Best 223/5.56 magazines

[jack2000]

What are the best magazines/price, and why are some mags much more expensive than others? How is a $60 AR mag different from a $30?
Also, are the Norinco 223 steel mags any good for use in 5.56 rifles other than the T97? They seem to be the cheapest, even while being fully made of steel.

 

[Savageshooter6]

Pmags usually. I find gen 3 seems to fit the widest variety of firearms.

 

[TexasGuns]

LAR-15 pistol mags

 

[thegrandpoohbah]

ASC 10/30 LAR-15 pistol mags.

 

[BioPace]

The correct answer is Magpul Pmag gen 3.

But they have to be neutered to 5 rounds so people buy LAR type mags to get an extra 5 pew pews per mag change.

Anything else is a 'look at me' flex where the visuals of the thing are more important than the function.

 

[SigWig]

elander are good in a ratio of 3 magpul to 1 elander

 

[can14]

Canadian made and Swiss Factory made Swiss Black Rifle magazines

 

[J.Hancock]

Lar mags are terrible, dont let them fool you with their capacity advantage.
I can always trust my e-landers.

 

[jack2000]

That's what I noticed with the two LAR mags I tried. One would not even eject...
How about the Norinco 5.56 metal mags? They seem to be the cheapest currently for sale.

 

[G.Mitchell]

Gen 3 PMAG and the Cross Industries pistol mags.

 

[Bman12456]

Lancer AWM, Duramag, Surefeed, Magpul

 

[DT741]

Any USGI metal magazine with an updated follower will be quite durable and reliable. Big fan of OKAY’s Surefeed. PMAG are good, gen3 are a lot of improvement.

IMHO you don’t have to pay 60$ for a standard stanag magazines. Find a magazine that is 100% reliable in your rifle and buy a bunch of it.

 

[vultr]

I don't think the people who are painting all LAR mags with the same brush have used cross mags which have been dead nuts reliable for me.

 

[DiMP]

I have 4 Cross-Mags (so far) and haven't had anything but perfect reliability so far for the last 1.5 years

EDIT to add: In a Kel-Tec RDB

 

[thegazelle]

C Products Defence Duramag LAR15 magazines have been great for myself. Can sit at bench and shoot without the protrusion of a 30-rounder pinned to 5 (lots of wasted space, despite the aesthetics)

If standing / shooting offhand, the Magpul PMAGs are good. Gen3s come with the dustcovers and seem to drop free better in some guns

I just got the Mission First Tactical LAR15 mags, and they seem to be decent, but they are plastic, unlike the Duramags. I tried them a few days ago and no issues.

I have tried two (2) metal Duramag 30-rounders crimped to 5, and both of them seem to have the occasional stuck/sunk follower.

Oh...I also have the Lancer L5 Warfighters. They seem to be quite good in terms of smooth feeding/operation. They come in different colours too (that may not be a plus for everyone) to differentiate - I got a purple and a red one.

 

[Anthony Nardelli]

LAR-15 pistol mags

I agree. All of the one I have performed well for me. The only issue is that they don't drop freely from the magazine well. However, that issue can be rectified fairly easily.

 

[Leg]

D&H Teflon coated magazines are about the best bang for your buck. Sole supplier to the CAF for over 25 years.

Hell, the CAF ones don’t even have the “improved” green USGI follower, let alone a Magpul one, and have proven to be very reliable.

 

[Z06corvette]

I've got a few D&H mags with Magpul followers, very good mags. Got them from Saskatoon Gunworks.

 

[longranger85]

Lar mags are terrible, dont let them fool you with their capacity advantage.
I can always trust my e-landers.

The early LAR mags were terrible. I picked up the c-products version with the upgraded feeder and spring (orange version) and they feed very well I’ve found.

 

[MosinNagantM44]

Never had issue with mft mags.