SL8 magwell swap questions

Cerdan

Cerdan

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I got the AR magwell from Wolverine and it's not at all what I was expecting. The finish is poor and it fits so tightly on the receiver you have to mar your rifle just to get it on. Also, it's painted aluminum and just doesn't seem to match the look and feel of the SL8. So my question is: Is there a polymer AR15 magwell for the SL8?

Also, has anyone tried modifying their LAR-15 mags instead of the actual receiver? If at all possible, I'd rather put a dremel to a $40 mag than to a $2400 rifle.
 
Modify the SL-8.

Contact Jamie on the board if you are worried and have him do it. He will do it perfectly as well as the 6004 mod if you have one.

Don't worry about the "matching", I don't worry about mine at all. It's like trying to find gear to match when suppliers offer coyote, coyote brown, coyote tan, khaki, dark earth, tan etc. or ranger green, smoke green, sewer green and olive drab.

Get a little dirt on it and it's all the same color. ;)
 
Yeah thanks but I'll probably end up modding it myself. That said you skillfully avoided answering both my questions.

Where can I find a polymer alternative to the aluminum magwell sold by Wolverine? I know it exists, there's a picture of it in the SL8 sticky.

Has anyone successfully filed down an LAR-15 mag so it'll fit without modding the SL8 receiver?
 
That said you skillfully avoided answering both my questions.
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Practicing for politics ;)

Modding the mag shouldn't be hard except it could cause problems down the road for the mag itself. If it get banged around, it will bend with the corner taken out.

Taking out bits of the SL-8 causes no problems.

I do agree though that the mod wasn't all I expected either.
 
I believe if you "modify" the magazine, it will become prohibited.
A "factory magazine" designed for a "pistol" can be used (at 10 rnds) legally in a rifle...but, if you modify the mag, it is no longer "factory", and then must be pinned to 5.

Someone correct me if I am wrong.
 
Modifying the mag to fit in a mag well doesn't fall under modifying the mag to fit more than five or ten rounds.

It's simply taking a corner off to fit into a mag well.
 
Cerdan, I had the exact same experience. I ended up returning the magwell back to Wolverine and just getting 1 G36 mag. That Magwell is crap. Like you said, painted, fits way too tight, has sharp corners, and just doesn't match the SL8 quality or style. I have not been able to find the polymer version of the AR15 magwell conversion.
 
I believe that its Top Notch or Black Market Parts that makes a US made magwell out of plastic, however being of those makes, im not sure the quality would be any higher...

At least the Aluminum mag well is going to be rugged and tight fitting.
 
F22, I found those two companies when I did my homework before starting this thread. If they still make'em, they're no longer listed on their website... I'll give'em a call on Monday to see what's what.
 
Farmboy said:
Modifying the mag to fit in a mag well doesn't fall under modifying the mag to fit more than five or ten rounds.

It's simply taking a corner off to fit into a mag well.
Click to expand...

Correct, you are not modifing it from 5 to 10 round. But if you modify the mag, you now convert it from a pistol mag to a rifle mag. And therefor the 5 rounld limit is imposed.

Thats is how I understand it.
 
hmmm, I would've been tempted to agree with Farmboy's interpretation, seeing as it would remain a legal LAR-15 mag even if I ground the edges down, but given that it's a bit of a gray area and that modding the rifle is so straightforward, I think the choice is clear.
 
HERA is supposed to put out a "sleeve" that fits AR mags and makes them work in the SL8 magwell. The word a few months back is that they would be horribly expensive, since one per mag would be needed.

I agree with the magwell thing, I am thinking of modifying the current plastic magwell with permanent inserts.

Anybody know were a spare SL8 magwell can be had??
 
Cerdan, don't modify the mags, after all, you may want to use them in the AR-15 rifle. I bought that aluminum magwell conversion, installed it on the SL8 rifle, and had exactly the same problems - it took a ton of effort and bleeding fingers to slip the mags in and out, there were jams, the first round wouldn't feed properly, etc., etc.

All it took, was a visit to a gunsmith (albeit a very good one) who filed the tip of the magazine lock lever inside the magwell and filed about a millimeter of the plastic body of the rifle where the magazines touch the frame (all for 1 hr. work and $75 which is very reasonable and fair) and the problem was solved - the mags go in really smooth and actually fall down under their own weight when you push the mag release button on the HERA magwell. Considering everything, at least to me, now the purchase and installation of the HERA magwell on SL8 is worth it - I can shoot competition with the rifle at 10 rds. per mag instead of 5. Originally, though, without additional work and very minor mods to the magwell and the rifle, that HERA aluminum conversion magwell is crap.
 
The NEA Magwell will be available next week. It will not mar your SL8, is hard anodized and does not look like it came out of a high school machine shop.
 
The magwell that Wolverine sells, in my opinion, rubbish. But, I purchased it anyway, as there are no real alternatives. The magwell is solid, matte green, and performs well. However, it has it's issues. The two nubs in the receiver are easily removed with a dremel, and if you mar the receiver while you are at it, you can easily go down to your local Acklands-Grainger and pick up some Devcon Plastic Welder II for about 25$ and repair the damage (it is not a consumer product, and thus you must register as some sort of company with Acklands. "<yourlastname> plasticworking" is an easy name to use. Be nice to the people at Acklands, as they can ask you for documentation to prove that you are indeed not a consumer but a company, but are likely not to). This will allow the STANAG mags to fit into the receiver. You may have to file off some material from the insides of the "ears" of the magwell, else the fit will be impossible or very tight. The bolt-hold-open will most likely not work. Also, the magwell extends about one millimetre beyond the width of the receiver, so that's sort-of a downer too.

It is hoped that the magwell advertised by North Eastern Arms will resolve those issues by moving the mag back and up in the magwell, and the walls of the magwell will be thinner, and painted a matte black, and will also be at a price point less than the currently available solutions.
 
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A couple things, this is the first off so the machining is not as pretty as the parts will be as the first part is run at full speed just to test tooling and has not be hard anodized yet.

Notice the transition between the magwell and the gun, its smooth and looks like it was made for the gun. The the mag will now sit .055 further back in the well meaning you dont have to hack apart the innards as badly. On my gun i had to blend out .020 on the inside corners so the mag would drop in. You will also notice the pin that holds the mag release is now held captive via a blind hole and set screw.

The production parts will be off the machines Tuesday/tomorrow and clear of Hard Anodize by Friday. I expect to ship to dealers friday.


Next up on the machines will be the SL8 top rail.
 
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