AR Magazines

I've been stocking up lately on AR magazines and so far the ration is about 60% Gen 2 PMags, 40% GI and a few Troy Battlemags I got as part of a trade. I thought I'd share a few impressions and open the floor to see what mags others are using as well as their thoughts.


From Left to RIght: PMag (OD), BattleMag, PSA D&H, and Brownells. The PMag is only slightly longer then the other mags due to its thicker floorplate even though it looks much longer in the picture.

MagPul PMags - all mine are Gen 2 and about half are the discontinued FDE the remaining are black. Every mag has worked well and all are intact after a fair amount of abuse including drops. They are tactically positive and don't slip in my hand, but are slightly bulkier than GI mags at the floor plate. When I stack them I alternate direction to get them to lay flat. Price runs between $11 and $15 each. The followers are anti-tilt which is great because I have two piston rifles. A local gun store sells them as a loss leader/protest for $11 so they have been a great deal.

Troy BattleMag - I got a couple of these with a rifle I traded for. They are only about 1/8" longer than a GI mag, otherwise dimensions are the same. They are slicker than the PMag but have strategically placed scales that help gripping them when ejecting from the rifle. The feed lips aren't as firm as the PMag, so I don't know if they will hold up as well, but they get very good reviews. Street price is $11 which isn't bad at all.

Palmetto State Armory D&H GI Magazine - These are very well made mil spec GI mags. They have MagPul anti tilt followers, the body is heat treated 6061 Aluminum, and have a teflon coated finish. The seams are nicely finished and smooth to the touch. The surface is a black semi gloss. I would have preferred a mat finish, but it's still not reflective. PSA sells these for $9 each and includes free shipping on 10 or more. They are not always in stock, but if you wait a few days they are usually available.

Brownells GI Mag w/ MagPul Anti-Tilt Follower - These magazines are the ones used by Battlefield Vegas - a rental range that does so much business they actually wear out AR receivers, which they indicate last longer tan any other rifle. They have stated that the Brownells magazine outlast any other magazine and they have tried them all. The Brownells magazine like the D&H is a GI magazine and the two are dimensionally identical. This magazine felt slightly stiffer than the D&H, but only just perceptible. These are also made from 6061 heat treated aluminum with MagPul anti-tilt followers. The finish is a mat gray and marks easily, not really a downside. Seams are rough compared to the D&H and I'd suggest gloves unless your hands are pretty rough already. I bought mine on sale for $12 each plus shipping, so they are also a great deal.

So, what do I like the best? I overall prefer the feel of the PMags, but any of them will get te job done and all are reliable. There is no buyer's or trader's remorse here. If I were buying a lot of mags I'd probably go with the D&H due to the great deal and spend my savings on ammo.

What magazines do you use and what do you like or dislike about them?

 

I converted my only remaining AR to single load only and burnt all those evil man killing large capacity magazines. I can see the writing on the wall. I consider threading the breech of my AR and installing a breech plug. I will drill the barrel as well and I haven't settled yet on Matchlock, Flintlock, percussion, or electric ignition of my new black powder muzzle loader. .............

 

I have a number of magazines that are military, many marked Colt, some plastic ones thtt I don't have much faith in and I throw away any that malfunction. I don't know how many I have but there are a lot of them and all have cycled rds to go ion the keeper shelf or the waste basket.

 

One time I had ''Clips'' that held 30 phew phew phew's

 

Mine seems to like the Gen 2 PMags the best out of the collection, so I have a bunch of those as primaries.

 

Out of ammo and too broke to buy more. I guess I'll have to dump all the AR stuff and get a sling from Bishop.

 

And I just paid $40 each for 2, 10 round Ruger mags, from Ruger, for my Mini 14. Did I get ripped of or what?

 

I am pretty much ether G.I. or Mag-Pul gen 2 or 3 with all my AR mags, and they have always been flawless. I upgraded all G.I. mags with improved Mag-pul followers, first the greens, and then the Gray, which didn' seem to function any differently, but the anti tilt does work nicely, and with the M-4 feed extensions, absolutely reliable feeding no matter what! I sure wish Mag-Pul would embrace other platforms like the M-1A and FAL, and even the BM-59, it would sure be nice to have the advantages of well made and properly set up Polly mags for these older rifles, and I would love to see stripper clips made of polly to work in older rifles like the Mausers, 1903s, Enfields, and Swiss K series! It would actually be a one shot deal, as they all are pretty much the same, just 5 or 10 round! All in all, for the AR, I don't really notice and difference in performance between the two types of mags I have, and they work interchangeably so it' easy to mix and match with out having any worries!

 

sounds high but since they are Ruger probably about right everything from Ruger seems well made so the value is functionality and durability thats better than having buyers remorse buying after market junk in my opinion.

 

Or you happy with the Ruger parts?

 

I'm not an AR/M16 fan. I have a few 20 round Colt mags that I use (Gumby low prone position has always been an issue), and the rest are GI surplus. Lots of Okay, a bunch of Colt and a few remaining clean Sanchez mags that I kept after I sent all the dirty ones to politicians. ;-) I find a lot of GI mags in the trash at the range, and just add them to the pile. Worst case they'll need a follower and spring. Most just need a mild cleaning.

USGI mags are $5 each around here, your choice. Maybe I need to fill another ammo can with some decent looking ones for trading stock.

 

I’m surprised magpul doesn’t make FAL mags, they have branched out way beyond AR15 & 10 To AK, Glock, ACIS, & G36. Maybe that’s next?

 

Magpul, gen 2. Yes, I like the window and I truly have never figured out what the gen 3 gives me for $2-$3 more except some cap which I would never/seldom use so gen 2. They work and work flawlessly. I have around 20 Magpul mags for the ARs and will probably double that number by next winter for as that old sailor (@tacmotusn ) said "I can see the writing on the wall." I think we are safe until Trump leaves...but I am still unsure he will run for a second term given all the push back he has had even from the Republicans. Anyway that is my plan...

I am hard on tools, knives and all my outdoor stuff, especially my guns and their accessories. I take the time to do the research (the old engineer in me) and pay for quality and frankly Magpul does it all for the best price - my 2 bits. I also love their Pro iron sights and recently purchase a sling from them - all high quality - absolutely no complaints.

EDIT: Like Ura-Ki, I'm heartsick that Magpul doesn't support the M1A or the FAL as I hope to make one of them my next purchase by next winter. I want/need a .308 but will need to find another vendor for accessories that I can trust.

 

I dunno, the Ruger mags seem to work better than the after market mags. The price is high but I was paying $60 for 20 round mags back in the 1980’s when they were police sales only.

I put functionality over price when my life is on the line

 

Gen 3 is about compatibility with other platforms, IIRC the SCAR was the driver

 

They work fine, but for $40 they better!
I sure wish MagPul would make mags for the Mini!

 

OH! The Gen 3 are compatible with the SCAR?!?! I didn't know! Yeah, that's a big deal. I am not sure about a SCAR but if I did purchase one it would be .308 (SCAR 17S) but pretty pricey but maybe...since I am not into proprietary, the fact that Gen 3 mags work with the SCAR is a step forward in the right direction.

 

I was looking for some mags for my Mini 30 a few years ago , finally found some and I think they were around 30 - 35 bucks.. I thought that was high then , but I couldn't find them anywhere so I picked them up.