Dummy (heavy) magazine for dry shooting and drawing practice? - XDTalk Forums - Your HS2000/SA-XD Information Source!

mongoose33 · 06-11-2008, 06:30 AM

I've done a lot of dry shooting and practice drawing with my empty Service 9mm but would like to do it with a dummy magazine that weighs what a fully-loaded 16-round magazine does.

I suppose I could take a low-cap magazine and fill it with enough lead weight to make it approximate a normal fully-loaded magazine, but wondered if there's an easier way to do this I haven't thought of.

TIA!

M.

**AZXD** · 06-11-2008, 06:41 AM

The first thing that comes to mind would be to make a mold that would allow you to cast a weight and put that in the magazine. Just take the base plate off, and spring out. Then put the weight in and the base plate back on minus the spring.

If you wanted to get real fancy, you could cast a few bullets by just filling some empty shells with lead and rounding the top off to approximate the rounded end of a bullet. They'd weigh more by being filled with lead, so you might even be able to load, and use them like a snap cap, or put a few snap caps on top of them.

Simulating the weight of a loaded magazine ... Interesting idea!!!

rgeliske · 06-11-2008, 07:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mongoose33

I've done a lot of dry shooting and practice drawing with my empty Service 9mm but would like to do it with a dummy magazine that weighs what a fully-loaded 16-round magazine does.

I suppose I could take a low-cap magazine and fill it with enough lead weight to make it approximate a normal fully-loaded magazine, but wondered if there's an easier way to do this I haven't thought of.

TIA!

M.

Don't want to seem critical but why would you want to practice with a full magazine? Hopefully when you change magazines they with be empty first.

tomfoolery · 06-11-2008, 08:06 AM

i say nothing beats the real thing....if you'r are reoader just load some rounds minus the powder and primer. Brass and the bullet will be extremely close to actual weight. Without powder or a primer you can safely dry fire also.

propellerhead · 06-11-2008, 09:55 AM

Why don't you just try out some IDPA and do real reloads while shooting?

tomfoolery · 06-11-2008, 09:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by propellerhead

Why don't you just try out some IDPA and do real reloads while shooting?

also a great suggestion....

jkw_XD · 06-11-2008, 10:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tomfoolery

i say nothing beats the real thing....if you'r are reoader just load some rounds minus the powder and primer. Brass and the bullet will be extremely close to actual weight. Without powder or a primer you can safely dry fire also.

Just be sure you KNOW which rounds are in the gun.
1- You would not want to shoot something or someone on accident by thinking you were using fake rounds.
2 - In a defense situation, you would not want the fake rounds to be in the gun by mistake!

Just my 2 cents.. Be sure to mark those rounds in some fashion that you know for sure they are NOT live rounds.

ScottyT · 06-11-2008, 10:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jkw_XD

Be sure to mark those rounds in some fashion that you know for sure they are NOT live rounds.

Drill out the brass like with MilSurp dummy rounds?

JBHorne · 06-11-2008, 10:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by propellerhead

Why don't you just try out some IDPA and do real reloads while shooting?

Yeah this would be my first suggestion as well.

You could always purchase 16 snap caps. They are lighter then real ammo, but I think they would come up close (especially the solid type, not the plastic ones).

mongoose33 · 06-11-2008, 03:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jkw_XD

Just be sure you KNOW which rounds are in the gun.
1- You would not want to shoot something or someone on accident by thinking you were using fake rounds.
2 - In a defense situation, you would not want the fake rounds to be in the gun by mistake!

Just my 2 cents.. Be sure to mark those rounds in some fashion that you know for sure they are NOT live rounds.

What I had in mind was permanently modifying a lowcap magazine by putting lead weight in it or some such, and then marking black plastic part on the bottom with orange paint or tape or some such to clearly identify it as a dummy magazine.

I'm a little leery of using fake rounds or something else to simulate the weight, for the obvious reasons as you've indicated above.

AZXD above has an interesting idea, casting a lead weight of some sort I could just put in the magazine sans spring. It wouldn't burn up a magazine permanently, either. I have some lead rod I could do that with, perhaps creating a lead slug of some sort and wrapping it with felt or some such to create a friction fit in the mag.

M.

06-11-2008, 06:30 AM	#1
mongoose33 XDTalk 500 Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 878	Dummy (heavy) magazine for dry shooting and drawing practice? I've done a lot of dry shooting and practice drawing with my empty Service 9mm but would like to do it with a dummy magazine that weighs what a fully-loaded 16-round magazine does. I suppose I could take a low-cap magazine and fill it with enough lead weight to make it approximate a normal fully-loaded magazine, but wondered if there's an easier way to do this I haven't thought of. TIA! M. __________________ . Occam's Razor: If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's a duck.

06-11-2008, 06:41 AM	#2
AZXD XDTalk 15K Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Valley of the GUN Posts: 17,737	The first thing that comes to mind would be to make a mold that would allow you to cast a weight and put that in the magazine. Just take the base plate off, and spring out. Then put the weight in and the base plate back on minus the spring. If you wanted to get real fancy, you could cast a few bullets by just filling some empty shells with lead and rounding the top off to approximate the rounded end of a bullet. They'd weigh more by being filled with lead, so you might even be able to load, and use them like a snap cap, or put a few snap caps on top of them. Simulating the weight of a loaded magazine ... Interesting idea!!! __________________ . . The ignorance of one voter in a democracy impairs the security of all. John F. Kennedy The very word 'secrecy' is repugnant in a free and open society; and we are as a people inherently and historically opposed to secret societies, to secret oaths, and to secret proceedings. John F. Kennedy *Birth Certificates are a "Reasonable"* Secret** So-called "reasonable gun control" measures will take us all to the day when the last single-shot shotgun that grandpa owned is cut into pieces.

06-11-2008, 08:06 AM	#4
tomfoolery XDTalk 5K Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Cincinnati Posts: 5,658	i say nothing beats the real thing....if you'r are reoader just load some rounds minus the powder and primer. Brass and the bullet will be extremely close to actual weight. Without powder or a primer you can safely dry fire also. __________________ "It is better to die on your feet than live on your knees." "One is none, two is one, and three is just a good time." Clint Smith, referring to the number of guns you carry daily.

06-11-2008, 09:55 AM	#5
propellerhead XDTalk 3K Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Foat Wurth, TX Posts: 3,653	Why don't you just try out some IDPA and do real reloads while shooting? __________________ XD-9 Tactical for IDPA, XD-40 Subcompact for concealed carry, XD-45 Service for home defense. Three models, three purposes, no compromises.

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