Rebuild LCM for one gun into LCM for another gun

[NotEnufGarage]

Can I do this? I have a bunch of 30 round Mini-14 mags from the 1990's that I hardly use anymore. Can I legally rebuild them with AR-15 30 round kits and use them in a featureless build? I think the bottom plates, springs and followers are identical.

[NapaCountyShooter]

I believe they still have to function in the gun they were originally designed for.

[bwiese]

They still need to function as Mini14 mags.

If all you had to do was cut a mag catch hole in the AR15 location for it, you'd be fine but I think it's more complicated conversion than that.

In 1980s, Ram Line ("Jam Line"), as I seem to recall, made a dual-function Mini14/AR15 magazine. One end of the tube was for AR, the other end of the mag was for Mini14, and you had a cap covering the unused end for protection of lips and to stop entry of dust/dirt.

[ClarenceBoddicker]

During the AWB days (1994-2004) ATF claimed that the hi cap mag you wanted to mod to fit another gun, had to still fit (work?) in the original gun it was made for. I don't think the work in part would be enforceable, because many aftermarket mags don't even work in the guns they were made to fit.

Has CA DOJ ever had a ruling or letter about that? I'm sure if you found someone in DOJ to ask, you would get the standard BS line: "that's up to the local DA's to decide". I guess you would have to send letter to all of the DA's in CA to get a "legal" answer.

IMO, until CA requires registration & taxation of grandfathered pre 2000 hi caps in CA, they are only concerned with people making, or importing them, not modding the existing ones. What will your local LEO agency charge you to engrave a SN on your mags for registration?

[bwiese]

During the AWB days (1994-2004) ATF claimed that the hi cap mag you wanted to mod to fit another gun, had to still fit (work?) in the original gun it was made for. I don't think the work in part would be enforceable, because many aftermarket mags don't even work in the guns they were made to fit.

Yeah, but you should regard it as enforceable, and you were probably dealing with crap ("USA", "ProMag", etc.) magazines rushed out in high volume before 1994.
[/QUOTE]


Being congruent with past Fed standards/guidelines is helpful.

From a logical standpoint, retention of original functionality in original gun is key to avoiding "you made a new magazine" drama. This way the mag can't be argued as losing "hicapness".

The above is also applicable if it's a lowcap 10rd mag being misapplied in another caliber application (a 10rd 40S&W mag holding 13 rounds of 9mm). One should not destroy the 'locapness' original function.