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Posted: 5/11/2020 10:20:51 AM EDT
[#1]
If they are the contract Checkmate M9 magazines, I would avoid them personally. I found some original Beretta made-in-Italy M9 magazines with the thick baseplate early in Army career and have carried them with me ever since. While I haven't experienced it myself, since I haven't used them, I've heard about problems with the Checkmate magazines from other people, such as feeding issues created by sand and dirt in them and weak springs.
I've bought some Mec-Gar flush-fit 18-round magazines more recently when I've found them on sale. You can get them for around $24 at Grabagun and other places. |
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Posted: 5/11/2020 10:39:53 AM EDT
[#2]
If they are from Airtronic, they are good to go, Checkmate...use for failure drills or just throw away.
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Posted: 5/11/2020 10:51:05 AM EDT
[#3]
The worst part of the M9 is the issued magazines. Don't hamstring yourself. Go to Greg Cote, LLC and buy some Mec-Gars.
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Posted: 5/11/2020 11:34:52 AM EDT
[#4]
Mecgar is the answer you seek.
 Different Types of Beretta 92 Magazines |
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Posted: 5/11/2020 11:47:34 AM EDT
[#5]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By 3ACR_Scout: If they are the contract Checkmate M9 magazines, I would avoid them personally. I found some original Beretta made-in-Italy M9 magazines with the thick baseplate early in Army career and have carried them with me ever since. While I haven't experienced it myself, since I haven't used them, I've heard about problems with the Checkmate magazines from other people, such as feeding issues created by sand and dirt in them and weak springs. I've bought some Mec-Gar flush-fit 18-round magazines more recently when I've found them on sale. You can get them for around $24 at Grabagun and other places. The Checkmate magazines got a bad reputation early on because the .mil contract mandated Parkerization on both the outside and inside of the magazine tube. Parked inside + sand + spring in a tube= huge problems. Later Checkmates do not have this problem. I bought 10 NIW manufactured between 2010-2015 from CDNN and they were good to go. No jams. |
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Posted: 5/11/2020 1:25:16 PM EDT
[#6]
Is there a way to tell on the magazine who it was made by and when? The ones I see do not have specific manufacturer names on them, just cage numbers etc.
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Posted: 5/11/2020 2:44:04 PM EDT
[#7]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By comma: Is there a way to tell on the magazine who it was made by and when? The ones I see do not have specific manufacturer names on them, just cage numbers etc. If they are parked they are probably Checkmate. I think those are actually some of the best mag bodies but they are parked on the inside. Get an extra strength spring and, in me experience they work great, especially after some range cycles knocks down the rough surface inside the mag. |
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Posted: 5/11/2020 5:31:16 PM EDT
[#8]
I wouldn't worry about it too much. I bought some beat to hell checkmates that are all from 2010-2011 and the springs in most of them are weak enough they won't even engage the slide stop while cycling the slide dry, but they're reliable as hell on the range.
If you're just buying them for range mags, I'd say go for it. If you're buying with the intention of carrying them, maybe spring the extra couple bucks on Mec-Gars. |
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Posted: 5/11/2020 5:39:50 PM EDT
[#9]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Arty8: If they are from Airtronic, they are good to go, Checkmate...use for failure drills or just throw away. I have a few Airtronic Service Corp NOS that I picked up at knob creek years ago. Never had an issue. In fact they are a well made. I like the base plate better than the OEM FS92 mags I have. I wish I would have bought several more. |
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Posted: 5/12/2020 8:53:03 AM EDT
[#10]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By 220: I have a few Airtronic Service Corp NOS that I picked up at knob creek years ago. Never had an issue. In fact they are a well made. I like the base plate better than the OEM FS92 mags I have. I wish I would have bought several more. How do you know they are Airtronic vs Checkmate? Thanks |
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Posted: 5/12/2020 12:26:55 PM EDT
[#11]
"Airtronic Services Inc" will be stamped on the left-hand side of the magazine-body. They will also have the lighter-gray "powder"-coating that started with Checkmate-mags around the mid-2000's (I cant remember the date, around 2005 or 2006). Airtronic magazines were supposed to have used a longer 11 or 12-coil spring first used by Mec-Gar when they were the original M9-contract OEM/USGI-supplier back in the mid to late 1980's.
The only "issue" I've ever seen with Airtronic-made M9 mags were the rough internal welds along the spine of the magazine-body, but they didn't seem to cause any functional issues that I've ever experienced. Then again, the early Checkmate mags worked just fine for me too, at least with ball-ammo. Good luck. |
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Posted: 5/12/2020 7:38:33 PM EDT
[#12]
The Checkmates with the parkerizing on the inside can be made serviceable with some 0000 steel wool and a dowel or bic pen. Just remove the spring and follower, wrap some steel wool on a dowel, then scrub the inside until it is smooth. Lightly oil, then reassemble. While it is apart, it is probably a good time to swap the used spring with a fresh Wolff XP spring.
