HK SL8/243/G36 FAQ, Mods, And Info
- Thread starter polskadude
- Start date
Here are some info:
- You can notch the PMAGs to fit the SL8-4 and -5 but not the factory one because of the material, factory is plastic
- The last batch of imported PMAGs have a butcher PIN job, the person who did it, pinned the follower, must have pushed it down while pinning (?) and it feeds 7 or 8 rounds. You have to drill the rivet out and repin with proper long rivets., the hole is the same. I prefer internal pinning.
- You can notch the PMAGs to fit the SL8-4 and -5 but not the factory one because of the material, factory is plastic
- The last batch of imported PMAGs have a butcher PIN job, the person who did it, pinned the follower, must have pushed it down while pinning (?) and it feeds 7 or 8 rounds. You have to drill the rivet out and repin with proper long rivets., the hole is the same. I prefer internal pinning.
If you get the SL8 you can purchase the G36 Magpul pmags and do a very easy and quick modification to the mag so it will work in the SL8. I have tried it and it works.
Here is the link from the other thread.
Please check out the photos in post 45. https://www.canadiangunnutz.com/foru...in-stock/page5
It shows you exactly where to Dremel your G36 pmags to fit your SL8. The mags fit nice and tight and the bolt locks back. I would like to thanks Brian46 for posting this excellent tip. No need to alter your SL8 magwell at all.
My wife used her Dremel to notch the Pmags and they work great. No issues feeding or having the bolt stay open after the last round.
Here is the link from the other thread.
Please check out the photos in post 45. https://www.canadiangunnutz.com/foru...in-stock/page5
It shows you exactly where to Dremel your G36 pmags to fit your SL8. The mags fit nice and tight and the bolt locks back. I would like to thanks Brian46 for posting this excellent tip. No need to alter your SL8 magwell at all.
My wife used her Dremel to notch the Pmags and they work great. No issues feeding or having the bolt stay open after the last round.
Thanks Nitroxace... I am gonna try this but have to find the G36 Magpul mags. Where did you get yours?
BTW, yesterday afternoon was a very RARE time where my oldest son came to the club/range with me. We brought donuts and timbits for the guys who were still there but my son didn't have to work and his girlfriend was out of town so it was a nice pre-Christmas bonding time with his old man. Anyways, he has always seemed to be reluctant to shoot anything but a .22, even though he is MUCH bigger and taller than me...yesterday, I brought his obligatory .22s but also brought some other rifles/shotguns he has not shot before, including the SL8. After spending way too much time (for my liking) shooting the GSG-16, I suggested he try the SL8. He lifted it and said "yikes, this thing is heavy". Then he was sheepishly asking me about whether it was loud and whether it had much recoil. I told him I don't really notice the noise anymore and the recoil is not bad at all (last .223/5.56 he shot was my WK last year and he HATED it - said it was noisy, which it was as a had a Lantac Dragon MB on it).
Anyways, he said "is it like that other rifle?" (WK). I said don't know, why don't you find out. After showing him how to operate it and taking 5 shots myself (which he viewed through the spotting scope and said I did pretty good offhand), I handed the rifle to him and he loaded it and took several shots. He said it was "awesome" and then proceeded to load more mags and kept shooting the SL8, until literally all my boxes of .223 ammo that I brought were gone. I had presumed he would only try it, not take a liking to it. At the end of the day, after trying all the rifles I had brought he said that the SL8 was far and away the best rifle he not only shot that day, but ever. He liked it even more than the GSG and said it was comfortable to handle, fun to shoot and "looks bad***" (his words) - I don't know what that means but assume it is a compliment.
He told me if/when he returns to the club shooting with me, I must bring the SL8.
r34skyline
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Are you by any chance looking to adopt a second son? Will bring my own factory 223/556.
Not sure who told you that the SL8-4 is single stack, but you may not want to buy from that establishment, as they are wrong. The SL8-4 includes a double stack magazine, blocked to 5 rounds. I have an SL8-4 and a bunch of spare SL8 magazines, all of which are double stack.
