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Old 12-26-2013, 02:47 PM
Guevera Guevera is offline
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Magazine with yellow follower? Magazine with yellow follower? Magazine with yellow follower? Magazine with yellow follower?  
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Default Magazine with yellow follower?

I recently purchased this magazine for a S&W 457. I haven't actually used it yet, but seems dimensionally the same as a S&W marked magazine. Metal work seems a bit crude compared to a known S&W magazine, but this is also wearing a S&W marked floor plate. No markings other than witness numbers.

The stern warning, "THIS MAGAZINE MUST HAVE A YELLOW FOLLOWER" is a new one to me. I don't pretend to have seen a ton of third gen magazines, but could somebody explain all this to me, especially why anybody would engineer something like this if magazine technology had been successful for most of a century?

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Old 12-26-2013, 03:14 PM
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If you're using it in a 457, you don't need to worry about it. Those magazines were made for (I think) a version of the 4516 to correct problems that the early 4516 guns had. There's a thread in this sub forum on them. I forget the details of the issue, but it had to do with feeding, I think. That crimp at the top of the magazine with the yellow follower was part of that solution.

I have a 457 and have used those magazines without issue. One of my magazines with the yellow follower has the sternly worded warning,

FOR S&W 4516-1 NOT FOR USE IN S&W 4516 OR ANY OTHER REVISIONS OF M4516

I posted about that here and several members assured me that it was fine to use them in the 457.
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Old 12-26-2013, 04:40 PM
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The yellow followers were made in the early 3rd gens. I have a 1076 that came with them originally and then were switched to white or black. I have several in 45 and 10mm and have never had any problem with mine.
Someone with more info on the history of 45/10mm follower colors may be along to shed more light.
Bottom line is it's fine to use and is original S&W.
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Old 12-26-2013, 11:25 PM
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I've used the yellow, orange and black followers with equal success. After many years I traded them all out for blacks.

Your call, they all have worked for me.


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Old 12-27-2013, 01:42 AM
handgunner356 handgunner356 is offline
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The yellow follower mag tubes had the two indents towards the rear of the tube to help hold back the top round. They had to have a special follower to clear those indents. The newer black followers were designed for the newest tubes that have the square indents on the feedlips but were designed to replace the yellow followers also.
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Old 12-27-2013, 01:53 AM
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Thanks handgunner356.. I knew someone would have the technical answer eventually.
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Old 12-27-2013, 10:23 AM
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I have a 4506-1 purchased new around '93 or '94. It came with magazines equipped with (and marked for) the yellow followers. I later picked up several magazines with the black followers. Along with the differences outlined by handgunner356 above, the yellow follower mag feed lips have a tapered profile similar to GI 1911 mags. The black follower mags use a straight (parallel) feed lip profile.

Both styles worked equally well in my 4506. However the yellow follower style was more prone to losing the top round when carried in a magazine holder on the belt. The black follower mags worked much better for me in this application.
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Old 12-28-2013, 08:48 PM
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Reference the black follower 3rd Gen magazines. Does anyone have a 1076 magazine with a black follower?
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Old 12-28-2013, 09:04 PM
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So, one could presumably modify a black follower to simulate the yellow one?

Just curious. S&W does a lot of weird *****.
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Old 12-28-2013, 09:10 PM
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The black followers replace the yellow without any mods. I never saw any 10mm black followers, original were yellow and later ones were white.
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