Checkmates that I have done this to work just the same like Airtronics and Beretta OEM. |
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Posted: 5/12/2020 10:11:29 PM EDT
[#13]
Fatigued springs can be replaced for less than $10 each. Parkerizing can sanded out of the inside of the mag bodies or left in place as a substrate for solid film lubricant to be applied to. Slippery coated mags began entering the supply chain in 2005-2006 iirc. PS Magazine had a write up on M9 mags between March 2004 and July 2007.
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Posted: 5/13/2020 4:19:15 PM EDT
[#14]
These are the mags I'm looking at. Any way to tell who made them based off of these photos?
    
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Posted: 5/13/2020 4:50:14 PM EDT
[#15]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By comma: These are the mags I'm looking at. Any way to tell who made them based off of these photos? https://p1.gunbroker.com/pics/867897000/867897600/pix222308812.jpg https://p1.gunbroker.com/pics/867897000/867897600/pix303786306.jpg https://p1.gunbroker.com/pics/867897000/867897600/pix911699856.jpg https://p1.gunbroker.com/pics/867897000/867897600/pix080819707.jpg https://p1.gunbroker.com/pics/867897000/867897600/pix101700220.jpg That's Check-Mate's cage code. |
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Posted: 5/13/2020 4:59:47 PM EDT
[#16]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By cjk1: That's Check-Mate's cage code. Yep. Checkmates manufactured April 2014. They're good to go. |
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Posted: 5/13/2020 5:06:11 PM EDT
[#17]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By glklvr: Yep. Checkmates manufactured April 2014. They're good to go. Cool. So no issues even though they're Checkmate? Springs and internals don't need changing/sanding? |
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Posted: 5/13/2020 5:28:37 PM EDT
[#18]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Cool. So no issues even though they're Checkmate? Springs and internals don't need changing/sanding? |
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Posted: 5/13/2020 5:39:20 PM EDT
[#19]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By WIZZO_ARAKM14: That was only an issue for a short time anyway. You're overthinking it. Sorry. I know I'm overthinking it haha. So last question. These will work properly in commercial M9s right? |
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Posted: 5/13/2020 5:45:53 PM EDT
[#20]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Sorry. I know I'm overthinking it haha. So last question. These will work properly in commercial M9s right? The only 92-family pistols they wont work in is the 92S with the heel magazine release. Commercial Beretta 92FS mags have a small cutout at the bottom to make them backwards compatible with the 92S. M9 mags do not have it since the military M9 guns and all modern 92 pistols have the usual magazine catch location. |
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Posted: 5/14/2020 12:32:53 PM EDT
[#21]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By comma: These are the mags I'm looking at. Any way to tell who made them based off of these photos? https://p1.gunbroker.com/pics/867897000/867897600/pix222308812.jpg https://p1.gunbroker.com/pics/867897000/867897600/pix303786306.jpg https://p1.gunbroker.com/pics/867897000/867897600/pix911699856.jpg https://p1.gunbroker.com/pics/867897000/867897600/pix080819707.jpg https://p1.gunbroker.com/pics/867897000/867897600/pix101700220.jpg Yes those will work very well. I have several Checkmate brand M9 mags, and they are good to go. From what I understand, the CMI mags had issues with sand but otherwise functioned great. So you will be good to go. I don't really recommend the CMI mags, but using authentic Beretta mags as they are better in terms of wearing and overall function dirty. One of the big complaints about the M9 stems from the magazine, not the actual weapon. It's unclear why the military decided to do that, but it is typical for the military to outsource parts for weapons to the lowest bidder and CMI happened to offer the lowest, not necessarily the best. |
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Posted: 5/15/2020 9:02:54 AM EDT
[#22]
The USGI mags were notoriously awful, particularly in the early 2000’s
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Posted: 5/15/2020 10:08:44 PM EDT
[#23]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By dalle0001: Yes those will work very well. I have several Checkmate brand M9 mags, and they are good to go. From what I understand, the CMI mags had issues with sand but otherwise functioned great. So you will be good to go. I don't really recommend the CMI mags, but using authentic Beretta mags as they are better in terms of wearing and overall function dirty. One of the big complaints about the M9 stems from the magazine, not the actual weapon. It's unclear why the military decided to do that, but it is typical for the military to outsource parts for weapons to the lowest bidder and CMI happened to offer the lowest, not necessarily the best. The story is amusing. Checkmate didn’t want to parkerize the inside of the mags but the miltary wanted it done that way so they were done to the specs the military wanted. As far as I know, it was only the early mags that had problems and any mags made after 2004 are fine. |
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