I am not sure about the SL8-5, but I would presume they are double stack as well, but perhaps someone with one can confirm.
If I remember right, only the US versions are the single stack. The Canadian versions are the double stack, albeit limited to 5.
r34skyline
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
The SL8-4 and -5 are both equipped with double stack magazine well, the SL8-1 and -6 are the single stack variants. The single stack guns also have a SL8 specific bolt where the double stack guns have a G36 bolt.
The SL8-4 have the shorter rail, the SL8-5 has the full length top rail, other than that they are the same.
No, the Sl8-4 and SL8-5 are basically the same rifle, except the top rail. The magazines are double stack, same as the G36 but the magwell on the G36 is different. The bolt is different on the US versions and feed from a single stack magazine versions -1 and -6. You can read it up:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heckler_&_Koch_SL8
Dealers in Canada are selling the single stack magazine version, what a bummer, somebody must have tricked them. Maybe that's the error the SFRC employee makes because of this. TNA had a SL-6 for sale, this one needs single stack mags, not sure if they sold it. Many US owners modify their rifles to allow for double stack, so unlike many times with US versions, double stack is more desirable.
The G36 Magpul magazines can be converted to fit the -4 and -5 versions, some people just grind out the magwell notches on both sides to make the G36 magazines fit. I did not want to do that.
I sold some modified Magpul magazines on here last week and have some more coming, probably selling some.
Don't try modifying the original G36 magazines, they are plastic and you most likely will ruin them.
I really don't understand the reluctance to grind out the "anti-normal-magazine-tabs" in the SL-8 Receiver so that it will accept standard G36 mags and G36 PMags. It literally takes 5 minutes with a dremel or a sharp chisel to shave off the Tabs at the front end of the Magazine Well to open it up fully. Why ruin a bunch of $75 mags (or $40 PMags) when you can just remove 2 small tabs from the receiver? Just remove the Magaeine Well and have at 'em. Easy, Peasey, and problem permanently solved. SL8 mags will contintue to function normally in the modified Receiver, along with the aforementioned G36 mags and G36 PMags.
So why all the reluctance to remove those 2 small tabs? Why the willingness to butcher all of your mags instead??
So why all the reluctance to remove those 2 small tabs? Why the willingness to butcher all of your mags instead??
No kidding Mark. I had those suckers removed 5 minutes after receiving my rifle. Once done you never have to think about it again. Yet folks would rather butcher every mag they have which often looks quite ugly. You can't even see the mod once done to the rifle.
Cheers
Moe
Not exactly 5 minutes, lol. I found that most people are frightened by the idea to use a dremel. We are living in a world where people don't even change the oil in their car anymore.
But I find it even funnier that no dealer in Canada even has magazines, not even Pmags. And telling people the single stack magazine works. I wonder what they will do with all their single stack mags?
Every time I buy a new rifle, the hunt for magazines starts. I am getting so tired of it. Or you are buying a $400 gun and a second magazine cost you $60. Every rifle should come with at least 2 magazines.
Agree completely. I bought a Tikka T3x TAC A1 earlier this year. Unfortunately it uses the same magazines as the CTR. I say unfortunately because they are over $200 EACH when tax is factored in. In the US the TAC A1s came with 2 magazines with a coupon to be redeemed for a third. We only get a single mag in Canada and extra mags are cost prohibitive.
At $89.99 for each of the HK SL8 mags, they aren't exactly cheap either. Surprised a third party like Magpul haven't yet created a 100% compatible cheaper option.
r34skyline
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
The market is incredibly small, if you hadn’t noticed while magpul makes excllent mags, they only make mags for super popular guns like the AR, the AK, Glocks, G36 etc. The SL8 is a fairly uncommon gun in the big scope, and to add to that the US models use different mags. So now there are 2 variants. Doesn’t make much financial sense
