[Slick]

I live in California (for at least the next few months to a year or so) and have an Ohio ?rapid-fire? on the way to me.

CA has a ?high-cap? mag ban that makes it illegal to acquire NEW magazines that hold more than 10 rounds. I want to stay within legal guidelines of the state (no matter how stupid they are), because I will be leaving soon enough.

My question involves, How is the BEST way to go about loading 10 rounds strips of ammo? I?ve been told that cloth belts are much ?kinder? to the 1919a4?s action and would prefer to use them. However, I don?t own a ?linker? and pushing rounds into cut-up pieces of cloth belt is HARD work!

I?ve decided that for as much shooting as I?ll probably do in the next year, that metal links are the way to go. I?m thinking that loading strips of 8 or 9 rounds and keeping these strips in an ammo can (along with some loose rounds) would work best. My thought is that I could shoot until there?s one link exposed and use a loose round to attach another strip to bring it back up to 10 rounds would be the best way to go. This way I could avoid having to start a ?new? belt after each 10 rounds are fired.

I?m sorry to ask such a ?lame? question, but regardless of whether or not the laws are ?stupid?, I have absolutely NO intention of doing anything that could put and end to my passion for shooting? My goal is to stay totally legal, while I?m still in this state and am greatly looking forward to the day when I can leave. But until then, I?m gonna mind the letter of the law. I might mention that I am an employee of the state government (but not an LEO) so I can only possess the hi-cap mags that I acquired prior to 1989. My employment status is contingent to adhering to laws of ?moral turpitude? and other misdemeanors ? and NOTHING is worth losing my job or freedom for.

So? Do any of you California 1919a4 shooters have any tips that might help me enjoy this gun more? I?ve considered having ?starter tabs? cut out and attaching them to 10 round strips of cloth belt, or using the link method I mentioned above. I just don?t know which is the best way to go.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts or information you may have to help me resolve this dilemma!!!

 

[slowfire]

I'm not in calif.......but I can give you some advice, if you are going to shoot with links, then invest the few bucks on a trunion protector, it will keep the links from digging into the trunion.

http://www.guiettemfg.com/catalog.html

as for connecting another 10 round belt to the last last link of the other belt while it's in the gun......you will find that trying to put a round in by hand is very difficult.........you would be better off firing the 10 rounds, then putting another 10 round belt in it.

 

[fal_762x51]

Use 9 links with a trunion protector.

 

[Slick]

Thanks for that link! I'll be getting a trunion protector post-haste.

I don't have this gun "in hand yet" due to shipping and a "10-day cooling-off period" but am trying to learn what I can. I didn't know how hard 1919a4 belts were to link/delink as I've only done M60 links (and they're easy as pie).

Given that I may be better off just loading 10 round belts, should I look for a way to use one of those "feeder tabs" or can it be done by hand? I have the end of a fabric belt and thought I might try having the feeder tabs made to clamp onto cut-off sections of fabric belt. I haven't tried loading 1919a4 metal link yet though, so I don't know which is worse on the fingers. Given the cost of a cloth belt linker vs. a steel linker, I'm leaning toward the steel links & trunion protector.

 

[slowfire]

should I look for a way to use one of those "feeder tabs" or can it be done by hand? .

those starter tabs, are if you want to load the belt into the gun without raising the feed cover.......it's up to you if you want to try it, I have found that looping a heavy duty plastic cable tie through a empty link works just as well as those 2 buck ea tabs.