This FAQ was originally designed to help owners of Browning Hi-Powers find quality normal capacity magazines for their 1935 pistol design since many Hi-Power owners were affected by the magazine ban that lasted from 1994 to 2004. While this ban has since expired, there have been several attempts to revive it - many of them limiting magazines even further to only five rounds. Please help your fellow Hi-Power owners by contacting your elected representatives and letting them know your feelings on this issue. Now that factory-issue standard capacity magazines are widely available again, I am no longer updating this FAQ regularly; but I have added some recent information.
In an attempt to make this FAQ as accurate as possible, numerous manufacturers were contacted and asked to provide information. To date, only Browning and Mec-Gar have responded and Browning's response was to ask me to put it in writing and mail it. Naturally, the sections that have both manufacturer and user input should be the most accurate. The rest of the sections are based on user input only and since the cataloging for magazines is a relatively recent effort, these sections will change and possibly even contradict previous information as we learn more by sharing information. Thanks to everyone who helped to make this FAQ a success, with particular notice to the forum members of www.fnhipower.com and Steve Camp.
While several of these are recommended for self-defense use, it is ALWAYS wise to test the magazines you plan to use for self-defense before carrying them, regardless of the brand. Even the best manufacturer occasionally produces a lemon. To help simplify things for those who just want to know "Should I buy this or not?" I've highlighted the manufacturer's name according to the following system: Strong buy, Buy, Buy at your own risk, Avoid. I have also included a "confidence" rating. This indicates the number of reports I have received on each type of magazine. A user reporting 4 good Pro-Mags and 1 problem Pro-Mag would be counted as 5 reports. If I have a sample magazine of the type available for my personal testing, I have indicated that as well. The most accurate ratings will be those with a high number of reports and a sample available.
Markings:
Original T-series Magazines - The T-series Hi-Powers are considered collectable by some and so there is considerable interest in original mags for them. The following description describes a circa 1965 magazine. There were several
magazine variations during the T-series and not all will look like this; but this is a good description of an original 13rd magazine that came with a T-series. This magazine has no witness holes. It has the traditional Browning mag body and a two-post aluminum follower in the white. Thanks to Sean for the pics of a hard to find part!
Mag seam is only visible from the inside of the mag. The mag is marked with a number 2 inside a letter L on the back of the mag. With the mag upside down the mark is in the extreme upper right corner next to the floor plate. Many thanks to Mike for the description.
10rd - Current release Browning mags are manufactured by Mec-Gar.
They are marked "Patent 5,353, 537 Caliber 9mm Luger" on the left side,
"Made in Italy" on the front and have two witness holes in an alternating
left/right pattern marked 5 and 10. They have a small plastic boot to reduce
capacity to ten rounds and a "mousetrap" spring to eject the magazine cleanly
from the gun. The baseplate is integrated into the plastic boot, which
has three grooves on each side and is held to the magazine by a long phillips
head screw. Followers for 10rd. are black plastic with no blade and an oval recess for a spring.
Thanks to Ryan Snedegar for the 10rd factory magazine photos. .40 factory magazines will have a similar follower with a small skirt around the spring to aid feeding.
.40 users should note that the Browning factory magazines and MecGar aftermarket magazines have several differences and some have noted problems with the aftermarket MecGars. See the Mec-Gar description for details.
13rd - This will vary widely depending on the age of the Hi-Power. The sample photo (Thanks Bompa!) shown above is a factory magazine from
a 1990 Practical Hi-Power. Most magazines will not have the Pachmayr bumper pads attached; but pre-ban factory mags from this era
will show the zig-zag pattern of three witness holes on back and the "Italy CAL. 9mm NATO/Luger" stamp on the left side of the magazine. Factory magazines
from this era may show blued or parkerized mag bodies but will usually have a blued baseplate. Followers are the traditional two-legged black plastic follower. Factory mags will usually have the follower and floorplate attached to the mag spring instead of just sitting loosely in it.
This magazine is a late 1980s sample of a Mec-Gar manufactured Browning factory magazine. It originally came boxed with a 1989 MkIII Hi-Power. It shows many traits of 1980s era factory magazines including the "Italy CAL. 9mm NATO/Luger" logo and a zig-zag pattern of witness holes. It also shows a unique four-legged metal follower. Browning factory mags used the traditional two-legged factory follower until sometime around 1985 (unsure of exact date - this is basically a SWAG) and then switched to a four-legged plastic follower. At some point, production had changed to a four-legged metal follower by 1989 (possibly because the plastic legs were subject to breakage) and then back to the original two-legged plastic follower by 1990 (although 4-legged plastic followers have been reported with factory magazines as late as 1992). All versions of the factory mags are solid with no reported problems in reliability and three reports of a leg breaking on the four-legged plastic follower.
