Pre ban Ruger mini 14 mags, how to positivly ID?
I've picked up a couple of Ruger Factory Mini 14 mags recently to go along with the new Mini 14 tactical i traded for. Several mags are very old looking, while others i know are new. How can i positively ID the Pre Ban mags from the post ban?
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If the mags are stamped by its manufacturer, then contact them and ask. If no markings there is no way to find out they're years of manufacturing. F.Y.I. the clinton "gun ban" went away into oblivion in 2003 IIRC. So the "preban, postban" issue is moot. Magazines are magazines. Best 0 -
quote:Originally posted by Garth
If the mags are stamped by its manufacturer, then contact them and ask. If no markings there is no way to find out they're years of manufacturing. F.Y.I. the clinton "gun ban" went away into oblivion in 2003 IIRC. So the "preban, postban" issue is moot. Magazines are magazines. Best
Its not moot because there are many states (NY and MA among them) that mirrored the Federal ban in their state laws and did NOT revoke them when the Clinton gun ban sunsetted.
If you're unlucky enough to live in one of those states, it matters, because importation of new high cap magazines may be against the law.
Also, its not necessarily true that just because a mag isn't stamped "LE only" that a date of manufacture can't be assigned or estimated. For example Glock changed its magazines over the years, and to the knowledgeable, the "generation" of mag can be ascertained by certain physical characteristics of the mag (eg round notch vs square notch, markings, lack of full metal lining etc). .
Real un-lined pre-ban Glock mags can be identified as such and actually are potentially worth a considerable amount more than "ordinary" (post ban/current) ones.
Now, I don't now the answer to the question about how to date Ruger magazines, or even if that's possible, but I wouldn't just assume that they're all the same and that there is no way to do it.0 -
+1 beantown. I hadn't considered the handful of commie states if your unfortunate enough to live there. Thanks for setting us straight. 0 -
While the >10 rd. mag. ban was in force, Ruger marked their mini-14, hi cap mags with something like " for law enforcement use only"...
I had a bunch of them..
JIM..........0 -
quote:Originally posted by beantownshootah
quote:Originally posted by Garth
If the mags are stamped by its manufacturer, then contact them and ask. If no markings there is no way to find out they're years of manufacturing. F.Y.I. the clinton "gun ban" went away into oblivion in 2003 IIRC. So the "preban, postban" issue is moot. Magazines are magazines. Best
Its not moot because there are many states (NY and MA among them) that mirrored the Federal ban in their state laws and did NOT revoke them when the Clinton gun ban sunsetted.
If you're unlucky enough to live in one of those states, it matters, because importation of new high cap magazines may be against the law.
Also, its not necessarily true that just because a mag isn't stamped "LE only" that a date of manufacture can't be assigned or estimated. For example Glock changed its magazines over the years, and to the knowledgeable, the "generation" of mag can be ascertained by certain physical characteristics of the mag (eg round notch vs square notch, markings, lack of full metal lining etc). .
Real un-lined pre-ban Glock mags can be identified as such and actually are potentially worth a considerable amount more than "ordinary" (post ban/current) ones.
Now, I don't now the answer to the question about how to date Ruger magazines, or even if that's possible, but I wouldn't just assume that they're all the same and that there is no way to do it.
in mass, its almost irrelevant because our genius government has banned the importation of high cap mags regardless of DoM except for leos.
now, you have two issue at play, the legal and the practical. legally speaking, you just cant do it. practically, unless you are actually caught at the border theres no way to enforce the law. this requires two things. one, the gun you are illegally importing hi caps for must have existed prior to the ban(i.e. you will never be able to make the argument that your glock 37 mags are legal, since the model 37 didnt exist on planet earth much less in massachusetts before the ban). the other part is that you have to be willing to lie. if you have a preban mag that is discovered long after the illegal importation, and this magazine bears no date stamps, manufacturer markings, or any other features that can be used to date a mag; then all you have to do is swear that you had it before the ban and they wont be able to prove different.
as to the original question, i have no idea.0 -
Good writeup on the Mass. AWB, and its ramifications.
Now, New York..
I havn't read anywhere about importation restrictions. And the magazines are treated (grandfathered) on their own merit the same as firearms.
What that means, is a proven pre-ban magazine can be used in a post ban rifle. On my AR, I use 20rd'ers that were known to have ceased production in 1979.
Perhaps there's a Ruger web-forum that will give you a heads-up on what to look for...
Best, and Good Luck! Joe0 -
quote:Originally posted by jeffb1911
I've picked up a couple of Ruger Factory Mini 14 mags recently to go along with the new Mini 14 tactical i traded for. Several mags are very old looking, while others i know are new. How can i positively ID the Pre Ban mags from the post ban?
