastic holster such as the Serpa. It's the fault of the fabric-based holsters. Most of them are cheaply made to fit a majority of pistols, and this universal ability comes at the price of tripping mag releases. If you get custom made fabric holsters for a specific pistol, or even for a range of pistols, they'll typically be more rigid and less likely to press the switch.

Personally I'd just use electrical tape if using a universal holster (cheap as hell, just durable enough to hold a mag in without affecting reloading at all), or use a serpa.

Hey Inari,
First off I apologise if this is thread jacking a little.
As much as I agree with everything you say to the OP. And it has a good foundation but unfortunately I have a serpa for my 226 and it holds the 226 very well, my problem is the 226 doesn't wanna hol the mags! Any idea on a fix for that, have tried nearly everything including a similar version to bren idea but used Velcro instead.

jayod30

I have this product called mag guard. One of the best investments I've made considering the price of replacement mags

http://www.evike.com/product_info.php?products_id=29861

D_murph

jayod30 wrote: »

I have this product called mag guard. One of the best investments I've made considering the price of replacement mags

http://www.evike.com/product_info.php?products_id=29861

The version I made up with velcro and black tape pretty much acts the same when it comes to mag changes and I have used it "in battle " so it does work. You may sometimes forget its there and not pull the velcro off first alright lol.

Another thing to mention is that you do not really have to bother to re-attach the velcro (on either my one or Magguard) after the new mag is inserted into the gun if you dont have the time, say in a heated gunfight etc.
It can just hang down from the handle and it wont get in the way as you may well be doing another mag change again shortly anyway. Just dont forget to re-attach it before you holster the gun though .

It really is a great feeling to know that your mag is safe and ready to use though. I was going around with the mags in my vest (all of them) and only inserting one when needed after I temporarily lost one on my first airsoft session (indoors) around a month ago. Not a good start :eek:. That and it was a pain not to have the gun ready as well.

Its not just a case of losing the mags either. You can very easily break the feeder lip off the top of the mag if it lands the wrong way and on a concrete indoor floor, its highly likely to happen so youre protecting your mags from 2 threats this way .

D_murph

Sorry for the double post but I finally got around to taking a few pics (bored lol) of my guns with the made up velcro attachments on them to prevent the mags from falling out. There are 2 pics of each gun, one with the mag in the handle and one with it removed and the velcro open to show it in both lights.

The black sticky tape is to give the sticky back velcro something to stick to and it works well as they are almost unremovable when stuck to it. Best to use the "fluffy" side of the velcro for this as the rough side could be irritating.

The rough side is then attached like to to both sides and you can easily peel it off to change mags. This velcro is the non sticky back type as the sticky stuff would be very annoying sticking to your hand etc.

It takes a few minutes to install on each gun and costs about a fiver overall for the materials to do several guns or to renew an install if it gets worn or so.

No more need to be looking for mags in the forest or buying new feed lips when they get broken off if you actually find the thing .

P.S. The reason the bottom of the WE mag is taped up like that is because the plastic base that usually goes on there got broken off it. This happened the last time it fell out and the spring plate on the bottom of the mag fell out last time I was at an indoor event because it was not there to hold it in. I was haunted that one of the lads managed to find it on the floor nearby with his rifle torch or it would have been lost forever :eek:.