Chills1994 Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 (edited) Hi all, I bought these mag tubes (bodies): In November 2010. You could say it is or was a project I shoved to the back burner. The mag tubes are stamped or engraved with "Strayer Signature" with like a diamond logo behind it. They will kinda fit in my STI, but won't drop free. I have two other mag tubes that I obviously whittled on and enlarged the mag catch hole on the right side. It looks like I originally bought 2, 170mm "big sticks" and 4, 140mm's. The mag that came with the gun is around here somewhere. It must have been of the old SVI design, and it ran! What say you? Do I keep them? Try squeezing one in a vise? Or ...eeek.... Whittle on the inside of the frame (as one guy told me a few years ago)? Thanks in advance! Edited January 16, 2014 by Chills1994 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul-the new guy Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 Just sell them and buy STI tubes. They are not hard to get any more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revomodel10 Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 (edited) SV changed their spec on these tubes, they are made to fit SV frames, not STI, you can open up mag catch hole on tubes or mill the inside of the frame (gunsmith knowledge here), Don't squeeze them you will just ruin them, easier to buy STI, if you want tuned, buy Brazo tuned mags, they are great. Edited January 16, 2014 by revomodel10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExtremeShot Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 (edited) Actually I have talked to Brandon Strayer about this issue and have also noticed a few things while building STI guns. According to SVI (Brandon) they did NOT change much about their magazine. The mag catch hole is still in the same location. The reason why others were filing the mag catch hole higher is because the SVI mags were sticking in their STI guns just like you're seeing. However, filing the top of the mag catch hole makes the mag sit lower in the gun and can cause feeding issues. What appears to have really changed is that STI narrowed the dimensions on the inside of their frame. I noticed this while building a couple guns. My SVI mags would drop perfectly out of my old STI frames, but they would stick in some of the newer frames. If you want your SVI mags to drop free, you really need to relieve and chamfer the inside of your STI frame. I know most people would balk at this if their guns were already finished, but that is the better solution than screwing up a perfectly good mag. If you don't believe what I'm saying, feel free to call Brandon and have the same conversation. Cheers. [edited for typo] Edited January 16, 2014 by ExtremeShot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaeOne3345 Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 I was aware about the frame mods, but does there still need to be any modification done to the mag catch hole on the tube if we have already addressed the frame? Will the STI catch work? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albertl35 Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 I bought some new tubes last year and my shooting buddy got some from Nationals this year of the new tubes. They did not require any modifications to fit in an STI gun and all of his dropped free. Mine needed a little adjustment on 2 of the 6 to drop free. On my older set of "NEW" SVI tubes that I sold, they had to be modded quite a bit to work. YMMV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExtremeShot Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 (edited) YMMV. Exactly. All my old SVI mags were sticking in my latest 2011 gun build. I whittled and chamfered the inside of the frame a little and now they drop free. I also order one of the new SVI mags (like Brad posted above) it is also locks up fine and drops free. Regarding moding the mag catch hole in the tube...doing so may make your mag drop free, but it also makes the mag sit lower, potentially causing feeding problems. As I said before, according to Brandon at SVI, the location of the mag catch hole did NOT change as some people think. Filing on the top of the hole to make it sit lower (and not stick) was a improper solution that is NOT endorsed by SVI. If you compare the SVI mags to the STI mags, the STI mags are skinner. As a result, they don't stick in the frames. However, they also hold one less round (at least in my 9mm)....and require spacers in the case of 9major. I'd rather whittle a little out of the STI frame than deal with all the other B.S. Edited January 16, 2014 by ExtremeShot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaeOne3345 Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 So which mag catch are you using successfully when said frame opening is done? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExtremeShot Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 So which mag catch are you using successfully when said frame opening is done? I have both the STI catch and also the Dawson Precision catch...they both work fine but the DP catch is better designed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExtremeShot Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 Regarding moding the frame, I took the grip and slide off the frame and also removed the mag catch, then smoked the mag tube with a candle, then ran it up into the frame at approximately the same angle as it would go in. Take the mag tube out and you'll see where it's rubbing. If you don't have a mill, you can *gently* use a dremel or file to remove material in those arears where it rubs. Also, if you look at the bottom of the mag well area, you'll see that there is a sharp corner. Brandon recommended chamfering that corner. Brandon can give you more details if you call him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaeOne3345 Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 The interference is on the sides of the mag area, correct? The issue is not front to back? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExtremeShot Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 The interference is on the sides of the mag area, correct? The issue is not front to back? Mainly on the sides. Smoke the tube to be sure. Using a sharpie isn't as telling as smoking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaeOne3345 Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 Thanks a lot, sir. I am gonna order a tube to have my smith modify my frame. I've been wanting to try some SV tubes for quite some time now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingman Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 All I needed is to square the corner, not make higher Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoLeft Posted March 1, 2014 Share Posted March 1, 2014 Just wanted to say "Thanks" to everyone for their input on this thread. Just picked up my first Open gun and could only get "New" SVI tubes. Modified the frame and got 3 of the for mags to drop free without and modification to the the mag tubes . I'm going to call Brandon on Monday and exchange the one tube that wouldn't drop. Spent about 2 hours working on everything and had a blast doing it. The "smoke" trick works awesome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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