Mags

garandfan

Why is it that so many aftermarket hi-cap mags for many guns are complete junk. I hear everybody say that for reliability, you should stay with factory mags. Is there some secret to making magazines that only the major companies know?

Hopefully you guys can enlighten me.

garandfan

What is the difference between the 556 mag and the 6.8 mag? and are they interchangable. thanks for your help.[:D]

garandfan

need to clear up.will a pp380 mag fit and work in a ppks380 pistol???????

garandfan

Does anyone know if a beretta M9/92fs mag will work in a Beretta 96? I have all three, and tried it today with 1 round--it worked.

leeblackman

Factory or high quality magazines are made out of better, stonger metals. They usually heat treat them. And the springs and followers are made of higher quality materials.

I had some cheap Mini-14 magazines, the feed lips got all bent out of shape from normal use, and the followers were made of really cheap plastic that chipped, and wouldn't hold bolt open on last round.

If I'm wrong please correct me, I won't be offended.

leeblackman

Also should mention that factory magazines and high quality ones are usually made to more consistant tolerances. Sometimes you'll get a couple of the exact same cheap magazines and you'll have problems like one will fit loose while the other tight, because they aren't quality controlled very well.

If I'm wrong please correct me, I won't be offended.

JudgeColt

Non-factory high capacity magazines were made for two reasons. First, before the ban came into being, such magazines were made by companies attempting to serve a market that did not want to pay the higher price for genuine factory magazines. Those manufacturers, in order to offer magazines for less money, had to find a way to cut the cost. As mentioned, that was often done by using lower quality methods, such as poor or no heat treat, lesser quality springs, poor finish, etc..

After the ban was announced, and before it became effective, many manufacturers pulled out all the stops to turn out as many magazines as possible before 9-13-94. USA-brand is the most infamous. Many USA magazines will not even fit into the particular gun for which they are intended. However, most can be made to work with some (a lot of) effort. Springs can be replaced. Followers can be replaced.

There is also the legal loophole that allows bodies to be preplaced. For instance, Scheer makes replacement bodies for Glock magazines that presumably could be used to replace lesser quality bodies on Glock after-market magazines. Mec-Gar should make replacement bodies for all its pre-ban magazines, which would solve much of the junk magazine problem. That assumption is based on the unproven theory that the parts would interchange. It could be that the floorplates would not interchange, etc., so that might not work, thus preventing using a Mec-Gar body to replace a USA body, for instance.

There are some after-market magazines of high quality, with Mec-Gar being the absolute top. Of course, Mec-Gar makes the original factory magazines for most major brands of firearms, such as Beretta and Smith & Wesson, so they are essentially factory magazines.

In my opinion, the manufacturers really missed the boat by not turning out more high capacity magazines after the ban passed. Para-Ordnance is apparently one of the exceptions and is still able to offer high capacity magazines years later. Of course, the fact that Para is located in Canada may be the reason. Not to accuse Para of breaking the law, but it still could be making unmarked high capacity magazines and no one would know. I think smuggled current Canadian Para magazines may be the reason such inexpensive high capacity Para magazines are appearing on the market.

leeblackman

RIGHT ON PARA!!!

If I'm wrong please correct me, I won't be offended.