Here on M4C we have a great write up by Dave M. on AK magazines, for years Troy on TOS has kept up on AR magazines and who manufactures them. I have even found a great online source for M14/M1A mags but I have not been able to find any “magazine primer” (if you will) for G3/91 mags.
Anyone know of a website and or a book with updated info on these mags? I’d like to know manufacture markings and their country or origin. Also, I’m finding mags all over the net at various price points. An example, here is a factory used steel mag for $2.97 at CTD and then a factory new steel mag for $59.95 at HKparts. While I assume HKpart.net is at the premium end of the spectrum I just don’t see why that big of a price difference.
Also what is the skinny on factory HK aluminum mags vs. their steel ones?
I’m looking at picking up twenty factory new aluminum mags; so far these are the best prices my google-fu has turned up:
The difference is current production vs. military surplus.
Back in the good old days of the early 80s I was spending $20 a pop on HK91 magazines. Wasn’t exactly cheap. That current production magazine is now $60 adjusted for inflation.
The only reason you are seeing $3 G3 mags (and I remember them for 99 cents) is because the German army adopted the G36 and literally gave them away. Military surplus is the exception to the rule.
Same thing applies to the $99 AK and FAL parts kits we used to see. Same thing currently with IMI Uzi magazines being found for $9 a magazine, they are surplus. Those same exact magazines sold for $30 not very long ago.
So if you want a military surplus mag, it’s really cheap and you can sometimes find them NIW. But if you want brand new, fresh from the factory it’s gonna cost you 20 times as much.
As for a HK magazine primer, not really necessary. HK G3/91 mags generally come in two flavors, 20 round aluminum and 20 round steel, both are excellent. There are some factory 30 rounders out there, these include single body 30 round magazines and the ones where the body of (2) 20 rounders were cobbled together to produce a 30.
You’ll almost never encounter a non German “factory” HK magazine. Once in awhile you will come across a FMP (Portuguese) and MKE (Turkey) are currently imported in small quantities. Back in the 80s some Egyptian 40 round magazines came in but they are very rare today. I’ve seen a UK 20 round magazine once.
There are also tons of aftermarket magazine, but with the exception of Max Capacity (company from the 80s) they are generally junk and should be avoided.
I had purchased from “Enterprise”?? a Paki 20 round G3 mag a looong time ago during the Ban, paid through the nose for it. Ironically, shortly after wards went to visit GPC in West Hurley NY and they had, packed in grease or whatever,HK G3 mags for like $10 during the ban! I bought $200 as that was all the cash I had in my wallet and stashed away in my car for “emergency” use
Those are the “other” factory 30 I mentioned but couldn’t remember where they came from. DSA had them a few years back for about the same price. A real solid 30 round factory mag.
However when you use them you quickly discover why 20 round mags are the norm. 30 rounds of .308 is a LOT to hang off your 10 lb. rifle. It’s a good deal until you realize you can get 10 twenty rounders for the same price.
I have a couple just to have them and pretty much used them exclusively for my HK51.
Good to know, thanks! Yeah, I just want one of these for the collection but will stock up on the tweny rounders. I imagine these would hinder going prone quit a bit as well.
A little bit. Same thing happens with the FAL and M14/M1A as well when you use 30 rounders in those. A G8 drum is a little better prone but last I checked they were over $1000. Not exactly cost effective when 3 twenty rounders actually hold more for $10.
I know CTD was mentioned in the OP, but here is a link to the 20rd aluminum surplus mags going @ $1.97 over there. I just put a PTR 91 on layaway and somehow missed the CTD deal on my first search for mags and ended up buying 20 from DSA at $4.00 a pop. Stumbled on the CTD price a day or so later and bought 30. Figured I’d share the wealth in case someone else did the same thing.
If you want a drum, the X91 is a pretty close copy of the G8, and you can get them for under $250. They run great with ball, but they weigh about a metric ton. I have a couple “just because”, but a mix of NIW Hk surp Aluminum 20s for serious use and used Aluminum surp 20s for training is more realistic…especially when the training mags were 250 for the price of one drum.
It’s hard to justify tooling up for that when the NIW HKs are under $10 and used are still $3. As much as I love roller lockers, the “juice” has to be worth the “squeeze”.
