What's going on with 3rd Gen magazines?

[GaryS]

Shipping charges and their ending their dealer discounts prompted me to switch more to Brownells. Midway usually has a better selection of 3rd Gen parts, but not by much.

Yes, Model 3913 curved baseplate magazines mysteriously reappeared the other day... ... and yours truly tried to buy a bunch of them using the latest "free shipping" promotion (just as I had tried to do the last time a similar promotion was on). And once again, it didn't work.

I finally had a conversion with MidwayUSA yesterday and found out that products for which there is a "Quantity Limit" stated do not qualify for any of their free shipping promotions. Not now, not ever.

That was news to me. I've done a ton of business with MidwayUSA and never knew that. I think I've paid more money in MidwayUSA shipping changes than I've paid for the actual parts themselves.

As much as I rely on MidwayUSA, I've had my troubles with their ordering system and I have a list of complaints about the way they do business (which always seems to maximize those damn shipping charges). But that's another topic for another day. For now, I'm actually pretty much okay with 3913 magazines, my gripes and problems with MidwayUSA notwithstanding.

 

[TTSH]

Shipping charges and their ending their dealer discounts prompted me to switch more to Brownells. Midway usually has a better selection of 3rd Gen parts, but not by much.

My single biggest gripe relates to how out-of-stock and back-ordered parts are handled... as well as how orders can't be held or combined even if you are willing to pay a little extra for them to do so. Alerts always seem to come in spaced just far enough apart time-wise that they almost always result in separate orders and, therefore, separate shipping fees.

Like I said, I think I've paid more money overall in shipping fees to MidwayUSA than I have for the parts themselves (and I have bought a LOT of parts!). Not being able to use their "free shipping" promotions for magazines just adds insult to injury.

It's a serious love/hate relationship for sure.

 

[Kenna]

Thanks TTSH for the info on the mags. Kenna

 

[kaveman]

Picked up two original mags at the latest local gunshow,.....an 8rd 9mm and a 7rd .45. Some would say that $15 apiece was cheap, but we'll see about that. I have a use for the 9mm mag but don't own a compact .45. What does the 7rder fit? Is this cheap magazine going to cost me $500 in the near future?

 

[TTSH]

What does the 7rder fit? Is this cheap magazine going to cost me $500 in the near future?

Like this one?

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/3...3tsw-4556-4596-45-acp-7-round-stainless-steel

I see a new .45 3rd Gen in the Kaveman's future!

 

[GaryS]

Well, that is cheap for that magazine. As noted at the Midway link, it will fit a bunch of compact 3rd Gen 45s. You probably know this already, but it's cheap insurance to pop in a new magazine spring. If you plan to keep it, let me know because I think I have a spare magazine spring hanging around. If you plan to sell it, also let me know.

Picked up two original mags at the latest local gunshow,.....an 8rd 9mm and a 7rd .45. Some would say that $15 apiece was cheap, but we'll see about that. I have a use for the 9mm mag but don't own a compact .45. What does the 7rder fit? Is this cheap magazine going to cost me $500 in the near future?

 

[kaveman]

Like this one?

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/3...3tsw-4556-4596-45-acp-7-round-stainless-steel

I see a new .45 3rd Gen in the Kaveman's future!

Thanks TTSH, that's a helpful listing. I'm not really aroused by the idea of a mini .45 but you never know,.....that might change. It'd have to be a DAO of course. I see a 457D on my favorite shopping site and the price ain't bad. No telling what it'll go for but $450 would buy it now. Problem is that the 457 has always seemed a bit doggie to me.

4556 would be a fine option. I think I remember bidding on one several months ago(the only one I've ever seen)and iirc the winning bid was WAY up there,......not something I'd ever spend that kind of money on. I'm not going to spend a thousand dollars I don't have on a pistol I don't want just because I have a fifteen dollar magazine. Well, I'm probably not going to spend a thousand dollars I don't have on a pistol I don't want. Well, I guess I might not spend a thousand dollars I don't have on a pistol I don't want. I do already have a magazine though, so there's that to consider. It'd be a shame to let that go to waste. And now that I think about it, I have a set of Hogue woodies for a 4013 stored away somewhere. I'm assuming that's the same frame size, right? Let me check my CC balance and I'll get back to you,.......

Looking closely at the .45 mag I now notice that the lip of the finger rest is chipped off. Mag looks like new otherwise but with the chipped floorplate I guess I got robbed after all. I'd press charges against the seller, but I suppose if I stood there with it in my hand and bought it I'm the one who gets the blame. It's not often I find single-stack S&W mags just sitting on a table when I'm actually looking for them, so I may have panicked just a little bit.

 

[TTSH]

​

Looking closely at the .45 mag I now notice that the lip of the finger rest is chipped off. Mag looks like new otherwise but with the chipped floorplate I guess I got robbed after all. I'd press charges against the seller, but I suppose if I stood there with it in my hand and bought it I'm the one who gets the blame. It's not often I find single-stack S&W mags just sitting on a table when I'm actually looking for them, so I may have panicked just a little bit.

Simple solution: Smith & Wesson Mag Floorplate S&W 4513TSW 4553TSW CS40C CS40D CS40S

Note that the inclusion of the CS9D in that list is an error.​

 

[kaveman]

Thanks, I suppose I could do that. Unfortunately I don't really have anything else I need from Midway right now and like you I'm not nuts about paying $10 shipping on a $3 piece of plastic(that's actually worth about 14 cents),.......especially for a mag I can't use in a gun I don't have. I've been forced into retirement too so I'm doing all I can to stop the financial bleeding. I thought I had ten more good years of income left but it hasn't worked out that way.

