M14 fans, check this out! The Pictorial M14 Magazine Identification Guide is now available for free download in the articles section at www.imageseek.com/m1a

You have permission to copy this for your use but not for resale. It will take about seven minutes to download from the web site if you have cable modem (over 44 MB). This is a comprehensive document but it will make you a M14 magazine inspector for sure! Don't buy fake "GI" magazines any more!

Thanks Different, this is what we have needed for years, now anyone can get the right Mag. No more trial and error again.. Again thank you for you hard work Different.

XXIV Corps
DMZ 70-72

Once again Different has cleared up a lot of confusion. A much needed document!

I'm revising the Pictorial M14 Magazine Identification Guide. The current version, 0.6, is at http://www.imageseek.com/m1a I've updated my book excerpts in this latest version, 0.7, and retitled the chapters as follows:

Chapter 1: USGI Magazines - Atwood Vacuum Machine
Chapter 2: USGI Magazines - BRW S-1
Chapter 3: USGI Magazines - BRW B2
Chapter 4: USGI Magazines - HR-R
Chapter 5: USGI Magazines - KMT Part 1
Chapter 6: USGI Magazines - KMT Part 2
Chapter 7: USGI Magazines - OM
Chapter 8: USGI Magazines - UHC
Chapter 9: USGI Magazines - W & CMI
Chapter 10: U. S. Commercial Magazines
Chapter 11: Foreign Manufacture Magazines
Chapter 12: Miscellaneous Part 1(USGI and fake packaging, fake "GI" magazines)
Chapter 13: Miscellaneous Part 2 (fake "GI" magazines)

Chapter 13 has new information that you need to know about. IOW, READ AND HEED:

"Beginning in January 2006, fake Atwood Vacuum Machine Company marked twenty round magazines began appearing in gun shows. These magazines have body wall thicknesses of 0.032 “ with soft followers and floor plates. The fake “GI” magazines continue to have springs angled off to one side under the follower and crudely formed corners. These magazines, like some of the 2004 and 2005 fake “GI” magazines, will hold twenty rounds.

Between January and March 2006, an improved fake “GI” magazine appeared in the commercial market. The difference between this improved fake unit and previous counterfeits was the presence of thirteen spot welds on the front side, twelve up the centerline and one to the right of the magazine catch slot and a “W” marking on the rear side at 2 3/8 “ from the bottom edge. These magazines were wrapped in USGI wrapping paper marked (top to bottom): first line – 1005-628-9048-B053 second line – Magazine Assy For Rifle third line – 7.62 MM M14 9/70 fourth line DAAG-111-42- OMINC-A7. These magazines could be identified as fake by the same crudely formed magazine springs and follower assemblies with two welds. They were not covered with an inner wrapper like previous fake “GI” magazines.



In 2006, fake “GI” magazines were being sold on Internet auction web sites and at gun shows. These fake “GI” magazines had the following falsified markings: the “slash M” aka Atwood Vacuum Machine (see below), BRW S-1, OM and W."



The Pictorial M14 Magazine Identification Guide remains free and available for unlimited distribution. I hope to get Revision 0.7 posted at [url]www.imageseek.com/m1a]www.imageseek.com/m1a[/url] in the next week or two.

Thanks Different.
That's some good stuff there and represents a lot of work on your part.
It's too bad it had to be done.
It takes some crooked-thinking people to go to those extremes. Wouldn't it be easier to just make the mags and sell them on the up and up without the sneakiness?


Ah well...

Pictorial M14 Magazine Identification Guide Rev. 0.7 is now posted at http://www.imageseek.com/m1a It's free, download it to your hard drive.

Pictorial M14 Magazine ID Guide Rev. 0.8 will go in the snail mail to sven on Monday the 26th. Once sven has it, he'll post it at www.imageseek.com/m1a for free download. Revision 0.8 is 180 pages containing 351 color photographs. It is also a superb example of the collaborative effort of M14 fans around the country.

Pictorial M14 Magazine Identification Guide Rev. 0.8 has been added to the M14 Rifle Library DVD as well.

Please visit www.imageseek.com/m1a to download the latest freebie versions of Pictorial M14 Magazine Identification Guide (Rev. 0.8) and the M14 Scope Mount FAQ (02/25/07).

Pictorial M14 Magazine Identification Guide Rev. 0.9 is now posted at www.imageseek.com/m1a

A new article, M14 Preservation and Soft Lubrication, has also been posted to the same site.

Newly revised and now at 200 pages, this has been a collaborative effort of us M14 fans.

The Pictorial M14 Magazine Identification Guide Rev. 1.0 is now posted and available for free download (54.1 MB) at www.imageseek.com/m1a

This type of devotion is amazing. When are you looking at the Third M14 Book?

As for the fake magazines, it's becoming as expensive to fake them properly as it would be to just manufacture them to spec. The fuss over magazines hasn't been due to the original manufacturer, as much as it's been are they actually Mil Spec. With current-issue CMI mags available for $30.00, the market must be really tough om the fakers.

I'm working on Rev. 1.1 for the Mag ID Guide. I have a plan that should clear up at least some of the questions on the mysterious origin magazines. I'll be able to get to that in December after we move back to Las Vegas, NV. I'll also summarize the clarifying information in the Third Edition of M14 Rifle History and Development.

I have an idea for the Mag ID Guide where it would be available in print and at cost. The main benefit to me would be as a trial run for how I want to produce the Third Edition of M14 Rifle History and Development. I agreed to produce the Mag ID Guide at my cost (no profit).

I've got quite a few 1960s era government reports to read through. I have made some recent progress into it. While I'm going through that stack of old reports I continue to mine several discussion boards and correspond with many contributors. The good news is that the amount of new information is trickling down. I'm still on track for 2009 but may be able to finish up in late 2008. The present draft of M14 Rifle History and Development is over 700 pages. I should be able to wrap up the Third Edition before it exceeds 800 pages. About 200 pages of the book is color photographs. I don't plan to add any more photos unless it is an exceptional case.

The Third Edition of M14 Rifle History and Development is done. I'll now start working on getting the Pictorial M14 Magazine Identification Guide ready for publication. The Magazine ID Guide will be color and sold at cost, no profit to me. I'll keep you posted. This will get done pretty quick, a month or less is my estimate.[/i]

Okay, we're just about ready to roll. I finished Version 1.1 and have posted it to my online printer/publisher web site. I ordered a proof copy to make sure that the color photos come out okay. When the proof copy comes in I'll look at it. If it looks good I'll release Pictorial M14 Magazine Identification Guide Version 1.1 for sale. FYI, this is being offered at my cost. There's no profit to me. The printer/publisher is making their profit on the print run so don't feel bad for them. LOL

This isn't 100 % firm but it looks like the prices will be as follows:

Print version - $39.93 + your choice of shipping
Downloadable version - free

Shipping is $4.48 from the printer in North Carolina to Las Vegas, NV using USPS Media Mail rate to give you an idea. The print version will be soft cover, coil bound, 236 pages, 8.5 " x 11 ", and hundreds of color photos.

The downloadable version is a 70 MB .pdf file so it's a NO GO if on dial up. You need Acrobat Reader 5.0 or newer to open the file.

Thanks to your contributions, this reference just keeps getting better and better.

The Pictorial M14 Magazine Identification Guide Version 1.1 is availalbe at no profit to me. It's $39.93 for the 236 page full color coil bound soft cover book. It's free if you want the 70 MB down load (be very patient).

http://stores.lulu.com/m14rhad3

Thanks to all of you who contributed on this.