Alluminium GI mags?

[flux]

Are aluminum GI mags any good? Like this C products one.
http://https://cpdmags.com/Products.html

[M2CattleCo]

C Products are not g.i. They're commercial look-a-likes.

When I pay for mags, I buy Okays with the dry-film lube finish from 44mag.com

They're the best aluminum mags you can get.

[Kyle Reese]

C Product mags are were issued to us on an OCONUS security contract, and they proved to unreliable and just junky mags. I wouldn't take them even as a gift.


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[Hi-Point Aficionado]

I keep my defensive Gold Dots in a pair of purple D&H 30-rounders with Magpul followers. They fit in every lower I ever put them in, even tight ones that didn't play nice with Brownell's mags.

[Hot Sauce]

Yup, what they said. D&H and Okay--with Magpul followers--are my go to GI mags.

[JSGlock34]

When you raised the popularity of PMAGs (https://pistol-forum.com/showthread.php?23087-Pmags-why-so-popular), this is exactly the issue we touched on about GI Magazines. There are tons of magazine manufacturers, and many that appear to be standard GI magazines are not actually produced to the military standard. My GI magazines are produced by Okay Industries and Colt/NHTM, but I've found them much harder to find in stores. I don't have any issues with D&H magazines, but note they are often sold with a teflon finish which isn't to the milspec. Whether or not that makes a material difference is yet another topic for discussion.

[BillSWPA]

My understanding is that the Brownells sells aluminum GI magazines to the military. They equip their magazines with Magpul followers, and a choice of chrome silicon or stainless steel springs. The military orders them with stainless steel springs, because the conditions in which they are used would rust chrome silicon. If your magazines are not going to be exposed to rust-inducing conditions, chrome silicon is the better spring material. Everything I have read about these magazines on other forums has been positive.

There are a variety of magazines that will work very well in an AR, and unfortunately a variety that will not work well. While ordering what the military uses is very likely to be a very good choice, I was very impressed with the amount of thought put into the design and manufacture of the Magpul Pmag. That is what I would steer someone towards buying.

[M2CattleCo]

My understanding is that the Brownells sells aluminum GI magazines to the military. They equip their magazines with Magpul followers, and a choice of chrome silicon or stainless steel springs. The military orders them with stainless steel springs, because the conditions in which they are used would rust chrome silicon. If your magazines are not going to be exposed to rust-inducing conditions, chrome silicon is the better spring material. Everything I have read about these magazines on other forums has been positive.

There are a variety of magazines that will work very well in an AR, and unfortunately a variety that will not work well. While ordering what the military uses is very likely to be a very good choice, I was very impressed with the amount of thought put into the design and manufacture of the Magpul Pmag. That is what I would steer someone towards buying.

Center Industries is the sole source magazine provider as of right now.

Brownells' contract mags were stamped with their cage code 12238 and had proprietary springs and tan followers since 2009. They had a tendency to be a little wide at the bottom, making the floor plate fit sloppy. They're decent mags but I personally prefer Center Industries over the Brownells.

I've handed hundreds of new Center, Brownells, Colt/Okay, and Magpul issued mags and I've never seen one that didn't work out of the box.

After seeing cases of all of 'em, I spend my own money on Okays because they are made at the small end of dimension spec. They always drop free, the floor plates fit tight, the feedlip spacing is always right.

[Jay Cunningham]

I don't always use AR-15 carbines. But when I do, I prefer NHMTG magazines.

[SeriousStudent]

I don't always use AR-15 carbines. But when I do, I prefer NHMTG magazines.

This. I run NHMTG mags with red SAW springs, Magpul followers and L-Plates in the 5.56 weapons, and Gen3 30-round PMags in the 300 BLK weapons. I want something that has a completely different color and feel, so I reduce the change of accidentally firing a 300 BLK round in a 5.56 chamber. Which would be bad.

I've never had an issue with the NHMTG mags in the 30 or 20 round flavors. But I always download by two, number my mags, and inspect them and clean them frequently. I treat them as the disposable items they are, and not as a treasured family heirloom to be passed on the the next generation.

I'm also pretty particular about the lowers I use, and have not had an issue with mags fitting or dropping free.

[Jay Cunningham]

I admit that I have 50 NHMTG mags with the red SAW springs but retaining the green follower... the do-called "Christmas tree" configuration!

[M2CattleCo]

The SAW springs can make the difference between run and not with the green followers and high cyclic rate guns. I believe in 'em.

Just to avoid any potential confusion, Okay Industries has made magazines stamped Colt, Okay, NHMTG,
and now Okay again, but under the Surefeed name. Quality is the same between all of 'em.

[Hi-Point Aficionado]

My understanding is that the Brownells sells aluminum GI magazines to the military. They equip their magazines with Magpul followers, and a choice of chrome silicon or stainless steel springs...Everything I have read about these magazines on other forums has been positive.


Not all of their mags are sold with Magpul followers. Their STANAGs that usually go on sale have standard followers. They tend to be decent mags but often require a break-in period. The front lip of the mag can catch case mouths until some rounds downrange deburr a couple clear scallops to feed through. Thickness tends to vary in their manufacture, as well and can be annoying with tight magwells.

I'll continue to buy them cheap and run them as range mags, especially the 20-rounders, but would suggest a better make like D&H if you want something more likely to be good to go fresh out of the package.

[arcticlightfighter]

I prefer military contract magazines with Magpul followers and floorplates. Very reliable and easy to load and remove from Magpouches