Known Problems: Three reports of front legs breaking on mags with 4-legged plastic followers - none of the broken followers appear to have affected reliability. Thanks to Gary for testing this issue for us.
Confidence: Over 100 Reports + sample mags available
Recommendation: Recommended for self-defense use only after testing with type of ammo you intend to carry
Known Problems: Anybody representing non-Inglis or non-21rd mags as Canadian is misrepresenting their product. Why do you think they would do something like that?
Confidence: 99.9% - My source knows his stuff; but he is human. If anybody cares to dispute this please email me with solid evidence otherwise.
Recommendation: If they are advertising them as Canadian military and they aren't Inglis or 21rd mags, avoid them like the plague.
Markings: (Lot 1) Parkerized magazine body with black baseplate. Two holes in the front face of the mag,1 centered at the top 1/2" from the lip of the mag and one centered at the bottom 5/16" from the base plate (similar to USA and ProMag). They all have two witness holes on the back face of the mag offset to the right, at the 5 and 10 round position. The bottom piece (plastic) has two nipples that position it within the spring and is a figure 8 shaped. The follower is a plastic blade type rather than the two legged type. The follower may have "HI P" or "GI" in very small letters on the underside of the molding. The side indentation at the top goes all the way to the front face of the mag. Seam is barely visible - may be small pits along seam line.
(Lot 2) Same except for an elongated hole on the rear left side of the mag near the bottom (1/8" w X 3/4" l). Above the slit running vertically is "MADE IN U.S.A." This diagram shows the position of all markings for lots 1 and 2
Known Problems: Multiple problems reported with Lot 2 mags, including failure to feed and failure to accept more than 6 rounds. The Lot 1 mags are much preferred and make good range use mags if they can be found. One report of Lot 1 mags - may show dipping on first round when loaded with more than 13 rounds.
Confidence: 39 Reports
Recommendation: Steer clear of the Lot 2 magazines. Most of the distributors no longer have the Lot 1 magazines available but they are still plentiful at gun shows and gun stores. The Lot 1 magazines are good for range use and individual mags may be reliable enough for self-defense use.
Markings: No description or pictures available yet
Known Problems: Three reports of magazines not fitting into the mag well or fitting very tightly. Two reports of unreliable feeding.
Confidence: 10 reports
Recommendation: No formal recommendation yet; but I'd limit them to range use until more reports come in.
Markings: Marked "GP35Cal.9MM" of lower left side. Small hump on spine of magazine to seat against mag well on 20rd versions. The mag body is parkerized the usual smooth olive grey with only the floor plate and the internal floor plate retainer being actually blued. The follower is the usual two post black plastic and there are no witness holes. The floor plate retainer is not crimped to the magazine spring. The rear of the mag body is "brushed" and the seam is only visible from the inside and very smooth. The spring is parkerized also.
Known Problems: None reported
Confidence: 14 reports
Recommendations: Few reports on this magazine but all 100% reliability so far.
Markings: Parkerized gray/green body with a black metal baseplate. Black plastic or grey cast metal follower. No visible seam in back. Baseplate fit VERY tightly to mag body. Traditional two-post follower. No distinguishing markings beyond these.
Known Problems: No problems reported with original OEM magazine. Several have reported problems with rough follower molding that causes feed problems associated with FEG magazines. The follower and internal mag body must be deburred before the mag will feed reliably. However, due to the large number of FEGs sold with aftermarket magazines, there is no way to be sure that these malfunctions occurred with OEM mags.
Confidence: 6 Reports
Recommendation: The original factory mags identified to date have been top-of-the-line Hi-Power magazines and great buys perfectly suitable for defensive use. However, this is based on a small number of reports and there are a lot of FEGs sold with aftermarket mags from various brands. Don't assume that because it came with an FEG, it is factory.
