These days, there seem to be a million magazines to choose from for the AR-15 platform. Okay, maybe not millions, but certainly dozens. Considering that the AR-15 design has been around since the 1950s, this should not come as a great shock to shooters.
In my book, variety and options are always a wonderful thing. Currently, prices range from inexpensive to slightly salty, depending upon which magazines you’re after. Personally, I like inexpensive for my needs. But is it reasonable to expect quality and reliability for an inexpensive price? You came to the right place for answers.
Today, we’ll take a look at two offerings on the market, and let you know how they perform.
The Rifle
For this evaluation, I used a Stag Arms AR-15 Carbine with a 16-inch barrel (1:9 twist) in .223/5.56mm. It’s not a custom, uber-expensive designer rifle, but over the years, it has proven its reliability to me, and it simply works well. Currently, there is a Leupold 1.5-4x variable scope mounted on the carbine.
It’s not a cheap, bargain basement carbine, but it’s not pricey, either.
ASC
ASC stands for Ammunition Storage Containers, and it seems to be an apt description of their products.
The company offers magazines for AR-15 platforms chambered in less common calibers, such as 6.5 Grendel, .308, 6.8 SPC, 7.62x39mm, and of course, the 5.56mm/.223 caliber.
Aside from magazines, ASC also sells charging handles, AR-15 upper receivers, bolt carriers, lower receiver parts, muzzle devices, handguards, magazine spring kits, stocks, gas systems, springs, and other accessories. Best head over to their website for a full rundown of their products, as the selection is varied.
They offer both stainless steel and aluminum magazine bodies in their lineup. Today, we’ll be looking at their 30-round aluminum magazine. At first glance, it looks nearly identical to the standard government-issue (GI) aluminum magazines that most of us have been familiar with for decades.
The immediately noticeable difference in appearance that tipped me off is the fluorescent orange magazine follower, which is non-tilt. That means that it resists tilting within the magazine’s body, which enhances reliability. Standard followers from long ago would sometimes allow the rounds in the magazine to take a nose-dive, causing major malfunctions. Non-tilt followers seem to have solved that issue.
The differences don’t end there, however, as ASC has given these magazines some nice touches that set them apart from the standard, GI mags of old.
They can be had in Flat Dark Earth, Black, Gray, and Olive Drab. The finish is hard-coat anodized to a Type III Class I. The body of the magazine is 6061 aluminum, heat-treated to T6 condition. Strong and lightweight.
The springs are chrome silicon, so you won’t have to fret about rust invading. Floor plates are made from 6061 aluminum with the Type III Class I finish.
One major plus in my book is that these magazines are 100% made in America from American components. I like that!
Personal Observations
The first thing I observed with these mags is that they are light, as we’d expect with aluminum magazines.
They’re sturdy and well-made, and the follower travels very smoothly inside the magazine body.
I loaded up the full 30 rounds using a Maglula AR-15 loader, and it was a breeze to load them using the Maglula. When inserted into the magazine well of the rifle, it required a firm slap on the magazine base to fully seat the magazine. This is important, lest you find yourself staring at a magazine on the deck at the firing range because it dropped out of the mag well if you neglected to ensure that it’s fully seated. A tug on the base of the magazine will ensure that it’s properly seated. To make seating easier, simply download the magazine to 28 rounds.
Aside from that, these magazines worked very well and held no surprises at all.
At the time of this writing, the price is $11.99 each, which is economical. In my book, that’s a great buy.
Strike Industries
This is another company that has a gazillion products on the market.
Magazines, stocks, AR parts, muzzle devices, shotgun parts and accessories, Glock parts/accessories, pistol accessories, and all sorts of gear that is far too in-depth to cover here. A visit to their website will reveal all that they have.
We’re focusing on the Strike Industries 32-round magazine. The magazines in inventory at GunMag Warehouse are listed as 33-round magazines. I’m guessing that Strike Industries has updated their magazines so that they are now of the 33-round capacity. Seeing that I had the 32-round variety on hand, that’s what I went with for this evaluation. Perhaps in the future, I’ll get the 33-rounder for a test.
I’ve personally been satisfied with magazines of 30-round capacity over the years. The 20-round variety are very handy, given their short length. As such, I’ve never yearned for a few more rounds. It’s not as though I was involved in training exercises and said to myself, “Gosh, I wish I had another two or three rounds in my rifle magazine.” So to me, the allure of an extra two to three rounds is dubious, at best. Not that it’s a bad thing, it’s just not something that I’m going to ask Santa for.
Beyond that, it upset my OCD when I had an uneven number of bullets left over in my ammo boxes after filling the mag. Normally, three boxes of 20 rounds will fill two 30-round magazines perfectly. But now more boxes are needed. I know, it’s a stupid thing that would only upset Rain Man, but there it is.
The 32-round magazine is made from Polymer and is light, as one would expect. An anti-tilt follower is used, which enhances reliability.
There are finger grooves on the front and back of the magazine body to give our fingers traction when gripping the mag, which is helpful for high-speed magazine changes. A heat-treated steel spring powers the magazine.
I got a little surprise with this magazine; I noted on the wrapper that it says, “32+ rounds.” So I tried to stuff a 33rd round into it, and it worked. Had I not seen that on the wrapper, I wouldn’t have even tried for the extra round.
The base plate is easily removable in the event you need to disassemble the magazine for cleaning.
The length of the magazine is slightly longer than a standard 30-round magazine, but I’d say that a tiny bit of length is negligible. I’m not over the moon about two to three extra rounds of capacity, but on the flip side, there’s certainly nothing wrong with a couple extra rounds, either. If you’re carrying a full combat load of eight magazines, and each has three extra rounds, we’re talking about 24 extra rounds in your loadout. When it’s put into terms like that, those couple rounds in each mag add up and become significant.
In combat, could 24 rounds make the difference between coming back and dying? They certainly could! So maybe a full loadout of these magazines is beginning to make more sense.
Personal Observations
I like the grooves fore and aft on this magazine, they do make acquiring a purchase on the mag easier.
Feeding is very smooth and reliable. Inserting the magazine into the rifle is easier than with typical aluminum-bodied magazines; this magazine latches easily when inserted into the mag well.
Simply put, this magazine offers some substantial advantages to standard magazines, as noted above. The price is currently $16.95, which is certainly far from expensive, and I believe it represents a smart buy.
Final Considerations
So which did I like better?
As usual, I’m waffling between the two. I enjoy the nostalgic nature of the aluminum-framed ASC magazine. They’re nice and simple. They remind me of the magazines that I was issued on the job as a tactical operator. Their price is quite reasonable, and the quality is excellent.
The Strike Industries magazines carry a few more rounds and seem to be extremely durable in their own right. Their cost and features represent a great buy as well.
I might need to call this one a tie. But one thing is for certain: I’m glad to have both types of magazines in my inventory! It would be a good idea for you to have a few of both as well. I suggest buying now before certain events drive prices upward.
