Mag stuff

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400 Butler Creek magazines later, I’m pretty much done with that little deal. My vendor shipped me one last case of 100 and then let me know that they are now officially “Out Of Stock”..at least, at the price they were at previously. I hope everyone who wanted some was able to get a bunch. If you missed out, hope is not lost…I’ve a few bundles of 12 left.

Speaking of mags, Friend Of The Blog(tm) Harry over at Self Sufficient Mountain Living has a post up about magzines for his M1A. His experiences with USA-brand magazines is pretty much the same as mine and everyone else – they’re a useful way to carry spare ammo in the butt of your pistol, but not very good at actually feeding the ammo into the gun. I usually go for the OEM mag, or a respected military contract version, but if you are careful…and vet thoroughly…you can often find an aftermarket version that is just as good (or in rare cases, better) than the factory mag. The easiest and most common example are aluminum GI contract mags for the AR platform. It’s pretty hard to go wrong with one of the big contractors who cranked out hundreds of thousands  of the things. Not always, though….sometimes a contractor will screw the pooch and put out a craptacular run of mags…but it’s usually a sure bet to buy contract mags.

Mec-Gar has a great reputation and actually is the ‘factory’ in ‘factory magazine’ for many handgun makers. They are pretty much the only source I’ll use for my HiPower mags other than Browning and military contract. I’ve posted about this at length elsewhere, but the point is still valid – save money elsewhere.

12 thoughts on “Mag stuff”

  2. i am always amazed at people who will risk their lives to save 5 bucks on a magazine. my life is more dear to me than money. yes, meggar for high power only. i even had bad luck with a couple of factory mags made in portugal. the spring is too stiff and the feed lips are rough causing jams. when i get time i’ll work on them but i was pissed b/c i paid a fortune to get original mags. meggars work in everything. never had any luck with promag or usamag, nor eagle. had some issues with cproducts mil spec mags for ar15, both as a civilian and during my army time, but it was hit and miss. once that bad lot was weaned out they shot just fine. these days of balls to the wall production anybody can have a bad batch once in a while.

  3. I have legions of cases where after-market M-1A mags have turned out to be worthless shite, and would never, ever buy them again. (And would dearly love to pound the ones I’ve bought up the @$$#$ of the sellers of such ersatz crap.)

    If an M-1A mag doesn’t have the SA logo stamped on the butt, it ain’t for buying. Period.
    (I might consider Winchester mags, after testing same. Anyone else’s can simply suck it.)

    Test your mags.
    TEST your mags.
    TEST YOUR MAGS.
    Doubly so if they’re after-market.
    You’re welcome.

  4. Current USGI contractor for M14/M1A mags is Checkmate Industries.

    44mag.com has excellent prices.. (never once had an issue with their m14 mags)

    • I can also vouch for both Checkmate Industries M1A mags, and 44mag.com.

      Very good product, and a great site to buy from.

      • Another thumbs-up for 44mag.com. I’ve bought from them a couple of times and was pleased with the service. Fast shipping, reasonable shipping charges.

  5. The exception that proves the rule?: Lots of military, and family of military, have bitched about the poor quality of the military issue mags for the Beretta pistol. Soldiers in the ME were asking family members to buy aftermarket mags and ship them. Feeding problems, IIRC.

    • The problem was with the early Checkmate military magazines. They were heavily parkerized — including the interior — and it caused too much friction to let the ammunition and follower move smoothly. It’s been corrected since about 2005.

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