Markings: Since markings for military contract magazines vary widely, we don't yet have a good list of the various markings for FN magazines. One marking known to represent a FN military contract magazine is the legend "BELGIUM - 9mm NATO/LUGER" on the side of the magazine body (These are the markings present on magazines used by the Israeli military and police forces). Finishes are usually parkerized or blued. The Belgium marked mags are very similar to Mec-Gars in manufacture details with the only notable difference being that the follower and floorplate containing the stud are attached firmly to the magazine spring. Belgium-marked mags may have the black plastic two-legged follower common to Mec-Gars, at least one report shows a Belgium mag with an old T-style two-post aluminium white follower. Some Belgium marked magazines have also been reported with the pi marking. Brian sends us this picture of a stainless steel FN factory magazine. Note the attached spring assembly and the markings. These mags are marked with BELGIUM on the back spine of the magazine and a fancy "H" that Brian informs me stands for "Herstal". The "H" resembles an inverted pi sign and is the same symbol I have referred to as a pi sign elsewhere in the FAQ. NATO issue Hi-Power magazines will often be marked with the NATO stock number (1005-13-010-0319) on the baseplate and may have markings indicating manufacturer and date as well. Thanks to abninftr and DerRottweiler for the help.
Here is a similar contract variation of the FN magazine. This magazine was made by SILE (an Italian company). Thanks to Georgia&Dee for the picture.
Known Problems: None reported
Confidence: 52 reports + sample mag available
Recommendation: Good for self-defense use where reliability is a must.
Markings: On the lower front of the magazine are the letters "JI." The Inglis mag has an aluminum follower that's in the white. Baseplate has a hole in it and some baseplates may also have "JI" behind it. Baseplate appears to have been milled rather than pressed. Held on with a hook arrangement near the rear of the plate formed by two parallel cuts in the baseplate from the rear. Parkerized finish. Seam is polished down, but visible on the back of the magazine body. Look carefully for the JI, it sits right in the path of the magazine disconnect and can be worn down or rubbed off on some Inglis mags. There has also been an Inglis style mag marked "Mexico" on the body with no JI markings. It is NOT an Inglis mag but appears to work well enough. The "Mexican Inglis" were manufactured in the late 1960s/early 1970s.
Known Problems: Odd baseplate arrangement sometimes pops off at inconvenient times on older mags.
Confidence: 41 reports + sample mag available
Recommendations: Good for self-defense use where reliability is a must.
Markings: Uniform olive green parkerizing over entire magazine. Very similar to Inglis mags in construction to include unique baseplate and in-the-white single blade aluminium follower. Markings are the letter "R", stamped into the right rear side of the mag body, the bottom of the floorplate and the side of the follower.
Known Problems: Magazines appear to be slightly larger front-to-back and there are some mixed reports that they will not drop free from forged-frame Hi-Powers (though they appear to work fine in cast-frame and Inglis models).
Confidence: 12 reports
Recommendations: Still early; but all users report 100% reliability so far.
Markings: There should be little chance of mistaking a KRD magazine with another brand. They are made with a thick steel magazine body, heavy-duty spring, and unusual steel follower. The plastic bumper pad/baseplate of the KRD 17rd mags sticks out a little more than 0.5 inches from the magazine well and is marked "KRD". The 15rd magazine has a smaller baseplate but is otherwise similar. Unmarked witness holes are present on the right side of the magazine at 5, 10, 15, and 17 rounds. Seam faintly visible on back of mag. These magazines are offered in nickel and blued finishes.
Known Problems: The KRD springs are extremely strong. New magazines
will be difficult or even impossible to load to full capacity, even with
the use of the mag-loading tool. It will usually be neccessary to allow
the magazine to sit loaded for some time before you can load the magazine
to full capacity. In some cases, the KRD magazines will put enough tension
on the rounds loaded that the slide of the Hi-Power will be unable to strip
the first round from the magazine without a slight tap on the rear of the
slide to manually assist loading. This will eventually go away with continued
use but can exist for up to a year after the purchase of new magazines,
even with frequent use. An 18.5lb recoil spring in a Hi-Power will help
to solve this problem. The large baseplate may aid printing in concealed
carry. Several KRD owners report the magazine follower binding and becoming stuck. Dry lube or deburring of the steel follower
may help to correct this problem. Because we have received a good number of reports on KRD mags and many owners have 10 or more of these
mags, we have been able to develop some very rough estimates on the probability of misfeeds with KRDs.
Serious misfeeds (follower binds or sticks) seem to be occuring in about 5-10% of KRD mags. Self-correcting
problems (first round failure to feed without manual assist) run much higher at about 20-30%. Two reports of KRD mags cracking along the back of the magazine near the feed lips.
