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#1 |
Senior Member
Join Date: July 17, 2016
Posts: 180
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Colorado Gun Owners - Options for compliant magazines?
Given there is a 15 round restriction in Colorado, what avenues are there to abide by these laws? Are restricted magazines sold? If so, what brand(s) are available? If you have had to limit magazines greater than 15 rounds, what products have you used to do that?
Would a fixed mag, 10 round SKS be a good alternative to getting an AR to avoid going through the hassle of getting 15 round magazines? I am asking because 15 round magazines aren't commonplace among semiautomatic rifles. I want to build or buy an AR15 for range use/as a fun gun, but having to deal with limiting magazines or finding restricted-capacity ones seems aggravating. Last edited by Jacket67; March 2, 2020 at 08:58 PM. Reason: I am editing this post to reflect more of what I was originally intending |
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#2 |
Senior Member
Join Date: January 27, 2008
Location: Madison, AL
Posts: 1,932
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I USED to live there and know a few people that still do. I was in a more conservative city and what I'm hearing is that the rule is essentially ignored, to include businesses selling 30 round magazines in their store, on their shelves. It may just depend on where you live. Other places may not be so understanding.
Of course, I'm not a lawyer and don't recommend breaking the laws, especially when it comes to guns. YMMV and my information may be old. Hopefully someone else who still lives there can provide more information. |
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#3 |
Staff
Join Date: September 27, 2008
Location: Foothills of the Appalachians
Posts: 13,095
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This is the rifle subforum, so let's keep responses germane to the technical aspects of the situation, not the legal ones.
Also, let's not have posts about breaking the law, even if many people may be doing so.
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#4 |
Senior Member
Join Date: January 14, 2018
Location: Colorado
Posts: 415
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The magazine restrictions are an unenforceable farce here in Colorado. The ONLY time they have come into play is as an additional charge to someone that was being arrested/searched for separate illegal activities. If charged it becomes the states burden to prove the magazines in question were manufactured after the law was enacted on July 1st, 2013.
The law hasn’t saved any lives, just sold a lot of high capacity magazine “kits” & also forced Magpul to relocate jobs & tax dollars to more friendly states. It hasn’t effected me at all. |
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#5 |
Senior Member
Join Date: July 17, 2016
Posts: 180
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Sorry, my intention wasn't to create a post about breaking the law, just on the reality of life there as a gun owner. I will keep to technical aspects with future posts.
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#6 |
Senior Member
Join Date: October 22, 1998
Location: Colorado, USA
Posts: 4,362
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If Tom would move this to Law and Civil Rights, I'd be happy to address some of the technical aspects of the law and the law suits. I was the subject matter expert for RMGO which was the only lawsuit to make it to the Supreme Court.
As for 15 round magazines, you can buy 15 round magazines from several manufacturers, most of which have some sort of a limiter in them. Here is a company that caters to folks wanting to buy specific state legal magazines. https://www.charliecoopers.com/magpu...-30-ar-rifles/ |
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#7 |
Senior Member
Join Date: June 15, 2016
Location: Rural PA
Posts: 1,639
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Try HexMags. I accidentally bought one that was limited to 15 rounds. They are full 30 round sized mags with a shorter spring and a plug to limit the rounds. They can be converted to a 30 round capacity by removing the plug and replacing the spring. Also, there are metal bodied magazines in 5 and 10 round capacities for the AR platform. I think I even remember seeing 15 round mags before.
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22lr, 20 gauge, 8mm Mauser, 35 Remington, 30-06, 5.56x45/223, 9mm, 380acp |
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#8 |
Staff
Join Date: September 25, 2008
Location: CONUS
Posts: 19,051
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15 rounds is an unusual limit -- elsewhere found (I think) only in New Jersey. But a number of states have a 10-round capacity limit, and that was the limit under the old Federal AWB. You should have no difficulty finding 10-round magazines.
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#9 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: November 23, 2010
Posts: 4,862
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Quote:
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#10 |
Senior Member
Join Date: August 12, 2009
Location: Athens, Georgia
Posts: 2,607
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While SKS rifles are fun, I'd prefer an AR15 over an SKS, even if the AR is limited to ten or fifteen round detachable magazines.
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#11 |
Senior Member
Join Date: November 13, 2006
Posts: 8,350
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First,let me clearly state I believe the mag restriction laws are crap.
