Hi to all! just got to thinking, there are a considerable number of Mec-Gar magazines out in the field, and my recollection of their performance and durability has always been, not as good as an original, but close?
Well, the evolution of the magazine has something to do with how I now feel about the magazines? Initially I first came in contact with Mec-Gar Luger mags that were an industrial chrome or nickel finish, and a black plastic bottom. The mags were well made, terribly sprung, and had a killing design flaw in that the follower guide relief channel running vertical on the follower slot side, was a bit shy of reaching the slot, which in turn, allowed the coil spring to plunge forwards into the front of the mag tube, stopping all!!!!! These are still around, although seldom seen or used for that issue alone, much less the nasty strong spring...
The next evolution corrected this problem, and now you find the proper bit of flat surface on the back edge of the slot, reinforcing both the vertical relief, and the rear edge of the slot. The magazine shells came in blue or nickel and were heat treated which instantly made it theoretically better than any previous Luger mag ever made. The issues with this generation of mag were plenty, and consisted of, plastic bottoms blowing out, spring taking a set, and worst of all, the metal follower would occasionally gall the interior sheet metal and cause malfunctions, not unlike original mags that suffered the same... I had great success repairing and up grading these mags until.... Tah Dah.... The latest Mec-Gar magazine produced... Still had the heat treated magazine shell, but here is where the similarity to the old mags ended! The follower is a nylon reinforced plastic, tougher than all hell... Mag bottom same stuff.. No galling and no breaking, the mags are nearly indestructible! They are easily recognized by the ring stepped follower button, not the checkered button of earlier units. Shooters love them, collectors hate them...
... They even improved the spring to where I feel my GTHQ may be only marginally better, probably not going to live long enough to find out!!??
... So, next time you get a Mec-Gar mag in hand, you will have a whole new perspective with which to view them... best to all, til....lat'r....GT.....