The sample mag pictured also shows slight enlargement of the mag catch and battering of the mag body at the top of the magazine. Crack occurred around 2000 rounds and the mag in question may have had as many as 4000 rounds fired through it. So far the cracks have not affected reliability at all.
Five reports of followers dipping or turning in the mag body and binding. In every case, the problem was correctable by reversing the orientation of the mag spring, trimming mag spring or swapping out the steel follower with another follower (this will reduce capacity by 2 rounds). Over 10 reports of nickel-plated KRD mags showing flaking as nickel peels off.
Update: The sample mag with the cracks at the feed lip has cracked enough that the feed lips have spread and no longer hold the ammo firmly. During fast reload where the mag is seated home firmly or slide lock reloads with jarring, the mag can eject the top rounds from the magazine or attempt to feed more than one round at a time.
All of the other KRD mags show similar signs of wear while factory mags with comparable use do not. This convinces me that the KRDs, while decent, have a limited lifespan of between 5,000-7,000 rounds. Expect about 1,500 to 2,000 rounds of use after you see cracks developing before the feed lips start to spread. 2009 Update I am still using the cracked KRD magazines and the cracks have not developed
any further. While the mag will occasionally spew two rounds when slapped hard during a reload, it continues to run reliably otherwise.
Confidence: Over 100 Reports + sample mags available
Recommendations: Recommended for self-defense use after a break-in period. KRD magazines are generally well-thought of but problems have been reported with individual mags in a batch - probably a sign of spotty quality control during manufacture or refurbishing. The majority of KRD magazines will be suitable for self-defense use; but be sure and give them a thorough evaluation first. KRD mags have a limited lifespan and will begin to show serious wear around 5,000 rounds. For most shooters, this will not be an issue but heavy use shooters will notice mag degradation over time.
Markings: Mec-Gar mags can be difficult to identify. They have been marked many different ways and not at all. Making the matter more difficult, is that since Mec-Gar manufactured OEM mags for Browning, it can be difficult or impossible to distinguish between factory Browning mags and Mec-Gar mags once they have been seperated from their original gun. Worse yet, some dealers have attempted to pass off inferior quality aftermarket magazines as Mec-Gars. The following is a list of various Mec-Gar markings. It is not a complete list and a genuine Mec-Gar magazine may display all or none of these markings. The only consistent factor in Mec-Gar magazines will be a TIG-welded magazine body. The back of the magazine will show no weld seam and will have a "brushed" look. If you see a seam, it isn't a Mec-Gar. Mec-Gar mags for the Hi-Power used either carbon or stainless steel (note: deleted reference since it was plainly wrong as I've been shown several pre-1994 mags in stainless with MecGar stamp) and were available in blued or nickel finishes (although some contract produced Mec-Gars will be parkerized). Mec-Gar 21rd mags may have a small hump in the back of the magazine that locks up against the bottom of the mag well.
Early magazines: no markings at all usually. Some early/intermediate mags marked with small pi sign. The majority of early unmarked mags will not have witness holes but there are some Mec-Gar mags that are both unmarked and have witness holes. Metal baseplate with single hole and stud in center. Most 21rd magazines will be unmarked and lack witness holes. Black plastic two-legged follower. Here are two examples of stainless 13rd. magazines manufactured for commercial sales by Mecgar. Note the loose spring assembly typical of mags manufactured for commercial sale. Also note the floorplate shows no place for spring attachment. OEM manufactured mags generally will have attached spring assemblies with the spring attached to both follower and floorplate. Thanks to Dave at MecGar for confirming their manufacture and special thanks to Brian for risking the money to purchase these and chase down all the research. These mags are currently available at a good price from Numrich Gun Parts.
Intermediate magazines: Mec-Gar OEM mags will generally be marked "Italy 9mmNATO/Luger" while Mec-gar mags manufactured for aftermarket sales may be marked "Made in Italy". They may also be marked with small inverted pi sign on the front of the mag. Witness holes may or may not be present - witness holes may also alternate from right to left side in zig-zag pattern across back. Metal baseplate with single hole and stud in center. Black plastic follower which may be marked "Mec-Gar" in tiny letters. The example shown for intermediate mags is actually a Browning factory magazine manufactured by Mec-Gar circa late 1980s. This version has a four-legged metal follower and the spring is firmly attached to the follower and floorplate. Most four-legged factory followers appear to be made of plastic. These mags appear to have been made in a brief period between 1985? and 1990. Sometime in 1990, Mec-gar reverted back to the traditional two-legged black plastic follower until the post-ban magazines. These magazines are reliable and effective although we have at least one report of the follower legs breaking off on the plastic followers.
