So...what's the deal with GI 30 rd AR mags?

AliasNeo07 · February 24th, 2012, 04:03 PM

I'm going to the gunshow tomorrow in York, PA, and am going to pick up some mags. Definitely getting some PMAGS, so no need to say "don't buy GIs, buy pmags."

I do want to get SOME GI mags just cause they'll probably be a little bit cheaper.

Question is, what should I look for? Are there many different manufacturers? Which follower should I be looking for? Are they NIB are surplus? Etc.

Totally new to aluminum GI mags.

Thx.

rj1974 · February 24th, 2012, 04:08 PM

colt , parsons , adventure line Ill have to get out the book I cant remember all the manufacturers ......... I use mostly GI mags

brownells makes great metal mags too

rob · February 24th, 2012, 04:11 PM

I mostly use cheap C-Products steel & aluminum mags.

I have a few AR Stoner mags that are really nice.

Rob.

wilcam47 · February 24th, 2012, 04:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AliasNeo07

I'm going to the gunshow tomorrow in York, PA, and am going to pick up some mags. Definitely getting some PMAGS, so no need to say "don't buy GIs, buy pmags."

I do want to get SOME GI mags just cause they'll probably be a little bit cheaper.

Question is, what should I look for? Are there many different manufacturers? Which follower should I be looking for? Are they NIB are surplus? Etc.

Totally new to aluminum GI mags.

Thx.

get mags with anti-tilt followers...the green ones and black followers are typically junk IMO...unless they are anti-tilt...most ive seen are brown or orange followers. around $10 a mag is good average price.

zombiehunter · February 24th, 2012, 04:34 PM

I have a bunch of GI spec 20/30 mags by c-products and D&H they work fine in ARs, not so fine in my PLR.

NHaze · February 24th, 2012, 04:40 PM

I was wondering the same thing and headed up there for the same thing on Sunday, haha!

Sent from my Droid

JCB003 · February 24th, 2012, 05:44 PM

O-Kay Industries, should be able to get them new for $8-$10 each, sometimes there is a guy there who will sell "buy 10 get one free". I probably have 100 O-Kay mags still in their cardboard boxes. I really need ammo to load them up.

Ab_Normal · February 24th, 2012, 06:57 PM

Recently manufactured - Okay, NHMTG, and Colt are all the "same" mag.

erwos · February 25th, 2012, 07:14 PM

Personal opinion? I think pmags handle better and feel stronger than the GI aluminum magazines I have. There's also the maglevel/window feature, which is nice to have.

Rockerspsl · March 18th, 2012, 08:45 AM

I can't say which is stronger, I've seen many army mags dent and crack and I've seen a Pmag split apart right down the seam, I guess the difference is that the pmags don't dent.

clandestine · March 18th, 2012, 10:33 AM

Get some Lancers too if you can. A Little nicer than PMAGs IMO.

Indiana Jones · March 18th, 2012, 10:54 AM

All but 3 of my GI mags are made by Center Industries. Those are great surplus mags, and my other 3 are brownells, Colt, and Bushmaster. All of em work great! I think PMAGS are very good too. I prefer GI however for the look. I haven't found a bad GI mag yet, but I've only used those 4 brands. Good hunting!

Bootknife · March 18th, 2012, 11:19 AM

D&H,C prod,what the others have said.I usually order new from .44MAG.com because I have a place in Jax Florida so i have them sent there,I have both Alum and SS all work well.And heed the advice on Anti Tilt Followers!!

QuebecoisWolf · March 18th, 2012, 11:39 AM

Uh-oh. You've done it now... you've unleashed my GI mag rant!!!1!!

