Mag Followers and Floor Plates

Basement Command · August 24, 2005, 12:52

Hi.

Have picked up a few Inch and Metric FAL magazines at gun shows recently and am thinking of retrofitting these with US made Mag Followers and Floor Plates. Do those parts just pop out and in or does one have to do anything more elaborate to get the old ones out and the new ones in? Also, have seen a few US floor plates for sale but not followers. Wondering if anyone can point me to a source for the followers?

Thanks,
Tom

Rooster · August 24, 2005, 12:55

They are pretty much pop-in, pop-out . For followers try www. falconarms.com

Basement Command · August 24, 2005, 14:35

Thanks Rooster. Great link, great site. Falcon Arms will be hearing from me soon.

danimal · August 24, 2005, 18:41

make sure you look at the items carefully!
there is a great deal there just for us FALers
buy the follower and get the base plate free!
TWO US compliance parts for the price of one

Basement Command · August 25, 2005, 12:34

Alright. Ten metric mag floorplate/follower combos from falcon arms on their way. Also found some Inch floorplates at WWW.HEDDONPAL.COM. These are actually not so much for compliance with my current fals, which do not need them, as to give me some obvious exposed compliance parts for all my mags. This offers greater freedom for future kit/gun buys so I can keep more of the original gun parts. If all my mags have two compliance parts, I can use old wood stocks & etc...

want2race · August 30, 2005, 15:13

Similar story. Found some FAL mags at a gun show (aluminum, cheap enough to try them out). I also have a few steel and I bought new floor plates and followers for all my mags.

I have issues with the followers. The part that protrudes out to contact the bolt hold open isn't big enough, doesn't stick out far enough. The first mag I inserted got stuck. The bolt hold open wedged itself against the follower. Instead of riding on top of the "shelf" and pushing the hold open up, it just wedged against it. This happened with all mags, aluminium and steel. I worked on the hold open, lengthening the pin that contacts the follower, that worked with the empty mag but then it contacted the base of the round with loaded mags. I took the pin out completely and decided to run without the hold open, a la HK MP5/HK33. I can still lock the bolt manually, but the bolt is closed after the last round. I can train myself around that, but I can't train around an empty mag locking up in the receiver (actually you can, go to 2nd weapon).

I haven't worked on modifying the floor plates yet. The "shelf" on the Falcons I got are a different style. The part that contacts the hold open is half-round shaped and punched out from the back of the follower (best way to describe it, think of a cross section of speed bump, vertical up the back of the follower). The style of my one mag that worked was more of a true shelf, three cuts (3,6 and 9 O'clock) and the metal was folded up to form the shelf.

I love the Alum. mags too. I bought half of the stack he had on the table.

S

Basement Command · August 31, 2005, 16:34

want2race... Are you saying the Falconarms followers were giving you the bolt hold-open trouble?

want2race · August 31, 2005, 17:49

Yeah. I forget to put the name in my post. My rifle is out getting some barrel work so I can't mess with it right now. I'm going to try and punch out the shelf a little bit. Hopefully I can get a little more contact.

S

Basement Command · August 31, 2005, 18:29

Did a search since my last post and came up with the following thread.

Falcon Made in USA Magazine Followers:

http://www.falfiles.com/forums/showt...ghlight=falcon

It seems that the overall reputation of the falconarms followers is quite good, but one or two folks have seen the same thing with the bolt hold open problem you descibe. The key message from the above thread is this:

"I was able to duplicate your problem with respect to the hold open. On the two tabs in the front of the follower try bending them in a bit so the follower is more level. I was able to remedy the problem."

You may be able to keep your hold-open functionality. Not that it is any big deal if you don't. I don't find myself at a loss as to what to do when I empty a mag with my inch gun. As for my own followers and plates, still in the package waiting for me to get after them. I was planning to just sit down and do the lot of them at once, but now I may just mess with one or two and take the rifle down to the range with them and a couple unmodified mags for a control set and see how I did. May take a few days/weeks to get to as I am busy with other hobbies too, though maybe I can modify a couple mags in front of the TV during the California NASCAR race Sunday night.

want2race · September 01, 2005, 06:45

Wow, I'm glad he didn't go after my post like that. I was merely stating my situation (just like in the other thread), not bad mouthing Falcon. I am happy with what I got as well, and mine were not rusty at all. They came in very good condition with a film of goo (technical term) inside the plastic baggie.

The bolt hold open issue was minor compared to having US parts at a great price.

Thanks for the link.

