Are USGI M1 carbine Magazines better than the aftermarket magazines?

Hello, I'm kind of new here, but have looked in on this forum from time to time. My interest in military surplus rifles, etc stems back to the end of the Vietnam conflict. I was reassigned to Germany after SE Asia, and made a habit of climbing through the blown up bunkers of the WWII Seigfried Line on the border between France and Germany. I talked with my old German landlord and he told me exactly where the allied forces fought through his villiage and blowing up the bunkers. I found quite a few artifacts from US GI's and also from the German forces, but nothing too valuable. My best prize was a field-find USGI M1 carbine of Rock-ola manufacture and some rusted allied bayonets.

I now have several milsurp rifles including a newly acquired pair of USGI M1 carbines that I would like to shoot. I was wondering if the 60+ year-old USGI carbine magazines are really superior to the the ones being made today. I would like to get some reliable 15 round magazines, and don't want to have to deal with the frustration of ones that will not work reliably. Advice please??? If anyone has some reliable M1 magazines that they would sell me, then please PM me. Thanks! By the way, my father is 94 years old and he carried a a low-digit Inland M1 Carbine as a Marine on Guadacanal, Vela Lavela, Peliliu, and Okinawa. He keeps telling me to stay on a lookout for the WWII M1 carbine that he carried in the Pacific theater from 1942 through 1945: Inland, serial # 238548.

USGI magsazines are better and still very available. Though the cost has gone up over the years. I would call a local gun store, or try and go to a gun show. Seems the online prices are a bit high.
Good luck.

I always found the USGI 15s to be faultless and the 30s not quite as good, but then I didn't always get USGI 30s. Aftermarket is a crapshoot...

The only really decent commercial mags are the new Korean ones marked with a U. The marking is similar to the U marked GI mags, but a bit larger. Go with GI mags if you can find them.

Post pics of that field find carbine sometime? :)


M1/M3 Carbine: late '44 Inland
M1 Garand: late '44 Springfield

The Korean made magazines are as good as USGI magazines are. After all they have had over 700,000 carbines they had to have magazines for that worked as well as USGI magazines do. These magazines are marked as JimB said with a large U and some are also marked with UU. Both markings can be found on the 15 round and the 30 round magazines. In general the after market magazines made here and in China are junk.

I've heard that Korean 15 round magazines marked KCI work as good as USGI. Does anyone here have experience with them? Thanks! - Bob

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Originally Posted by southfork

I would like to get some reliable 15 round magazines, and don't want to have to deal with the frustration of ones that will not work reliably.

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I shoot competions where you fire 3 shots at each of ten targets. If you get one too many on a target, the best shot is struck out. Not wishing to ruin my nerves with counting (up to three, no less!) I simply bought so many 15-shot mags that I can use one per target, each loaded with 3 rounds. Fairly foolproof. And the mags all work perfectly after 1) checking that the spring is the right way round (they all were) and 2) in some cases, bending the lips back a touch into shape. This was the only problem, and easy to fix if you have a couple of proven good mags to serve as reference. I also feel that using only 3 rounds in a 15-round mag means that the spring is only working over a small part of its range (i.e. much less variation in spring tension), and this seems to help in slick, consistent feeding. The less you have to worry about in a competition, the better.

The 10 old, greasy, but functional GI mags cost me about as much as 2 new and shiny aftermarket mags would have done.

In the US, it's the other way around - 2 new shiny ones for the price of a USGI 15 round mag. - Bob

Last I checked Southern Ohio Guns, they still had used 15 round USGI magazines for around $10.00 each.

I looked last night and SOG had Korean for $10. I knew I had seen KCI (also Korean) on CDT for around $7 not too long ago - checked and they're now $30. I passed some up at a gun show last month because I thought the asking price of $15 was twice what they were worth. :dunno: - Bob

Cheaper than dirt has a long history of gouging on prices. During the first Obama election panic, they charged $25 for a 20/box of Wolf 7.62x39 the day after the election. Before that it was $4.79. That was only one example of the cr@p they pulled on prices during the panic. One acquaintance had ordered 1,000 of ammo before the election. They hit his card for the pre-hysteria amount. It hadn't shipped until after the election, and they re-hit his card for the balance of the inflated price! I have not bought anything from them since.

After waiting for USGI slings with oilers (backorder) and then receiving repros, I quit them too. Same thing with their so-called USGI M4 Bayonets and M8A1 scabbards. I got stung on 2 each of those at the same time - about 2007. - Bob

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After all they have had over 700,000 carbines they had to have magazines for that worked as well as USGI magazines do.

