Colt early G.I. contract 30 round. Green plastic followers. Marked Colt
w/pony and "CAL. .223" on floorplate. Marked with part # 62667 on the side of the magazine body and 62665A on the follower. (Circa 1968 to 1969.) Usually $45+ each,
depending on condition.
Note: The general rule is that pre-1970 30 round Colt-made magazines are
marked "CAL. .223" and that 1970 and later production 30s are marked "CAL.
5.56MM"
Gun Show tip: As you walk around gun shows, look for Colt 30 round magazines
with dark green followers. (They are worth at least twice as much as other 30s,
even if made by Colt.)
Colt late G.I. contract 30 round. Black plastic followers. Marked Colt
w/pony and "CAL. 5.56mm" on floorplate. Circa 1970 to present. Usually $20+
each, depending on condition. Colt hasn't had a military contract in many
years. Most of these are sold to police departments. A few
make it out to the civilian market through police supply houses.
G.I. contract 30 round. Black of green plastic followers. These are the most
common M16 magazines on the surplus market. (Countless millions made.) Circa
1975 to 1994. Marked with contractor's name and usually location (city) on
floorplate. Anodized finish. Contractors included: Adventureline, Parsons
Precision Products, Labelle Industries, Sanchez (DSI), Center Industries,
Okay Industries, Cooper Industries, FN, and a few others. Starting around 1992,
some of the contractors began using soft green plastic followers. (Not to be
confused with the shiny hard green plastic followers used on the earliest
Colt-made 30 rounders.) Military contract 30s are fairly easy to find at gun
shows. Usually $18 to $25, depending on maker and condition.