Circa 1994 magazines: Usually marked "Made in Italy" and will have the following markings: a roll-marked peak formed from the letters "MG", a part number (MG-BRHP-13 or MG-BRHP-15 depending on whether it is 13 or 15rds) 13 and 15 round magazines are marked with 3 witness holes on right front side and a "13" or "15" under the bottom hole. Metal baseplate with single hole and stud in center. Black plastic follower with two legs. Other markings that may appear include an "-A-" leaning to point towards the front of the magazine or the words "Patent Pending" on the baseplate.
Please note that there are many varied markings and some magazines will combine markings from different periods.
Known Problems: Two people have reported cracking around the feed lips of Mec-Gar magazines. Mec-Gars are very reliable mechanically but may lack durability. It is recommended that you periodically inspect the feed lips of Mec-Gar magazines. On 10rd 9mm mags, we have two reports of the magazine bottoming out at 10 rounds, meaning that you can't carry 10+1 because the top round buts up against the closed slide.
Confidence: Over 100 Reports + sample mags available
Recommendation: Good for self-defense use where reliability is a must.
Known Problems: None reported
Confidence: 9 reports
Recommendation: Good for self-defense when genuine; but very easy to fake.
Markings:TIG-welded seam, Two drain holes in the front face of the mag, one centered at the top 1/2" from the lip of the mag and one centered at the bottom 5/16" from the base plate. The two drain holes may cause you to confuse ProMags with USA; but a quick examination of ProMags will show much better attention to tooling and finish, a narrow Mec-Gar style floorplate, and a single piece baseplate. One unique feature that will help to identify ProMags is the top indentation on the magazine. On many Hi-Power magazines, this is a wide V-shaped indent that forms a little "valley". On ProMags, this indent goes all the way to the front face of the magazine. Pro-Mags are offered in blued, parkerized, and nickel finishes. See the section on European military magazines for a good description of a Pro-Mag magazine.
Known Problems: Some have reported that the steel in the Pro-Mags is soft enough that repeated use wears out the magazine catch area and causes the magazine to remain loosely attached in the magazine well. Some have reported minor feeding problems associated with Pro-Mag magazines. Pre-ban magazines marked "Made in USA" may be particularly vulnerable to feed problems, including serious failures to feed.
Confidence: 43 reports
Recommendations: A good value for range use and practice. Some mags may be reliable enough to use for defensive purposes.
Known Problems: Unfortunately, Ramline has stopped producing this magazine entirely and they offer no replacement parts. As the Ramline magazines become older, their spring arrangement weakens and misfeeds will occur more and more frequently. The spring failure and misfeeds occur quite subtly at first and it may take months for the spring failure to become obvious. Some Ramline mags are also slightly out of spec for the mag body. This would normally not be noticeable but if you have done extensive polishing of the magazine surface where it contacts the magazine disconnect, or the magazine disconnect itself, you may find that Ramline magazines will cause the gun to fail by not activating the magazine disconnect when inserted.
Markings: Plastic baseplate with ram's head Ramline logo and "MAP 9015 Browning High Power 9 MM RAMLINE". The plastic baseplate can be easily slid off. On the right side of the magazine will be 3 or 4 equidistant witness holes. They will be unmarked. Small raised circle on top right side near feed lips. Finally, slide off the plastic baseplate, if no spring shoots out and the mag still works, its a Ramline. No visible seam on the back of the mag body.
Confidence: 9 reports + sample mag available.
Recommendations: These can be excellent magazines in good condition. Unfortunately, Ramline stopped producing them prior to 1994 and they are rare to find in any condition, let alone a good one. I'd recommend Ramlines only at a good price and then only for range use. If you use these for self-defense be sure to test them thoroughly and repeat the testing process at regular intervals of not more than a month.
Markings: Marked "Browning Hi-Power 9mm" vertically along the right side. Thick black finish similar to lacquer with a rough weld seam along the back of the magazine. Pinholes visible along roughly ground weld seam. Hard plastic baseplate tapered from 3/16" in front to 5/16" in back with single locking bump. Black plastic two-legged follower similar to Mec-Gar but crudely molded. The magazine appears to be a modified Beretta 92 magazine.
