phil1640 Posted January 1, 2009 Share Posted January 1, 2009 i am having matt cheely build a 6in limited 4o. i was going to buy h smith tuned mag but work is very slow. i order 4 sti 140mm 40 mag,bolen 4mm pads, springs and follower. will the dawson mag tuning kit work for these. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boz1911 Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 The kit proivides tools and info for 9/38 and 40 cal STI magazines. You may not need any adjustments on the mags you have coming, never know?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike cyrwus Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 Oh, I dont think Howards work is slow; its just that he has a lot of it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John2A Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 I bought the kit and still sent the same mags to Howard to be tuned. Save the 100.00 and just wait for them to be turned around you will not be sorry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocket35 Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 Oh, I dont think Howards work is slow; its just that he has a lot of it! He just spends too much time on here. Get to work Howard! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Merricks Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 I used it to beat the crap out of a few of my mags. The mags seemed to work well when I was done, but did not get many rounds out of them before I had to flee the country. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Abrahams Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 (edited) well this thread is titled Dawson mag tuning kit so i dont think it will be much of a thread drift to ask those who have purchased it, how is it? Edited January 2, 2009 by W.Abrahams Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RC51_Texas Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 Last time I checked with Chuck at Shooter's Connection - he had plenty of Howard Smith tuned .40cal Mags in stock??? The 5 Mag Sets that is. I know they're not cheap, but they are the best!! That was just 3 weeks ago, but I guess the fear of Obama reinstating the 1994 Clinton Ban has them all dried up??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shooterbenedetto Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 I bought the kit and still sent the same mags to Howard to be tuned. Save the 100.00 and just wait for them to be turned around you will not be sorry. I'm currently tuning mags right now and making them work!! Just tuned an SPS 170 38 super and works great! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colt Posted January 3, 2009 Share Posted January 3, 2009 I think Phil meant that his work is slow . I don't think he meant Howard is slow. Save some $$$ till work picks up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flexmoney Posted January 3, 2009 Share Posted January 3, 2009 Guys...cheers for Howard, but this thread is asking about the kit from Dawson. Lets keep it on track. - Admin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yoshidaex Posted January 3, 2009 Share Posted January 3, 2009 Kit works good for feed lip adjustment, making the mags drop free and tools to tweak how the spring "should" compress while in a mag. As for getting extra rounds, i'd send it off to Howard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Dame Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 What kind of capacity do you get afterwards? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shootingchef Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 it's not about capacity as much as it's about fit. I bought the kit, learned more from the DVD. checked my mags, tuned them and it's made a difference in performance. I found out how important the feed lips are and how different they are when they come off the assembly line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John2A Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 it's not about capacity as much as it's about fit. I bought the kit, learned more from the DVD. checked my mags, tuned them and it's made a difference in performance. I found out how important the feed lips are and how different they are when they come off the assembly line. I agree. I have had a couple that were tuned and have been dropped 100 times and were starting to get out of shape. Learned a lot about the measurements of the lips and tube. But I am sure that there is more to tuning the mags than that. With an STI tube I went from 19 reloadable to 20 with the Bolens Springs and base pads. Mags work 100% but there has to be more to it than what is shown on the video. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boz1911 Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 it's not about capacity as much as it's about fit. I bought the kit, learned more from the DVD. checked my mags, tuned them and it's made a difference in performance. I found out how important the feed lips are and how different they are when they come off the assembly line. I agree. I have had a couple that were tuned and have been dropped 100 times and were starting to get out of shape. Learned a lot about the measurements of the lips and tube. But I am sure that there is more to tuning the mags than that. With an STI tube I went from 19 reloadable to 20 with the Bolens Springs and base pads. Mags work 100% but there has to be more to it than what is shown on the video. I agree, I've stumbled across one for sure trying to make a 170 mag fit the gauge...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CenTX Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 The Dawson tuning kit is for function, it's for making your mags reliable. The the tuning kit does not and is not intended to add capacity to your mags, you might gain a round, but you can't count on it. If you want capacity you need to go to the tuners that have learned how to bend, tweak and manipulate the mags to squeeze out the extra round or two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scott e Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 The Dawson tuning kit is for function, it's for making your mags reliable. The the tuning kit does not and is not intended to add capacity to your mags, you might gain a round, but you can't count on it.If you want capacity you need to go to the tuners that have learned how to bend, tweak and manipulate the mags to squeeze out the extra round or two. You can tune them yourself. I have found that my guns run with the feed lips, front and back, set at .395" +/- .005". Get grams spring and followers with a Dawson base pad and they will hold 20 rounds. When you have the funds get one tuned that holds 21 rounds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmitchl Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 Any more feedback on the Dawson Mag Tuning Kit now that it's been available a little longer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HI5-O Posted April 11, 2009 Share Posted April 11, 2009 Any more feedback on the Dawson Mag Tuning Kit now that it's been available a little longer? "Tuned" my practice/local club match mags since 3 of the 5 wouldn't drop free. With the kit, I was able to adjust them to drop free and feed reliably. The DVD mentioned 'slow to rise rounds' and said it has to do with the side-to-side measurements but never goes into how that's fixed. The kit does what it advertises to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShooterSteve Posted April 12, 2010 Share Posted April 12, 2010 I got the same results as scott e. Got the kit for Christmas, and tuned all the mags for my Edge. I get 20 rounds and all mags are reloadable. I used STI 140 tubes, Grams spring and follower with a Dawson pad. There is good information on the DVD and I learned a lot. To tune the mags, it doesn't take rocket science, BUT, you will get more rounds in them if you send them out. If I had to do it all over, I would do it again. I learned a lot, and that means something to me. If you like doing stuff yourself, and learning about how your stuff works, you will probably like the kit. If you want maximum rounds, and you don't care how it works, I'd just buy them allready done. One thing I may do, is spring for ONE built mag, and save it just for when I need it. Right now at 20+1, I'm good for most stages, and can fit a reload in somewhere that it doesn't hurt me, so is it worth the $$ for one more round? That will be up to you. One more thing, Dave Dawson told me personally, not to use Bolen guts in a STI tube, as they will get hung up uder the dimpled vertical rails. You need SV tubes for that-if you are wanting max round count. One very important thing to add..my Edge has not even burped once since I tuned the mags. It has run slick as snot. (if I just jinxed it I'll be pissed, and it will all be your fault) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmitchl Posted April 16, 2010 Share Posted April 16, 2010 I bought the Dawson kit also. Shooter Steve pretty much summarized my experience. My 140mm tubes ran fine right out of the box but I had problems with the 126mm tubes. It got to the point that I could either work on mags or shoot. I ended up sending them to Bobby at Freedom to get the professional touch. Keep in mind that getting a gun to run involves more than just the mags. Ammo OAL and a number of other things enter the picture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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