Polymer magazines are right in the sweet spot between aluminum and steel in terms of cost and they all have their own unique exterior patterns.Īt one point in history, the largest capacity magazine for an AR-15 that you could get on the market was an imported drum magazine from Norinco that could hold up to 120 rounds of 5.56 ammunition. Polymer magazines are the biggest subsection of AR-15 magazines on the market today with more and more offerings from other popular brands like Amend2, Mission First Tactical, Troy Industries, and Hexmag.
COLT AR 15 MAGAZINES 30 ROUND INSTALL
It is better to be 100 percent sure that a magazine will not work than to install a magazine expecting it to work and causing issues. Unlike aluminum that will bend without you being able to immediately notice it, when polymer feed lips fail you will know immediately, and you can ditch that mag from rotation. This next point might not seem like a pro, but the elasticity of the feed lips does have a breaking point. Polymers have come a long way since the early days and for regular use, it will be a long time before you see degradation in the performance of your polymer AR-15 magazine. However, Magpul ships dust covers with their magazines for this very reason that will prevent the rounds from applying pressure on the feed lips for long term storage. Over long periods of time, the pressure of a fully loaded magazine spring can deform the feed lips permanently causing them to not hold the rounds in the proper orientation for reliable feeding. Like aluminum magazines, this has pros and cons when it comes to the magazine feed lips. Initially, the mainstream looked down on polymer assuming it to have plastic characteristics but in reality, it features elastic characteristics meaning it can deform and bounce back into shape. Polymer is UV light, chemical, and corrosion resistant and won’t get scorching hot after sitting in the sun during a particularly long range day. There is a reason why polymer is used to hold together the international space station. Like aluminum mags, people did not quite accept this new fad until more understanding of this truly space age material become well known. Polymer magazines were first introduced in 1977 with the Steyr AUG rifle but they did not hit the mainstream until 2007 when Magpul introduced the first polymer AR magazine. There is a reason they are still in wide use today with the United States Military and civilians alike. AR15 aluminum magazines also come in a ton of anodized colors to match your gear and some even come with an ultra-durable Teflon coating like the C-Products 30 Round 5.56 magazine.ĭespite the possibility of bent feed lips, aluminum magazines are still extremely durable and can even be lighter weight than some polymer magazines depending on the brand. However, aluminum feed lips can also be a detriment to the functionality of your AR.Īluminum is more prone to bending when impacted and can cause malfunctions without you even noticing, so if you run your mags hard, it may not be the best option. Additionally, the aluminum feed lips are less prone to warping after leaving a magazine fully loaded over long periods of time making them a great option for people looking do buy a ton, load them up, and store them in the safe. What makes aluminum magazines so popular? First off is cost.Īluminum magazines are much easier to make and are typically more affordable than polymer or steel. When first introduced, these 20 round magazines featured a waffle pattern to help improve strength but as time passed and material manufacturing improved, it was found that it was cheaper and more efficient to use straight ridges down the side of the magazine that still retain the same strength.Īt the time this new material was looked down upon as being inferior to the heavy duty steel magazines used in the M14 and other weapon systems, but over 50 years later aluminum AR magazines are still in wide use. The first magazines used for the M16 platform featured a 20 round capacity and were made from a new space age ultra-light material called aluminum.
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