Sheperd80 Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 I decided i just cant stop screwing with my m&p. I want to do a little more beveling inside the magwell. I have files and sandpaper to take the material down to the legal uspsa production limit. Buy how do i get it really smooth? So far ive only sanded it to 400 grit and its still a little scuffed looking and rough. Finer paper? Wet sanding? Alcohol? Thanks for any help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suicycle Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 Not positive it the frames act the same way, but acrylic and plexiglas once you sand or mill them you actually heat them up with a torch or heat gun and they turn back clear from the rough white finish. That being said I do know of a guy that knows a guy that tried to modify a SR9C and then sand and wave a cig lighter over it quickly. I was told it started out looking good and the case of just a little bit more and it will be right bit him. It kind of scorched, possibly oils came out of the polymer or it just got to hot. It is a fine line. You can try the four side finger nail files and most drug stores or walmart. The finer grits of it are well into the 1000 grit and finer. The down side is it is a soft back finger nail file so with pressure it will round edges if you put pressure on it. I have used them to polish glock mag release buttons and it gave a worn polishe old plastic look compared to the new satin frame. I was just breaking the square edges though and removing file marks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whoops! Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 I don't know what you consider rough, but make sure you do an adequate amount of sanding with the lower grit sandpapers. Thankfully, Wal-Mart now carries up to 3000 grit sandpaper in their automotive section. I usually go to about 1500 grit. Then, I use a general polish such as Flitz. Then, I use either oil or a plastic conditioner and it usually comes out looking pretty good. It won't be factory smooth, but it can be close. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoNsTeR Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 Finer and finer. When I take the slide stop ledges off of delrin followers, I start with 150 to remove material, then 400 to smooth it up and bevel the edges, then quick passes with 800 and 2000 gets it looking like new. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheperd80 Posted November 6, 2012 Author Share Posted November 6, 2012 Thanks for all the feedback. Someone on another forum also suggested heat so i may try that to get a good finish. Last night i took the plunge and did a little filing and some sanding. The highest i had was 400 and it feels pretty smooth but id like to get it better so ill try some finer paper and maybe some heat. Unfortunately i didnt read my uspsa rulebook closely enough before doing this. In production you can only increase the longitudinal dimension (front to back) to 1/4" more than the magazine. According to 2010 rules. In the interest of full disclosure ill show it to my RO, i dont think theyre gonna boot me to Open or Limited division for a little sanding LOL, but for any kind of sanctioned match i may be in trouble. I removed a very small amount of material but ya never know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whoops! Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 Don't show it to your RO or any RO. There's barely any material you can take off the magwell of an M&P anyway. Also, that's a stupid rule. Here's why. The CZ-75 Shadow Target's magwell is beveled all around from the factory. It has an exceptionally wide opening for any production gun and it will always be more competitive than your M&P thanks to the other attributes of the gun. Even though I can put parts from that gun onto my regular CZ-75b and do it legally in production, the only way I can legally get that wider magwell opening is by swapping out the frame, essentially making it an entirely new gun. It's not fair that some guns can have wider openings than others, they need a not to exceed measurement for the magwell opening, not a stupid "you can't" rule even though everyone's gun has a different sized magwell. If you go to a big match, make them prove your magwell is any larger than any one elses. If you show them it from the start, they will throw you in open which is extremely unfair for you. In my opinion, it's not unfair for you to compete in production where pretty much all the CZ shooters will still have an advantage over you thanks to the general attributes of their firearms. This is coming from a guy who has shot all kinds of guns in production, including CZs and M&Ps. Just because you took a little sandpaper to the grip of your gun doesn't mean you should be forced to now spend another $500 bucks to be semi-competitive in your division. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sperman Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 It's not fair that some guns can have wider openings than others... You may not think it's fair, but it is what is written in the rulebook. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vluc Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 I decided i just cant stop screwing with my m&p. I want to do a little more beveling inside the magwell. I have files and sandpaper to take the material down to the legal uspsa production limit. Buy how do i get it really smooth? So far ive only sanded it to 400 grit and its still a little scuffed looking and rough. Finer paper? Wet sanding? Alcohol? Thanks for any help. What will you gain by that infinitesimal difference in material? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheperd80 Posted November 10, 2012 Author Share Posted November 10, 2012 (edited) I decided i just cant stop screwing with my m&p. I want to do a little more beveling inside the magwell. I have files and sandpaper to take the material down to the legal uspsa production limit. Buy how do i get it really smooth? So far ive only sanded it to 400 grit and its still a little scuffed looking and rough. Finer paper? Wet sanding? Alcohol? Thanks for any help. What will you gain by that infinitesimal difference in material? Very little really. Its just the way i am. Practically everything i own has been modified in some small way or another to better suit me. I figure having that magwell slightly opened up and smoothed out just makes it less likely that i will fumble a reload. During dry practice it does feel a little smoother and easier so im satisfied. I went back and sanded it up to 1200 then hit it with the dremel and some polishing compound and it made it look almost factory again and feels like glass. I got it a little too hot in one spot and make some tiny cracks but u cant feel them. Unfortunately i didnt have a buff that could get into the corners real well. Edited November 10, 2012 by Sheperd80 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheperd80 Posted November 10, 2012 Author Share Posted November 10, 2012 It's not fair that some guns can have wider openings than others... You may not think it's fair, but it is what is written in the rulebook. This is how i feel. Its a lame rule but id rather just be honest. At the club level no one really cares. Theres guys shooting production with mag pouches too far forward and canted, canted holsters, too much grip tape, etc. Its all such minor stuff that youd have to be pretty anal to care. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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