Confused about Hi-Cap Mags

S

Shmackey

New member
I'm thinking of getting a 9mm pistol when I get my CCW (my other guns are Bullseye guns). The one I'm going to get (CZ 75B in satin nickel) comes with 10-round mags but you can get 15-round mags easily.

Now, I'm confused about what's legal and what's not. Since everyone in CA complains that they can't own 15-rounders, I'll assume that it IS okay to own them in other places (I'm in Colorado).

But in that case, what's the whole 10-round magazine law about? Surely it restricts something, somehow. Am I just allowed to own 15-rounders, but not carry them? Or can I carry them too?

I guess that's my question, along with "what's the legal difference between factory hi-caps and others, and do 'grandfathered' mags mean anything to me in Colorado?"

Sorry if this is basic, but it seems really confusing to someone who never thought about it before.
 
The ban has to do with date of manufacture (feel stupid as I can't call it right now). Any standard-capacity mags manufactured after that date are only available to LEO's or FFL holders. Anything produced prior to that date are fair game for anyone. That's why the prices are so high on some of them: the supply is fixed.

If you buy from a dealer, you aren't going to get anything that he can't legally sell to you.
 
Thanks, Bob. So if I understand you correctly (glad to see you're from CO), I can get "old" hi-cap mags for my CZ and use them?
 
Date for Pre/Post Ban Magazines...

Hello. The hideous date is Sept. 13, 1994. Anything made before that date is Pre-Ban and can be sold, owned, traded, etc. I understand the Calif and maybe another state or two have state laws preventing the sale and trade of such items, but the above is the cutoff date from the federal gov't. "High capacity" magazines made after that date will have wording similar to:

"For Gov't/LE Use Only" or something similar.

Best.
 
Yes, you can use anything made before that magic day in september 1994. Anything made after that day is evil incarnate.

As stated previously, any magazines made after that date will have the military/leo stamp, or a date stamped on it.

Also, it doesn't matter whether they were domestic or imports. As long as they were made before that date you should be ok.
 
Hmm...The plot thickens.

Tell me, are pre-ban mags available for the CZ-75B? Or are the hi-cap ones I've seen all post-ban?

How about this: Is there a list of semi-autos for which there are pre-ban hi-caps (i.e., I suppose, pistols designed and created entirely after the ban)?
 
There are prebans available for the cz75.

Date of manufacture is a guide, but some smart designers will make their new guns compatible with existing hi-caps (like the way the HS2K, er, springfield XD can accept taurus, baretta, and S&W high caps).
 
AndABeer (or anyone), you just done confused me again! Are the mags from CDNN and CZ-USA pre-ban? They don't say so, but they don't say that they're for LEOs only either.
 
Anything you buy from CDNN will be legal for you to own. You cannot buy a LEO-only mag without proper paperwork from a law agency. (Except from an illegal source.) Anything you can buy from a reputable dealer on the net is something you can use without restriction. If you aren't supposed to have it, they know it and won't sell it to you.
 
To put two of these posts together, if it doesn't say otherwise, they are preban. If a dealer is offering them for sale to the general public, they are preban. I have ordered lots of magazines from CDNN, they are a good company to do business with and I have never had a bad magazine from them. To sum it up, the law only prevents the manufacture of new standard capacity magazines for civilians, it doesn't effect the magazines already out there before the cut off date. You are free to buy pre ban magazines to your heart's content. You can own them, shoot them, carry them.

One side note that gets on some people's nerves. Many of us detest the use of the term Hi-Cap. The pistol was designed and built to use that magazine. That is the pistols standard capacity, therefore there is nothing hi cap about them. I refer to the new magazines as klinton magazines or gelded magazines. I realize this is a small point, but in our fight to keep our rights, I find it disgusting to buy into the sensational terminology used by our enemies. This has been debated several times on this board by members who insist that this term wasn't invented by the media and existed as a marketing ploy by the manufacturers as a selling point of a particular weapon. I don't know. I don't remember hearing the term before the ban. Either way, I don't use it.
 
Many of us detest the use of the term Hi-Cap. The pistol was designed and built to use that magazine. That is the pistols standard capacity, therefore there is nothing hi cap about them. I refer to the new magazines as klinton magazines or gelded magazines.
Click to expand...

Most of the frequent flyers here are on the same bandwagon. I appreciate you bringing it up. :) Restricted-capacity, limited-cap, choked, neutered...:D
 
OK....another question.?

I like this thread and agree with it. But I have a question to ask now! What if the "normal" capacity mag for my cz compact was
12/13 before the operation. Now it has 10 round mags...after
the operation. I want to get a "normal" 15 rnd full size mag as they work in my compact and only hang out 10mm past the grip.
What legal issues am I getting into? I carry my compact and wanted the 15 rnd just for that purpose! HELP...shoot well
 
Eric,
You hit the nail on the head, the regular hi-caps and 10 round Klinton mags made for the full size 75B stick out, that's it.
As long as you reside in a state where pre-ban hi caps are allowed, there is no "legal" issue I can think of. It's usually "cosmetics" which deter compact 75B owners from using full size mags in the gun.
Have fun!
VF
 
Eric, as VonFatman said, you are OK. Again, the law bans the manufacture of standard capacity magazines after the cut off date. It is that simple. You can have one in a train, you can have one in the rain, you can have one here or there, but you can't have one everywhere.
 
Dr Seuss with a gun.....lol.

VF and 444..thanks. I will continue my campaign for the "normal"
full size mags. I cannot shoot it in the rain...I will not shoot it on a train. I will shoot it here and there....I cannot shoot it everywhere.

Rain=rust
Train=cant carry
here=cool
there=cool
Everywhere=To damn many places...cant afford the ammo. LOL

Thanks again, shoot well
 
Eric,
Have a good one. Thanks for your comments regarding CZ-Forum. I was really suprised to hear the negative comments. Especially since the person making the comments did not bother to voice the thoughts at the Forum. Weird. I agree, no reason to waste brain cells with folks who think with their ***.
VF
 
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