Hi-Power owners, mag question

[bk40]

I'm trying to figure out if these mags I bought are genuine factory or not. At $70 each I think you can understand my concern!

Just received some "factory" 13rd, Italian made BHP mags I ordered. They have no markings on them whatsoever. No witness holes. The finish appears to be parkerized and the followers are synthetic.

I called the company I purchased from, nice lady told me they were Browning mags, made in Italy, just like the ones made for NATO and LE. Well, 1 mag did have a sticker on it that said "Made in Italy"!

I also called Novaks and Kurt Wickman to try and clear this up. They basically said the mags should be ok and some HP mags were made with no markings.

What do you HP owners think? Have you ever seen/owned mags like these?
TIA

 

[KML]

$70 seems like to much.I just ordered 2 mags from CDNN for $17.99 made in italy with rubber pad on base.After i get them and have a range test i will let you know how they work.I have 2 pro-mags that work great and they cost $15.99 ,i use these as my range mags and my 2 factory mags for self-defense.

CDNN
Abilene,Tx,79608
P.O BOX 6514
1-800-588-9500
They have a large selection of factory mags,give them a call and see what they will charge you factory mags

 

[Stephen A. Camp]

Hello. For many years, Browning's factory magazines were made by Mec-Gar, who also made mags for SIG-Sauer and other "big name" gun makers. The newest HP magazines from the factory did have witness holes in the rear and a mousetrap spring to help eject the magazine when the button was pushed. However, some of the older HP factory mags had what appeared to be a heavy matte blued or parkerized finish although the floorplate was plain blued steel. I do not know, but it is possible that any military contracts would have specified that no witness holes nor ejection springs be included. After-market magazines that are cheaper and have worked well in my HPs are made by Pro-Mag. They go for about $15 a piece, but I'm not convinced that they are the equivalent to the Mec-Gar.
In Shotgun News and elsewhere, I've seen true Browning (Mec-Gar) magazines offered from between $55 and $70 a pop. Hope this is of use. Best.

 

[bk40]

KML,
I tried CDNN on 8/16 and all they
had were the Pro-Mags. I do believe
I will buy several of them for range work, though. At $15/ea they would
be a bargain for non-defensive
purposes.

Stephen,
Taking a closer look, these mags do have a blued floorplate. The rest of the mag appears to be parkerized or matte blued.

I guess I've got the old style military mags. Hopefully, they will be reliable!
Regarding price, W. Novak is asking $90 for his mags.
I talked to a guy in Calif and he was asking $75 for the 13rd'ers and $100 for 15rd'ers (Inglais mags?), unfortunately he was going to have to return all is BHP mags as they were used, refinished and had some pitting.

Thanks guys!

 

[4V50 Gary]

Witness holes in BHP mags? Gee, I am getting old. A lot of my mags don't have that feature.

Browning did have a lot of their magazines made in Italy. Some are marked with the caliber and mention of "NATO" is included (I have one or two of these). Lest we forget, at one point Browning and Beretta were related with one of the firms owning 51% of the other. It was not unusual in the '80s to buy BHP mags made in Italy. Ahh...the good old pre-ban days.

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Vigilantibus et non dormientibus jura subveniunt

 

[Stephen A. Camp]

Hello, again, BK40! Yup! Sounds like real Browning (Mec-Gar) mags. By the way, if you find BHP mags offered by Mec-Gar, don't be surprised if they cost as much as the Brownings as they are really one in the same.
If you are at a gun show or otherwise locate some old surplus mags that have metal followers and two parallel cuts on the back rear of the magazine floor plate to allow it to hook over the rear of the mag body, they are likely Ingles magazines made for the Canadian version of the HP. I have a few of these and they work well. Some hold and function with 14 rounds if that's important to you. Best.

 

[KML]

I got my mags today.They are the same as my factory browning mags,but are not marked at all,no name or caliber.Factory mag is marked ITALY CAL.9MM NATO/LUGER,holes at 5rd,10rd and 13rd.Mags from cdnn have no markings at all and # of rds marked at 5rd and 13rd.Rubber base pad on both mags is marked PACHMAYER on one side and made in USA on the other side.I hope to get to the range next tuesday i will let you know how they work.

Kevin

 

[Stephen A. Camp]

Greetings, Kevin. With your magazines having witness holes as stated, it is a later pre-ban. In my experience, these are very, very good at keeping bullets pointed upward and greatly enhance the HP's already-good reliability rep. With these, as opposed to some of the older mags, I've found no need to download by even one round for absolute reliability. Best.

 

[Dorsai]

I bought my Browning mags many years ago. None came with witness holes. Finish is matte blue or parkerized. On some of them, I added a witness hole. There was an old article in American Handgunner that told you where to drill a small hole that would line up with the 13th round.
By the way. I never had to restrict myself to 12 rounds. 13 always fed reliably. I've even got a couple of 20 rd magazines that are reliable.

------------------
Dorsai
Personal weapons are what raised mankind out of the mud, and the rifle is the queen of personal weapons. The possession of a good rifle, as well as the skill to use it well, truly makes a man the monarch of all he surveys.
-- Jeff Cooper, The Art of the Rifle

 

[.]

4V50 Gary,

Have to agree with you. None in my box of BHP mags (13 & 21 rounders) have "witness holes". Really don't see the point. Must be an outgrowth of a liability issue. I always double count the rounds that go into a contingency mag, although I find it necessary to take my shoes off when I get past nine...


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Mykl
~~~~~
"If you really want to know what's going on;
then, you have to follow the money trail."
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[This message has been edited by Mykl (edited August 25, 1999).]