I HATE GI mags with a vengeance that can only be understood by someone who has used them in the field. First off, they're probably made out of recycled coke cans. They dent if touched by a feather or q-tip. They deform like butter in the microwave. No two GI mags seem to fit quite the same. Some are tighter than *obscene words deleted due to forum terms of service*. Others are looser than *obscene words deleted due to forum terms of service*. That's not all. What the part of the magazine that your fingers touch the most? The feed lips, right? So why don't AR-15 series rifles have a single pointed corner or sharp edge but the standard-issue magazine has razor-sharp feed lips that will rip you fingers to pieces plus four sharp corners on the bottom that can break skin if you have to slap on the magazine to get it seated - which you will almost always have to do because the f---ing thing never fits into the mag well properly? Who comes up with these ideas? Not Eugene Stoner, oh no. He was smart enough to put reasonably thick feed lips on the magazine he built to go with his new rifle. Too bad Stoner didn't make a 30 round magazine. Except the "30-rounder" doesn't really hold 30 rounds. I was trained to never load more than 28 because the mags don't function properly when fully loaded. Why, you ask? Because the USGI 30 rounder has the worst spring and follower ever put into a military magazine. Full stop. Do you like follower tilt? If so, the green follower tilts more than a cheater playing pinball and a carnival ride combined. The magazine spring is so weak and so flimsy that you can probably make a better one yourself out of paper clips. That's nice. Take a rifle that is known to run dirty and combine it with a horrible, horrible magazine that was hurriedly invented in the late 1960s because the big brass morons on the US Army General Staff needed an intoxicated Soviet ex-sergeant to tell them that "30 bullets is better than 20."

r3t1awr3yd · March 19th, 2012, 12:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by QuebecoisWolf

blah blah blah *obscene words deleted due to forum terms of service* blah blah blah

Wait, you read those?

dneidFIST · March 18th, 2012, 12:01 PM

The only time I've ever had the original mags fail on me was when I was using blanks during training exercises. That's the only time when I had the follow tilt on me. When using real rounds, I've never had a problem with them. I never liked to use them when I was deployed though - I went with PMAGs, some HK mags we had (which are noticeably heavier and a little longer), and the USGI mags that had the upgraded follower and spring (as state before, the brownish/orange-ish follower). I never had a mag failure with any of those magazines.

I have a couple of USGI mags with the old followers. I'm planning on getting the upgraded followers and springs for them and I heard they cost about $2 to buy, so that might be something to look into.

straightsilver3 · March 18th, 2012, 12:25 PM

http://www.ar15.com/content/products...formation.html This review covers every G.I Mag out there P mags and Lancer's are not in this review We all know these are GTG

Bootknife · March 18th, 2012, 01:18 PM

Hey Q maybe Decalf would help LOL

QuebecoisWolf · March 19th, 2012, 10:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bootknife

Hey Q maybe Decalf would help LOL

Can decaf remove minor scars? I've suffered some sort of bloody finger injury every time that I do ammo detail. There's no sane reason why any military magazine should have feed lips that thin. You can probably bend them just by stepping on the magazine.

In all honesty, USGI AR mags are among the worst to be issued with a service rifle since WWII. About the only nice things that I can say about them is that they're cheap, easy to find, and very light. Thanks to the cheap price, I have about 20 or so of them myself. About a quarter of them have new followers and springs. The rest are for range use only. I really don't understand why anyone would go out and buy HK steel mags to go shoot at paper, but whatever floats your boat. For serious field use, however, milsurp GI mags are a poor choice.

BLACKTALON · March 18th, 2012, 09:11 PM

I always push the front of the follower down look for a orangish brown follower

February 24th, 2012, 04:03 PM	#1
AliasNeo07 Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: AACo Posts: 3,274	So...what's the deal with GI 30 rd AR mags? I'm going to the gunshow tomorrow in York, PA, and am going to pick up some mags. Definitely getting some PMAGS, so no need to say "don't buy GIs, buy pmags." I do want to get SOME GI mags just cause they'll probably be a little bit cheaper. Question is, what should I look for? Are there many different manufacturers? Which follower should I be looking for? Are they NIB are surplus? Etc. Totally new to aluminum GI mags. Thx.

