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30rd AR mags

MartyEGVboy
So, like a good boy I searched "AR15 mags" before I posted this. Most of the pertinent info is from 1999!

What mags are best value that function in milspec ARs? Are Magpul any good? Plastic? Metal? Follower style matter?

TIA
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Comments

10 comments

Date Votes
  • rufe-snow
    I wouldn't aggravate yourself about something like this. Since you have a milspec AR. Buy milspec mags from a source known for quality products.

    Who will refund your money or exchange the mag, if it gives you problems. Brownell's, comes to mind. They have many different mags, on offer in their catalog. Call up their customer service folks, for guidance.

    After receiving the mag(s). Take them out with the ammo you intend to use. Test fire them for function. if there not reliable, send them back.
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  • Riomouse911
    I personally don't like the plastic Magpul mags, others swear by them. Every mag has plusses and minuses if abused. My experience with Magpul mags involves splitting on the seams without abuse, so I am jaded against them.

    The Magpul followers, however, are 100% fantastic and I use them in every mag I own.

    R-S is right, almost any quality mag will give you many years of trouble free service. I have numerous mil-spec ones from Brownells and BCM that should be around to pass on to my kids.
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  • nmyers
    I use 20 rd Colt-marked aluminum mags. (Yes, I know that they are made for Colt, not by them.)

    They don't stick out so far that they may interfere with shooting while prone, & are less likely to snag or poke you in a soft spot when hanging on your belt. And, they are always reliable.

    Neal
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  • beantownshootah
    quote:Originally posted by nmyers
    I use 20 rd Colt-marked aluminum mags. (Yes, I know that they are made for Colt, not by them.)

    They don't stick out so far that they may interfere with shooting while prone, & are less likely to snag or poke you in a soft spot when hanging on your belt. And, they are always reliable.

    Neal


    You can also stick a loaded one fairly comfortably in a front shirt or jacket pocket. . . I like these too, though in fairness, I think the original question was about 30 rounders.

    To answer the question, all of these "should" function in milspec AR-15s, otherwise, they're defective, right?

    More and more the trend among military and law enforcement is to go with polymer mags. The good ones are quite tough, and I think they've reached the point where they're as good as the aluminum body mags, if not better. Whether or not you like these is probably subjective, but I wouldn't dismiss the newer polymer mags "just" because they're polymer. If you go on the intertubes, you can see "torture tests" where these are dropped from heights, run over by vehicles, etc, and they stand up.

    On Magpuls, in particular, I do think they've significantly upped the quality of the product since their earliest days of manufacture, and plenty of people (including active military) swear by these. If you had bad experiences with them several years back, the latest generation of P-mags is probably worth another look. Cost on these has also gone down, so they're only about $15 each now, and they are generally available now, too.

    In terms of followers, I don't think it makes a "huge" difference. . .but I think in some situations it can. These are cheap enough that putting in anti-tilt followers (if you don't already have them. . .most new manufacture mags do) is probably worth it. There are people who swear by these in conventional GI-type mag bodies.

    Personally, I have just a few conventional stock GI type mags with anti-tilt followers for my gun, and I've never had an issue with any of them, so I've never bothered to get anything newer/better. I think the advice to just buy a few, test them, and keep those that work that you like is probably sound.
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  • Mobuck
    At least 1/2 my metal mags came from Brownells. The rest is about an even split of military, C-Products, and "other".
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  • tsr1965
    One of the best Mil-spec, surplus magazines, is made by LaBelle. They are absolutely fantastic, especially with the self leveling followers.

    Best
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  • svg25ssm
    Tried several,my favorites are MSAR and Lancer-5.
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  • Laredo Lefty
    I have a mix of all types of AR mags. 20rd and 30rd Colt aluminum as well as all the other contract 30rd mags. They all work fine, even the older ones with the black followers. I also have Orlite, Thermold, and Pmags both with and without windows that also work well.

    I don't ever recall having a feeding issue with a 20 or 30 round GI aluminum mags. I used the 20's in Vietnam in my M-16A1 and they ran perfectly. Keeping guns clean and using quality ammo are key to reliability.
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  • MartyEGVboy
    Thanks for the info guys. I ended up buying metal mags (for starters) from Brownells. When I went to the site they were on sale for $9.95. I took it as a sign :)
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  • rufe-snow
    quote:Originally posted by MartyEGVboy
    Thanks for the info guys. I ended up buying metal mags (for starters) from Brownells. When I went to the site they were on sale for $9.95. I took it as a sign :)




    Consider yourself lucky! Early last year during the height of the panic, after the Sandy Hook tragedy. Scalpers were asking, and getting $40 each for them.
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