CA has an interesting and difficult to enforce magazine ban in that a) it does not ban possession and b) repairing and replacing high caps is allowed by law. A Ruger Mini 14 +10 round magazine could have yesterday's date stamped on it and the owner may have legally used it to replace or repair an older magazine - the older magazine need not be accounted for. The CA "ban" has an effect mostly on the moment of importation, once they're in state it's very difficult to enforce. CA allows the importation and sale of magazine "kits" and those kits are nothing more than a disassembled magazine.0 -
For KevD18,
I'm more than familiar with the lunacy that is MA gun law (see my user name).
Never lie. Lying to law enforcement is, all by itself, a legal violation. Unless you are the world's best liar, you're also likely to give yourself away trying this.
More important, lying is just not necessary. You enjoy a legal right to remain silent and not to incriminate yourself. If push comes to shove its advisable that you exercise these rights.
With respect to magazines, there are several issues.
First of all, its illegal for you to possess a high cap magazine, unless you have the LTC-A. If you don't, it doesn't matter when the magazine was imported.
Next, if for the sake of argument somebody wanted to charge you with illegal importation of a magazine, it would be up to THEM to prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt in front of a jury of your (utterly insane liberal gun-hating MA) peers.
Its not incumbent on you to swear anything, and there is good reason for you NOT to do so (see above).
Anyone trying to prosecute you for importation (distinct from possession) would have to prove that YOU illegally imported the magazine in question (not your brother, cousin, or neighbor), which as you can imagine can be difficult to do, especially if the magazine in question is generic, and identical to 1000 others like it that were legally imported into the State of MA.
Lastly, what you say about Glock 37 mags not being in existence prior to the MA ban is true, but its not the full story.
Remember, police officers ARE allowed to import high cap magazines into the State of MA. I believe (but am not 100% sure) that once imported, they are even allowed to transfer said magazines in private transfer to LTC-A holders.
So just because no Glock 37 magazines were in existence before MA banned their importation DOES NOT necessarily mean that the one in your pocket was imported illegally. Can you prove that a law enforcement official within the Commonwealth of MA did *NOT* import it?
Now, in practice, a legally transferable Glock 37 is going to be effectively unavailable in MA anyway, so there would be zero reason for you to even want such a magazine. But if you were to find one, you could probably assume that the mag(s) that came with it are legal.0 -
in an effort to keep the discussion from becoming to esoteric, i decided to not elaborate on the glock issue. since you brought it up, yes you are correct. a police officer can buy a gun on a letter and sell it to any eligible buyer down the road in a face to face sale.
however, a dealer can never transfer that gun to a non dealer/non leo person, as that transfer would then fall under the consumer protections laws promulgated by the attorney general(bitch), which we know only apply to dealer>individual sales.
i used the glock 37 to illustrate the point that the gun in question has to have legally existed prior to the ban to have even a chance at standing up to scrutiny.0 -
quote:Originally posted by beantownshootah
First of all, its illegal for you to possess a high cap magazine, unless you have the LTC-A. If you don't, it doesn't matter when the magazine was imported.
Next, if for the sake of argument somebody wanted to charge you with illegal importation of a magazine, it would be up to THEM to prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt in front of a jury of your (utterly insane liberal gun-hating MA) peers.
Its not incumbent on you to swear anything, and there is good reason for you NOT to do so (see above).
Anyone trying to prosecute you for importation (distinct from possession) would have to prove that YOU illegally imported the magazine in question (not your brother, cousin, or neighbor), which as you can imagine can be difficult to do, especially if the magazine in question is generic, and identical to 1000 others like it that were legally imported into the State of MA.
Lastly, what you say about Glock 37 mags not being in existence prior to the MA ban is true, but its not the full story.
Remember, police officers ARE allowed to import high cap magazines into the State of MA. I believe (but am not 100% sure) that once imported, they are even allowed to transfer said magazines in private transfer to LTC-A holders.
So just because no Glock 37 magazines were in existence before MA banned their importation DOES NOT necessarily mean that the one in your pocket was imported illegally. Can you prove that a law enforcement official within the Commonwealth of MA did *NOT* import it?
Now, in practice, a legally transferable Glock 37 is going to be effectively unavailable in MA anyway, so there would be zero reason for you to even want such a magazine. But if you were to find one, you could probably assume that the mag(s) that came with it are legal.
MA seems similar to CA on the importation violation, is there a statute of limitations regarding importation violation? For example, a person holding an LTC- A brings in a Glock 37 hi cap on 1 Jan 2005. They're pinched 1 Jan 2011 - has the statute expired? Since the state has the burden of proof must they demonstrate the mag was imported within the statute?
How actively do MA shooters challenge or finesse these laws? In CA we're constantly pushing the envelope and it has paid off very well.0
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