UZI Magazines - the rest of the story

[RoverDave]

A lot has been said here in the past about UZI magazines. Unfortunately, not all of it was correct. I've continued my research for the reference library and have some very reliable information on the background for UZI mags. You can see the updated information here.

Key information learned:

- IMI never made any mags themselves. They never had any equipment for manufacturing mags and it was all done through subcontractors.

- IMI did have subcontractors make some mags without any marks on them. Certain IMI customers requested them that way.

 

[dickwholliday]

i've got some in action arms white and blue boxes that have italy on the box but no markings on the mags that i've seen.....DICK

 

[Gun Shot]

Interesting stuff RoverDave, and a great read. Thank you.

 

[cookie]

A lot has been said here in the past about UZI magazines. Unfortunately, not all of it was correct. I've continued my research for the reference library and have some very reliable information on the background for UZI mags. You can see the updated information here.

Key information learned:

- IMI never made any mags themselves. They never had any equipment for manufacturing mags and it was all done through subcontractors.

- IMI did have subcontractors make some mags without any marks on them. Certain IMI customers requested them that way.

RoverDave is being conservative in his announcement here. As his research turned up, most of what has been disseminated as fact (on this board and elsewhere) turned out to be nothing more than opinion.

Forget what you thought you knew.

Dave has gone to great lengths to research and provide accurate information for the membership. He has been able to shed light on many topics, and most recently has set out to correct much of the "UZI disinformation" out there. We owe him a round of applause, or maybe a round of beers in Las Vegas this March.
:beer

 

[RoverDave]

i've got some in action arms white and blue boxes that have italy on the box but no markings on the mags that i've seen.....DICK

Dick,

Any chance you can send me photos of the box and magazine?

Dave

 

[RoverDave]

Re: Re: UZI Magazines - the rest of the story

We owe him a round of applause, or maybe a round of beers in Las Vegas this March.
:beer

I don't drink (it's against my religion) so I can't accept any beer. But I will gladly accept ammo.

As always, please send any info or pictures for the library to me. Thanks to your participation, we have one of the best reference libraries on the Internet.

 

[Mojave Dave]

Question on Origin

I have a 25 rounder with folded seam and do not recall any other marks. The question regards the holes for checking the mag contents ie. the 5-10-15-20-25 marked holes. They are usually on the side of the mag. This mag has them in the folded spine and they are marked there and no holes on the side of the mag. It is a very well made mag and is a very black parkerized finish. If the answer is not readily apparent and I'm just not aware of it, I will take pics next week when I return home and post them. Thanks...

 

[chrisp929]

thanks dave .. MUCH appreciated

 

[RoverDave]

Re: Question on Origin

I have a 25 rounder with folded seam and do not recall any other marks. The question regards the holes for checking the mag contents ie. the 5-10-15-20-25 marked holes. They are usually on the side of the mag. This mag has them in the folded spine and they are marked there and no holes on the side of the mag. It is a very well made mag and is a very black parkerized finish. If the answer is not readily apparent and I'm just not aware of it, I will take pics next week when I return home and post them. Thanks...

It sounds like one that's pictured in the library. Check here about half way down the page. If yours is different, please send me photos. I was told that virtually all the old style mags with the folded seam were made by IMI subcontractors. If there are any not made by subcontractors, then this one with the witness holes in the back seems the most likely. It's a very well made mag however.

 

[Dan0341]

Great info! Thanks for the hardwork.

Dan

 

[kanewtervalve]

Thanks RD for getting to the bottom of this. AR-15.com had the same issue with "Colt" mags. They never made them either. They subcontracted them and the ones that work 100 percent are the ones you see for $24 plus. BTW Saddam is TOAST.

 

[dickwholliday]

Hey RoverDave...check your email....hope you've got cable....Dick

 

[dickwholliday]

Speaking of Colt mags...i took one mine apart the other day to see how the spring and floorplate would work in some uzi mag tubes i had with weak springs.....hell they look exactly like Uzi springs and floorplates......Dick

 

[RoverDave]

Dick, yes I have a cable modem. Is life possible withoug one???

Thanks for the photos. These look like Mec-Gar mags. I sold some 40 round Mec-Gar mags to the members here earlier this year. They had the same sticker on them. What kind of finish do your mags have? Where are the witness holes and the numbers - on the side of the back? I can't tell from the photos you sent.

I'm highly suspicious of the Action Arms box being original. I'd bet that someone stuck the Mec-Gar mag in the Action Arms box. It's possible that Mec-Gar could have been an IMI contractor but I doubt that IMI would have shipped them with a "made in Italy" sticker still on them.

Some of the guys here have used parts from Colt mags on their UZI mags.

 

[dickwholliday]

Finish appears to be bluing and witness holes with #'s are on the left side.....i figure these mags were free and the ones i've unwrapped run 100% so i'm feeling good about them.....DICK

 

[RoverDave]

Mec-Gar mags I've seen lately are blued so that matches yours. They're generally pretty good so if you got them for free, you did all right!

 

[Tommygun Guy]

RoverDave,
Thanks for the information! It always struck me as odd that some folks were so adamant about the idea that IMI mags were all marked.

Virtually all militarys have use for weapons and accessories that are hard to trace to the country of origin, and Israel (and her allies) is no exception. They had to have made some umarked mags. This clears it up!

Thanks

 

[harkin]

So all that fuss about mags having to be marked I.M.I. to be any good that somebody used to spout here was bull****. I always thought it was a load.

 

[LVHospiceRN]

Re: Re: Re: UZI Magazines - the rest of the story

I don't drink (it's against my religion) so I can't accept any beer. But I will gladly accept ammo.

If it would help i do drink and live here in Las Vegas....will gladly accept drinks for RoverDave...and btw, thanks, great info!

 

[texasvwnut]

RoverDave -

Great information. The atricle was an interesting read.

I've got two things to add.

1st, I have an after market magazine that is not listed in your grouping. It is a 32 rounder that is blued. It is just as heavy as other star marked 32s I own. It has a front seam and has "MADE IN U.S.A" and "40" on the back. Witness holes are at 10 , 20 and 32. I bought it at a local gun show with two Mec-Gar 32s. I've never had any problems from it.

2nd, I've seen one instance of many magazines with the mysterious IMI tool mark you mention in the article. One dealer at a local show had about 50 of them all marked with that mark. The magazines were dirty and showed use and looked like surplus. He wanted $20 each. When I dug around in the box every single one had at least one broken feed lip. Too bad, I wanted to add one to the collection.