 

[Texasgordo]

I saw new 3913TSW mags for $15 each in the clearance bin at a Austin, TX gunshop about a month ago.

I don't have a 3913TSW so I didn't buy them.

 

[GaryS]

I make it a practice of not suggesting to other people how they spend their money. At the risk of being accused of violating that, I would suggest that if you were interested in reselling those, you'd likely have little trouble selling them on this forum.

If those are the seven round, early version magazines, they also fit the CS9.

I saw new 3913TSW mags for $15 each in the clearance bin at a Austin, TX gunshop about a month ago.

I don't have a 3913TSW so I didn't buy them.

 

[Texasgordo]

Next time I go back, I will see if they're still available. If I remember correctly, there were around 9 or 10 mags available.

 

[GaryS]

BTW, that applies in general to any 3rd Gen magazine. As you can see from this thread, they seem to be mostly out of production and availability varies widely. The bodies are pretty durable and at least for now springs, followers, butt plates, and butt plate catches are available. They can be rebuilt quite easily.

Next time I go back, I will see if they're still available. If I remember correctly, there were around 9 or 10 mags available.

 

[Smoke]

Is it just me? Or is it time to make sure we've got all the 3rd Gen magazines we'll ever need?

When I buy a handgun I consider buying all the magazines (I think) I'll ever need to be part of the purchase

 

[GaryS]

It's just a bit trickier when buying a used gun. Sometimes the gun is traded in with two or three mags, but sold with only one Both of the LGS that I generally buy from keep everything together and don't split off the mags separately. I've usually ended up with two magazines when I've bought from them.

When I buy a handgun I consider buying all the magazines (I think) I'll ever need to be part of the purchase

 

[TTSH]

When I buy a handgun I consider buying all the magazines (I think) I'll ever need to be part of the purchase

It's just a bit trickier when buying a used gun. Sometimes the gun is traded in with two or three mags, but sold with only one. Both of the LGS that I generally buy from keep everything together and don't split off the mags separately. I've usually ended up with two magazines when I've bought from them.

Yeah, what GaryS said. We are dealing with long discontinued 3rd Gens... used guns for which you take what you get when you manage to find one that you want. That could be anywhere from a single magazine to as many as 4 or 5... but usually you are damn happy just to get one or two spares. Finding more magazines after that can run the gamut from super-easy to damn near impossible.

And as GaryS points out: Some shops still strip off extra magazines to sell off separately just to keep the tagged price of the gun down. It's a weird and dying practice IMHO, but that's also how folks like GaryS and yours truly sometimes manage to score discontinued and hard to find magazines... in a shop's used magazine bargain bin.

For brand new guns it's a whole different story. Buy all you want or can afford. No issues there.

 

[Smoke]

It's just a bit trickier when buying a used gun. Sometimes the gun Isi traded in with two or three mags, but sold with only one Both of the LGS that I generally buy from keep everything together and don't split off the mags separately. I've usually ended up with two magazines when I've bought from them.

I don't own any "collector" guns so I don't generally have that problem. I own one 4006 (obviously a very common gun) and when I bought it I made a point of stocking up on as many magazines as I could get.

Colorado's magazine capacity restrictions caught me by surprise. I have 2 guns that were affected and magazines are hard to find. I decided never again.

 

[CoronaDan]

I make it a practice of not suggesting to other people how they spend their money. At the risk of being accused of violating that, I would suggest that if you were interested in reselling those, you'd likely have little trouble selling them on this forum.

If those are the seven round, early version magazines, they also fit the CS9.

I have a 908s which uses the same 8-round mags as the 3913.

Over the last year, I've found two more 8 round mags and the 7-round mag you mentioned. The 7rounder fits and works perfectly.

I'm curious though...which 3gen was the 7rounder originally for? The CS9? Or was it original to all the early compacts, the 3913/908 models?

I'm not a mag accumulator. I have four useable mags for the 908s. But only two mags each for the other semis I own. But the 908 is the very last one I'd sell.

Thanks all for the education.

 

[GaryS]

Good question. There are actually two different 7 round magazines.

One is for the non rail 3913TSW/CS9. The other is for the early 3913 Lady Smith. That one has a metal bottom plate.

This is what the body of the early 3913 Lady Smith magazine looks like.

This magazine is the same overall length as the 8 round 3913/908 magazines, but it only holds 7 rounds.

The pre rail 3913TSW/CS9 magazine has a shorter body and will only hold 7 rounds. It also has a plastic bottom plate.

I don't have a picture of one of those handy, but can take some if you want to see what that looks like.

If yours is a 3913 Lady Smith magazine, they are fairly rare and someone with a LS may well want to buy it from you.

The pre rail 3913TSW/CS9 magaizines are more common, but no where near as common as the regular 3913/908 magazines.

I have a 908s which uses the same 8-round mags as the 3913.

Over the last year, I've found two more 8 round mags and the 7-round mag you mentioned. The 7rounder fits and works perfectly.

I'm curious though...which 3gen was the 7rounder originally for? The CS9? Or was it original to all the early compacts, the 3913/908 models?

I'm not a mag accumulator. I have four useable mags for the 908s. But only two mags each for the other semis I own. But the 908 is the very last one I'd sell.

Thanks all for the education.

 

[CoronaDan]

Gary...thanks for sharing. I don't have a pic of my 7 round mag - can probably do that tonite - but it looks identical to the one you posted except that it has the curved pinky grip....just like my 8 round mags.

If I can post a pic tonite maybe you can narrow it down for me. Many thanks.

Dan