Known Problems: Rough follower needs to be deburred before gun will feed reliably. Triple K will only replace pre-ban mags with post bans. Magazines may not load certain types of ammunition (Winchester 115gr FMJ) due to insufficient interior length. Individual magazines may also not lock into pistol due to out-of-spec location of mag catch on some magazines (1.110 inches from top for Triple K compared to 1.070-1.085 for a sample of factory mags - Thanks Joeseph!). Mag follower sticks and/or nosedives and dumps rounds. Mag bodies are routinely out-of-spec. On March 17, 2009 I received the following email from Kurt Krasne of TripleK.com regarding this report and these magazines. I have posted it here for your edification:
"Hi, Just stumbled across your review of magazines and would like to correct a couple of inaccuracies. Although the magazines you picture for Triple K were sold by us during the ban years, they were not made by us and sourced during the ban. Since the ban was lifted, we have made our magazine again. This is true of magazines for Beretta, Taurus, Sig , and Ruger. We had stop selling the pictured magazine about 4 years ago. I believe the magazines which we are making under our own roof are much higher in quality than those that we were able to source and supply during the years of the magazine ban."
Confidence: 9 reports
Recommendations: Pass on these - three different reports of mags not fitting into guns with a nine mag sample probably bodes poorly for other Triple K mags. Out of the nine reports submitted, not one magazine has worked without substantial modification and four of them were totally unsalvageable. I'd personally buy USA before these and would not take them as a gift.
Markings: No logos marked. Two large drain/witness holes on front of mag (although second hole is too low to be of use as a witness hole). Strange baseplate crimped down in two pieces. Small gap visible looking down on top front of baseplate. Seam has been sanded down and painted over but pinholes and finish irregularities show in a straight line along the seam. Tooling marks and minor pitting visible on most magazine edges. Black plastic follower with long single blade. The floorplate that contains the stud that connects with the baseplate will be much wider than normal - almost the entire width of the magazine.
Known Problems: Made by USA - This company cranked out a ton of magazines prior to the 1994 ban and the emphasis on quantity over quality shows in practically all their products (as evidenced by people who still have large stocks of unsold USA pre-94 inventory seven years later). Follower-binding and other serious feed problems reported by others - no problems yet with sample mag. Magazines are not drop-free. Magazine follower will frequently fail to engage slide stop. The USA mags are also made out of extremely poor quality steel. The sample mag shows burring and deformation practically any place it contacts the harder steel of the Hi-Power. After about 600 rounds, the mag catch has been enlarged and cracks are beginning to develop along the weld seam in back where the slide contacts the magazine. See Tips & Hints for suggestions on how to enhance USA reliability.
Confidence: Over 100 reports (not all Hi-Power mags though) + sample mag available
Recommendations:Not recommended at any price.
Markings: Seam visible on back. Design appears very similar to factory mags; but no markings. These mags are similar enought to factory mags that it is possible many are being reported as factory mags. We're looking to acquire a verifiable Western mag for close comparison to a facotry mag to show the differences - so email me if you want to sell!
Known Problems: Follower binding, soft steel and misfeeds on two reports. No positive reports on these mags yet; but Western is rarely seen (possibly because they are confused with factory mags).
Confidence: 2 reports.
Recommendations: These magazines are fairly rare on the market for pre-94 mags. The consensus to date has been that these are range use only mags at a good price (less than $15)
UI #2: This mag is with an old T-series Hi-Power but is not original. Appears to be a standard 13-rd factory mag in all respects.
Markings:On the back of the Mag there is a Q or O inside a diamond lightly stamped at the bottom Aprox 3/8" up from the floor plate. Update: Sean writes in to tell us he was able to examine a batch of these mags at the local dealer. "The "0" or "Q" inside of a diamond is actually a partially stamped "8". One magazine out of the three I examined had the "8" properly stamped while the other 2 were only partial. No witness holes of any sort. The finish appeared to be parkerized with blued baseplates. The back of the mags had a brushed finish with no weld seams same as the Mec-Gars, however, the FRONT of the mag bodies had the same brushed finish. One mag had a very battered catch, so the metal may be a little on the soft side. The dealer told me they were British but I have no conclusive proof though."
