COLLECTIBLE - RUSSIAN IZHMASH BACK-STAMP (Earliest Soviet Ribbed Magazine) - AK47 7.62x39 30RD

Please Note : While the enamel finish is very durable, these magazine are 60+ years old and will show Slight Wear and Scratches from Storage and shipping over their lifetime. We have tried to show a good representation in the pictures. They are Rated NRA Excellent condition, some are NOS. No special requests and no returns.

Early Russian Magazines - History (information from the "Small Arms Defense Journal")

When the Soviet Union started production of the AK-47 in late 1948 at the Izhevsk Machine Plant, also known as Izhmash, it came with a 30-round magazine that has come to be called the “Russian Slab-Side.” It gets its name from its smooth stamped sides and was produced only by the Izhmash factory. They are relatively rare as the design was replaced before AK production was started at another factory.

The Russian Slab-Side magazines are generally covered in inspector stamps, but the Izhmash factory mark (feathered arrow in triangle) will be found stamped low on the back of the mag’s body. Made from thick 1 mm steel, it is without doubt extremely durable, but heavy. They originally had a blued finish, but many appear to have been later refinished with a black enamel coating.

About the time that the Type III AK-47 was adopted in 1954, a new lighter 30-round steel magazine was introduced. Stamped from thinner steel (.75 mm) this design featured ribs in the body for added strength. The body, as with the earlier Slab-Side version, was formed from two stamped metal halves that are spot welded together along the front and along the rear flanges (referred to as the mag spine). The body features three outward and one inward facing longitudinal ribs, as well as five outward facing horizontal ribs along the bottom of the magazine. Three of these horizontal ribs are noticeably short, and basically just wrap around the bottom rear of the mag. The first ribbed mags had the inward facing rib at the rear of the mag’s body going strait up and under the plates that reinforce the feed lips. This type of mag was produced by many other countries, and I will refer to it in the future as the “First European Ribbed Type.”

The earliest Soviet ribbed mag, the “Izhmash Back-Stamped Ribbed Mag”, has the Izhmash factory mark stamped on the bottom-back of the mag like the Russian Slab-Side mag. At first, these mags were blued, but this was eventually changed to a baked-on black enamel finish. Izhmash reportedly switched to a baked-on enamel finish on its AKs shortly before production of the AKM model began in 1959. The followers on these early Izhmash ribbed mags will have a large pill shaped bulge with a hole through its front left side. This bulge does not extend to the rear of the follower.

Eventually, the Izhmash factory mark was moved to the spine, and this version is generally referred to as the “Early Izhmash Spine-Stamped Mag.” This was followed by a new follower with a longer thinner bulge on it that extends to the back of the follower. The hole through the front left side of the earlier follower’s bulge was also eliminated. The hole’s purpose seems to have been the prevention of a stuck follower from suction in a heavily greased mag, but this had apparently been deemed unnecessary.

At some point the dies used by Izhmash to stamp mag bodies were redesigned. The inward facing rib at the back of the mag now stopped short of the lip reinforcement plates, and turned at a 90 degree angle toward the rear of the mag. This rib resembles an upside down and backward “L”. This type of mag body was also made by many other countries, and I will refer to it in the future as the “Second European Ribbed Type”.

As would be expected; these mags will be found with the Izhmash mark stamped on the spine, and with a baked-on black enamel finish. Collectors generally refer to them as a “Late Izhmash Spine Stamped Mag.”

In 1960, the Soviet’s Tula arsenal started production of the AKM. All Tula rifles, and steel mags, were finished with a baked-on black enamel finish. These mags are of the Second European Ribbed Type, and will usually have a fair number of inspector stamps on both the spine and its lower sides. Tula’s factory mark is a five pointed star that, when found, is always on the spine. Tula steel mags are relatively rare as they were only made for a few years before production was switched to the new AG4 plastic type.

The last steel mag produced by the Soviets is referred to by collectors as the “Izhmash Side-Stamped.” It is basically a Late Izhmash Spine Stamped mag with one very noticeable difference. On the mag’s left side, the middle outward facing vertical rib stops well before the other two, leaving a blank area at the bottom of the mag where the Izhmash factory mark is prominently stamped. These mags carry a black enamel finish, and as the name implies, were only made by Izhmash.