5906 20 & 30 round magazines

scwv67

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Did S&W or Mecgar actually make these at one time, or are they Promag junk? How do you tell?

Thanks
 
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Did S&W or Mecgar actually makes these at one time, or are they Promag junk? How do you tell?

Thanks

MecGar certainly did make (and may still make) 20 round mags for the 59 Series.

I do not think S&W had one marked as such, but I could be wrong. S&W certainly had 11 and 15 round mags for the 1006 Series, so they may have.
 
S&W did not. I have quite a few, some blued, some stainless - they all work great. Look to be from at least 2 or 3 different manufacturers. The 5906 and Marlin Camp 9 Carbine are a nice matchup for those mags.
 
Smith did make some 20 round magazines that had the S&W logo on the bottom of the metal floorplate. They were produced during the 3rd generation era for the 459.
 
Smith&Wesson did make twenty round magazines for both the 59 and 69 series pistols, the only difference being a detent stamped on the mag body sides to stop the mags from being inserted too far, it's higher up on the 69 series mag and must be removed to allow its use in the 59 series. These were very common in law enforcement as a "bail out bag" item...
 
Thanks everyone for the info. Are there any visual clues or distinguishing characteristics that would set apart a S&W brand 20 rounder from those another manufacturer?
 
Many years ago, when I first started carrying an issued 5903, and a personally-owned 469, I went out to a local gun store and bought some extended mags for each of them.

They were individually packaged in S&W blister packaging. It's been so long that I can't remember how the mag bodies were stamped. I seem to recall the ones for at least the 469 were blued.

I also remember that the pressed (outward) notch on the front of the mag bodies were different for the 59XX & 469/69XX guns, with the punched out notch being higher on the 469/69XX mag. It wouldn't fit in the larger 59XX guns, because the notch acted as a "stop" and wouldn't let the mag go high enough into the grip/mag well to seat.

These "stop notches" were good ideas because it wasn't unknown for folks to use a bit too much enthusiasm & exuberance and shove the mags up past the mag catch, and then the left side lip could sometimes damage the ejector.

And yes, it's possible for someone to shove a 59XX mag into a 69XX and do it too hard, pushing it up past the mag catch before the mag catch body could snap into the cutout notch in the mag body. :rolleyes:
 
Thanks everyone for the info. Are there any visual clues or distinguishing characteristics that would set apart a S&W brand 20 rounder from those another manufacturer?

The S&W 20 round mags I have are stamped on the lower left side of the mag body with the S&W logo and 9mm, the baseplates are steel and also marked S&W. Also the "stop tang" is actually on the front of the mag body, not the side as I mentioned earlier. I have only seen them in blue. All the aftermarket versions I have seen have plastic baseplates, and are usually unmarked.
 
The Kel-tec sub 2000 is another little carbine that is offered to use 59 series mags. All my 20-rounders are Mec-Gar
 
The S&W 20 round mags I have are stamped on the lower left side of the mag body with the S&W logo and 9mm, the baseplates are steel and also marked S&W. Also the "stop tang" is actually on the front of the mag body, not the side as I mentioned earlier. I have only seen them in blue. All the aftermarket versions I have seen have plastic baseplates, and are usually unmarked.

The ones I've stumbled onto may fit that description.
 
I have a couple no name blued 30 round mags that have worked flawlessly in 3 different 5906s, a Camp Carbine and a Sub 2K. there are no stamps to indicate the maker, I think I got them off Gone Broker.
 
This thread isn't all that old, so I'll just ask here rather than start a new thread. I just bought a 5906 and I'm getting one factory 15 round mag with it. Now I'm shopping for additional mags and I'm curious how the 20 rounders fit. I'd just get the 17 round mags, but I'm only finding the 15s or 20s.

Do they fit flush like the 15 rounder? Hang out like hemorrhoids? Anyone have a picture of a 5906 with a 20 round mag inserted?
 
I'm shopping for additional mags and I'm curious how the 20 rounders fit. I'd just get the 17 round mags, but I'm only finding the 15s or 20s.

Do they fit flush like the 15 rounder? Hang out like hemorrhoids? Anyone have a picture of a 5906 with a 20 round mag inserted?

It's not a 20 round, but I have a 30 rounder (no-name brand) which works great on my model 59. My pic might give you an idea of what you are needing to see. When fully loaded it actually provides a very nice balance as the weight goes underneath and gives a sense of gravity that settles better when shooting. I like it but just find it hard to holster with.
 

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Forgot all about this thread, so I thought I'd give an update. About a month back, I picked up two brand new MecGar 20 round mags on sale for $21 each!
Amazing considering the craziness going on right now.
 
Forgot all about this thread, so I thought I'd give an update. About a month back, I picked up two brand new MecGar 20 round mags on sale for $21 each!
Amazing considering the craziness going on right now.

I'm curious how the 20 rounders fit. I'd just get the 17 round mags, but I'm only finding the 15s or 20s.

Do they fit flush like the 15 rounder? Hang out like hemorrhoids? Anyone have a picture of a 5906 with a 20 round mag inserted?
 
I'm curious how the 20 rounders fit. I'd just get the 17 round mags, but I'm only finding the 15s or 20s.

Do they fit flush like the 15 rounder? Hang out like hemorrhoids? Anyone have a picture of a 5906 with a 20 round mag inserted?

The 20's are not flush fit and hang out maybe an 1 1/2" to 2". I haven't measured. I'm on the hunt for some MecGar flush fit 17 rounders, but like everything else, they're in short supply.

I bought the 20's because they were new and at only $21 each, I couldn't refuse. Plus, if I ever find a Camp 9 I can afford, they'll be great for that.
 
Seems I heard something about those one time, but didn't think they were actually a factory item. Thanks for the link.

I agree that the referenced 25-round magazine in the link was not a genuine Smith & Wesson item. I have several of the genuine 20-round Smith magazines for both the 59-series and 69-series, and they are marked with a Smith logo.
 
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