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I just want to clear up something: Some will interprete the above statement that those U marked Korean Magazines are orignal Korean Military. A few dealers are advertising them falsely as that.

The Korean 15 and 30 round magazines that are on our market were never miltiary issue. They started being made by a Korean/Amercan citizen, here in Virginia. They initially started being made commercially in South Korea with 15 round magazines, with FSN's on wrapping. After about a year the 30's were made and imported.

These magazine never existed until around 2006-2009, when they started coming in.

Hello and thanks for your post. I was very interested to note the serial number of your fathers Carbine used in the Pacific theatre. I try and keep a mental note of what bunches of Carbines might have gone to specific areas however guys who have more knowledge than me point out that this is not possible, and I accept that. I considered that you might like to see pics of this Carbine, which is mine, found in N.Z after the Pacific fighting finished. The closest I have to the one you are looking for. Not re-built. One of my favourites which I intend keeping. Pics not good as new to digital when I took them. Cheers, Mikey.

I'm patiently waiting for Sportsman Guide to have the 10 round ones back in stock along with some cheap ammo I can shoot for the brass. 10 round ones are $9.89 and USA made

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Originally Posted by imarangemaster

Cheaper than dirt has a long history of gouging on prices. During the first Obama election panic, they charged $25 for a 20/box of Wolf 7.62x39 the day after the election. Before that it was $4.79. That was only one example of the cr@p they pulled on prices during the panic. One acquaintance had ordered 1,000 of ammo before the election. They hit his card for the pre-hysteria amount. It hadn't shipped until after the election, and they re-hit his card for the balance of the inflated price! I have not bought anything from them since.

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I know what you are talking about. I bought two last Thursday for $19 each and now they are $59.

Right now AIM has the Korean 15 round magazines in stock for $9.95 each.

In the pictures of the AIM mags, the follower doesn't match the description. The markings on the mag look like the KCI, but not sure what they would ship. Good price though, just saw a 5 round mag go for over $100 on eBay. I didn't think they were that rare! - Bob

This one was $197.50. Holy smokes.

5 Round 30 Cal M 1 Carbine Rifle Magazine Mag Clip | eBay

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Originally Posted by JimF4M1s

This one was $197.50. Holy smokes.

5 Round 30 Cal M 1 Carbine Rifle Magazine Mag Clip | eBay

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:confused: Good grief, you used to not be able to give them away.

KCI 15rd. Carbine mags are back in stock at Midway as of this morning. Price is $10.99 and they show them as "out of production" - no longer available after these are gone. - Bob

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Originally Posted by gew8805

you used to not be able to give them away.

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$197.50 for a 5 rd mag??

ProMag makes a very good aftermarket magazine both in 15rd and 30rd. The Korean mags are ok; ProMag is better IMHO.

I think I better hang on to my 5 rounders!

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Originally Posted by browningautorifle

$197.50 for a 5 rd mag??

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Yes, that is an obscenely stupid price, frankly I wouldn't (and never will) pay more than $10 for any 10 round mag, I have several. I wasn't even aware that they made 5 round mags, are you sure about that?

Samco has the GI 15 rounders for under $13, under $12 per if you buy 10, wrapped 15 rounders are under $25, under $24 if you buy 10.

Wow I have 3 (5 rounders) look for them on EBay tomorrow!!! Kind of interesting 2 are stamped Japan deeply , I recall all 3 having 30 round hold open type followers

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Originally Posted by southfork

By the way, my father is 94 years old and he carried a a low-digit Inland M1 Carbine as a Marine on Guadacanal, Vela Lavela, Peliliu, and Okinawa. He keeps telling me to stay on a lookout for the WWII M1 carbine that he carried in the Pacific theater from 1942 through 1945: Inland, serial # 238548.

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That would be something to have someone on here to have that carbine. All the best to your pop. He covered some hard ground in that AO.

The mags coming out of Korea, marked, UU, function 100 percent, and are as reliable as A1 and/or SEY.
I've tried all and found that to be true.
I use the Koreans and put the originals in vault, saved....
I bought a bunch of the UU marked 30 rders for $9 a piece, wrapped..
DJ

FWIW, my only complaint of the KCI mags is that they are painted or epoxied or something, not blued. Otherwise, they are reliable mags for me. I have several.

The KCI mags that Midway sent me (marked PM) are blued and seem to work fine. Midway says they are made by the same company. The only thing I didn't like is they look like GI "repros" where those marked KCI wouldn't. - Bob