Cage number is correct, the rest I don't know about. They look dull blue rather than parked, but it's hard to tell from the pics, at least to these untrained eyes. Some experts can tell by the feed lips, those look GI lips to me, but as I said my eyes are untrained

 

I am not an expert on the antique stuff but those look pretty authentic to me.

 

Good lord Drail, 80s is antique to you? Bloody hell man

 

Looks right to me

 

Those genuine Checkmates. The wrapped example also Checkmate from one of the last major 1911 magazine contracts let by the govt. I notice the third one has a drainhole in the front which indicates made ca. Jan1984 or later.

I carry USGI Checkmates in my range bag for general shooting and never had one fail with ball ammunition. I've never had one fail to feed Silvertip hollowpoints when I've tried it.

 

Cool. Thank you!
In general, where do you find genuine USGI checkmates for sale?

 

I just returned from the Wanamacher show in Tulsa. One gentleman dealing in USGI parts had 7 Checkmates dated 1986 and 1992 still in the wrapper for $25 ea. Other sellers had unwrapped examples in the $20 range. I had those dates so didn't pick up any this time.

The auction sites normally have several up typically in those price ranges. I observed one the other day with a Buy-It-Now for $128. I have no idea where he came up with that.

 

In this same thread people have said not to buy mags at shows or ebay.
My problem is I don't know how to tell authentic from fake... :/

 

1M291 mags are known to be good reliable mags. I would describe the finish on these and many other US mags of that period as 'black oxide', or bluing over a matte finish. You'll notice the base plates have a little shine because they were not blasted. This is also typical of the mags of that period. These mags represent the last contract before the 1911 was obsoleted. There are similar mags on ebay for $17.50 delivered, by manufacturer 8R320. These have the rounded followers like some Metalforms, so I assume that is the mfr. I have two of these and they work fine in every respect.

 

How do you know if they are real?
I posted links to those ones on ebay and everyone here said they were 100% fake.

 

I think the question is what is your goal in tracking down these GI mags?

Are you a GI mag collector? Are you looking for a "realistic" GI mag for reenactments? Are you simply looking for a reliable 1911 mag to work in your gun?

I ask because I think it makes a difference in your search.

If you are a mag collector, you'll need to get pretty deep into the manufacturing history of the 1911 and the US military suppliers to avoid buying fakes or paying too much for actual collectables.

If you are looking for "GI look" mags for reenactments, it probably doesn't matter much if they work, you just want something that looks "right" and in most cases, I'd think close enough would be good enough.

If you are looking for something that will simply work in your gun, you may be barking up the wrong tree. I watched a similar chain of posts from a guy on another forum as he spent a few months and a couple of hundred dollars buying up "GI" mags on ebay and at gun shows. He was convinced that John Browning had it right and that the only mags that would work in a 1911 were 7 round GI spec mags with tapered feed lips. However, what this guy found after all his time and money was that many of those mags were fakes and of those that were actual GI mags, they were old and beat to heck. The base plates of most came off as the welds were either poor (on the fakes) or old with the GI mags.

If you are just looking for something that would work in your gun take a look at our "Best 1911 Mag" thread ( http://forums.1911forum.com/showthread.php?t=344509 ) and pick something that is repeated over and over by the forum members. Chances are good, a new mag from a reputable maker is going to work better than an old collectable found on ebay or at a gun show.

 

I'm buying the AO because it is a WW2 clone. I want the closest thing to a real GI magazine to use with it...but reliability is most important to me.
Also, I want a 7 round magazine. No real compromising there.

That being said, if I can get a true GI mag form the 80s/90s that is both authentic and reliable, that is the best of both worlds.

I just bought the 4 that I posted here. The three opened ones have updated, authentic followers, so that is a good combination.

I will also be buying at least 2 of the new Checkmate GI mags. Just wanted to try the real deal first.

 

He bought them from me. I got them at a gun show new in the wrap more than a decade ago. They have worked fine for me in that time.

