Flexible bb feed tubing
 

Finalizing the design for a new project, and starting to source out materials. I'm looking for the flexible metal tubing that alot of the M249 manufacturers use for their boxmags

as seen on this boxmag here;

http://www.airsoftgi.com/images/caboxmag.jpg

looks like tightly wound coils of metal... for the life of me I haven't been able to locate a source for this, and I'll be requiring at least a foot of it.

If anyone has a line on this item, I'd be very appreciative.

cheers

It is a spring coil Josh, and is roughly 1/4" ID. The coils are placed side by side touching each other, so it's the type of spring that only pulls, like one to close screen doors (although not as big).

Have you tried any of the hardware stores or Rona/Home Depot? Heck, Valley Hardware on Bentley might be the place to get one! Just cut to length and de-burr as best as you can. (Have modded Apoc's M249 mags with the "Stalker Mod" so I know some of the issues with using that tube system.) Maybe even Princess auto? Anyways, you have enough info now, not sure the name of the spring type, but it has to be 1/4" ID. Shouldn't be that hard to find.

BTW, what project you have in mind? Enquiring minds want to know. ;)

Josh, you might want to check out low tension springs with a 6mm inner diameter, possibly at Home Depot or local industrial stores.

Not exactly what you wanted, but it may serve it's purpose?

EDIT: Damn you Stalker. Yeah, it's a tension spring and not a compression spring.

Thanks Mike I'll check out valley tomorrow.

1/4" ID tension spring:

mcmastercarr.com
smallparts.com

You can also wind them with some patience, spring wire (hobby store), and a power drill.

Heads up, doubt they are open tomorrow. I know they are only open on Satrudays from 10am to 1pm, so chances are they will be closed Sundays.

Luckily in Victoria there's a place called oddly, Victoria Spring. They mainly deal with vehicle suspension springs, but they have quite a selection of small springs like what you're looking for on the wall there. I took one of my 249 feed tubes down and measured out the springs they had. Found one that matches in a snap. The spring I picked up was originally intended to be a return spring for a screen door for a house, if that helps at all.
And yeah, I'm kinda interested in what you'd need a foot for. I needed more as I made a really simple way to swap box mags on the 249. Easy to do in a firefight. Sure saves trying to load up a box again.

smallparts.com is the best site ever! must...resist..credit card...

+1

Madmax that site is crazy, added to my favorites.....woot

My favourite is still mcmastercarr, but they've unfortunately stopped shipping to Canada. I have to bounce my orders from a friend in the US.

Smallparts will service Canadian orders, but you have to email them in as their online shopping cart does not accept Canadian postal codes. Still they've got some useful stuff like orings and little springs.

How sharp of an arc do you think you'd be able to put in that stuff before BBs won't make it through? I need something to bend BBs around a corner for a project i'm working on, but the arc has to be tight (under an inch).

You can probably get a low as 0.5" rad bends on the inside. Bending 0.5" rad on the outside is pushing it. The CA box mags use a spring as a bb conduit. It won't pinch in like tubing. You can bend it until the spring links spread out too far to contain bbs. The downside of using springs is that they're not enclosed. Dirt and crap can find their way thru the spring winds.

put a nylon sock sorta thing over it then? or a larger piece of tubing?

Once you have the spring shaped the way you want, put heatshrink on it. It's a good seal and will keep the spring shaped the way you want.

All great advice, thanks. You've all just saved me a lot of trial and error :)