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Colt 20 round magazines.

frog2
Does anyone know when they started stamping 556 on the floor plate instead of 223? Thanks Tom
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9 comments

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  • frog2
    Is there any way you can tell if the magazine is preban? Thanks Tom
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  • dcs shooters
    Look for a date stamp on the outside or inside [;)]
    Go to www.biggerhammer.net and look at AR15/M16 magazine faq.
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  • givette
    Last Colt AR magazines (Colt stamped floorplate) were manufactured in 1979.

    You're good to go, bro!
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  • nmyers
    Floor plates can be readily changed.

    Just make sure that the body isn't stamped with a date, or LAW ENFORCEMENT/EXPORT ONLY.

    Neal

    EDIT: During the "ban", mags with a capacity > 10 rounds were banned. Hi-cap mags were still being made during that period, they were only legal for law enforcement & export; hence, the stamp on the mag body. When the ban expired, LE/EXPORT marked mags became legal for civilians in most states. Several states have continued to ban hi-cap mags made after the "ban", so residents have to be sure that any mags they order are pre-ban.

    Colt is still making some models marketed for LE sale, but the distributors will sell them to any dealer as long as they are legal for civilian sale; these rifles & mags may be stamped LE/EXPORT, but it doesn't matter. Actually, Colt has never made AR/M16 mags; all their mags have been made by contractors.
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  • Different
    I have a Colt factory twenty round magazine that is stamped as such on the body and on the floor plate. The body has a manufacture date stamping of January 2009. HTH
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  • USN_Airdale
    quote:Originally posted by frog2
    Is there any way you can tell if the magazine is preban? Thanks Tom


    why do you need to know ? buying, selling, collecting or just curious ? from my experience if the Colt 20's have an aluminum follower, it is pre-ban and have no date stamp on them, also if the floor plate is stamped, "Colt AR-15 Cal. .223" they are the first production after the "Waffle" mags, the next production run are stamped "Colt AR-15 Cal. 5.56mm" then the next production run are stamped, "Colt AR-15 Cal. 5.56mm" with black plastic followers, they are most likely post ban and possibly date stamped.

    some additional info: there are some early "Colt AR-15 Cal. .223" mags. that have a "1" inside of a circle on the left side of the mag. near the bottom, it seems no one knows what that means or why they have the stamping, some say they were actually made by Colt, i bought 50, 20 rounders, some were new, never used one of them new ones had that "1" in the circle, so i put it with the rest of my Colt collectables.
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  • Spartacus
    quote:Just make sure that the body isn't stamped with a date, or LAW ENFORCEMENT/EXPORT ONLY.

    hey neal, why is that?
    i'm asking cause i have one. it came with my LE 9mm pre ban
    thanks
    tom

    EDIT: thanks neal and joe! i didn't know there were still places with mag restrictions on long guns.
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  • givette
    quote:Originally posted by tplumeri
    quote:Just make sure that the body isn't stamped with a date, or LAW ENFORCEMENT/EXPORT ONLY.

    hey neal, why is that?
    i'm asking cause i have one. it came with my LE 9mm pre ban
    thanks
    tom

    Because, states like NY (and others to a lesser degree), have restrictions on magazine capacities.

    The OP was asking about 'pre-ban' [by recognition], because he's probably in a state that grandfathers the hi-capacity magazines as legal to posess provided pre-ban manufacture can be proven.

    If you live in a state without such restrictions, any, and all markings don't mean a thing to you vis-a-vis legal posession. Best, Joe
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  • Txs
    quote:Originally posted by USN_Airdale
    some additional info: there are some early "Colt AR-15 Cal. .223" mags. that have a "1" inside of a circle on the left side of the mag. near the bottom, it seems no one knows what that means or why they have the stamping, some say they were actually made by Colt,Despite them being marked as such, Colt has never manufactured AR magazines.

    In addition to being one of several GI contract magazine manufacturers, Simmonds manufactured them for Colt. In other words, all Colt marked 20 round mags are nothing more than Simmonds GI mags with a Colt stamped baseplate.

    Same situation with Colt's 30 round magazines. They're produced by GI contract manufacturer Okay Industries, right down the road from where Colt produces their AR/M16's.

    As for whether the OP's magazine is pre-ban, I don't believe Colt sold 20 rounders after about '89 or '90. It's true that the baseplate could've been changed, but if the mag body isn't somehow identifiable as preban there shouldn't be any problem.
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