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Thread: CARM Magazines and Loaders

  1. #1
    Boolit Buddy sandog's Avatar
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    CARM Magazines and Loaders

    I had not been following new developments in the airgun world until recently when I got back into it, and I've been hearing about CARM magazines.
    CARM stands for Custom Air Rifle Magazines, and are made by a Croatian airgunner named Darko Dell'Orco.
    He makes magazines and single shot loaders for just about every airgun made today.

    Everyone that has used CARM mags rave about them, so I ordered a couple along with one of his single shot loaders.
    I can agree with all the others, the CARM mags are easier to load, easier to get into the rifle, and lighter than the factory mags, which are aluminum.
    CARM mags are 3D printed plastic, but don't have a cheap feel to them.

    The factory magazines from Snow Peak, which is what my Stormrider and Dragonfly MK2 use, work fine but are a pain to load. You first have to
    rotate back the clear cover and hold it in place (spring loaded) flip the mag upside down and drop a pellet thru the hole skirt first.
    That will hold the spring tension in place. Then turn the mag back right side up and put in another 6 pellets nose first. (that's 7 rounds for .22 cal, .177 holds a couple more.)

    You cannot close the bolt on an empty mag. This is nice in one way, when you can no longer close the bolt you know the mag is empty.
    But you also cannot store the rifle with a mag in it, unless the mag is loaded. Close the bolt and you are chambering a pellet.
    And it takes some fiddling to line up the mag to get in to go into the gun.
    Also the magnets on the factory mags and SS loaders that hold them in place aren't the strongest.
    When loading a pellet sometimes I scoot the SS loader over and have to hold it in place while inserting the pellet.

    With CARM mags, you just rotate the knurled, colored part ( the ones I ordered are green) and insert 6 pellets nose first and start shooting.
    These mags hold one less than the factory rounds.
    He does include a note saying not to turn the rotor and then let the spring slam it against the stop, as the stop may be damaged.
    It makes sense, so don't load the spring and let it slam back.

    Darko does make high capacity mags for many rifles too.
    For the CP2/Chaser/Bandit/Stormrider/pr900w like I use, his Hi-cap mags hold 12 pellets in .22 and 14 in .177.
    These Hi-caps have a round profile instead of the teardrop shape of the standard capacity mags, so they are taller, and you will probably need high scope rings for the Hi-cap mag to clear underneath.

    My new mags go into the breech easier than the factory ones, no fiddling around. They fit in the slot as tight, but don't seem near as hard to line up to push in.
    And the magnets also seem to hold the mag in place better.

    The single shot loader I got is very cool. One of the things I dislike most about single loading a pellet is trying to keep it oriented correctly so you can close the bolt.
    I have a hard enough time handling .22 pellets, I have no desire to have to load the smaller .177.
    More often than not, I'll slip a pellet into the tray and it is pointing the right way to chamber, but as I pull my hand away, the pellet sticks to my fingers briefly and tips up or even completely flips around 180.

    The factory single shot tray also tends to not stay in place well when fingers are moving around near it loading the pellet.
    A stronger magnet would help.
    Also making single loading more difficult is having a scope right over the breech.

    The CARM flip out loader is slick. Push the tab down and the arm flips out, insert a pellet in the hole and close.
    The arm has two positions, barely open enough to get a pellet in the hole, and all the way out for easier access.


    Any of the products he sells are available in a half dozen colors. If you don't specify what colors you want in the comments box at checkout, he will just send random colors.
    I even saw a "night" version where the colored part of the mag was a glow-in-the -dark green.

    If you order, you'll get tracking that only helps inside Croatia. Once the package leaves Europe for New York, you'll not have any idea where it is until it shows up. Usually the order is sent out within 24 hours, and most get their package in 3 weeks or so.
    Mine was ordered November 9th and just came yesterday. I'm sure being closer to Christmas slowed things down, but expect your package to sit at customs in NY for a couple weeks.
    The customs sheet listed the shipped items as Sports Acc. 3D Printed Parts, Plastic. Sounds innocent enough.
    If they were marked "Custom High Capacity Rifle Magazine" they'd never get through Customs !

    Now that I've seen how nice these are, I'm gonna order a couple more.
    https://www.carm-magazines.com/carm-magazines.aspx
    Last edited by sandog; 12-26-2022 at 07:17 PM.

  2. #2
    Boolit Master chutesnreloads's Avatar
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    Nice write up. With my Origin I've just loaded a mag and fired one shot. Put it away uncocked on empty chamber with 9 in the mag.
    I don't like how easy it is to accidently load two pellets. Do the CARM mags deal with that?

  3. #3
    Boolit Buddy sandog's Avatar
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    chutes, I noticed your location.
    I spent my junior high and high school years in and around Burnet, Lake Buchanan, Marble Falls and Llano.
    A small game paradise, my friends and I had strong arms from pumping our Benjamin .22's so much !

