It's a legitimate question. In an absolute sense, I didn't know. But the Model 915 is the only 5900-series magazine-using gun that was discontinued before the 1994 Federal AWB was even written... and the gun and box and everything else in the box appeared in the photos to be 100% original.

I wanted a Model 915 anyway... but the opportunity to get my hands and eyes on a set of true, original, shipped-with-a-discontinued-preban-gun 5900-series magazines was something I couldn't resist. And, in fact, they were the real deal. My gamble did pay off... and now I have some very hard to dispute evidence that all of the 5900-series magazines I own are 100% legal in Taxachusetts.

The story goes beyond just that... but I'll stop here for the sake of brevity.

Yes, sorry,......I knew the $10 thing wasn't clear when I was typoing but I got called away and never explained it.

The $10 plus or minus is what I figure is at stake when trying to decide whether or not to include one single extra mag with the gun. The magazine itself might be worth $20 or $50 or $100 but whatever its value you are going to receive something for it when included. Maybe the extra mag adds $40 to the value of the pistol or maybe it makes it $40 easier to sell,......I don't know. If you don't include magazine #2 there's no guarantee that you'll ever get the true value out of it anyway so it's all just a wag and a gamble.

I doubt I'm explaining my thoughts well now, so maybe that's why I skipped it the first time. It may be a figment of my imagination,......I've never been a comfortable seller and I'm sure I don't do it the right way. Also, since I do shop intensively for bargains I never really have a 'normal' amount of money tied up in anything. When I do sell it's practically all profit no matter what I get for it. $10-$15 is my normal expenditure for magazines and I buy them whether I need them or not. I try hard not to let myself get into a position where I need a specific thing NOW regardless of cost.

I've always managed to wait to get lucky with the more common mags. 5900 and 4000 magazines have all been found for $10 apiece in larger lots. I actually had to spend $20 apiece for enough Beretta 8040 mags to feel marginally comfortable, but eventually I fell into a nice pile of them for $4 apiece so I bought enough to average out. The single-stack S&W mags have cost more than average but I'm still only around $20 each for 9mm in 7, 8, and 9rd. The .40's are probably more like $25 apiece and I'm still not happy with the number I have. I'll eventually locate a few more but there's no rush. Only have two 4053 single-stackers and don't really care for them anyway. Half a dozen mags will do.

I don't have or even really want some of the less common S&W's. I have one shorty .45 mag and one 10mm mag sitting around without guns,.......but they were cheap cheap. Couldn't not buy them. They may come in handy some day. In non-S&W I have a bunch of rarer guns where magazines are scarce and pricey when found but I still manage to eventually pick them up cheap. I have one gun,......a Bergmann MP35-1 SMG for which I have NO magazines. The gun came to me without and every magazine I've located has been $200 and up. I won't pay it. For 14yrs I've been looking. Fortunately it's not difficult to convert Steyr Solothurn magazines for the Bergmann and they're only $30 apiece(and of course I bought a ton of those for $10 each even though I don't have a Solothurn).

Glad I don't have to deal with the restrictions of some states. It would all the fun out of it. Can you still import proven pre-1994 magazines into MA without issue?

Understood you explanation the first time..... about the + or - $10........and IMO you are correct.

I rarely sell a gun outright..........maybe as described above to a friend....but have been known to "trade" up in local gun shops........

Learned long ago you generally get nothing for extra magazines or leather gear.......but you/I generally don't get asked about extra magazines or offered more if I have a second or third.

I've found dealers to be all over the board on used guns......some sell the extra magazines and leather with the gun ...... some strip them out and sell separability...unless asked or pushed to throw them in for a sale.

So I started to hang onto them...... at least the more common ones or if I'm trading up it gives me one more magazine.

But to TTSH's question.......I think a used gun will "sells" faster to a knowledgeable buyer with 2; or better yet with 3 magazines...... as long as the price is "fair for the package". You may be $10 or $20 out of pocket but the used gun will sell more quickly!

On your other points.....I've always tried to pick up every magazine that matches a gun or type I have; or want, if the price is right......not so much anymore but LGSs use to have baskets of used mags.......cheap. Often they didn't even know what gun the mags were for...... but would happily take $10-15 for them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay, I think I get it now. I believe what you're saying is that the net profit or loss to you as a result of a decision to include or not include X number of additional magazines is only +/- $10.00 per magazine. It's not that $10.00 is the market value of the magazine in question. Rather, it's the noise level (financially) for including it with the gun vs. keeping it for yourself or selling it separately.

Bam got it the first time around... but he's younger and smarter than poor, old, half-senile me.

Importing pre-ban hi-caps is still perfectly legal. However, the trick is to find someone who will do it. Most of the larger firearms-related companies fear the wrath of our loony, anti-2A, moonbat AG lady and feel it's not worth the risk of ticking her off for very little potential profit. Individuals and smaller companies, on the other hand, easily fly under her radar and risk nothing. That's the reality of the law as currently written... although some of the more radical anti-2A folks in government would love to have the law "re-imagined" by the courts into something far more oppressive and onerous.

Both you and the Kaveman seem to have a knack for scoring lots of hard-to-find 3rd Gen magazines at bargain basement prices. I think GaryS has done really well at times too. He is very good at used magazine bargain bin diving up in Kittery!

I've had my share of good scores as well... I can't deny it. Some great folks on the forum have helped me out a lot and I thank them all. This is a great forum!

I've also overpaid at times to the point of total embarrassment. I chalk it up to a lack of patience on my part... and the occasional magazine deficiency panic attack! It doesn't happen too much anymore as I learn of other better options... but some of my local and Internet magazine scores were so bad (financially-speaking) that they aren't even fit for publication.

Okay, 72 votes in and time to close out the poll since we have a very clear winner: Most forum members feel the optimum financial return and speed of sale would come from including one spare magazine with the gun... in other words, two total magazines.

Still, a sizable number of members feel that two spares (three, in total) is the optimum way to go.

I didn't vote since I started the poll. I'll admit that the poll result surprised me a little since we are talking mainly 3rd Gens here. But apparently the feeling is that a lower asking price with one spare magazine trumps a necessarily or logically higher asking price with two spares included (assuming the seller is really out to maximize return).

And clearly, no one was impressed with the idea of no spare magazines despite the fact that a whole lot of 3rd Gens around where I live end up being sold that way. I'm not surprised.

How would I have voted? I'm still not sure. I know that my infamous "used & abused" CS40 is unlikely to sell at any sort of reasonable price without at least 2 spares. It's just a gut feeling I've got. Sub-compact 40's around here are not in very high demand and the scarcity of discontinued CS40 magazines adds to that problem. We'll see if my decision to go with two spares helps or hurts. I know I'm going to lose money on the deal overall but such is life. I'll just have to make it up elsewhere.

On the other hand, the cop trade-in Model 4566TSW I'm selling will go up for sale with just one spare magazine to keep the asking price just as low as possible. Both of these are going to be local dealer consignment sales for reasons only a Massachusetts resident might start to understand. I just want them gone without a lot of headaches or using up one of my four allowed FTF transfers. I also owe a couple valued dealers some business.

Thanks to everyone who participated in the poll! I think it was another successful one!