Tanfoglio Witness loading aid

[Phil Russell]

Dear daughter handed my one of these as a Christmas present ... very kind of her. I had never had a blow-back gun before and it is really quite different. But the magazine loading procedure is a pain, literally. Having to hold the small peg back with your finger or finger nail while you load is a bit of a drag. OK ... load from the top but the same issue could apply as the spring gets harder to push down.
So.... after a search on Google etc revealed no solution to a loading aid, here is my solution. It is so simple maybe you have all done it but not told anyone. If so, sorry, but there may be a few people who are still battling with serrated finger nails....
All you need is a 1" (25mm) square of 1mm steel sheet. I used a bit of galvanised sheet. With a small vice and a hammer (or any other method you find convenient) bend 3mm of one edge over at right angles.
Mark the centre of the folded edge and with a fine hacksaw (Junior?) cut the folded edge from each side to leave a 2mm wide peg in the centre. I rough cut the bits off and then finished smooth with a file. You now have a sheet about 25mm x 22 mm but with a 2mm peg on one edge.
You could use this now as your 'artificial nail' if you wish ... just smooth all over and to use, put the peg in the small gap at the top of the magazine and pull the loading peg down. Easy. You can adjust the length of the peg if you wish .. I fine tuned by removing about 1mm.
But I continued: Using a 12mm steel tube (or socket from a tool set) I curved the sheet to fit over the magazine and so prevent any slippage. After smoothing all corners etc I added some plastic tape on the inside of the curved plate to prevent any scratching of the magazine, then added a sticky back felt pad to the top to aid grip and there we are : perfect loading aid. To use, I simply insert the peg into the hole while holding the magazine in my left hand. Using my left thumb I simply pull back on the gadget until the loading bay is exposed. Load then allow the loading probe to return.
Simples. No more split nails.
Good luck, Phil