Purchase several used Sig P 220 magazines yesterday. I cleaned them all this morning. I had problems with the reassembling the first one. They are all marked P220-1 and made in Italy.

I am not goodd with my hands but went through a Sig police armorers class at OPOTA in the late 80's. I finally realized that the base plate had to go down into the mag and the rear of the plate stayed outside the mag body. This after understanding why the witness holes are parallel to each other.

I don't clean them when they are dirty. I have owned many 226s, 228s, 220s, and other Sigs over the years. Are all the 220mags like this or maybe only the Mecgar 220 mags?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: xfarfuldog,

I’m not sure I understand what you’re describing or asking, so if none of this applies, disregard.

The standard Mec-Gar P220 magazine has five components, and the bottom two are the plastic floor plate and the metal “insert.” When assembling the magazine, hold the insert against the bottom of the spring and tube so that the extension that’s bent up at the rear fits against the outside of the bottom rear of the tube. The floor plate is then slid onto the bottom of the tube from the front to hold the insert in place.

If you’re doing that and there is still some sort of problem (which you didn’t describe), it may be that the plastic follower is positioned incorrectly and/or that the spring doesn’t mate up with the follower correctly. The narrow end of the spring goes up into the follower at the rear, and the spring must be oriented properly.

This shows the proper orientation of the spring (the one on the right) and follower:

quote:

Originally posted by xfarfuldog:
Sig P 220 magazines

...I finally realized that the base plate had to go down into the mag and the rear of the plate stayed outside the mag body. This after understanding why the witness holes are parallel to each other.

...Are all the 220mags like this or maybe only the Mecgar 220 mags?

I don't think I quite understand what you are describing either...I suspect referring to the base plate parts in a different orientation than I'm used to thinking of them

I'm especially thrown off by the reference of to the witness holes being parallel with each other...I always thought of them as being in-line.

I think we might need a bit more clarity in your description before we can make the comparison you're asking about

I figured it out and all is well. The part I was referring to is the metal insert per sigfreund. In all my other mags (including my old 228 mags if I remember correctly) the metal insert goes fully inside the mag body. The front of my metal insert goes inside the mag body but the rear stays outside.

The parallel witness holes allowed me to mostly compress the spring and hold it in place with a screwdriver. I could then put in the insert and slide on the bottom plate.

I have had two carpal tunnel surgeries on my right hand. Now have arthritis. I have strength problems sometimes. Using the screwdriver to help fully compress the spring.

I was just wondering if all 220 mags are like that.

quote:

Originally posted by xfarfuldog:
I figured it out and all is well. The part I was referring to is the metal insert per sigfreund. In all my other mags (including my old 228 mags if I remember correctly) the metal insert goes fully inside the mag body. The front of my metal insert goes inside the mag body but the rear stays outside.

I was just wondering if all 220 mags are like that.

They are not...actually went out in the garage to check mine.

Obviously the 7-rd mag inserts go completely into the magazine body.

The 8-rd magazines, where the base pads extend beyond the body, manufactured by ACT Mag also do not have any part of their inserts which extend outside the magazine body

quote:

Originally posted by xfarfuldog:
I was just wondering if all 220 mags are like that.

No, only the eight-round mags with plastic floor plate have inserts that are part inside and part outside the tube.
Pictured are the other common types of factory P220 magazines. I am not familiar with the ACT mags.

So to be clear, my mags with the metal insert sticking outside the mag body are (like the far right mag pictured) Mecgar? I have sold them on this forum and don't want to mislead the buyers.

I have never seen any magazines that were supplied or were sold by SIG that identify the manufacturer, but the assumption has always been that if they are marked “Made in Italy,” they were made by Mec-Gar. All of the magazines like the one on the right that I’ve seen were so marked.

quote:

Originally posted by sigfreund:
I am not familiar with the ACT mags.

ACT Mags are manufactured in Italy by a company formed by three former Mec-Gar employees.

Their first products introduced into the US fit the 1911 and the SIG 220 and were marked Novak . They now additionally manufacture magazines for the SIG 320, S&W M&P9, Beretta 92 and CZ75. The latest ones I've seen were marked Armscor

I've been using ACT Mags in various 220s for years and found them very reliable

Thanks for your assistance.

Thanks for the information about the ACT Mags.
I have long seen references to them here, but had no personal experience with them.

I purchased a P220 CPO from a dealer I found on the internet. The dealer sent me several photos of the unit and the box. When it arrived at my FFL the box contained two black ACT mags, Italy, 45 ACP. When I called the dealer, he told me those were the mags in the box when it arrived at his shop. He told me he had received several Sigs with ACT mags the last year or two.

I've never used them, they rest in the CPO box. After reading this thread I should move them to the range bag.