What is going on with M14 magazines? and spotting counterfeit magazines - Page 4

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - What is going on with M14 magazines? and spotting counterfeit magazines (Page 4 of 4)

Posted: 7/6/2013 6:47:08 PM EDT

[#1]

Deleted

Posted: 7/16/2013 5:30:41 PM EDT

[#2]

Quoted:

I posted the magazine identification guide on SkyDrive. Let me know if you can access and download it.

https://skydrive.live.com/#!/view.aspx?cid=0E7C85A9B1BE7FE0&resid=E7C85A9B1BE7FE0%21439&app=WordPdf

Nope.

Posted: 7/16/2013 5:50:47 PM EDT

[#3]

It works for me... I downloaded the PDF.

Thanks!

Posted: 12/3/2013 9:51:00 PM EDT

[#4]

Quote History

Quoted:
Picked up a pair of 20 rounders off Diamondback for an M1A Scout I have on lay-away...

http://tinyurl.com/bwxyaeh

http://tinyurl.com/cgcsvc6

http://tinyurl.com/cz3xp7k

I was curious after reading this thread and decided to take them apart for inspection, using the pictorical as a loose guide.

They are parkerized steel with 11+3 weld spots, stasmped "W" on the back, no markings on the floorplates or followers; two weld spots on the follower and six circles on the latch plate in the back with two diswtinct pins on the inside of the magazine body. The bottom of the spring is bent into a square and a U shape on the top portion of the spring. The parkerizing is uniform and the magazines were all clean. I imagine these were owned by someone, because i could not see any grease in them, except for a very thin film on the springs.

I hope they are the real deal, they look pretty damn sturdy, so even if they are not, they will serve me well, I hope.

View Quote

Those look exactly like the magazines I got off cdnnsports a while back. I bought some other "factory mags" off their site and really found them good. Can't imagine the M1A mags are bad but I was a bit disappointed with the many review. I played around with it loading it with snap caps 308 and what I found was it was very tight compared to the CMI mags I got from Fulton Armory. The problem is the follower scratches easily and after loading it and unload it with 2 rounds of snap caps, I thought they were really good and somewhat better than the CMI mags I have.

The only issue is the whole thing scratches very easily. I mean just playing with it at home and it looks like it's been through some serious usages.

Not sure who makes it but the exact same W marking is on mine. I heard reports that some people can't load the full 20 yet and I haven't been to the range yet. I suppose worse case they'll make excellent mags for range time and preserve the CMI mags I have. You can always get a rebuild kit to fix it up.

Posted: 1/13/2014 10:30:48 PM EDT

[#5]

Quote History

Quoted:

I posted the magazine identification guide on SkyDrive. Let me know if you can access and download it.

https://skydrive.live.com/#!/view.aspx?cid=0E7C85A9B1BE7FE0&resid=E7C85A9B1BE7FE0%21439&app=WordPdf

View Quote

If it's OK with you, I would like to create a Resource for this forum that links to that?

I just realized he linked that last year.

IM sent.

Posted: 1/15/2014 8:51:04 PM EDT

[#6]

So is there a definitive word on the star marked 25 rounders?

All reports that I can find are positive but that they are not USGI.

Posted: 1/26/2014 9:34:59 PM EDT

[#7]

Quote History

Quoted:
I ordered a twenty round Thermold M14 magazine from Thermold Magazines this week. The transaction was smooth as silk and I received the magazine within a week by USPS Mail. The date code on the magazine indicated manufacture in May 1990. A M14 fan from another board and I went out to the desert today. We gave it a function test. I used a 2002 vintage Springfield Armory, Inc. M1A that runs flawlessly with USGI, CMI, and mainland Chinese magazines. Ammunition was Magtech 150 grain FMJ cartridges. The Thermold magazine was easy to insert and remove with twenty rounds. However, it failed to feed three times during the course of fire. After the last round, the bolt failed to lock back.

View Quote

I bought 3, they seem to not feed on one side, ie; only every other round feeds. Worthless.

Posted: 3/15/2014 8:19:34 PM EDT

[#8]

Deleted

Posted: 3/17/2014 5:20:41 AM EDT

[#9]

is there a change log documenting whats new?

