-
T3x Tac A1 magazine corrosion-how to remove the floorplate
So out of the 3 magazines I have for my new(er) Tikka T3x Tac A1 2 of them seem to not have a rust prohibitive coating like the other one. It doesn't matter how much I oil it. It acts like virgin/raw mild steel. So I have a friend that said he would cerakote all of them for free and I was stoked. Well then next came the disassembly of the magazines. Namely the removal of the floor plate. Oh dang, rivets! For real!? So using some real high tech tooling 😮 (3/32 and 1/8″ drill bit,rubber mallet,cordless drill,needle nose pliers and an 1/8″ punch) I was able to remove the rivets without any damage to the magazine or the floor plate. First remove the follower and spring by sliding it up and forward till the front of the follower clears the magazine well. Then carefully cock one edge of the follower down till it clears the magazine lip and the follower and spring will now come out. First carefully drill the rivet from the outside with just a little pressure (finesse is key here,you're not drilling 1″ hardened steel) on the 3/32 bit till it goes all the way through. Don't force it and use a new/sharp bit. Then drill the 3/32″ hole you just made with the 1/8″ drill bit till the rivet starts spinning in the housing. If the rivet starts spinning while your drilling it with the 3/32 bit simply use some needle nose pliers to hold the inside part of the rivet while you drill it from the outside. Stop drilling as soon as it spins.. At this point you'll notice the outer part of the rivet will stay on the bit. Now with a rubber mallet give the floor plate a slight bump toward the front of the magazine. This will free up the remaining body that is left of the rivet. Then tap the floor plate back toward the rear of the magazine and put it flat on its side with what remains of the rivet facing up toward you and lay it on a table or bed or whatever you got to support it. Then take the 1/8″ punch and tap the remaining part of the rivet into the magazine. You shouldn't have to “hammer” on the punch, just a couple light taps. If it doesn't come out with a couple taps then you need to drill it out a bit more with the 1/8″ drill bit. Do the same on the other side. Then slide the floor plate forward to free it from the magazine. I have tons of stainless steel button head screws and low profile nyloc nuts that will take the place of the old rivets perfectly and still clear the follower when fully suppressed in the magazine. So here it is apart in case anybody else wants to venture into the magazine “custom” modifications realm. Not a fan a rivets anyhow and with stainless steel hardware I can easily service it if ever needed. I'll post some pics after my buddy finished cerakoting them. Just FYI for those interested.
-
2 Replies
-
Just made a short video of how to remove the follower. Yea, I'm pretty bored today. 😛
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=DysIMeQjYP0&feature=youtu.be -
Got em back but got delayed by other projects. So the nyloc hex nuts are a no go. I made a video of one put back together. Went with a Phillips head machine screw because a Phillips screwdriver is easier to roundup out in the field and the fasteners came in the package with black epoxy paint. Looks good. Just had to take a little off the machine screws to clear the follower. Angle the right rear most part of the follower by taking a little material off. A little dab of blue loctite and it's good to go. Enjoy!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iKh-F_sUlcI
8)
Log in to reply.