30 vs 9mm AM III magazines? |
Post Reply 
|
Page <1234> |
| Author | |
Pantera Mike 
Callahan's Auto Mag 
Joined: 20 Jan 2018 Status: Offline Points: 1007 |
 Post Options
 Thanks(0)
 Quote Reply
 Posted: 11 Aug 2025 at 11:34pm |
|
Note that my ‘small’ frame is an AMT frame, which came after the IAI guns, correct? So I don’t think the switch happened coincident with the IAI to AMT nomenclature change. I think it’s more likely that it’s simply an early vs late gun thing.
Where is Larry Grossman when we need him???
|
|
 |
|
|
Yellow
International Auto Mag 
Joined: 15 Aug 2023 Location: Belgium Status: Offline Points: 51 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 12 Aug 2025 at 11:44am |
|
I don’t know which ones came first, but Luc’s “small” frame is also an AMT. The mags with the longer flat piece at the front also drag when inserting them in his gun. The one with the small flat piece in the front does not, so the mag opening in IAI guns and the IAI magazines seem slightly larger.
|
|
|
|
|
Rumore
Callahan's Auto Mag
Joined: 14 Nov 2008 Location: Inola, OK Status: Offline Points: 524 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 12 Aug 2025 at 4:40pm |
|
I though AMT changed the name to IAI when they got sued by Ruger, then back to AMT after that was settled. Tony |
|
|
Run it up, until you blow it up, then back it down a bit.
|
|
|
|
|
Luc V.
Admin Group 
Joined: 09 Mar 2008 Location: Belgium Status: Offline Points: 1433 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 12 Aug 2025 at 6:34pm |
|
What I really want to know is IF the AMT frames are smaller than the IAI's?
I measured the mags I have and my so called .30 is about half a millimeter smaller front to back and in thickness (wide), as the one I've got from Yellow. His mag also 'drags' in my AMT frame, not that I have to ram it in, it's a tight fit but I can shove it in without slamming it in. But not drop-free on the way-out, I have to pull it out... Could it be that the material (steelplate) is thicker between the two? So the inside of the mags are the same but the outside will be bigger in size? But guess what, I tested his mag in my AMT this afternoon and it works perfect! All 100 rounds...even if the rounds are somewhat canted/tilted(?) to the feedlips. Now new question, I would like to know how much different the mag opening is? Anyone care to measure his AMT / IAI frame magwell? here's mine, however I cannot meassure front to back, my callipers aren't long enough. In Milimeters. Sorry to the US guy's, I forgot to switch to inches...  oh, BTW Yellow, I'm keeping this mag!
 |
|
|
|
|
Pantera Mike
Callahan's Auto Mag
Joined: 20 Jan 2018 Status: Offline Points: 1007 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 13 Aug 2025 at 3:26am |
True. But when the AMIII was first produced it was an IAI product. Only after the Ruger lawsuit dust settled did they revert to AMT badging. If you look at the first magazine articles when the gun was first introduced (1989 SHOT show), it was badged as an IAI.
|
|
|
|
|
Pantera Mike
Callahan's Auto Mag
Joined: 20 Jan 2018 Status: Offline Points: 1007 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 13 Aug 2025 at 3:45am |
|
Luc,
I believe the frame size difference is only front-to-back, not side-to-side….
|
|
|
|
|
Luc V.
Admin Group
Joined: 09 Mar 2008 Location: Belgium Status: Offline Points: 1433 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 13 Aug 2025 at 2:32pm |
|
Thanks Mike.
I tried to measure front-to-back inside the magwell, but the "horns" on my measuring tool are to short to get inside the magwell. (left side in picture) So I can't measure the parralell lines this way...  However this is the best I could come up with:  So, if anyone want to try the same on a IAI frame, we could know IF the frames are different? |
|
|
|
|
Luc V.
Admin Group
Joined: 09 Mar 2008 Location: Belgium Status: Offline Points: 1433 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 13 Aug 2025 at 2:48pm |
|
I just want to share one more bit of info about the magazines.
The thickness of the sheetmetal is the same for both magazines.
Here is my Original mag that came with my AMT pistol in .30 cal inside the frame:  Above picture: Lots of gap at the back(spine), when the magazine is held firmly to the front of frame. Below same AMT frame with the magazine I got from Yellow. His pistols/mags are IAI: Tight fit, but it works. I must say that this mag is much more secure in my AMT. My original magazine rattles-and shake as an old woman  Another difference are the rear edges of the bigger mags, they are much rounder (top to bottom)  So...the IAI (?) magazines are different (bigger, front to back and wider also) but the magwell's i would like to know... Oh, one more thing I noticed during the gun-cleaning, the rear (spine) of the mags are much rounder on the back, (to what I tought 9mm) compared to my .30 cal in the middle of the picture:  |
|
|
|
|
Pantera Mike
Callahan's Auto Mag
Joined: 20 Jan 2018 Status: Offline Points: 1007 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 14 Aug 2025 at 8:17am |
|
It’s not really possible to measure the size of the magazine well conventionally because it gently tapers. My too-large magazine will slide effortlessly about a half inch into the magazine well before it starts to encounter resistance. It is then a friction fit until it seats.
The gun seems to function just fine with it. My magazines also exhibit the same characteristics at the rear as the ones pictured above. I’m speculating the issue isn’t one of 9mm vs 30 Carbine, or IAI versus AMT. Instead, my guess is that it’s simply an early vs late thing, where at some point a new frame casting was used whose dimensions were fractionally smaller, and the magazines changed at the same time. While it’s possible this transition took place at the same time that IAI became AMT once more, I wouldn’t necessarily assume that’s true.
|
|
|
|
|
Yellow
International Auto Mag
Joined: 15 Aug 2023 Location: Belgium Status: Offline Points: 51 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 14 Aug 2025 at 11:08am |
|
All 4 magazines that I have left for my IAI AMiii’s in 30 carbine look like this in the back:  And they are indeed a bit rounded off  Position of the rounds in the mag:    And a few measurements (all in millimeters): Measured on this line from the back: 14,85 to 15,06 over 4 mags Measured on this line from the front: 14,99 to 15,08 over 4 mags  Measured on this line from the back (in the front there is the cutout for the magazine catch) : 14,83 to 15,07 over 4 mags  Measured on this line front to back straight on the back of the mags: 45,32 to 45,40 over 4 mags  The width of the inside of the 3 frames: Front: 15,70; back 15,35 Front: 15,25; back 15,34 Front: 15,50; back 15,25 So there seems to be little to no difference between the width of the ‘magwell’ of an AMT vs an IAI frame. The difference must indeed be in the length (front to back) like Pantera Mike already said, but I was not able to get a decent measurement of the inside front to back of the frame. My magazines have about 0,5 to 1 mm play front to back when inserted in the frame. |
|
|
|
|
Post Reply
|
Page <1234> |
| Tweet |
| Forum Jump | Forum Permissions You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot create polls in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum |
Topic Options
Rumore wrote: