Colt "GI" Mags

[Brownstone322]

So I recently bought a Colt 1911 Classic (O1911C) in .45 Auto, something akin to an old-school M1911A1 with a flat mainspring housing.

If you're familiar with Colt these days, they seem consumed with reducing costs, so they ship their pistols with only one magazine, in this case a seven-round mag sourced from Checkmate (stamped "C"). I needed seven more mags — because eight is my basic stash for single-stack — so I went out Web-shopping, looking for Checkmate or Metalform or Mec-Gar (which are all on my trusted list) whereupon I found a relatively good deal on (of all things) Colt-branded "GI" magazines. And I bought seven.

Then here's my question: What exactly did I buy?

The mags are not identical to my one Checkmate-supplied example (tiny dimensional details both on the body and the follower), and they're not stamped "Colt" or "C" or "M" or anything else. On the baseplate they're marked as so:

19200–
ASSY 5508694
MFR. 30745

And, no, I haven't used them yet, and if they run well I ultimately don't care. But I think it's natural to wonder who makes these things. Is anyone familiar with Colt "GI" mags?

Thanks.

[lee n. field]

Link to what you bought?

[44 AMP]

and they're not stamped "Colt" ...

If they aren't marked Colt" or some recognized code for Colt, why do you say they are Colt mags? Do they have the pony??

[Jim Watson]

Magazines marked
19200–
ASSY 5508694
MFR. 30745
were either made by Mason-Rust Co. or are fakes from who knows where. The fakes seem more common.
If you compare with a known USGI you can see if the lips and witness holes are correct.
Or show pictures here.

[Brownstone322]

Originally Posted by 44 AMP

If they aren't marked Colt" or some recognized code for Colt, why do you say they are Colt mags? Do they have the pony??

I think I was pretty clear that the mags themselves weren't distinctively marked as anything other than what I listed.

And here we are ...

https://gunmagwarehouse.com/colt-191...fault_products

Meanwhile, the brown-paper package for each mag is marked as so ..

MIL-PRG-121G
TYPE I
COVALANCE COATED PRODUCTS
COLUMBUS, GEORGIA
POLY KRAFT NO. 1
LOT NUMBER 0025 JUL. 2018
14631

Wait, never mind all that last mumbo jumbo. Those markings are for the paper itself.

[44 AMP]

As I see it, there are two possibilities, actual Colt magazines, made by Colt and marked as such, ...

OR.. magazines made for the Colt pistol by someone else, and called "Colt magazines" because they are made to fit the Colt pistol.

I think the latter is much more common.

There are a great many quality magazines for the 1911 that aren't made by Colt. There is also a lot of crap magazines, made by who knows?....

My point here is that if you are buying "Colt" you should be getting "Colt" and not something from someone else that fits the Colt pistol.

[L-2]

Here's an old thread from another forum regarding 1911 mags with a 30745 CAGE code:
https://forums.1911forum.com/showthread.php?t=3288

Specifically, read Post 8 of the referenced thread which indicates "30745" was from the "Mason-Rust" company in Pittsburgh, PA, and no longer currently a stand-alone business entity, according to the old thread.

edit to add further research:
https://cage.dla.mil/Search/Results?q=30745&page=1

[GLK]

http://gunmagwarehouse.com
https://www.cdnnsports.com/

[Brownstone322]

Originally Posted by 44 AMP

As I see it, there are two possibilities, actual Colt magazines, made by Colt and marked as such, ...

OR.. magazines made for the Colt pistol by someone else, and called "Colt magazines" because they are made to fit the Colt pistol.

I think the latter is much more common.

There are a great many quality magazines for the 1911 that aren't made by Colt. There is also a lot of crap magazines, made by who knows?....

My point here is that if you are buying "Colt" you should be getting "Colt" and not something from someone else that fits the Colt pistol.

Well, Colt obviously doesn't manufacture magazines. To my knowledge, these days their .45 mags are supplied by Check-Mate, and their 9mm mags are supplied by Metalform. But as to who supplied MilSpec mags for the military ... I dunno. I would imagine that supplier changed over the decades. And I suppose any MilSpec M1911 magazine would in fact qualify as "made for Colt."

Anyway, I've already written to GunMagWarehouse about returning these magazines and "upgrading" to Metalform. I intentionally opened only one of the seven because I wanted to inspect it. Since the six are still sealed, I'm sure they'll take them back with no problem.

If they're reluctant to take the opened magazine, I'm cool with that. I'd kinda like to use it and see how it works out in the long run.

