Ordered an M&P15OR from SGCUSA.com and the mag received with it looked like it had been through a tour in the war on terror as for wear. Also ordered the same item from Clyde Armory and its mag showed some usage but not as bad. Anyone else seeing this in purchases. Are they even required to provide us with new condition mags? I sent off a message to SGCUSA.com to see what they have to say but no response as of yet.

Ordered an M&P15OR from SGCUSA.com and the mag received with it looked like it had been through a tour in the war on terror as for wear. Also ordered the same item from Clyde Armory and its mag showed some usage but not as bad. Anyone else seeing this in purchases. Are they even required to provide us with new condition mags? I sent off a message to SGCUSA.com to see what they have to say but no response as of yet.

Yes, I bought a M&PT about a year ago, or soon after they came out, and the mag included looked like it had been drug about 10 miles down a dirt road. No finish, dented etc. I called S&W and they said for me to send it in on my nickle and they would replace it. I was also very disappointed in the quality, or lack thereof, of the hard case. Cheapest piece of **** they could find.

Steve

Mine, purchased new in February, also came with a good ol' military spec type 30 round magazine that was not "new." I saw it when the dealer unboxed the gun (they do NOT last long). We both talked about the magazine that came with my M&P 15. It didn't bother either of us. If I wanted a swap out, I'm sure S&W would oblige if they can right now.

However, I believe that's what they are getting right now, and what they are using. The magazine has worked flawlessly though . . . and I didn't get the gun to be a safe queen so it didn't bother me in the least.

I soon picked up a second magazine just like it, and will surely do the same a few more times in the future. You can never have enough magazines.

I've also picked up a couple of Magpuls for it too, for my main magazines. Ditto on picking up a few more of those too in the future!

T.

I have no idea why S&W would be providing military surplus mags with their rifles. C Products was the supplier for the mags for the 5.45x39mm guns so I'd thought that they were supplying mags in general.

If you're got a USGI mag, the maker's mark should be on the floor plate and there should be a date code, and perhaps a cage code, stamped on the body if they are recent USGI. Did they at least have a green follower?

Both of mine appeared "new".

Both mags have the following markings on floor plate.

.223 cal/5.56 mm
NHMTG S/42
HARTFORD CT

33710 marking on mag one dated 7-08 the other 12-08

Both with green follower that someone drew a red line on with red marker

Those magazines are made by Okay Industries in Hartford, CT, the longest-term supplier of M16 magazines to the government. Okay's "CAGE Code" (Commercial and Government Entity Code = supplier identifier) is "33710". The 7-08 and 12-08 are dates of manufacture.

Please note that the finish on these aluminum-bodied magazines is a dry film lubricant (DFL) called Perma-Slik on top of anodizing. The Perma-Slik DFL is made by E-M Lubricants, and was specified in the early 1960s for M16 magazines. Perma-Slik DFL starts out looking like a flat gray paint and it very readily "burnishes" to a dull metallic appearance by any contact, such as if rubbed with a cloth, bumped by another mag, or is inserted into and removed from an AR/M16 receiver. EXPECT THE MAG FINISH TO BE or BECOME ALL MARKED UP. It is the nature of the coating. A mag that is covered in contact marks on the finish is NOT necessarily a used mag. Used mags will have powder gas residue on the green follower and on the inside surfaces of the magazine body. There will be finish wear on the top of the front wall of the mag and evidence of brass tracking there as well. There may be linear dirt/soot smuding on the green follower, suggestive of a cartridge having been loaded. And the ribs of the mag body on the inside of the mag will be burnished bright from cyclic contact of the follower and spring.

Don't forget, if you rifle was on the shelf in a store, it's possible that the mag was inserted one or more times as a demonstration to prospective buyers. This will increase burnishing and contact marks on a magazine that is so treated.

Further, I am aware of some retail dealers who make a practice of taking the new NHTMG 30-rd mag out of the S&W case and replace it with a WELL and TRULY USED 30-rd USGI magazine, then sell the new NHTMG mags separately in their shop. S&W cannot be held responsible for that practice.

Your NHMTG-marked mags are recent production, as evidenced by the mfg dates. If anyone is interested, I can take a photo of the unused NHTMG mag that came with my latest M&P15, showing the degree of contact marking on the Perma-Slik finish.

HTH,

Noah

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Good write up Noah!
I still want to know what the red marker line on the follower is??

I can't do it all, Allglock!

Seriously, don't know, but I can guess that it was a marking to signify some assembly or post-assembly inspection or function test was done.

Look under the hood of many new vehicles and you'll see yellow or white paint pen markings on or near fastener heads, nuts, etc. This visually signifies that the fastener was properly tightened down during assembly. Line workers are armed with a torque-controlled gun in one hand and a paint marker in the other -- Zzzzzzzzzzppppp. Dab. Zzzzzzzzzzppppp. Dab. Lather, rinse, repeat.

What is a bit disturbing is that in today's production and quality circles, red is used for "reject" indication. That's no need to panic, because it is possible that even if that's a reject mag for some unknown reason, it may be for a spec requirement that has NOTHING to do with functionality.

My advice? Fill the mag and shoot it. See what happens.

Noah

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The mag that came with mine was a nhmtg. It was new along with the gun. Serial # SW 12xxx range.

My M&P15X S#SM19XXX mag has a 7-08 date code and the finish is fine. It does have the red stripe though.