Mag Well/ Basepad For Preban Para Mags

[bbrcape]

I am looking for a mag well and basepads to work with preban Para magazines. I have a 1640 with a Dawson mag well. I live in state, that shall remain nameless, where new large cap mags are not legal, so I am limited to the preban versions. The preban mags, which are a couple of mm shorter than the new versions, do not seat correctly. They do not feed well and/or drop free.

What set up did people use before the ban expired? Is there a better mag well than the Dawson to use with the preban mags, or can I just relieve the Dawson back far enough to make the basepads seat correctly. On the Dawson sights it says that there basepads do not work with the short mags.

[ChuckS]

Why don't you repair your mags with replacement tubes?

Edited December 15, 2005 by ChuckS

[.40AET]

I checked Dawson's site and found the information about the basepads not working with older magazines. It doesn't say "how old" the mags are that don't work and I don't doubt that older ones are shorter. But, I had magazines that I bought during the ban '94-'04 as "Preban" magazines that worked with Dawson basepads and the standard magwell. I also bought tubes and repaired some of my mags that are the same size as the preban stuff.

Go buy some tubes and get those broken mags fixed!

[wide45]

Take the base pads off your tubes, and mike the length of the back of the mag body. Use the drawing from the USPSA rulebook if you are unsure how to find the length.

My old short .45 mag bodies mike about 4.590-4.600 long at the back. My newer prebans mike 4.665-4.680. I think that the old short tubes were only made in .45 and .38. I have never seen a short .40 tube.

The preban P16 tubes work great with the Dawson pads, and magwell. The Dawson magwell will only work with the Dawson pads. The Para basepads will not fit the Dawson magwell, on any tube made by Para. I have seen directions for modifying Para pads to fit. Don't do it. They will be too weak to survive.

[hdgun]

I have a couple of older Para s with the original mags. I use a Smith Alexander mag well with Grams base pads. I also have a couple with Dawson pads. They have worked fine for years.

BTW: I also live in the state that you speak.

[spd522]

S&A Magwell will work with the shorter tubes and any basepad you want to use. It's what I have on my Para 45 that was built from the frame kit before Para made complete guns. Actually, all my Paras have the S&A magwell and work with Dawson, Gram, Arrendondo, CPI, and factory Para basepads.

Like already mentioned, modifying the basepads themselves will weaken them and cause eventual failure. It will be during an important match too.