Aluminum AR mags

Brownells, on their website.

Not a fan of C-Products either steel or aluminum- seen a few brand new with bad feed lips.

USGI surplus. Best place to get them is outside any large US Army installation. I browse any number of the surplus shops outside my local base and can pick up as many as I want of the latest gen tan EPM GI mags in the wrapper for $10 each if I bring cash, $13 on the bank card. $5 - $8 for used dark gray ones with green or tan followers. $15 and I can get USGI gen 2 windowed magpulls still in the cage-code wrapper. I may or may not have a locker full of them by now.

I'm a big fan of the USGI 20s. Adventurline and NHMTG are good as well. I don't own any 30s, don't need them...

Surefeed

They're kind of commodity. Like asking for the best milk. Don't buy a plastic thermold and you'll be fine.

I have a pile of Okay 30-round magazines that have been great, and a bunch of Brownells-branded 30-round mags that have also been perfect for me.

Gun Mag Warehouse is my go-to.
https://gunmagwarehouse.com/all-magazines/rifles

Stay safe.

Colt’s have always been my favorite, they were practically free from the army/navy store back in the 80’s.

PSA (Palmetto State Armory) has 30rd, D&H Teflon coated aluminum mags for $9.99.

D&H was a US Govt contractor. I think PSA bought the tooling when D&H shut down.

Sorry, I'm embarrassed to say that I was wrong with my previous comment.

D&H are very much still in business.

They purchased an older company; LaBelle Industries who had been a magazine supplier to the govt and continued production of magazines using the same tooling.

Good mags

The C-products always ran fine for me. But I’ve been a fan of Pmags since they were first released with the Gen1s.

I like to add a Brownells straight-20 aluminum mag on every order I make with them. All the ones I bought around 2017, 18ish work perfectly. I ordered 2 around 2020, and both of those fit too tight to drop free from the mag well.

Haven't ordered again since then, work brought me out to CA and forced me to leave the fun stuff in storage out of state.

I have 2 D&H 30 rounders, and they're GTG. They've got a nice Teflon finish that doesn't mark up like most metal mags.

Have some GI mags, 20s and 30s, NHMTG and some others. All have worked just fine.
For the OP, has there been an issue with any mags you're using?
Moon

I don’t think you can go wrong with Brownells. Before transitioning to Magpul Pmags, the Marine Corps used both Brownells mags or other makes (predominately Okay) and replaced the black/green followers with the brown Brownells anti-tilt followers.

Others on here say “USGI,” but I fear that they do not realize that the U.S. government-issued magazines are simply magazines purchased by the government from Brownells, Okay, Magpul, and others; it is not as if the government has a magazine factory or something like some seem to think.

Understand that the gummint doesn't have a giant mag factory; as noted, I've a mixed bag of USGI.
They are 'mil spec', which does assure some degree of consistency and quality.
As noted, the ones I have, and the ones I used in the service (full disclosure; never had to run thru' the jungle with my M16A1) always worked. Always.
Moon

Yes, Yes GG, we are well aware the only thing the US Fed Govt mass produces are mountains of red tape, senseless regulations, and excessive taxes.

Whatever contractor's name is on the baseplate, USGI (with an NSN) whether new or not, still says it was made to a certain spec to be used by some Govt Goon. Those I have never really had an issue with and first become a Govt Goon back in 1988. I am also well aware that not everything the Govt gives it's Goon is the best or the greatest, but with mags at least, so long as I maintained them, they ran fine, were affordable, and plentiful, at least for now.

giggitygiggity said:

Others on here say “USGI,” but I fear that they do not realize that the U.S. government-issued magazines are simply magazines purchased by the government from Brownells, Okay, Magpul, and others; it is not as if the government has a magazine factory or something like some seem to think.

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Another fan here for the Colt AR 20 round mags! Still working with 100% reliability, like they were meant to do, even after all these years!

My AR 30 rounders (some Colt along with Okay and Adventure Line), are also good to go!

USGI surplus. Best place to get them is outside any large US Army installation...

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This^^^^
I’ve used surplus mags for over 40 years with great success. Now admittedly all my aluminum mags were purchased 30-40 years ago, but I assume the quality hasn’t changed.

Okay Industries are the best, and they are now no longer made. You'll still find some out in the wild if you dig.

D&H are second best. Brownells and Palmetto mags are D&H.

Duramags are just ok if they make a color you want that no one else does, but they are finished like comblock milsurp AK mags and you may give yourself tetanus from the razor sharp feed lips.

I have zero problems with the D&H ....

Most of my aluminum mags are D & H from PSA. Never had any issues with any of them.

All my old Okay/Surefire mags are great but as mentioned, they’re no longer made.
The last few years I’ve read a lot of complaints with Surefires, but never bought any of the last gen.
D&H get my vote for best bang for the buck, they’re usually the cheapest and work great.
All my Brownells are the straight GI 20s but if their 30s are as good, that would get my vote for BEST aluminum mag.

I don’t run any CPD/Duramag or ASCs in 5.56 but have a ton of em in other calibers for ARs. Between the two I prefer Duramags but for 5.56 there’s better/cheaper options. If you want mags in different colors, buy some Rustoleum...

I gotta add, I prefer my Lancers to my aluminum mags, and if you gotta have all metal, the steel bodied E-Landers or the el cheapo steel SKH mags are better, and often as cheap. I’ve even got a few of those weird Bulgarian all steel slab sided AR 5.56 mags that use the ‘AK style’ followers. Those are great too.