Known Problems: None reported
Confidence: 2 reports
UI #3: This magazine was sold over the web as a ProMag 13rd Hi-Power magazine. It is a pretty unusual design I have never seen before. A real rough look. About 300rds through it with no issues so far although the weld by the mouth of the mag appears weak. Thanks to Rob for bringing it to our attention.
UI #4: This mag was sold on ebay as a "high quality Wilson-made 13 round magazine" but is likely not Wilson. Thanks to Frank for the report (he has promised a follow-up range report and pictures too).
Markings: They are all black, with a black plastic follower and metal base plate (flush fitting, supposedly 13 rounds). The only witness/drain hole is on the FRONT of the magazine, about a quarter-inch above the magazine catch hole. There is a very rough seam up the back of the magazine. It came in a small, clear zip-lok style baggie with no markings. Seems to insert and eject fine from my BHP.
Known Problems: Loaded 13 rounds into one of them - partway through, it seemed like the follower was stuck, as I could tip the magazine over and a couple rounds actually fell out! I worked the follower up and down a bit and it seems to have smoothed out, and is holding 13 rounds fine now
Confidence: 2 reports
A reader writes in with a tip for Ramlines. Gene notes that you can drill out the rivet for the follower spring in Ramline magazines and replace the follower with aftermarket preban followers and
springs to get a reliable 13-14rd mag for the Hi-Power.
On KRD mags - I removed the old follower and spring.Then I installed a new plastic follower (after grinding off about a 1/4 inch or so) and a new spring,not as strong as the original.When this is all back together,you get a mag that holds 16 rounds,loads alot easier and works fine. Thanks to Don
Followers from 10rd magazines will work in KRDs but reduce capacity by two. Followers from CZ75 magazines work in KRD mags also. Thanks to Harold.
If someone is really stuck for a mag - S&W 69 series mags can be altered to function - standard 15 rnd mags will need a new higher mag catch cut in and will stick out from the bottom of the mag well about 1/2 an inch. Lips may need adjustment and a new follower would be needed for hold open on last shot. Thanks to FOURN6.
K487 writes in with a tip on how to improve the reliability of USA mags. About 3 years ago I bought 4 30-rnd mags (I think they are good 'ol USA mags) from CDNN (Abilene TX 800-588-9500) for $7 each, figuring they would need some work (too cheap a price even though I didn't know about USA mags at the time). CDNN advised they had bought a bunch. Well, they didn't work worth a nickel, so I started fiddling with them.
They work almost perfect now and I want to pass on what I did -
A. I cut the legs on the plastic follower down to about 1/4" each, and cleaned any burrs off - makes them more horozontally flexible.
B. I was keeping the mags stored and fully loaded. After a few months I'd use them shooting and discovered the springs were weak and not feeding well at all. I then stretched the springs and put them back in and loaded the mags and let them set for a couple of months - same problem.
Through some research, last month I purchased a 3-pack of Glock 31/33 round magazine springs (stock number 969-000-076) from Brownells (800-741-0015) for $18.49 plus $3.70 1st classs USP shipping. They fit the mags perfectly with the following tweaking:
1. The curl in the end of the spring that pushes against the follower needs a little bending to keep if flush/level with the outside spring wire (so it sits evenly under the follower)
2. The curl in the end of the spring that pushed against the follower also needs a little squeezing with pliers to reduce its diameter to fit nicely inside the 4 follower legs.
That's all, but note that the springs are REAL strong and take some muscle to bend.
Lastly, I VERY lightly oiled the inside of the mag well sides AND when loading my S&B JHP put about 1/2 drop of light oil on my index finger, spread it to my thumb and middle finger, then loaded about 10 - 15 cartridges, then reoiled my finger(s) for the rest. This of course reduces friction and the S&B ammo has the primer sealed (with red "paint" around it,) and with this little amount of oil I figured it would almost never seep into the cargtridges through the bullet/casing seal.
I've only fired the 3 repaired mags once each (30 rounds/mag,) and had one failure to feed on one magazine (quite a total improvment in the "junk" magazines.) I would NOT recommend them for self defense unless FULLY tested and of course their extended length is an awkward tactical problem.
CDNN still sells these for $10 each now (probably paid $2 each when they bought the batch.) Still, for under $20 (mag and Glock spring) we can now have highly reliable 30-rnd mags for shooting fun.
If you have a trick that has turned a dud mag reliable or allowed you to get extra rounds into a flush fit mag; please email me and let me know about it.
