The Evolution of the Marlin 71903 Series Magazines

The Marlin 71903 started life as a single 7-round factory magazine for the Model 780/25/20/80 bolt-action family. It's now a three-capacity lineup — 7, 10, and 15 rounds — built by American Rifle Magazines in Naugatuck, Connecticut, plus a fit-fix accessory for the loose magazine wells that have dogged some of these rifles for decades. Here's how the 71903 pattern got from a single-capacity OEM part to the lineup it is today.

What the 71903 Is, and Which Rifles It Feeds

The 71903 is Marlin's factory magazine pattern for its .22 LR bolt-action family: the Model 20, 25, 80, 780, and 781, plus the Glenfield-branded 20 and 25. It's a single-stack, 7-round detachable box magazine in .22 LR, made from steel with a black oxide finish. If your rifle is stamped Marlin 780, 80, 25, or 20 — or Glenfield 20 or 25 — the 71903 pattern is the magazine your rifle was built around.

Because Marlin sold these same rifles under other names for decades, the 71903 pattern also fits rebadged versions: JC Higgins Model 42 (Sears), Western Auto Revelation Model 105, and Foremost Model 20. Same tooling, same magazine, different name on the barrel.

From Factory Original to In-House Manufacturing

American Rifle Magazines builds the Marlin Models 780/25/20/80 22LR Bolt Action Rifle Magazine to the original 71903 factory pattern — same 7-round capacity, same black oxide finish, same feed geometry Marlin used. It's not a universal aftermarket clip; it's tooled to fit the exact magazine well and feed lips these rifles were designed around, which is what keeps a .22 LR bolt gun feeding round after round without a hitch.

That factory-pattern discipline is also why the 71903 has been able to grow into more than one capacity. When you control the tooling instead of reverse-engineering someone else's part, you can extend the body length and add rounds without changing the feed geometry that makes the magazine work in the first place.

The Extended-Capacity Additions: 556-XT10 and 556-XT15

The next chapter in the 71903 story is the 556-XT series — American Rifle Magazines' own extended-capacity versions of the same pattern, built for shooters who want more rounds between reloads.

• Marlin 556-XT10 (Manufacturer Part #71905) — 10-round capacity, steel with black oxide finish, fits the same 80/780/20/25 family (and the same Glenfield, JC Higgins, Foremost, and Revelation rebadges) as the original 71903.
• Marlin 556-XT15 (Manufacturer Part #71904) — 15-round capacity, same fit family. Due to state capacity restrictions, this one cannot ship to California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Vermont, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, or Washington DC.

Both magazines use a slight ramp machined into the front top of the body so the round travels smoothly from the magazine into the chamber — the detail that keeps an extended magazine feeding as cleanly as the original 7-round part, instead of just adding capacity and hoping it cycles.

Solving the Model 80's Loose-Fit Problem: the Clip-Rite

Anyone who's run a magazine in a Marlin Model 80C, 80DL, 80E, or 80G knows the complaint: the magazine sits loose in the well, rocks back and forth, and doesn't always feed cleanly as a result. That loose fit — combined with a bottom rivet that can interfere with full insertion on some rifles — is a known quirk of this rifle family, not a defect in any one magazine.

American Rifle Magazines built the Clip-Rite specifically to fix it. It's a spring-steel accessory that installs using the screws already holding your magazine well's bottom plate, and it tightens the fit and angle of the magazine so it seats securely and feeds the way it's supposed to. It's designed to work with 71903-pattern magazines as well as the 556-XT10 and 556-XT15.

Choosing the Right Capacity

All three capacities — 7, 10, and 15 rounds — use the same fit family, so the decision comes down to how you shoot and where you live, not compatibility:

• 7-round (original 71903 pattern): the factory-original capacity — the choice if you want a magazine that matches the rifle exactly as it left Marlin.
• 10-round (556-XT10): more rounds between reloads while staying compliant in states that cap rifle magazines at 10 rounds.
• 15-round (556-XT15): the highest capacity in the lineup, and not shippable to the states listed above.

Magazine capacity limits vary by state and change over time. Before you order an extended-capacity magazine, check magazine capacity laws by state for where you live.

There's also a practical side to the decision beyond legality. A 7-round magazine is shorter and sits flush or nearly flush in the well, which some shooters prefer for a cleaner profile at the bench or in a case. A 10- or 15-round magazine extends further below the stock, which is a non-issue in the field but worth knowing if you shoot from a bench rest or store the rifle in a tight case. None of that changes reliability — all three capacities use the same feed geometry and the same steel-and-black-oxide construction — it's purely a matter of how you use the rifle.

Black Oxide Across the Whole Family

Every magazine in the 71903 lineup — the factory 7-round, the 556-XT10, and the 556-XT15 — ships in a black oxide finish. Black oxide resists rust with a light coat of oil, matches the blued barrels these rifles typically wear, and has been the standard finish on this pattern since the original factory magazine. If you're restocking magazines for an older, well-used 780 or 80, black oxide is also what most of these rifles were built around, so it keeps the look consistent across your spares.

Confirm Your Model Before You Order

The 71903 pattern is specific to the 80/780/20/25 bolt-action family — it is not the same magazine as the 71900/71901 pattern used on rifles like the 795 and 25N, and it does not fit .22 WMR or .17 HMR rifles. Check the model number stamped on the left side of your barrel, then confirm fit against the Marlin Rifle Magazine Guide before you order. If your rifle is stamped with a store brand instead of Marlin, it's almost certainly a rebadge built on the same tooling — a quick way to double-check is to compare your model number against the fitment tables above rather than assuming by name alone.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do the 7, 10, and 15-round versions all fit the same rifles?

Yes. The 556-XT10 and 556-XT15 are extended-capacity versions of the same 71903 fit family used on the Model 80, 780, 20, and 25 (and their Glenfield, JC Higgins, Western Auto, and Foremost rebadges).

Why won't the 15-round magazine ship to my state?

Several states restrict rifle magazine capacity below 15 rounds. American Rifle Magazines does not ship the 556-XT15 to California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, or Washington DC. Check magazine capacity laws by state to confirm your state's limit.

My Model 80 magazine feels loose — is that normal?

It's a known fit characteristic on some Model 80 variants, caused by a loose magazine well and, on some rifles, a bottom rivet that sits proud. The Clip-Rite accessory is built to correct exactly this.

Is the 71903 the same magazine as the one for a Marlin 795?

No. The 795 uses the 71900/71901 pattern, not the 71903. Check your model number against the Marlin Rifle Magazine Guide before ordering.

Shop the 71903 Family

All three capacities are US-made, in stock, and ship from Connecticut. Start with the factory 7-round 71903, step up to the 10-round 556-XT10 or the 15-round 556-XT15, and add a Clip-Rite if your Model 80 runs loose. Browse the full lineup in Marlin 22 Cal. Magazines, or confirm your exact model first with the Marlin Rifle Magazine Guide. Buying for a shop or FFL? See our wholesale rifle magazine purchasing terms.