Universal magazines

[gaseousclay]

Here’s my silly handgun question of the day, are there any companies that make universal magazines that will work across different brands, or do you have to spend the extra $ and buy the manufacturer magazine?

I’m asking because there are companies like Magpul that make ar magazines that will work with any company, not to mention being inexpensive. I think Magpul makes some Glock magazines but that could be because Glocks are polymer and the most popular handgun around. Handgun magazines are over twice the cost of an ar mag, but I’m assuming it’s because most are made out of metal instead of polymer.

Any ideas?

 

[TunnelRat]

Magpul AR magazines work in multiple ARs because those companies are using the same data package essentially. The resulting geometry needed for the magazines is the same from one AR to the next, assuming the same caliber. Pistols are another story. The geometry of one magazine is different than another. By that I mean the angle of the magazine body itself. Some are also wider or narrower than another. In that case it’s practically impossible to make a universal magazine. Now some companies actually do use the same geometry of existing magazines to save themselves on their own R&D, but that’s not the norm currently.


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[44 AMP]

Here’s my silly handgun question of the day, are there any companies that make universal magazines that will work across different brands, or do you have to spend the extra $ and buy the manufacturer magazine?

No.

Basically because each different brand (design) is different. Different measurements, sizes, location of magazine catches, etc. Sometimes, different models of the same gun from the same maker won't take the same magazines.

One example of that is my Browning BDA 45. It is an early model SIG P220. Uses a heel clip magazine catch. Those mags will not work in later model P220s with the pushbutton magazine release, without permanent modification of the magazne body.

GI Tommygun mags won't work in the semi auto Tommy guns, unless modified, and when they are, they won't work in the original tommy gun.

The only mags I've ever seen that will work in more than one design gun are the plastic ones (I forget who made them) that were made to work in either an AR-15 or a Ruger Mini 14, because the maker built both kinds of locking system into the mag bodies to begin with.

You won't find that in any common pistols I know of.

 

[KyJim]

Well, 1911 pistol mags will normally work on all “true” 1911 pistols with the same grip lengths. But that is because there is no patent on the generic 1911 design

 

[Jim Watson]

Way down in the trivia weeds, a Daewoo DP51 will take a Smith and Wesson Model 59 mag.

And you can file a catch notch in a Weatherby XXII magazine for use in a Walther GSP.
There are a few others like that, where one gun's magazine can be altered to fit another.

But in general, the answer is no.

 

[Bill DeShivs]

Browning HP and it's clones generally take the same magazines.
Glocks and their clones take the same magazines, and other pistols and rifles take Glock mags.

 

[MikeG]

The only mags I've ever seen that will work in more than one design gun are the plastic ones (I forget who made them) that were made to work in either an AR-15 or a Ruger Mini 14, because the maker built both kinds of locking system into the mag bodies to begin with.

FWIW those were made by Ramline and were pretty poor. The feed lips were flexible enough that a slight bump or looking at them wrong would cause them to barf rounds all over the place.

 

[gaseousclay]

Thanks for the info guys. Guess i'll just have to deal with it and pay the extra $ for S&W mags.

 

[44 AMP]

FWIW those were made by Ramline and were pretty poor. The feed lips were flexible enough that a slight bump or looking at them wrong would cause them to barf rounds all over the place.

the 3 that I have (don't know if they are Ramline) have never done that. What I have are clear, 30rnd sticks, and worked ok in both my AR and Mini 14, other than a tendency to not lock the bolt open reliably on the last shot in the Mini 14.

Guess i'll just have to deal with it and pay the extra $ for S&W mags.

Paying "extra"? If you mean paying what the gunmaker asks vs. a lower priced aftermarket magazine, is that "extra"??

Consider this, if you buy spare mags from the company that made your gun and they don't work right, who do you deal with? The company has a vested interest in keeping you as a happy customer.

If you buy mags from someone else, and they don't work, you deal with a company that makes magazines, and you might not get the same response you get from the original gun maker.

 

[GarandTd]

No universal magazines that I know of. Aftermarket manufactures are out there, but with limited options. All of my handgun mags cost $20-$35 if I shop around or catch a sale. I don't think that's too much. Best chances of optimal function are going to come from factory magazines.

 

[rob-c]

Check metal form mags to see if they make them for your gun . I’ve bought 5 for my rock island 1911 in 10mm and function flawlessly at $21 each .

 

[dahermit]

Well, 1911 pistol mags will normally work on all “true” 1911 pistols with the same grip lengths. But that is because there is no patent on the generic 1911 design

Patients are not likely a factor inasmuch as they expire at some point (twenty years?), then anyone can copy that item (magazine, etc.). As an example, I think that there is at least one company coping the Ruger 10-22 receiver.

 

[KyJim]

Patients are not likely a factor inasmuch as they expire at some point (twenty years?), then anyone can copy that item (magazine, etc.). As an example, I think that there is at least one company coping the Ruger 10-22 receiver.

You're probably right. The real reason the mags are (or should be) interchangeable is because the 1911 design is so popular. Everyone wants a piece of that pie.

 

[raimius]

You may find several manufacturers make a compatible magazine, if you have a popular pistol. Quite a few make mags for the traditional Glock series (17/19/26). Shield Arms makes a flush fit G43x/48 mag that adds 50% capacity over the Glock OEM mags. Mec Gar makes a whole host of mags.

 

[T. O'Heir]

It's not the 'brand' that matters. It's the firearm. There's no such thing as a "universal" mag though. There are aftermarket mags of varying quality. Some are good and work just fine in the firearm they were designed for.
Mind you, not all aftermarket brands are good. ProMag and Ramline brand mags, for example, tend to have reliability issues. They tend to be low cost but that guarantees nothing.

 

[tipoc]

Here’s my silly handgun question of the day, are there any companies that make universal magazines that will work across different brands, or do you have to spend the extra $ and buy the manufacturer magazine?

The question is a little hard because I'm not sure what you mean by "universal magazines".

By process of elimination (I'm eliminating that you want a mag that will work in all handguns and multiple calibers), I assume you mean a mag that will work in all CZ 75B's or all 1911 GMs regardless of maker, or all Sig P229's in 40 S&W. Also that are not factory mags.

The quick answer to that is sometimes yes and very often no.

First alot of gun makers no longer make their own mags. They contract them out to companies like Mec-Gar and a few others. So the aftermarket mags made by those companies are as good as the "factory mags" but with different names on them, because they are "factory" mags. But that's a piece of information about specific companies that you have to know.

tipoc

 

[gaseousclay]

Thx for the feedback everyone.

Which online stores do you guys use for handgun mags? I’d like a site that sells both handgun and ar mags

 

[GarandTd]

I like Midway.

 

[PolarFBear]

What pistols, and other, firearms, use the same magazines? I think Glock magazines are used in several other guns; just don't really know which ones. Likewise, Ruger magazines were/are used in some carbines and other long guns. Any factual input? Would be dand y to have a "battery" of weapons that all use the same mags.

 

[DaleA]

I am a big Midway fan also. However I'm enough of a cheapskate that I wait for the stuff I want to go on sale and wait for the "free shipping" promotions. Free shipping happens on a regular bases.