S

August 24, 2005, 12:52	#1
Basement Command Registered FALaholic #: 17950 Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 31	Mag Followers and Floor Plates Hi. Have picked up a few Inch and Metric FAL magazines at gun shows recently and am thinking of retrofitting these with US made Mag Followers and Floor Plates. Do those parts just pop out and in or does one have to do anything more elaborate to get the old ones out and the new ones in? Also, have seen a few US floor plates for sale but not followers. Wondering if anyone can point me to a source for the followers? Thanks, Tom

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August 24, 2005, 12:55	#2
Rooster Banned (Temp) FALaholic #: 9328 Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: US Posts: 4,868	They are pretty much pop-in, pop-out . For followers try www. falconarms.com

August 24, 2005, 14:35	#3
Basement Command Registered FALaholic #: 17950 Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 31	Thanks Rooster. Great link, great site. Falcon Arms will be hearing from me soon.

August 24, 2005, 18:41	#4
danimal Registered FALaholic #: 9560 Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 420	make sure you look at the items carefully! there is a great deal there just for us FALers buy the follower and get the base plate free! TWO US compliance parts for the price of one

August 25, 2005, 12:34	#5
Basement Command Registered FALaholic #: 17950 Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 31	Alright. Ten metric mag floorplate/follower combos from falcon arms on their way. Also found some Inch floorplates at WWW.HEDDONPAL.COM. These are actually not so much for compliance with my current fals, which do not need them, as to give me some obvious exposed compliance parts for all my mags. This offers greater freedom for future kit/gun buys so I can keep more of the original gun parts. If all my mags have two compliance parts, I can use old wood stocks & etc...

August 30, 2005, 15:13	#6
want2race Registered FALaholic #: 11481 Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 75	Similar story. Found some FAL mags at a gun show (aluminum, cheap enough to try them out). I also have a few steel and I bought new floor plates and followers for all my mags. I have issues with the followers. The part that protrudes out to contact the bolt hold open isn't big enough, doesn't stick out far enough. The first mag I inserted got stuck. The bolt hold open wedged itself against the follower. Instead of riding on top of the "shelf" and pushing the hold open up, it just wedged against it. This happened with all mags, aluminium and steel. I worked on the hold open, lengthening the pin that contacts the follower, that worked with the empty mag but then it contacted the base of the round with loaded mags. I took the pin out completely and decided to run without the hold open, a la HK MP5/HK33. I can still lock the bolt manually, but the bolt is closed after the last round. I can train myself around that, but I can't train around an empty mag locking up in the receiver (actually you can, go to 2nd weapon). I haven't worked on modifying the floor plates yet. The "shelf" on the Falcons I got are a different style. The part that contacts the hold open is half-round shaped and punched out from the back of the follower (best way to describe it, think of a cross section of speed bump, vertical up the back of the follower). The style of my one mag that worked was more of a true shelf, three cuts (3,6 and 9 O'clock) and the metal was folded up to form the shelf. I love the Alum. mags too. I bought half of the stack he had on the table. S

August 31, 2005, 16:34	#7
Basement Command Registered FALaholic #: 17950 Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 31	want2race... Are you saying the Falconarms followers were giving you the bolt hold-open trouble?

August 31, 2005, 17:49	#8
want2race Registered FALaholic #: 11481 Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 75	Yeah. I forget to put the name in my post. My rifle is out getting some barrel work so I can't mess with it right now. I'm going to try and punch out the shelf a little bit. Hopefully I can get a little more contact. S

August 31, 2005, 18:29	#9
Basement Command Registered FALaholic #: 17950 Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 31	Did a search since my last post and came up with the following thread. Falcon Made in USA Magazine Followers: http://www.falfiles.com/forums/showt...ghlight=falcon It seems that the overall reputation of the falconarms followers is quite good, but one or two folks have seen the same thing with the bolt hold open problem you descibe. The key message from the above thread is this: "I was able to duplicate your problem with respect to the hold open. On the two tabs in the front of the follower try bending them in a bit so the follower is more level. I was able to remedy the problem." You may be able to keep your hold-open functionality. Not that it is any big deal if you don't. I don't find myself at a loss as to what to do when I empty a mag with my inch gun. As for my own followers and plates, still in the package waiting for me to get after them. I was planning to just sit down and do the lot of them at once, but now I may just mess with one or two and take the rifle down to the range with them and a couple unmodified mags for a control set and see how I did. May take a few days/weeks to get to as I am busy with other hobbies too, though maybe I can modify a couple mags in front of the TV during the California NASCAR race Sunday night.

September 01, 2005, 06:45	#10
want2race Registered FALaholic #: 11481 Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 75	Wow, I'm glad he didn't go after my post like that. I was merely stating my situation (just like in the other thread), not bad mouthing Falcon. I am happy with what I got as well, and mine were not rusty at all. They came in very good condition with a film of goo (technical term) inside the plastic baggie. The bolt hold open issue was minor compared to having US parts at a great price. Thanks for the link. S