[Jim Watson]

WWII magazines are marked as to contractor. A suffix -C means it was made for Colt.
Coolgunsite.com has information.

[Aguila Blanca]

https://forum.m1911.org/showthread.p...Identification

Those magazines are counterfeit. Look at the witness hole locations, then look at a photo of any real Colt or GI magazine. In these magazines, the top witness hole is too high -- the second round would show in the witness hole. In a GI magazine, the top witness hole shows the third round.

[veprdude]

Lots of fake "Colt" mags too.

[RickB]

The pictured mags don't have tapered, G.I. feedlips, but that doesn't mean the specs couldn't have changed.

[Aguila Blanca]

That Army blueprint I posted is supposed to be the latest revision. It's dated 1987.

The U.S. military phased out the M1911A1 decades ago, when they adopted the M9. How many new magazines do you suppose they would have needed in the intervening years? The vapor shield wrapper is dated 2018? That's probably the expiration date, and I think that stuff has a useful life of five years. I seriously doubt that the U.S. military was buying 1911 magazines from Mason-Rust (or anybody, for that matter) in 2013.

[agtman]

* * * so I went out Web-shopping, looking for Checkmate or Metalform or Mec-Gar (which are all on my trusted list) whereupon I found a relatively good deal on (of all things) Colt-branded "GI" magazines. And I bought seven.

So why refer to these mags as 'Colt-branded GI magazines' if they weren't/aren't stamped 'Colt' or don't otherwise display a known Colt factory marking?

They're probably Chi-Com sourced fakes. The real point is whether they'll work reliably as feed-devices in your pistol.

Good luck.

[Aguila Blanca]

Originally Posted by agtman

So why refer to these mags as 'Colt-branded GI magazines' if they weren't/aren't stamped 'Colt' or don't otherwise display a known Colt factory marking?

They're probably Chi-Com sourced fakes.

I don't think there is any question. They are Chinese fakes. The feed lips don't appear to be GI-spec. The witness holes are in the wrong locations. They are wrapped in vapor protector dated in this decade, but they have a cage code for a company that stopped making 1911 magazines for the government in the 1970s.

FWIW, this is what genuine GI magazines should look like, This is what the genuine GI packaging looks like from the CMP:

[dogtown tom]

Gumag Warehouse simply embellishes the source of many of their magazines.
I noticed this on their supposed authentic 'Factory Original John Inglis" magazines for the Browning Hi Power.
First, a genuine "JI" marked mag runs $80+, second the idiot at GunMag Warehouse contradicts himself in his description.....spilling the beans that they are actual IOF MADE IN INDIA High Power mags!
Thirdly, whoever writes the descriptions at GunMag Warehouse is not only a liar, but a poor speller.




https://gunmagwarehouse.com/browning...-magazine.html

This is a Factory Orignal John Inglis 13-round “RA” stamped magazine for Browning Hi-Power pistols chamberd in 9mm

The original John Inglis HP mags were only stamped "JI"......so "RA" means they aren't original, aren't "factory".

Featuring an alloy cartridge follower and a one-piece welded steel body marked “RA” for its point of origin, these magazines were manufactured under license on Canadian Equipment by the Indian Ordnance Factory for John Inglis and Company in Toronto for Allied Troops serving all over Europe and Asia—with some mags going on to serve with the Israeli Army and Civilian Police known as the Mishteret.

Nonsense. Once John Inglis was out of the gun making business at the end of WWII, they sold their machinery to the Canadian Gov in the early '50's.




Later, that equipment was sent to India so the IOF could make their own even more crude copy of the Inglis HiPower. The first IOF Inglis copy didn't roll off the assembly line until......wait for it.......1977. Over thirty years after John Inglis stopped producing Hi Powers.

These are the original equipment mags for Inglis Hi-Power pistols, but will function with any Hi-Power or FEG clone chambered in 9x19mm, 9mm Luger/Parabellum. Despite their age, these magazines appear to be unused and in nearly flawless condition, with strong springs.

Well no, the "original equipment" mags for the Inglis Hi Power pistols is guess what.....marked "JI" for John Inglis.

These new old stock magazines have an incredible story to tell—serving not just as affordable wartime memorabilia, but as reliable firearms accessories for the avid shooter.

The only incredible story is the one GunMag Warehouse is telling.

Grab a few of these timeless Inglis-style Hi-Power mags for your collection while they last.

Oooooooo.........now it's "Inglis-style"?




TL/DR version? Gunmag Warehouse has a habit of misrepresentation of its products. The OP's is one more example.