VBE 99321991-1999
Thanks this is helpful. If I understand the MA gun law correctly, if the gun was made prior 9/1994 I am ok to have the high capacity mags. Just trying to be within the law.Our list of serial prefixes is pretty limited. It is just a guess since your VBE is not listed. But it looks like 1995 had prefixes before and after yours. If it is important, you can get an historian's letter of authenticity for $100 from the S&W Historical Foundation. There is really no way to determine when the magazines were made.
It doesn't quite work that way here in MA. The date of manufacture of the gun doesn't matter. It's the date of manufacture of the (hi-cap) magazines that matter... and yes, they must have been made before the 1994 Federal AWB to be legal hi-cap pre-bans in MA.Thanks this is helpful. If I understand the MA gun law correctly, if the gun was made prior 9/1994 I am ok to have the high capacity mags. Just trying to be within the law.
There are no engravings at all, only thing I can see is an 'S' at the bottom near grip.Not sure how to tell this, "does it have two mag release cuts or just one?"It doesn't quite work that way here in MA. The date of manufacture of the gun doesn't matter. It's the date of manufacture of the (hi-cap) magazines that matter... and yes, they must have been made before the 1994 Federal AWB to be legal hi-cap pre-bans in MA.
You have two different hi-caps there... one 6900-series and one 5900-series. Do either of them have a "Law Enforcement or Export only" engraving on them? If so, they are ban period magazines and are the most illegal magazines of all in Massachusetts (i.e., most easy for a cop or prosecutor to confirm as illegal).
If no engraving, you are most likely okay on the 6900-series magazine as they stopped making them during the ban. On the 5900-series magazine, does it have two mag release cuts or just one? if one, it is pre-ban. If two cuts, it is post-ban.
There are no engravings at all, only thing I can see is an 'S' at the bottom near grip.Not sure how to tell this, "does it have two mag release cuts or just one?"
The one vs. two mag cuts thang only applies to the 15-round 5900-series magazines as shown in your photo.Well this is good news for me, only one cut on all 3 mags! thanks again
They certainly look OEM... i.e., S&W Factory original.That makes is clear. So none of the 3 mags I have for this gun have any engraving on them, nor does the 5900 have 2 cuts. Now I need to be sure these are OEM.