Now,getting back to the OP. I'm not a lawyer. I offer things to consider, not advice you can count on. For as long as restrictions on shotgun capacities when hunting migratory waterfowl have been in effect,the game warden has accepted removable plugs to be acceptable compliance. It does not necessarily follow that a removable magazine filler blocking a 20 round magazine down to a 10 will satisfy a 15 round limit law. If your state restricts semi-autos to 5 round magazines for hunting,a magazine filler block MIGHT satisfy the game warden but it likely won't satisfy the Hi-cap mag ban if you can restore the mag to hi-cap. For myself,I prefer the 20 round size over the 30's or more just because IMO,the gun is a little handier I'm not in combat. IMO,MagPul might do well to come out with a Colorado 15 round AR mag. |
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#12 |
Senior Member
Join Date: June 15, 2016
Location: Rural PA
Posts: 1,639
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I agree that the 20 rounders are ideal. And I also agree that a full bodied magazine with a plug to limit rounds may be questionable in a non"free state", but I don't live there so I don't know. Those type of mags exist and are easy enough to get so it might worthwhile for the OP to look into it
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22lr, 20 gauge, 8mm Mauser, 35 Remington, 30-06, 5.56x45/223, 9mm, 380acp |
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#13 |
Senior Member
Join Date: June 10, 2005
Location: SW Florida
Posts: 2,748
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I'm restricted to 5 rounds for hunting, so I use a 10 round pmag with magpuls -5/longer follower. I suppose you could use same in a magpul 20 round mag to drop capacity to 15.
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#14 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: November 4, 2013
Location: Western slope of Colorado
Posts: 3,822
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Quote:
The magazine plug idea wont fly either. If a mag can be converted to hold more then 15 it is also banned. It is true that most small gun shops have 20 & 30 round mags sitting on the shelf for sale. You wont find em at the big chain stores like Cabelas, but the little guys in my town have AR & AK mags new in the wrappers by the dozens plainly displayed |
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#15 |
Senior Member
Join Date: November 13, 2006
Posts: 8,350
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I might have heard a rumor about a guy,I forget his name,who noted the "grandfather clause" and ordered enough magazines to meet his needs for a lifetime.
At least for long guns. |
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#16 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: October 22, 1998
Location: Colorado, USA
Posts: 4,362
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Quote:
Likewise, the majority of shotguns tubes are designed so as to readily accept after-market extensions. The 28.5" was in fact based on evidence I provided during hearings. Thus, the law, as written "outlaws" firearms in common use since 1. Their magazines are readily convertible to higher capacity and 2. Magazines require maintenance such as different springs and 3. Magazines are a non-durable appurtenance that need to be replaced over the lifetime of a firearm. There, now you have the jist of a 9 page report. ![]() |
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#17 |
Senior Member
Join Date: June 9, 2010
Location: live in a in a house when i'm not in a tent
Posts: 2,483
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Aquila Blanca [QUOTE]15 rounds is an unusual limit -- elsewhere found (I think) only in New Jersey.[/QUOTE
That wasn't an accident. If you have an SKS, a built in 10 round magazine might be the easiest long term solution unless you already have a black rifle. And the SKS with its built in magazine will probably avoid a whole lot of magazine-related what-ifs (until they start to limit the sizes of reloading strips to 7 rounds)... MarkCO has already pointed out some good sources for 15 round magazines to plug your open mag well. Sorry for the hassles, welcome to the land of the read-the-fine-print-before-you're-free.
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#18 |
Senior Member
Join Date: September 5, 2006
Posts: 696
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Hmmm - not sure if this is relevant but I have bought magazines in 2019 at the Centennial gun store off of Arapahoe which exceeded 15 rounds - the magazines were disassembled at purchase and I had to reassemble them on my own. The counter guy said they could sell plus 15 round magazines based on the Hickenlooper Loophole (lawyers - shaking my head).
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#19 |
Senior Member
Join Date: June 11, 2007
Posts: 2,164
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#20 | |
Staff
Join Date: September 25, 2008
Location: CONUS
Posts: 19,051
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What's happening and what's legal are not necessarily the same thing. Here's the link to the actual text of the law:
http://www.leg.state.co.us/clics/cli...e=1224_enr.pdf Quote:
So the gun shops can argue that they are not selling "magazines" but rather "parts." That may (or may not) get them off the hook. That doesn't help the buyers. Once they put the spring and the follower back into the tube, they have a magazine. They have a high-capacity magazine, which they did NOT possess as of the effective date of the law. That's illegal. Unless someone has a legal citation that discusses how buying a "parts kit" is legal under Colorado's law, let's not have any more posts suggesting that it's okay to buy them. Read it. It may be okay to sell the parts. It is NOT okay to possess newly-created, large-capacity magazines.
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#21 |
Senior Member
Join Date: October 22, 1998
Location: Colorado, USA
Posts: 4,362
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Aguila, your reading of the law is accurate.
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#22 |
Senior Member
Join Date: June 15, 2016
Location: Rural PA
Posts: 1,639
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Brownells has 15 round steel body AR mags available. The brand is E-Lander and the price is $15.99/ea.
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#23 |
Senior Member
Join Date: March 2, 2014
Posts: 12,968
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My state does not have a magazine size restriction. Nonetheless 99% of my AR shooting is done with a five round capacity magazine. Home defense weapon is a different story.
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