    I miss the good BBQ and Catfish dinners, and the Hill Country is my favorite place in Texas.
    Last edited by sandog; 12-29-2022 at 07:07 AM.

  4. #4
    Boolit Grand Master
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    Thanks for the post sandog. I have been on the fence about trying them out.

    Magazines for my Daystate are $100 and these are 1/3 the price.
    Don Verna


  5. #5
    Boolit Buddy sandog's Avatar
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    $100 ? Wow, I didn't even think any powderburner magazines were that much. I'm sure the CARM ones will work fine for you.

    Unless you are routinely ordering stuff from Eastern Europe, you might want to let your bank know you are going to do an online purchase from a business in Croatia, so when you do the order the transaction will go through.
    I tried to finalize my order twice (over the weekend) and was declined.
    I thought that most likely my bank had flagged the purchase for possible fraudulent activity, and Monday morning I got a text to that effect.
    Once the bank was aware that I approved the overseas purchase, it went right through.

  6. #6
    Boolit Master chutesnreloads's Avatar
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    Wow, you were a NW west and SW of me. My school years were a bit further north but the countryside is quite the same. Yes, My favorite parts of Tx

  7. #7
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    W.R.Buchanan's Avatar
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    Yeah I'm interested in one of his Single Shot Loaders in .25 cal. I sent a email to him to see if such a thing exists or can be made.? hope it does exist, thanks for the link!.

    Randy

    Email Returned bad address. Bummer!

    I guess he's closed until the 6th of Jan? I hope he didn't mean 06/01/23 or June 1 which is what he has on his site?

    Randy
    Last edited by W.R.Buchanan; 01-04-2023 at 06:29 PM.
    "It's not how well you do what you know how to do,,,It's how well you do what you DON'T know how to do!"
    www.buchananprecisionmachine.com

  8. #8
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    W.R.Buchanan's Avatar
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    Tony: have you been successful at emailing this guy? I have sent 5 E Mails to him and they all come back as not deliverable?. Have you gotten any response from him?

    Randy
    Last edited by W.R.Buchanan; 01-08-2023 at 06:34 PM.
    "It's not how well you do what you know how to do,,,It's how well you do what you DON'T know how to do!"
    www.buchananprecisionmachine.com

  9. #9
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    Randy please keep us posted on what you find out. Thanks
    Ron

  10. #10
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    I got thru yesterday, he was on vacation last week. I ordered one of his single loaders this morning. I had some problems with my card not wanting to pay him, so I used a different card today and it went thru fine.

    In conversations I had with him last night and today he seems to be a right guy, and I'm looking forward to getting my single loader.

    The Loader idea is pretty good, and if the $24 Moderator that was 3D printed was any indication of how nice this 3D Printed stuff can be ,then I'm pretty sure Ill like it. It certainly will be better than the Single Shot Tray all these guns come with.

    Randy
    "It's not how well you do what you know how to do,,,It's how well you do what you DON'T know how to do!"
    www.buchananprecisionmachine.com

  11. #11
    Boolit Buddy sandog's Avatar
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    Glad you got ahold of him. I placed an order on his website, than got an email with tracking. So I never did just try to email him.

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by W.R.Buchanan View Post
    I got thru yesterday, he was on vacation last week. I ordered one of his single loaders this morning. I had some problems with my card not wanting to pay him, so I used a different card today and it went thru fine.

    In conversations I had with him last night and today he seems to be a right guy, and I'm looking forward to getting my single loader.

    The Loader idea is pretty good, and if the $24 Moderator that was 3D printed was any indication of how nice this 3D Printed stuff can be ,then I'm pretty sure Ill like it. It certainly will be better than the Single Shot Tray all these guns come with.

    Randy
    Do you need to call to order the single in 25 cal? Don't see it on his website unless I am missing it.

  13. #13
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    Wolf: you will scroll down on the left side until you get to the Air Venturi Avenger. It will bring up the Magazine an the SSL You will order the SSL for .22 cal . and in the notes say you want one for .25 cal.

    Note the picture of the SSL Says it's "SSL for Benjamin/Umarex/Nova Vista air rifle." He knows about this as mine shipped today, and he built it just last night.

    Go here: https://www.carm-magazines.com/carm-...ir-rifles.aspx

    Randy.
    "It's not how well you do what you know how to do,,,It's how well you do what you DON'T know how to do!"
    www.buchananprecisionmachine.com

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by W.R.Buchanan View Post
    Wolf: you will scroll down on the left side until you get to the Air Venturi Avenger. It will bring up the Magazine an the SSL You will order the SSL for .22 cal . and in the notes say you want one for .25 cal.

    Note the picture of the SSL Says it's "SSL for Benjamin/Umarex/Nova Vista air rifle." He knows about this as mine shipped today, and he built it just last night.

    Go here: https://www.carm-magazines.com/carm-...ir-rifles.aspx

    Randy.
    Thanks. Appreciate it.
    Ron

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check