Advice on AR magazines and stocks

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Berol

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I know there are a million threads on this, because I searched. The problem is, there are a million threads to weed through.

I'm a newbie to ARs and I'm thinking about getting an AR soon. I'm going to a show this weekend. What companies produce good (and reasonably affordable) magazines and stocks?

To put it another way (if it's easier to answer this question), what brands should I avoid?

Thanks in advance for the advice, and your patience.
 
The most widly recomended (best IMO) mags are magpul Pmags, and they aren't expensive. For stocks, CCA, magpul, Vltor, LMT, Ace, and many others make good pieces. What kind do you want?
 
p-mags or usgi mags are your best bet. I also like C-products mags. Nearly everyone is sold out of mags right now, but they do turn up in classifieds often.
 
bravoco has some brownells mags in stock right now, but they're a little more expensive due to upgrades (CS spring, magpul follower, brown finish)

I haven't personally shot the brownells mag (I stick to D&H and pmags) but I've heard good things about them and more importantly, nothing bad about them.

magpul's CTR stock is my current favorite.


(edit: don't get screwed by gunshow prices and don't let them talk you into any ridiculous prices.. unless of course you're buying something from me :) )
 
I went to my local gunshow a few days ago and i couldnt believe my eyes, :eek:any black gun at all was double the price that it should have been, and they were selling 1000 round's of federal hollow point's of 223 for 400$:what: even at the local rip off gun shop they were selling the 1000 round sealed tins for 355$

I think dealers are taking advantage of the whole obamo thing a little too much:scrutiny:

If you can id buy it second hand person to person, there are still people out there that wont try and price rape you, i just picked uop a very nice bushmaster with scope mags and other goodies for 800$ about a week ago. In other words try to stay away from the dealer's
 
To all- thanks a ton. I appreciate good solid info, and not being barbecued for my ignorance. I own other guns, but no ARs. I have shot my brothers a few times.

Also, How would I know USGI mags apart from, say DPMS mags, from Bushmaster mags, etc? (I know how to identify PMags). Do most companies stamp them with their name on the floor plate or elsewhere? Or do I just have to trust the guy/website I buy from?

I'm assuming anything less than $20 is a good price for good mags? And anything between $30 and $40 is getting into rip off territory?


gvnwst- Thanks. I've looked at some Magpul stocks briefly after you mentioned it. They look nice. As far as kind, do any of those companies make a stock that folds? It's not something I really need, but that I am modestly interested in.

matt9052- Thanks. I'm from Iowa too btw. I'm going to the gun show in Des Moines this weekend, assuming we don't get snow dumped on us again.

taliv- good stuff, thanks. I'm more or less going to the show to price things, and if I find something fair only then will I buy.

gunmaker2872- I fear I will find the same thing. That's why I'm mostly just going to test the waters, and only buying something if it's a deal.

Animal Mother- I'll probably buy some of these if the prices at the show are insane.
 
USGI mags are made by several contractors. D&H, Okay, LaBelle, NHMTG, even C-products, I think, are contractors. The AR makers just take them and put their floor plate on them.

USGI, IMO, is the best value; when they were ~$9.99. I never bought into the P-mags all though they look cool.
 
Bravo Company's out of 'bout everything and doesn't take backorders-you can sign up for e-mail so they'll let you know when a product is back in stock, but good luck on being the one to get 'em when notified.

44mag.com does take backorders, and I noticed he raised the prices of his USGI magazines 1 or 2 dollars from the time I was originally looking 'til the time I bought, but he's still reasonable ($12.99 for 30 rd Black Teflon D&H), and has free shipping for orders over $200.
Placed an order for Black Teflon D&H with 'em 11/3/08 and got 'em 12/18/08-they don't charge your card 'til shipped.

Never tried a PMag-tried to order a few to check 'em out but never could get one. Since I've got a bunch of Orlites from way back, figured I'd go metal this time around.

Might not be a bad idea to put a backorder in with 'em?
http://www.44mag.com/products.asp?dept=1326
 
Pmags are amazing. Or I just ordered 9 elcheapo 30rds that im going to rebuild with Magpul followers and nice new springs, and probably put a magpul floorplate on em to. The second option is more expensive but Im paying $8.80 for the mags so I figured it was worth a shot. if nothing else ill sell the mags at the next gunshow for $15 a piece:evil:.
 
Cool. Thanks guys. Alot of good info, Keep it coming.

I'm going either Friday or Saturday, depending on weather.
 
Yeah, CProducts are good. Most every aluminum mil spec mag shell is good. Just replace the guts with better springs (chrome silicon) and Magpul followers and you are set. Companies make the shells so close to one another: most of them are mil-spec anyway.

P-Mags are flawless. Go for them, otherwise get CProducts mags with MAGPUL followers.

As for stocks: Magpul, LMT, Vltor, and Ace. I am of the feeling though that the standard stocks are good enough, but that is just my opinion.
 
I would avoid buying a stock before you have a gun, unless you have a very specific one in mind. There's two different buffer tube diameters for collapsible stocks (mil-spec and commercial), so you need to get a stock that matches. Mil-spec is a little lighter, and supposed to be stronger, and there are a couple stocks that aren't made for the commercial diameter.

On C-products mags, I hear a lot of bad about them from people that run their mags hard. Okay seems to be one of the best brands for USGI aluminum (according to the people that bash Cproducts, anyway), but I'd stick with Pmags. I was talking over e-mail with a soldier stationed over in the sandbox, and he said that there is absolutely no reason to ever touch an aluminum magazine except to put it in the trash can, if you can get Pmags. He, and most of the people he knows over there, refuse to use anything else.
 
+1 for magpul pmags.

Just search youtube for some of the torture tests people have done to them. Also look for magpul's video that shows how the other "quality" magazines stand up.

If you absolutely are set on a metal magazine, go with H&K. You'll probably end up selling your first born to pay for their steel mags, but they're pretty nice for metal magazines. But keep your first born and get magpul pmags.

And if you still doubt pmags for some reason, ask yourself why everyone is sold out of them or is price gouging the heck out of them.

As for stocks, this is a really open area...it comes down to what kind of stock you want. You should apply the following to whatever you look at: If it seems like a great deal, you should research it and ask other people first before buying. There are a lot of companies that make cheap stuff that looks good but will fail with any rigorous use.

That's not to say that there aren't good companies and products that aren't as expensive as their competitors. Magpul is a good example.
 
Magpul magazines and stocks. Both are top of the line.
Magpul magazines are worth the wait, 2 weeks ago magpul is behind on orders for them with the mags being made around the clock. They even cut back on stock production to make more Pmags.
 
I love my PMAG's. But, they can be hard to find.

Another excellent alternative to the PMAG is the Lancer L5. While they may be a little pricier than PMAG's, alot of places still have them in stock, and will ship them right out.

Just throwing that out there....
 
magpul, they make the pmags, and they are only a few dollars more than gi mags and they are much better. they also make some awesome stocks, the ctr, the ubr and more.
 
+1 for Pmags, and just realized they now are making them in 20rnd size. these are much more comfortable in my M17. Have also used them in ARs and they seem to funtion flawlessly and rattle less. Also you do not have to worry about bending the feed lips, which I have found to be a big problem on "most" al. mags (Labelle being the exception, for myself). As far as the stock options, I really like the Ace stocks, and am planning on putting one on my new Saiga 12. Happy hunting, Mav.
 
Check out the Brownell's magazines. They got a government contract and make some for themselves on the side. I've had good luck with them.

Since they make them, as well as sell them, getting ahold of them will likely be easier than finding someone who has P mags for a reasonable price.
 
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