Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Genuine Colt Mag or Cheap Knockoff?

Hello,

I ordered one magazine to try. It's an 8 round, marked "Colt" at the bottom (with Rampant Colt), flat follower, and SWC feed lips.


Side view...


... feed lip profile...


... bottom of mag - marked "G" for General Shaver perhaps..?


... seam along the back; squared feed lips...


... eight round follower, no dimple.

The gent selling these believes these are the real deal. I put 26 rounds through it today, full capacity, and I had no problems whatsoever with the SWC loads I was using. My only complaint was that it didn't drop free easily, but I took it from the mailbox to the range, not bothering to wipe the sticky grease from it first. That may have contributed to this, and it did drop free most of the time, albeit slowly.

I can get a very good deal on these, and as long as they are true Colt and will hold up, I'll be happy. On the other hand, I don't want them to fail in a few months, no matter how they perform now.

So what's the consensus? Quality magazine, or knockoff?

Thanks,

Josh <><

I think it's "Colt", but the old version & I don't know who made them; it is definitely not the newer "hybrid" version being made for Colt by Checkmate currently.

The new ones don't have round numbers on the side, IIRC, and they do have the dimpled follower. I think the newer version also has a stronger spring.

If they work, they work, that's all that really matters.

Here's a link with some info for you; both versions are discussed.

Magazine Analysis

MM

Thank you, Montana.

Josh <><

The John Browning design called for tapered feed lips and a single dimpled follower. Those don't have either feature.

On pretty much all magazines except Wilson & Tripp, I take out some of the abrupt lip as shown on the magazines above.......by this I mean that I taper them a just a bit for a smoother release.

Works just fine on any type bullet nose, including WC's on match guns.

The lips on the ones above are not as large as on some others though and probably will be just fine, IMO.

MM

I don't think it's a Colt's magazine.

Subcontractors mark the magazines with a letter. M = Metalform, C = Checkmate, O = Okay Industries. The Pony didn't show up until after 1970. The G on the bottom of the floorplate has yet to be identified as a genuine Colt's subcontractor and the magazines are thought to be fakes from the far east.

Yeah - who is "G"? I would also suspect it because of the less-than-crisp rampant colt embossing, and the less-than-perfect fit of the base plate to the tube. And the lack of a dimple on the follower is troubling. I'm no expert, but I'd avoid it even if it was genuine Colt. But hey - if it's cheap enough you can swap out followers and springs, and maybe it's a good range mag. (Still suspicious of all flush 8-rounders, I am)

I've not been a big fan of 8 round magazines. The Tripp Research Cobras work, but are not flush mount.

I've been handling 1911s since the 70s and never have seen an ORIGINAL Colt magazine with numbers stamped on the side like that. Also never recall a Colt baseplate stamped with the number of rounds... I say counterfeit...

If you look over on GunBroker.com there is a guy selling COLT 14 round .38 Super magazines with Colt marked baseplates down to the Pony...and then says they are from National Magazine...that is a copyright infringement which Colt will sue you for when they catch you.

Bob