I replaced the followers with the newer version from Checkmate as once in a long while one of them would misfeed the last round. Once replaced, no more misfeeds.

He wanted GI magazines and I don't care, so I offered to sell mine for what replacements would cost.

Tom

 

I replaced the followers with the newer version from Checkmate as once in a long while one of them would misfeed the last round.

The follower's aren't any different, they are just new, correct?

comma wrote,
I found out they were real through this thread. That's the title of it

In six month's somebody will have a similar question and you'll be able to help them out. The beauty of the forums. We learn from other's and pass along the information to more people.

 

People may not fake them but they sure misrepresent them...I bought a whole bunch on line about 15 years ago, witness holes in wrong places, totally not GI, alas I was a neophyte back then...well, still am, but a more careful neophyte

 

In general:

Avoid any magazine marked 30745. Those totally non-milspec and most buyers report issues shortly after purchase. Easy to spot due to the witness holes too high, too large and nonspec baseplate welds sometimes showing three weld spots i/o the normal two. Avoid any magazine heat sealed in a paper pouch as those almost always contain 30745 magazines. Some 1950s issue and some repacks have paper pouches but 99.99% contain the fakes. I'm told small sheetmetal assys from the Far East could cost as little as $1/lb and may originate there.


8R611 magazines sometimes have issues. That contractor, Kasco, didn't receive many contracts likely for that reason. I've also observed what I believe a fake 8R611 on another forum. I would avoid purchasing these if reliability is your main driver though some report good luck with them.

1M291 magazines the safest to purchase as I've yet to observe a fake one. A 1M291 caged magazine in heat sealed plastic wrapper with VCI paper dated close to the packing date or loose magazines exactly like what you purchased without any obvious tampering to the feedlips should work for you.

 

Thanks Doran! Great post.

 

Why would someone "fake" 80s mags but print 1992 on the tag? Was the D.O.D. even still buying 1911 magazines in 1992 after they had dropped the 1911? G.I magazines are probably the most "faked" thing I see at gun shows.

 

How do you know they're all faked? Earlier in the thread you said you weren't an expert on these.

(Not trying to sound like an ass, I'm honestly curious. I want to learn more about how to tell which are fake and real)

A poster above had mentioned '92 was the last big contract. But again, I am no expert and have no idea.

 

I didn't say that "those" magazines were faked. I have no idea if they are real or not. I said that it is very commonly seen at gun shows and on Ebay where sellers claim their magazines are original G.I. Very common. I never had any personal use for G.I. magazines simply because almost all of the ammo I shoot is handloaded SWC rounds which feed much better from a magazine using modifed feedlips like a McCormick or Wilson.

 

Oh sorry. You had mentioned the 92 date on the sealed one I posted. I thought you meant it was fake because of that.

 

No sweat G.I.!

 

Over the yrs I've taken down some contract numbers listed on forums from various people w access to the procurement databases. I'm unable to cite sources as I didn't record the posters so apologize in advance for that.

Information concerning some Checkmate 1M291 contract numbers:

Contract No. DAAA0992C0260, Cage Code 1M291, Date 1 Jan 92, Unit Price $3.44, Qty 38,000, Total Price $130,720.00.
Contract No. DAAA0991C0675, Cage Code 1M291, Date 1 Jul 91, Unit Price $3.49, Qty 132,000, Total Price $461,029.00.
Contract No. DAAA0991C0675, Cage Code 1M291, Date 1 Jul 91, Unit Price $3.49, Qty 73,000, Total Price $254,770.00.
Contract No. DAAA0988C0776, Cage Code 1M291, Date 1 Jul 88, Unit Price $3.19, Qty 187,000, Total Price $596,530.00.

Information concerning one Kasco 8R611 contract:

Contract No. DAAA0981C4783 dated 1 Jul 1981 (QTY 58,000 @ $3.4593 each)

 

Cool info. Thank you!!