[BobNPrc]

This came in a box of gun stuff a buddy bought at an estate sale a few weeks ago. From what I can tell, its and M-14 magazine that was adapted to work in a HK91 / G-3. The adapter collar is professionally made (and well made). It is (was) attached by spot welds on the front and back of the collar. One other friend recalled hearing once that the Rhodesians made this conversion when they couldn't get anyone to sell them new equipment, they would adapt stuff they could buy on the surplus market. Whatever the case may be, it seems like a lot of work to turn a $30 magazine into a $15 magazine. Does anyone have any insight as to who / why would inflict this on a perfectly good M-14 magazine?

View attachment 14972 View attachment 14973 View attachment 14974 View attachment 14975 View attachment 14976 View attachment 14977

 

[SlugCatcher]

well there was a short period when G3/CETME mags were $$ or hard to get.

 

[rwbow1969]

Converted to work in a Valmet???? Maybe?????

 

[buffler]

I don't think so. I've seen M14 mags converted to work in a Galil, which I think is similar to a Valet, and they were a much simpler conversion.

 

[BobNPrc]

Converted to work in a Valmet???? Maybe?????

View attachment 14978

I don't think so - it is visible difference between the "collar" in your photo and this one. I should add there are no markings on the collar at all or any other markings on the mag itself other than the original maker's markings (Borg-Warner).

 

[panaceabeachbum]

We used to peal the collar off 91 mags for use in the Valmet

 

[slowfire]

it seems like a lot of work to turn a $30 magazine into a $15 magazine. Does anyone have any insight as to who / why would inflict this on a perfectly good M-14 magazine?

I will take it you are unaware of this, but SlugCatcher is on the money. back in 1996 and up till the very early 2000s 2003 or there abouts, surplus Hk91 Mags were scarce and demand was very high, due to CENTURY and others started to flood the market with Hk91 clones,so Hk91 mags became very, very expensive, going for the average around 50 bucks a pop for a new mag. while M14 mags were plentiful and cheap, some manufacturer, can't remember off hand who it was saw a big market modified M14 mags to work in the Hk91 which was the hot craze for a lot less then the factory Hk mags. and they racked it in

it wasn't until later in 2000 (2003 or so) that there was torrential flood of Hk91 mags flooded the marked and brought the price down to just a few dollars a mag. that the manufacturer couldn't compete with that, so they stopped modifying M14 mags.

if you wanted to hear a bunch of people crying about the cheap few dollar Hk 91 mag, all you had to do was visit any of the Hk gunboards where folks that paid a big amounts of of money for quite a few mags, suddenly couldn't give give them a way because they weren't worth 1/10 of what they paid for theirs.


what you have is one of the later 90s modified M14 mags.

I was lucky as the CENTURY HK clone I bought back in 1999 was able to use CETME mags, which were like 5-10 bucks a pop. so I didn't have to shell out the stupid money for a HK91 mag. when the Hk 91 surplus mags hit the market for like 3 or 4 bucks a pop, I bought a lot of those.

 

[SlugCatcher]

I did something similar when I needed HK93 mags, jb weld, AR magazine and 2 squares of sheet metal. I still have that ugly thing around here.



i remember seeing HK91 mags in some shops about $56 each and then............. poof as low as $1 a few years later.




Opposite with FAL/L1A1 mags, they were $1-15 depending on condition and now they're almost a new form of currency. When tapco sold surplus stuff I got a box of 20 L1A1 Magazines for $24 shipped. Filthy and covered in the awesome Rhodesian green paint and all but 2 of them worked.

 

[BobNPrc]

Thanks, gentlemen. Not being an HK guy, I was unaware of the history of the fluctuations in past prices for HK mag's, just what they go for these days. It make sense given the circumstances.

 

[Lucky#13]

New, or very clean M14 mags are not so common or cheap anymore, so I am sad that all these mods were done for the German hardware. There are cheap repros of M14 mags with even original markings copied, so one has to make a study of it to distinguish these today. One day I will find some correct H&R mags for my rifle, or so I hope! But I am glad we got this figured out, and thanks to slowfire and SlugCatcher.