M14/M1A Magazine Question

[Miami_JBT]

I just purchased a Springfield Armory M1A Scout Squad and looking at getting some additional 20rd mags.

44Mag.Com has genuine CMI (Check Mate Industries) 20rd mags. Those are contract overruns for the US Military. They are selling them for $27.00 each. From what I have researched; CMI or Springfield Armory Mags are the way to go and I believe that CMI makes the mags for Springfield anyway.

Sports Mans Guide has a bunch of different mags and does not give a a good photo nor any info on who made the mags. They right now have a 20rd mag for sale at $14.00 a pop. So far there are two pages of good reviews on Sports Mans Guide website. Of course I have no way in knowing if they are true or not. Just wondering if anyone knows about these mags and if they're worth it. http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/cb.aspx?a=148200

 

[madcratebuilder]

I know CMI's work, never used any from SMG. You generally get what you pay for. 44mag.com usually has the best prices on mags, those $14 mags are probably Korean imports.

Do a search over here.
http://www.m14tfl.com/upload/

 

[Double Vision]

I agree that you usually get what you pay for.
The 44Mag CMI magazines are the way to go.
Good luck.

 

[GCBurner]

Some of the imported M14 mags are pretty crappy, and some aren't bad. The factory mags that came with the Polytech/Norinco M14s work fine, and the genuine Taiwan Type 57 mags made for their military are good, too. There are Korean knockoffs of the Type 57 mags that have a heavy, rough "parkerized" finish that don't work so well, and sometimes don't even fit. Cheaper Than Dirt had some surplus mags made by Westinghouse a while back for around $15, but they also carry the cheap imported ones that don't work; if you buy mags from there, read the customer reviews.
I just bought some new CMI mags, myself, and I'm very happy with them for the price.

 

[drbeans]

Get the CMI mags. In my experience, magazines are the last place to go cheap. Especially on an M1A.

 

[TexasRifleman]

I bought a couple of Sportsman Guides magazines a while back. At the time they were the Taiwanese Type 57 steel magazines. They are shiny black. They work OK. The parkerized ones in that picture are the ones that people usually warn against.

Since then I've moved to CMI and now don't have any interest in any other.

 

[fragout]

If I was buying any M14 magazines "sight unseen", it would be from 44mag or the following..
http://www.lrbarms.com/accessories.html

I have purchased magazines from both of the above mentioned companies, and can say with certainty that the mags they sell are in fact the real thing.

Too many junk mags out there for me to waste money on.

11B

 

[JR47]

Type 57 Taiwanese mags were blued, and it's been a long time since they came into this country. Most of the W mags were supposedly Winchester, but were uniformly bogus. The same with many of the BR-1 mags. Prior to CMI coming on-line with current issue mags, there was a cottage industry making fake M14 mags.

Lee Emerson has a set of books out that has an entire section devoted to USGI mags, how they were built, finished, and who made them. He can be contacted via the http://www.m14tfl.com/upload/ His handle is "Different".

Right now, the cheapest, and best, mags are from CMI. At least for the M14/M1A