February 24th, 2012, 04:08 PM	#2
rj1974 eating crayons and paste Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Edgemere , md. Posts: 8,189	colt , parsons , adventure line Ill have to get out the book I cant remember all the manufacturers ......... I use mostly GI mags brownells makes great metal mags too __________________ "Some people are like slinkies. They're not really good for anything , but they bring a smile to your face when pushed down a flight of stairs ."

February 24th, 2012, 04:11 PM	#3
rob DINO Extraordinaire Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Mt Airy, MD Posts: 508 Images: 1	I mostly use cheap C-Products steel & aluminum mags. I have a few AR Stoner mags that are really nice. Rob. __________________ If the government fears the people, there is freedom. If the people fear the government, there is tyranny. The purpose of the 2nd amendment is not hunting, not sport, not self defense, but freedom from tyranny. Second Amendment Foundation -- Maryland Shall Issue -- NRA Life Member

February 24th, 2012, 04:34 PM	#5
zombiehunter Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 5,724	I have a bunch of GI spec 20/30 mags by c-products and D&H they work fine in ARs, not so fine in my PLR. __________________ Soap box and ballot box have failed and will continue to do so. IMO, any further effort spent here IS a complete waste of time and serves no purpose other than to waste resources and further degrade our morale. Any further communication with pro-2a elected officials should only revolve around filing lawsuits and injunctions.

February 24th, 2012, 04:40 PM	#6
NHaze Zombie Hunter Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Brooklyn Park, Timonium Posts: 443	I was wondering the same thing and headed up there for the same thing on Sunday, haha! Sent from my Droid __________________ "Guard with jealous attention the public liberty. Suspect everyone who approaches that jewel. Unfortunately, nothing will preserve it but downright force. Whenever you give up that force, you are inevitably ruined." -P. Henry c.1788

February 24th, 2012, 05:44 PM	#7
JCB003 Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 910	O-Kay Industries, should be able to get them new for $8-$10 each, sometimes there is a guy there who will sell "buy 10 get one free". I probably have 100 O-Kay mags still in their cardboard boxes. I really need ammo to load them up.

February 24th, 2012, 06:57 PM	#8
Ab_Normal Ab_member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Carroll County Posts: 5,940	Recently manufactured - Okay, NHMTG, and Colt are all the "same" mag. __________________ "No single law, no set of laws can eliminate evil from the world or prevent every senseless act of violence in our society." obama addressing a Sandy Hook memorial service 12/16/2012 “There are enough laws on the books by Congress that are very clear in terms of how we have to enforce our immigration system that for me to simply, through executive order, ignore those congressional mandates, would not conform with my appropriate role as president.” Barrack Obama 3/28/11 from cnsnews.com

February 25th, 2012, 07:14 PM	#9
erwos Jew with a Gun Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Rockville, MD Posts: 4,904	Personal opinion? I think pmags handle better and feel stronger than the GI aluminum magazines I have. There's also the maglevel/window feature, which is nice to have.

March 18th, 2012, 08:45 AM	#10
Rockerspsl Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Glen Burnie, MD Posts: 217	I can't say which is stronger, I've seen many army mags dent and crack and I've seen a Pmag split apart right down the seam, I guess the difference is that the pmags don't dent. __________________ SEMPER GUMBY OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM 08-09 OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM 11-12 The right to swing my fist ends where the other man's nose begins. Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.

March 18th, 2012, 10:33 AM	#11
clandestine Master Gunsmith Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Glen Burnie, MD Posts: 19,719	Get some Lancers too if you can. A Little nicer than PMAGs IMO. __________________ Please Donate to MDS: http://www.mdshooters.com/donate/ Please Join or Donate to MSI: http://marylandshallissue.org/spring-2013-fund-drive/ "Lord, make me fast and accurate. Let my aim be true and my hand faster than those who would seek to destroy me. Grant me victory over my foes and those that wish to do harm to me and mine. Let not my last thought be “If only I had my gun”; and Lord if today is truly the day that You call me home, let me die in a pile of brass."

