Posted: 8/22/2008 7:07:48 AM EDT
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I want a G19...but I can't find any pre-ban 15rd mags that are drop-free (I live in NY state). Did they make such a beast or did they arrive post '94? I'm thinking why buy a G19 if I can't use proper G19 mags? |
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Here's a pic to help with identifying pre-ban mags. The two on the left are pre-bans. Either NDF, or on a FML mag, the caliber designation is about in the middle of the upper witness holes and the top of the mag opening. The two on the right are not pre-ban. Either they are LEO marked (obviously), or the caliber designation is moved towards the top to make room for the eliminated LEO markings, and Glock never moved it back down. 
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Yes, Glock Inc. manufactured and sold their Factory Full Metal Lined magazines for just about all their weapons for approx. eighteen months before the Clinton Crime Bill was signed on Sept. 14, 1994. They ceased production of all their earlier NFML magazines sometime in mid-1992, so its likely they manufactured tens of thousands of Full Metal Lined magazines in that short time period. The most reliable way to determine a "Pre-ban" Factory FML Glock 19 magazine (or any of them really) is to look for the two chrome-plated "dimples" visible on the back of the magazine body, usually between the last two witness holes, approx. 3/4's of the way down. These "holes or dimples" were carried over from the molds used to make the earlier NFML magazines. No reason to throw away these old molds when they worked so well and cost approx. $75,000 a piece to replace! ALL early FML magazines, regardless of model or caliber have these holes, used to align the inserts in the molds. When the BATF signed-off on the Clinton-era "LEO Only"-markings on the restricted mags in late 1994, Glock used brand-new molds that no longer had this feature (holes or dimples showing the chrome liner). The caliber designation height is not as reliable an indicator of "pre-ban" status, as depending on the mold used, they might have been moved up or down depending on the actual mold used at the time or by the operator in Austria cleaning them from time to time. Good luck. |
I have pre-ban magazines (at least 40 of each) for my G17's, G19's, G20, G21, G22 and G23. Guess what, all of them, and all I've ever seen, have had the caliber designation somewhere around the middle. NONE of them have ever been anywhere near the top of the mag, like ALL post ban mags are. I also have a pile of post-ban and LEO marked mags for each of the above, too. Guess what, all the caliber designations are at the top. At the shop I work with, we've taken in thousands of LEO trade-in Glocks, all with 2-3 magazines each. The markings on every one of them (and I've packed up just about every one of them myself for shipping, too, after I inspect them) follows the picture I posted. And on top of that, we stock and sell thousand of factory new Glock mags every year. Again, another surprise, all of the new production mags have the caliber designation at the top. I hate to break it to you, but on a mould, the caliber designations are machined into the mould itself. They are NOT a removable part, and they are not stamped into the mags afterwards. So, unless someone is cleaning the mould with a Dremel tool with a grinding stone on it, the markings will stay right where they are. That's why the caliber designations didn't move after the ban. During the ban, they had to machine new moulds in order to add the Restricted markings. After the ban, instead of machining new moulds (which costs a lot of money, I know, I used to be a machinist), they simply machined off the Restricted markings and left the caliber designations where they were. It's a recognized 100% reliable way to identify pre-ban mags. Please show me a pic of a pre-ban magazine with the caliber designation at the top, or a post ban magazine with the caliber designation in the middle, if you want me to believe that it's not a "reliable" indicator. |