Shooter 973
New member
Have you ever really worn out a Hi Cap magazine for ether a rifle or Handgun? I don't mean dropped it or broken it just plain wore one out. I never have yet, maybe I just don't shoot enough!
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Ever worn out a Hi Cap mag?
- Thread starter Shooter 973
- Start date
Also, the part you're most likely to wear out is the sring, no? And (IIRC) you are still allowed to buy replacement springs (correct if wrong, please).
As far as the law is concerned, you can legally replace any damaged part on a mag, including the mag body. The problem is, of course, that no one makes unmarked 10+ round mag bodies for replacement as there is a high potential for abuse. See:
http://www.atf.treas.gov/firearms/faq/faq2.htm#o7
Now, I'd have to dig to find the exact text, but the law against possession of what they define as a high capacity feeding device is that it needs to be marked for LE Use Only - that marking is what makes it restricted for civilian possession, not really the date it was manufactured. All manufacturers are required to mark their 10+ mags with it posted 9/94. In some cases, some manufacturers didn't mark all of their mags as such or only dated them. There is some question as to whether or not these are legal to own. Going by the letter of the law, the civilian owner has not broken any law - it was the manufacturer that did by not marking them correctly. If you follow/agree with this logic, then it would seem that even though ATF's FAQ states that you can replace out any parts (which would obviously include the mag bodies), it would still be illegal for you to possess a magazine stamped for LEO Use Only, even if it is not technically a high-capacity feeding device as they define it. Sort of like you can't possess an LE marked ar-15 lower, even if it is in legal post-ban configuration, despite the fact that you can just as easily put an umarked ar-15 lower in an illegal configuration. You also couldn't legally have enough spare parts to create a new mag. However, as I stated before, despite what the law says, I haven't seen any manufacturers that make unmarked mag bodies for replacement parts post 9/94.
As far as wearing out mags, I have seen some well used ar-15 mags with the feed lips pretty badly worn (andonizing gone, and obviously thinner to the naked eye), but who knows what these have been through. I've never worn down a brand new mag myself (other than replacing springs), but then again, I don't get to shoot as often as I'd like.
Rocko