So, I recently picked up a 5906TSW. I had not owned a 59 in any of it's variations, although I really like the 3rd gens. I have a couple, but 45s.

So I had always heard and read that the original mags were black followers and 14rd, later upgraded to 15 with orange followers. The TSW I bought came with 6 mags, 4-14s and 2-10s. The 14s where marked 14 (max witness hole) and black followers. But they hold and function fine with 15?

I recently bought a new in box factory 15rd mag, witness hole max shows 15, orange followers as expected.

So.... was there more than one version of the black follower?

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BT
EGO VOLUNTAS HAUD OBEDIO

To my knowledge, no. Perhaps the follower "legs" were cut down by a previous owner.

My thought too, but no... they look completely unaltered. I bought new orange followers to replace them, and they are different, but the black are not altered. I have loaded (and fired) all 4 of the black follower mags, with 15rds.

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BT
EGO VOLUNTAS HAUD OBEDIO

I had two 2nd Gen magazines that were supposed to fit fourteen. I replaced the followers and springs with 3rd Gen orange follower and spring and now it fits fifteen

IIRC, the black followers from the 6906 will allow 15 rounds if installed in the 59 series mag bodies.

John

If that is true, that may be what happened here. Thanks

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BT
EGO VOLUNTAS HAUD OBEDIO

This. I did it to my 59 mags to get an extra round.

The gun itself had very few rounds through it when I got it. Not unfired by any means but I would think based on the normal wear areas, no more than a couple hundred rounds, if that. Papers etc. and 6 mags. 2 were 10rd, and 4 were 14's, or at least MARKED as 14's.

While all 4 (or 6 if you count the 10s) were OEM mags, the 14s were of two different versions. 2 of them had witness holes on the right side, even numbered from 4 to 14. The left side a single unmarked witness hole at mid mag body. The other two were the same as the first on the right side, and the left side had odd numbered witness holes from 5 to 13. All four have a single "S" stamp low, rear, on the right side. All four of them have identical black followers and all would load 15 rounds.

A couple new production mags I got last week from Midway were identical to the pair above marked on both sides with the addition of a left side witness hole marked 15, and a S&W trademark stamping above 9mm also on the left side. Orange follower which is different than the black ones above.

The legs of both version followers black and orange are the same length, and the top surface is very nearly identical, but the moldings are obviously different between the two underneath.

So, the fact that the two versions that came with it have identical followers and they will load 15, lead me to believe even more that what has been brought up is likely the story. Someone had already swapped the followers for 6906 followers.

I already had new orange for them, so I swapped them all out. I will test them all next range trip this week. The blacks ran fine. Had I not already had the orange incoming I would have left them alone, and I can go back if needed.

Thanks to all.

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BT
EGO VOLUNTAS HAUD OBEDIO