ID help needed for 50 and 100 round drums

[kp31]

Backstory: I bought a 1928 last year from a widow who's husband died in 2006.  I picked up 3 drums from her as well. They are repros but I'm not certain of origin even after reading the great guide on drums on this site. The 100 round in box has a fedex label dated 1999.  West Hurley? Other? Clearly 2005 or before. Thanks!

 

100: 

 

50# 1

GTF

 

50 #2

 

Edited November 30, 2025 by kp31

[Mike Hammer]

Your C drum is a West Hurley. 

[ron_brock]

The solid rotor shafts would point all of them being WH. 

[TSMG28]

The C drum and 50#1 are both Numrich/West Hurley. Drum 50#2 is a Kahr drum made to the same design as the Numrich drums, but by a different manufacturer selected by Kahr.  All three have suspect reliability, so I recommend testing each.  

[kp31]

Thanks guys - I assume these are 80s or 90s production?  And any way to tell if they've been "upgraded" or fixed - I've read some parts may have been replaced to increase performance.

Edited December 1, 2025 by kp31

[68coupe]

The Kahr L drum that came with my '27 was a POS out of the box. The 4 I repops bought from Sarco work fine.

Karl, 68coupe

[TSMG28]

It is unlikely that any of the drums have been “updated”.  Potential problems are many:  weak and/or short springs in the C drums; faceplates being out of spec and/or misplaced, preventing insertion into a gun, or orienting the drum so that rounds do not feed properly; inside rails not properly installed, causing narrow feed paths which cause feeding problems; and, out-of-spec feed opening in the drum.

Updates could address any of the above issues found, and often included replacing the center hub with a hollow hub like original drums (when the springs were replaced). The presence of solid hubs probably means no update on your drums.

Some West Hurley L drums did work fine out of the box, so it is worth testing. I know of no WH C drum that works properly.  Most Kahr L drums with solid hubs also will not work in full auto guns. Later Kahr L drums with hollow hubs also often have reliability problems.

YMMV…

[TD.]

If you're having trouble providing your loved ones with a Christmas list, a great reference book by Roger Herbst (TSMG28), above, would be an excellent choice. Availalable directly from Roger (contact via PM) for a signed copy - or on Amazon.com. This book will answer all your drum and magazine questions. Highly recommended! 

 

 

[kp31]

Thanks all. I'll likely stick with the original WW2 drum and stick mags I have as they are reliable and I don't need a modern repro project! 😝

These will likely go out the door which is an ok outcome too.