One of the first domestically-designed firearms to emerge from the newly-formed nation of Israel, was the UZI submachinegun. Chambered in 9mm parabellum and operating VIA direct blowback, the UZI was a light-recoiling, ultra-reliable weapon that tolerated the rough desert conditions of the Middle East.
Before the era of the MP5, the UZI was the gold standard of submachine guns, and was adopted by more police, security and military forces during the 1960’s than any other. Despite being introduced in the 1950’s the UZI remains in production to this day with more than 10,000,000 having been built.
The last part is especially fortuitous to fans of pistol caliber carbines, UZIs or just bargain-priced firearms products in general. Because the gun was produced in such incredible numbers, surplus UZI magazines in good conditions are plentiful, and affordable.
What’s better, with IWI start up production of UZI pistols and carbines, these little mags are a fantastic investment if a shooter is leaning towards buying a little UZI in the future. (Or one of the countless 9mm pistol caliber carbines that use these mags)
These all-steel, double-stack, staggered-column magazines hold 25 rounds of 9mm, and could double as a melee weapon they’re so tough. One of the most underrated aspects of these mags, is that because of their linear construction, it’s very easy to clean them if they become heavily fouled up. This is especially important for shooters who run their UZI pistols, carbines or SBRs with a sound suppressor, as doing so compounds how quickly they become dirty.
Also, owners of the Tavor or X95 carbines that also own the 9mm caliber conversion kit, can modify these mags to run in their guns, by cutting a properly-sized notch in the right location. The same can be said of Colt 9mm AR-15’s as well, and even the 9mm Steyr AUG’s 9mm conversion.
Regardless of what system a shooter runs, the UZI mag is a robust, rock-solid way to reliably feed 9mm ammo to it.
