CZ mags vs Macgar for 97b

[kerncat]

I have a late model 97b....it has a trigger issue and is at CZ now for a look see...while there I got a call from them and they asked if the mags I'd sent with it were what was with it when I bought it....the pistol was purchased new with the two factory mags included, and I bought 3 "used" mags after the fact from a private party...I had a couple of "nose dive" feed issues out of some 250 or 300 rounds fired but didn't give it much thought...figured a new pistol, maybe dirty used mags, etc...turns out the 2 mags that I included in the case were not the CZ mags but the Macgar ones.

Turns out from what CZ said that the feed lip and feed area of the Macgar brand mags are different than the CZ branded mags....also the CZ mags are a matte finish and the Macgar's are shiny...just wondered if anyone might have run into this and can shed light on what might have occured?  I'm sure the macgar's are for a 97 as it fed the ammo fine with a couple of exceptions....I'm glad CZ caught this...I'd have never noticed....I do know the  old CZ/Macgar issue of the thinner base plates from back when I had one of the older 97's but this is something I was not aware of....I thought Macgar made all the 97 mags and that they were all the same but maybe not?

Pictures show the difference...the pictures of the mags with the arrows show the area..The pictures of 2 mags show the CZ on the left and the Macgar on the right..the one mag alone picture is the CZ brand showing the notched shape feed....the CZ branded mag has a cut out that is "stepped" in shape while the Macgar mag in the same area has a smoother cut out shape...the matte finish is the CZ...hope the pics show up ok...just curious...not hassles and I'll just use the CZ branded mags when the gun comes back....just had not heard or seen anything and nothing I can find on the 'search" link..

By the way..CZ's service dept is outstanding...everything so far has been letter perfect..quick to react and I appreciated the phone call...good guys.

[AZ_CZ]

I only know of 2 types of 97mags; the CZ factory and the ones Greg Cote sells that are Mecgars but are listed for 97s, Witness and a bunch of others. So I expect there to be some differences.

http://gregcotellc.com/cart/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=130&products_id=1093&zenid=3b571e27e2be5c01a8ae26d5836672c1

[SI VIS PACEM PARRABELLUM]

The Mecgar mags you have are likely older models. I purchased my 97 new and you can't tell the difference between the 2 factory mags and the 8 aftermarket Mecgars I bought from Greg Cote. They are identical.

[dlk]

My Mecgar mags work fine in my 97; I wish the same was with other pistols I own.

[bmo]

I bought a 97B a couple months back along with some of the Tanfoglio Mecgars from gregcote. The mag bodies looked identical the only difference being the baseplate. Both had the AFC finish too.

[Tok36]

I bought a 97B a couple months back along with some of the Tanfoglio Mecgars from gregcote. The mag bodies looked identical the only difference being the baseplate. Both had the AFC finish too.

This was my experience as well. Same mag body/follower but different base plate. The Mec Gar 97 mags have shorter base plates so they do not sit flush with the CZ 97 magwell. Greg Cotte sells the CZ97 base plates for a few bucks so i picked some up and swapped the Mec Gar base plates out. Last time i checked it was cheeper to buy the Mec Gars and the 97 base plates than the factory CZ97 mags.

CZ 97 Base plates - http://gregcotellc.com/cart/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1570

                                                                  <------------CZ97 Factory / Mec Gar 97/Witness Mag------------>

[kerncat]

With mine the base plates are exactly the same for the CZ factory mags and the "odd ones" I've got that are marked Megear...the issue is the feed lip area at the top of the mag where the front of the follower is located...the pics I showed indicate a "notched" frame for the magazine on the CZ and a gentle "arc" shape with the others...I can't get a definitive word but I'm going to do a little checking here..I have a friend with my older 97 and I want to look at the mag tops and follower area on those...I think they are fine for the older style pistol with the short feed ramp but are a slight problem with the new pistol with the longer feed ramp, etc....it will be fun to track it down...The finish on the CZ mags that came with the pistol are the "matte" finish while the finish on the other mags is a shiny blued finish with no matte look to it at all.

Here is a picture of the mags...you can scroll through several other pictures by using the scroll arrow..

[SI VIS PACEM PARRABELLUM]

Those look like the older mags before they changed to the longer feed ramp. They also made some magazine changes at the same time. I had a very early 97 and it had those exact mags and it suffered from the feed issues that finally prompted CZ to make the changes to the barrel and mags. 

[kerncat]

Those look like the older mags before they changed to the longer feed ramp. They also made some magazine changes at the same time. I had a very early 97 and it had those exact mags and it suffered from the feed issues that finally prompted CZ to make the changes to the barrel and mags.

The magazines I had an issue with are, in fact, the older (much older) magazines...I have a couple of magazines that came with the pistol that are the "current" ones so I'll reserve those for the self defense use for the nightstand gun....I'll shoot them now and then to keep things fresh...since the old magazines only have very occasional issues...but will "nose dive" a round now and then....I'll just keep them and use them for target and plinkng shooting but not for self defense...it's quick and easy to correct the nose dive jam but nothing I'd want to have happen if things really counted..since I don't shoot any tournament or timed events...it's just an very seldom occurrence so not a big issue.

Thanks for everyone that commented..

Kerncat