Magazine FAQ
Q: Is this a good Magazine?
A: Unless it’s a USGI, Thermold, or Orlite; stay away from it. Some people may even try to sell you steel USGI magazines. THERE IS NO SUCH THING. All USGI magazines are aluminum with steel baseplates listing the manufacturer, if the plate is blank – the magazine is suspect. Magazines that have their finish worn off and look ‘Gold’ are fine! As long as they feed properly and their feed lips aren’t cracked don’t sweat it. For more details check out the AR-15 Magazine FAQ by James Wesley, Rawles or the Updated AR-15 Magazine FAQ by Troy Tiscareno.
Q: What are 'Green Follwers', and what is so great about them? Can they be used on different magazines?
A: If you look in a Typical USGI 30 round magazine you will see a black plastic follower. Occasionally they would tip near the bend of the magazine and create feeding problems. This was solved by creating a new follower with a longer front leg to prevent tipping (thus preventing jamming). To differentiate these from the old black followers they made them green in color. They are a product improvement and old USGI magazines were not retrofitted. However if you are experiencing feeding issues with your USGI 30's installing green followers usually solve the problem. At a cost of $1 to $2 each I (Forest) think its cheap reliability insurance (pro-active instead of re-active) to replace all my USGI 30 followers with the green plastic ones.
They should not be used in USGI 20 round magazines. First of they won't fit unless modified - secondly the allow follower of the USGI 20 is very reliable so why mess with it. I also do not recommend replacing the black followers in the Colt commercial 20 round magazines (again the follower would have to be modified).
Also, the follower are not supposed to be used in Thermold magazines. Thermolds made their followers properly the first time so there is no need for an 'upgrade' - you are much more likely to ruin a Thermold's reliability if you replaces its stock follower.
Q: Where can I mail-order USGI 20 round magazines?
A: There are 3 good souces (that I know of) for USGI 20s
For Ammoman.com & Cruffler.com I recommend getting on their e-mail list (so you are notified of magazine shipments comming in before the general public)
* indicates these vendors also have USGI 30s for those not living in Maryland.
Q: Can I use a Wolff spring in a Thermold magazine?
A: Courtesy of Paul Britton
Yes, but it must be modified. See http://www.tenebras.com/BlackRifle/Wolff for instructions.
Q: My Orlite Magazines won't fit in my Bushmaster - what can I do?
A: This is due to the type of bevel Bushmaster uses in the magazine well. Early Orlites won't seat properly, later ones will. The problem can be easily solved. First DO NOT remove the rib - it is very important to prevent over-insertion. You need to lightly sand off the tops of the ribs (particularly at the corners). Sand a bit and test - repeat as needed.
Q: How can I refinish / paint my magazines (to get them to look better)?
A: While the looks are merely cosmetic (they don't help them function after all) . We have an article on how to refinish you magazines so they are back to 'mil-spec' in the How-To Do It section.
Q: Do I need to download my magazines by 2 (for storage or shooting)?
A: No, USGI magazines that are in good working order can take and feed their full load with no problems - they can even be stored fully loaded for indefinate periods of time fully loaded. There are some things you should know about this practice.
- They were originally downloaded because you COULD overload a 20 round magazine to 21 rounds and it would cause it to jam . Once ammo was supplied on stripper clips that was no longer an issue as it was 2 clips for a 20 rounders, 3 for a 30 rounder.
- If you take apart a USGI 20 round magazine and put it back together improperly (i.e. too much spring is through the hold in the follower) the magazine will only accept 18 rounds. It is this reason why the magazines are not supposed to be reassembled by anyone other than armorers in the military.
- Many AR-15 instructors teach downloading because it makes it much easier to seat a magazine with the bolt closed if it is not full. I personally don't think this is an issue for the USGI 20's, but if you do 'limp-wrist' a 30 rounder it won't seat properly and will fall out. This is a judgement call for the marksman.
Thanks go to Chuck Santose, Jim Crews and Pete Georgiades for the information on this subject.
Q: Is there any place else that I can go with magazine related questions?
A: Absolutely! Check out Troy's amazing AR-15 Magazine FAQ!
[Go To Barrel FAQ]
