Savage 1915 Magazine Original vs. Repro

[LONEOAK]

I purchased a project 1917 .32 pistol yesterday and it came with what is seems to be a 1915 .380 magazine - it has the slide hold open tab on the follower. I do not know if this is an original or a repro. Are there distinct features that might tell me which it is? All the 3K .380 mags I see online do not have the tab on the follower and the round count slots are on the right side of the mags. Mine has the hold open tab and 4 round count slots on the left hand side of the mag. It also has upper and lower catch holes and is not stamped "380 cal", but accepts .380 rounds easily and has a slightly wider profile than my .32 mags. The rib on the back of the mag is identical to ribs on my .32 mags that I know are original and not full of the round spot welds I see on repros. Any guidance would be most appreciated.

[Mad Dog]

Here's a pic of a couple of my 380 mags, one a 1907 the other a 1915, look anything like yours?

If your planning on selling it to buy a 32 mag let me know, I could use a spare.

[LONEOAK]

Mad Dog, an internet search last night actually yielded this exact picture from an old post on another forum. The mag I have looks like the one on the right but has two catch holes. I also saw you posted in that thread about having a .32 mag that you could load with .380, but would not feed .380 in the pistol. As mine is not stamped .380 and I don't own a 1915 to try it in, I'm a bit puzzled at this point. Do you know if repro .380 mags with the hold open tab on the follower were/are made? If they are not then I only need to find someone with a 1915 and check for function with each caliber to confirm what I have.

[LONEOAK]

Just tested this with .32 snap caps and it cycled 6 or 7 manually in a 1907 without hiccups. The mag holds 10 .32's so I think its a 1915 .32 cal original mag. Really good condition too. Sorry Mad Dog, I know that won't help you up North.

[Mad Dog]

Wow, that must have been a real old thread, I got rid of that 32 mag years ago. Glad it worked.

I own a couple 1915's, both in .380 and a 1907 and a 1917 in .380 as well.

Does somebody even make a repro for the 1915 with the hold open notch cut into it?

[LONEOAK]

The thread was dated 2010 just like your picture. If someone does make a repro with the hold open notch, my google-fu isn't up to the task of finding it. If anyone knows of one being made please let me know.

As long as I'm asking ignorant questions, here's another. Might using a 1915 mag in a 1907 or 1917 have the potential to damage the hold open features on the mag (and NO I don't intend to try)? Has anybody seen this done? Given what I found when purchasing this 1917 it makes me wonder if or how long it might have been fired that way. I don't see excessive wear or obvious damage on this one. As I previously stated the mag is in really good shape.

[Mad Dog]

I can't see anything in another model that can damage it, there's just nothing there to grab the mag on the last round.