March 18th, 2012, 10:54 AM	#12
Indiana Jones 10-6 Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: in a museum Posts: 10,548 Images: 11	All but 3 of my GI mags are made by Center Industries. Those are great surplus mags, and my other 3 are brownells, Colt, and Bushmaster. All of em work great! I think PMAGS are very good too. I prefer GI however for the look. I haven't found a bad GI mag yet, but I've only used those 4 brands. Good hunting! __________________ "The real Cowboy is the one in the middle, he ain't there just by fate, cause first he don't to drive, and then..he don't have to mess with the gate." 1*

March 18th, 2012, 11:19 AM	#13
Bootknife Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Prince Georges co./Duvall Co. Fla. Posts: 1,152	D&H,C prod,what the others have said.I usually order new from .44MAG.com because I have a place in Jax Florida so i have them sent there,I have both Alum and SS all work well.And heed the advice on Anti Tilt Followers!!

March 18th, 2012, 11:39 AM	#14
QuebecoisWolf Senior Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Anne Arundel Posts: 2,815 Images: 2	Uh-oh. You've done it now... you've unleashed my GI mag rant!!!1!! I HATE GI mags with a vengeance that can only be understood by someone who has used them in the field. First off, they're probably made out of recycled coke cans. They dent if touched by a feather or q-tip. They deform like butter in the microwave. No two GI mags seem to fit quite the same. Some are tighter than obscene words deleted due to forum terms of service. Others are looser than obscene words deleted due to forum terms of service. That's not all. What the part of the magazine that your fingers touch the most? The feed lips, right? So why don't AR-15 series rifles have a single pointed corner or sharp edge but the standard-issue magazine has razor-sharp feed lips that will rip you fingers to pieces plus four sharp corners on the bottom that can break skin if you have to slap on the magazine to get it seated - which you will almost always have to do because the f---ing thing never fits into the mag well properly? Who comes up with these ideas? Not Eugene Stoner, oh no. He was smart enough to put reasonably thick feed lips on the magazine he built to go with his new rifle. Too bad Stoner didn't make a 30 round magazine. Except the "30-rounder" doesn't really hold 30 rounds. I was trained to never load more than 28 because the mags don't function properly when fully loaded. Why, you ask? Because the USGI 30 rounder has the worst spring and follower ever put into a military magazine. Full stop. Do you like follower tilt? If so, the green follower tilts more than a cheater playing pinball and a carnival ride combined. The magazine spring is so weak and so flimsy that you can probably make a better one yourself out of paper clips. That's nice. Take a rifle that is known to run dirty and combine it with a horrible, horrible magazine that was hurriedly invented in the late 1960s because the big brass morons on the US Army General Staff needed an intoxicated Soviet ex-sergeant to tell them that "30 bullets is better than 20."

March 18th, 2012, 12:01 PM	#16
dneidFIST Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Columbia Posts: 147	The only time I've ever had the original mags fail on me was when I was using blanks during training exercises. That's the only time when I had the follow tilt on me. When using real rounds, I've never had a problem with them. I never liked to use them when I was deployed though - I went with PMAGs, some HK mags we had (which are noticeably heavier and a little longer), and the USGI mags that had the upgraded follower and spring (as state before, the brownish/orange-ish follower). I never had a mag failure with any of those magazines. I have a couple of USGI mags with the old followers. I'm planning on getting the upgraded followers and springs for them and I heard they cost about $2 to buy, so that might be something to look into.

March 18th, 2012, 12:25 PM	#17
straightsilver3 straightsilver3 Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: everywhere Posts: 825	http://www.ar15.com/content/products...formation.html This review covers every G.I Mag out there P mags and Lancer's are not in this review We all know these are GTG

March 18th, 2012, 01:18 PM	#18
Bootknife Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Prince Georges co./Duvall Co. Fla. Posts: 1,152	Hey Q maybe Decalf would help LOL

March 18th, 2012, 09:11 PM	#20
BLACKTALON Ammo is like food Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: severna park Posts: 1,739	I always push the front of the follower down look for a orangish brown follower

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