Hello All, I am fairly new to the gun world, only been shooting about a year. I recently purchased a Springfield Hellcat about 2 months ago. I really like it and shoot it well. It is my EDC. I would like to buy some spare mags and was wondering if any of you had suggestions on places to purchase. Also, is it better to get from Springfield or is the aftermarket just as good? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!!!
I would always go with the manufacturer that way their covered along with your firearm.
The Hellcat is so new I doubt there is any “aftermarket” yet. Brownells has the 13 rnd. factory mag for $40.99. Stay safe, Bruce.
Check e-bay. You can usually find factory mags cheaper there. The Hellcat is a new-ish gun so you may be paying a little more for a while. I would pick up enough mags to get by for now and then watch for the “right” priced ones to come along on e- bay.
I’d recommend at least 3 spare mags.
I get my name brand mags from Optics Planet or Cheaper Than Dirt.
Brownells mentioned above I hear is good and they advertise on the radio show GunTalk but I have never purchased from there.
Don’t forget to shop for a mag carrier for your belt.
Check the paperwork that came with the gun. I don’t remember the details, but when I bought a Springfield last year, I either got a one shot deal from Springfield in the paperwork or when I registered that couldn’t be beat. I used my one shot discount for spare magazines.
Hi @Daniel22. I have ordered a few magazines from https://gunmagwarehouse.com. When they are on sale the prices are very competitive. They have the Hellcat mags on sale for $34.99 right now.
Update: The Hellcat magazines I found at the site I mentioned above says
SKU: HC5913
Brand: Springfield Armory Magazines
Caliber: 9mm Luger
Capacity: 13-Round
Material: Stainless Steel
The above block of text is accompanied by the Springfield logo. To me, that means these are exactly the same as the magazines you will receive from the factory. Also, the Ruger mags I bought were exactly the same as the ones from the Ruger factory. (So were the ones I bought “new in a blister pack” on eBay!)
I have no affiliation with any of these companies, but I want to make sure you understand that if you buy directly from the factory, you might be paying an inflated price. I find this to be true with many products.
https://store.springfield-armory.com/Shop/pc/HELLCAT™-Magazines-c280.htm
Buy them from the “factory”.
That’s correct! When you registered your gun (and I cringe when I say that phrase) with Springfield Armory on their website, they send you a discount code for a one-time purchase from their store.
That’s right, I forgot, I have bought a lot right from the manufacture, good call!
It’s sort of like aftermarket auto parts. Some are as good or better than OEM. Some are crap. Find a reputable supplier, and you’ll be ok.
Your question can be taken two ways.
If you are asking if you need to buy from Springfield, or buy from some other store… the answer is “as long as it is a Factory OEM part it (probably) doesn’t matter where you buy it from”.
If you are asking if the magazine itself should be made by Springfield or made by another vendor, then that answer kinda depends. Right now, I’m not aware of any legitimate vendors making magazines for the Hellcat (i may be wrong on that thought). Someday there might be, and you will have to vet those (or let the internet do it) before relying on them. So for now, I’d recommend buying Factory OEM Springfield made magazines.
I shop for magazines at these places: MidwayUSA, Brownells, DSGArms, GunMagWarehouse, Palmetto State Armory, Primary Arms, OpticsPlanet, Guns.com, obviously the Manufacturer’s website… there may be another one or two I’m missing right now.
Since you just purchased this firearm, make sure you have enough mags to carry and keep as carry spares (so a total of 2-3 mags). As soon as possible, try to double that number so if one breaks you have a replacement. Make sure you test them all out to make sure they are reliable, the magazine is probably the part most likely to fail.
General internet rule of thumb is to keep 10+ mags for each firearm, but use that more as a guideline to see what others are doing. Obviously the more the better, but basically these are wear & tear parts so you want to keep enough of them around to keep loaded, use for training, and not worry too much if one breaks. For this, you can wait for a good sale (keep your eyes open or most of the websites let you sign up for email lists)… Maybe you stop at 5 mags, maybe you end up with a few hundred
Gunmagwarehouse.com usually has decent deals. They’ve been hit hard lately though.
Tell me more about this.
Gary, I did finally register on the Springfield website I did get a one time code for a huge discount so I bought some from Springfield. Thanks everyone for all the helpful responses. Stay safe!!!
Not too much to tell. If you wander around enough gun forums its a pretty common question “how many mags do I need”, and 10 seems to be the most common answer. It probably helps that its a nice round number, I’ve never seen any science behind the number There are always folks that chime in with “you need 100 mags per firearm, fully loaded and ready to go”, YMMV
My approach is that if its a firearm that sees little use, the 2-3 mags than come with the firearm is probably enough. It sits in the safe, gets loaded up and taken to the range every year, good to go.
If its a firearm you will train with, you need at least a couple mags to “beat up” and allow to drop to the ground during reload drills. Inevitably those beater mags will get beat up enough where they need replacement. Depending on the type of training somewhat determines how many mags you will need.
Using an example of your CCW. Lets say you typically run one mag in the firearm and typically carry one spare. Well, you probably dont want to unload your SD/HD ammo out of the mags before each range trip, so you would likely need two more to practice for the range so you can practice shooting and reloads. Maybe you keep another set as replacement range mags, so right there is 6mags.
Compare that to someone who trains in classes with an AR15 in a plate carrier. Right there you need 7mags just to play, so a backup set as replacements brings you to 14 mags (plus 1 or 2 loaded with SD/HD ammo).
I have a friend who loads about 15 mags for the range, and puts them in the bag. Why? Because the range charges by the hour for a lane and he’d rather spend the time shooting than reloading mags I can tell you he drops those mags on reloads like they’re covered with COVID-19, and they clatter all over the tile floor. So, while I’ve never asked, I’m pretty sure he’s got probably multiple replacement backup sets.
And then you have states like CA (VA just barely avoided this year) who bar sale of “high capacity” magazines, but grandfather them in. So 2-3 mags may be OK for the foreseeable future, but what about 5, 10, 20 years from now if you cant get more mags where will you be. Thats why I say “the more the better”. When available, 3rd party mags can offer significant savings if you want to stock up. Glock mags may be $20+ per mag, but Magpul versions can be closer to $10 per mag.
Great info. I do preload for the range, not because they bill by time, but because I hate to use up a lane when others are waiting. I usually bring 3-6 different firearms, preload the usual 2-3 mages I have to each and have at it, only occasionally loading a mag at the range. This is great for shooting…bad for cleaning when I get home! lol
Of course, I have a bunch of 92FS mags…but you probably figured that out, including some 30rd for the CX4.
Brownells is a great source… all should be aware of.
Werth SA firearms, I always immediately register the serial number for warranty on their website. Once you’ve completed the process they give you a link to purchase accessories at discount one time. I’ve done this with an XD9 and a hellcat.