VIETNAM FIELD MODIFIED (EXTENDED) MAGAZINES?

[HOOKED ON HISTORY]

I was watching a documentary on Vietnam and the attached frame caught my eye.
Is there any documentation or anecdotal evidence that there were standard magazines spliced to make a high capacity magazine? The photo looks to me to be such.
To long for 20 or 30 in appearance.

Information

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[HOOKED ON HISTORY]

Any opinions on the length of the mag and the apparent splice point in the
photo?

[browningautorifle]

Yes, it looks to be two twenties spotted together. Yes, aluminum can be welded...then there's the M14 mags.

Quote the caption... "I saw an AK-47 while in Vietnam and it had a 30 round magazine. So I cut the top and bottom off of a couple of M-14 Magazines and welded them together and made a “40” Round magazine for my M-14. It really didn’t work very well when test firing it, several of the last rounds would not chamber with only two springs. So I put “three” springs into the magazine, but then I could only load a little over 30 rounds. There just wasn’t enough room for three springs and 40 Full Metal Jacket rounds in that magazine. I sure received some strange looks while walking around with my 40 round magazine. " -Larry Hilton, the marine pictured.

[RCS]

Using 20 rd magazines attached together is both awkward in the field and not dependable and in the same class as the AK/M16 franken magazines -

[Paul S.]

We found that the 20 rd. mags fit into the 5.56 bandolier pockets. We then cut the strap at mid-point and tied them as a belt around out waists under our regular webbing. This padded the webbing and gave us an instant back up to the mags carried in our ammo pouches. Personally, I liked the 20 rd. mags.

[browningautorifle]

magazines attached together is both awkward in the field and not dependable

I agree, plus when you lose them you've lost two. Probably one loaded and one partly loaded at least...

Personally, I liked the 20 rd. mags.

Yes, 20s were handy.

[Daan Kemp]

Don't know about M14 mags. FAL 30 round mags worked well but after some hundred rounds, the bullets made dimples in the front of the magazine from the inertia during firing. Caused cartridges to hang up and not feed. Quick taps with the hammer cured that, but it kept repeating. Of course, shooting hundreds of rounds per session might have been causing the dimples. Never had such a problem with the same number of rounds through 20 shot magazines, not enough inertia with the shorter mags.

During movement the length of the straight magazine also caught on lots of things if you weren't careful, and prone shooting didn't work.

[HOOKED ON HISTORY]

I with a Vietnam era Marine who verified he had seen this done in country.

[HOOKED ON HISTORY]

I with a Vietnam era Marine who verified he had seen this done in country.

Was with. I have to start proof reading.

[Brit plumber]

Don't know about M14 mags. FAL 30 round mags worked well but after some hundred rounds, the bullets made dimples in the front of the magazine from the inertia during firing. Caused cartridges to hang up and not feed. Quick taps with the hammer cured that, but it kept repeating. Of course, shooting hundreds of rounds per session might have been causing the dimples. Never had such a problem with the same number of rounds through 20 shot magazines, not enough inertia with the shorter mags.

During movement the length of the straight magazine also caught on lots of things if you weren't careful, and prone shooting didn't work.

The Mk1 Bren magazine had the same issue and if you can find a very rare Mk1 mag, they usually display dents to the front. The Mk2 mag (Or Moded Mk1*) had a an auxiliary spring at the front which stopped the forward movement of the rounds.