moxie
Member
The July 2012 issue of "American Rifleman" arrived today. On p. 48 is a photo of a soldier holding an early version Armalite AR-15 equipped with a "waffle mag." Some people call them "cross-hatched."
While these mags have become highly sought after collectibles, I can personally attest that they are not especially reliable. Many/most were made of steel. There are few around today for 2 reasons. First, they were produced in the early 1960s, being replaced by the more familiar and gradually more reliable aluminum mags. Second, in the late 60s and early 70s most military units got the word to throw them away because of terrible reliability. I personally sent a Seventh Air Force Weapons Safety Newsletter out in 1972 to all field units advising them to smash and toss any they had. I know I smashed and threw away any and all I ever encountered.
So, if you see one, keep it as a collectible, but don't bet your life on it.
Some pics:
http://www.biggerhammer.net/ar15/magazines/waffle.html
While these mags have become highly sought after collectibles, I can personally attest that they are not especially reliable. Many/most were made of steel. There are few around today for 2 reasons. First, they were produced in the early 1960s, being replaced by the more familiar and gradually more reliable aluminum mags. Second, in the late 60s and early 70s most military units got the word to throw them away because of terrible reliability. I personally sent a Seventh Air Force Weapons Safety Newsletter out in 1972 to all field units advising them to smash and toss any they had. I know I smashed and threw away any and all I ever encountered.
So, if you see one, keep it as a collectible, but don't bet your life on it.
Some pics:
http://www.biggerhammer.net/ar15/magazines/waffle.html