Do you need preban AR15 mags.?

I thought pre-ban AR mags didnt have dates on them; because at that point there was no need.

My understanding was that dates only existed on mags that were produced DURING the ban; not before or after.
 
glide said:
I thought pre-ban AR mags didnt have dates on them; because at that point there was no need.
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No need, but no particular reason not to either. Some AR mags had/have dates or date codes on them for general purposes, similar to many other manufactured goods.

glide said:
My understanding was that dates only existed on mags that were produced DURING the ban; not before or after.
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Unfortunately, that is far too simple to match reality. Even mags made during the ban didn't need to be dated. They needed to have the name, city, and state of the manufacturer, a serial number (which could be the same for all magazines produced), and they needed to have "RESTRICTED_LAW ENFORCEMENT/GOVERNMENT USE ONLY" marked on them. But they were never required to have a date stamped on them.
 
What I want to know is what happens if/when there's another ban on magazines with more than a 10 round capacity. I have a bunch of Glock magazines. The ones with no date are easy enough to prove they were pre-1994, but I also bought some when the ban expired in 2004. They are all stamped 9.13.94 with RESTRICTED LE/GOVT ONLY on them. I'm gonna majorly fookin' pissed if I'm not allowed to own them anymore.
 
Altezza said:
They are all stamped 9.13.94 with RESTRICTED LE/GOVT ONLY on them. I'm gonna majorly fookin' pissed if I'm not allowed to own them anymore.
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Assuming there's any pre-ban grandfathering at all, I would think those would be some of the safest ones out there because they could be dated to the first ban, which would guarantee their pre-ban status.
 
jdubois said:
Assuming there's any pre-ban grandfathering at all, I would think those would be some of the safest ones out there because they could be dated to the first ban, which would guarantee their pre-ban status.
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Not necessarily "guarantee their pre-ban status." ALL of the Glock mags made after the first AWB have the same date of 9.13.94. I've bought them at very different times. No way they were all made on exactly the same date. If the grandfathering only allowed 11+ round magazines purchased before the 2nd AWB date with NOBODY being allowed to purchase them after, unlike the first AWB where they were available, but the prices skyrocketed because no new ones could be made for civilians... So, how would any one be able to tell if they were purchased before or after the second AWB date? I'm guessing all new magazines would have the new AWB date, but the 94 ones will still be in circulation and would be illegal to purchase in my scenario. Guess I should have kept all those receipts.
 
jdubois said:
Even mags made during the ban didn't need to be dated. They needed to have the name, city, and state of the manufacturer, a serial number
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Serial number...really? I've never seen a serial number on any handgun magazine. Not saying they're not out there, but my Glocks, Kahrs, Kimbers, Rugers, Kel-Tecs, Walthers, etc don't have any magazine serial numbers. Model number maybe, but definitely not a serial number.
 
Altezza said:
If the grandfathering only allowed 11+ round magazines purchased before the 2nd AWB date with NOBODY being allowed to purchase them after, unlike the first AWB where they were available, but the prices skyrocketed because no new ones could be made for civilians...
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You mean like the current California ban? Yeah, that's possible.

Altezza said:
So, how would any one be able to tell if they were purchased before or after the second AWB date? I'm guessing all new magazines would have the new AWB date, but the 94 ones will still be in circulation and would be illegal to purchase in my scenario. Guess I should have kept all those receipts.
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You'd have a problem there with all pre-second-ban mags, not just ones marked for the first ban. I'm not sure how law enforcement deals with this currently in CA, because it's the exact same issue. I imagine there's not a lot they can do about people possessing the mags, and only go after (if at all) actual sale events that they witness/sting.
 
Yeah, they probably just look the other way a majority of the time. Are they really going to start patrolling the ranges and checking everyone's magazines? Most likely not as they didn't do that during the first AWB. Hopefully "innocent before proven guilty" will still apply and the burden would be on them to prove you illegally acquired the magazines, which would be impossible for them to do. Now if they ban ownership outright...that's a different story. If they say I can't have more than 10 rounds in my G19 magazine, then fine... I'll just load up some more mags for carry and the night stand. [wink]
 
Better get them while you can boys and girls. I'm not crying that the sky is falling, but I don't see prices on high-caps getting any better very soon.

In August I bought 10 pre-ban Parsons Industries 30-round AR-15 mags for $8.50 each, and they were NEW, still sealed in the 1985-dated wrappers.

This week I bought 9 of the same mags, used, for $14.00 each, and was thrilled to find them.

Both of these purchases were from the AR15 "equipment exchange" forum.
 
Altezza said:
Serial number...really? I've never seen a serial number on any handgun magazine. Not saying they're not out there, but my Glocks, Kahrs, Kimbers, Rugers, Kel-Tecs, Walthers, etc don't have any magazine serial numbers. Model number maybe, but definitely not a serial number.
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The serial number could be the same on all the magazines, so the model number would likely have qualified as a serial number.
 
do you need to be registered to see the email address? If so could someone PM it to me? (i tried registering but it hasnt come through yet)
 
These mags look great.

I email him through AR15.com (I am member) and he just responded.

I got 10 of them.

On average I saved $5 per mag compared to other deals out there.

Major Thanks for the post!!!
 
I sent the guy an email - he is all out of the dated "like new" mags.

He does have some dated used mags that in "good condition".
 
szaino said:
Mr postman delivered my mags today. All as advertised.

Slight use, date stamped 01 / 92. Made by Center Industries Corp.
Click to expand...

Got mine today also. I took them apart and installed the Magpul Gen II followers. Cleaned them up a bit with CLP and they look great.
 
Last edited:
I got mine too.

99.9% New.

Needless to say I am very happy.

Thanks again to the OP.
 

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