I cut up a pencil

There's no minimum standard for restricting magazine capacity. Anything that reduces capacity to 5 or less is allowed, that being said, wooden dowels or pencils are probably the easiest route.

I cut a small bit of plywood and dropped it inside the magazine spring.

I cut a piece of metal wire and folded it into a rectangular shape using pliers, so that it is beneath the follower in the remaining space behind the spring, I didn't put anything down the centre of the spring to stop the follower as I thought it might interfere with the spring or make it compress unevenly. There is enough space for 5 rounds and a slight gap, but not even close to quarter of a round gap, if you leave it too tight to 5, it may cause problems picking up and feeding the first round.

On another point, I spoke to someone recently, and they said they can't find it anywhere in legislation that the whole 5 round thing is actually stated in legislation, and while I have heard inaccurate stuff about firearms licencing (which I have later confirmed here and from reading the legislation myself), usually it has been from individuals erring on the more conservative side.

I'll have to dig out my posts as my previous enquiries were about other things to find the relevant acts and amendments.

I’d say they were looking at an original 2008 version and not the 2015 amendment.

I did same. I did paint dowel black. Functions flawlessly.

The dummy rounds can be removed in a second or two without disassembling the magazine. A wooden dowel can't be so easily be removed.

I glued the dowel in place in my magazines. I'm not saying that doing that is necessary but using dummy rounds wouldn't be acceptable in my opinion.

I'd say that makes it sound like the magazines arent altered in any way to limit their capacity,I think its a risky and imo a careless stance, that if discovered, could ultimately lead to an ammemdment of the laws that will further restrict other pistol owners, who may end up having to go through further steps to confirm compliance.

For example,if you or anyone who might test that the magazines referred to and their firearm and licencing is compliant with the law, then empties the magazine of all rounds,live and/or dummy, and then reloads with live rounds only, when they get to 5 rounds they will still be able to load as many live rounds as there are dummy versions or spaces to accomodate additional rounds. I'd say that when loaded into the pistol (that magazine,whether it is empty of any rounds or has 5 dummy rounds) is in breach of the law as it has a capacity to hold more than five rounds.

Imo it will be viewed one way, and thats not good. Personally I wouldnt take the risk.

While I dont agree with the whole 5 round limit,as many competitons you have to start with 6 rounds,ie one in the breech, which is not illegal in any circumstance and is reasonable as its part of recognised competitions,plus compliant magazines can be used.

The above persons opinion in my view is incorrect and at the minimum they are jeopardising their own licence and may cause problems for others,seems pedantic to me.

You are correct that the law doesn't state at time or difficulty required to reverse the modification. But you haven't actually haven't modified the magazine. But also doesn't say anything about only counting live rounds. 5 Live rounds, and 5 dummy rounds is 10

You have a 10 round mag with 10 rounds in it (live and dummy). That’s pretty clear not allowed. I see it as the same having a 10 round ma and only loading 5 rounds.

It’s the capacity that matters, not the number you have in it.