Posted: 3/17/2014 12:08:01 PM EDT

[#10]

Deleted

Posted: 3/18/2014 9:56:08 AM EDT

[#11]

Deleted

Posted: 6/14/2014 10:48:18 PM EDT

[#12]

My father just passed and I found a bunch of good USGI 20 rounders in his stash. Some 95% likely fake 25 rounders as they are not marked CMI and some blued 30 rounders. While obviously not USGI I will give them a try and see how they work. Any clue where blued 30 rounders would even come from? There are no markings at all but do have weld spots all the way down the front.

If they work - great, if not I will junk them. Just curious to see if anyone might have a clue on origin.

Posted: 11/27/2014 6:16:04 PM EDT

[#13]

Quote History

Quoted:
Any clue where blued 30 rounders would even come from? There are no markings at all but do have weld spots all the way down the front.

View Quote

Made by USA Magazines (Downey, CA) in the early 1990s. The company was out of business by 2001.

The 11/27/2014 version of Pictorial M14 Magazine Identification Guide Version 1.9 may be downloaded for personal use at https://onedrive.live.com/?cid=0E7C85A9B1BE7FE0&id=E7C85A9B1BE7FE0%21115

Posted: 11/29/2014 4:45:17 PM EDT

[#14]

Thanks.

Posted: 1/26/2015 12:19:11 AM EDT

[#15]

Many, many thanks to you Different!! Very comprehensive list, pictures and text for identifying magazines that have been faked for the M1A/M14 rifles. I purchased some mags through CTD or CDNN that were the "W" marked ones. Now that I have the PDF ID guide, I will break them down to check them and see what exactly I have. I haven't shot any rounds through them yet, but have loaded 20RDS in them with no problem. I don't think I had any problem with them fitting the gun either, but will check again. I have a Federal Ordnance with USGI parts, two stocks, Springfield 3rd Gen mount with Springfield 4-14x-56mm scope. Thanks again for the very valuable info!

Rock on Lee!!

Posted: 1/26/2015 5:31:22 AM EDT

[#16]

Quote History

Quoted:

Many, many thanks to you Different!! Very comprehensive list, pictures and text for identifying magazines that have been faked for the M1A/M14 rifles. I purchased some mags through CTD or CDNN that were the "W" marked ones. Now that I have the PDF ID guide, I will break them down to check them and see what exactly I have. I haven't shot any rounds through them yet, but have loaded 20RDS in them with no problem. I don't think I had any problem with them fitting the gun either, but will check again. I have a Federal Ordnance with USGI parts, two stocks, Springfield 3rd Gen mount with Springfield 4-14x-56mm scope. Thanks again for the very valuable info!

Rock on Lee!!

View Quote

The cdnn "W" mags are NOT USGI. They are imported counterfeit mags hence the "GI Spec" description. Not saying they are bad mags, but, they are not USGI and I would stick with CMI for future reference for a few bucks more.

Posted: 2/22/2015 10:17:24 PM EDT

[#17]

Well, I tried my fake "W" marked magazines I had bought and they held a full 20 rds, worked okay manually feeding them through the rifle. But the main issue was putting them in and getting them out of the rifle!! I've NEVER seen or felt magazines that tight in any rifle that I've owned that used detachable magazines. Hopefully they will wear some, since I haven't actually fired them in the rifle yet. Although I have an original BRW S-I magazine and it fits tight also, but not as to the tightness of the others in getting them out. I took the BRW S-I apart and it is an original body, but not the follower from the pictures in the PDF on identifying the fakes and originals. Just hope this information might prove useful to someone in the future if they have bought the "W" marked ones like I did before finding out the differences. I will be buying the Checkmate Industries magazines in the future for my rifle.

Many thanks to you Lee for the very valuable information.

I don't drink, but have a beer on me Lee.

Posted: 2/26/2015 11:07:23 PM EDT

[#18]

Just got my mags from 44MAG and all I can say is WOW! Exceptional service and delivery! I will DEFINITELY do business with them again. Ordered my CMI mags on the 22nd and received them on the 25th. Wouldn't be such a big thing, BUT coming from OR to SC?? Way cool man! Thanks again to everyone for the info directing me to them for the right mags for my M1A. Too bad they don't have a forum on Industry page. KUDOS to ya'll at 44MAG.com !!!