Which AR mags should I buy and why?

[LawDawg]

So how much of a cost difference is there between quality plastic mags and USGI mags?

 

[JNieman]

So how much of a cost difference is there between quality plastic mags and USGI mags?

PMAGs being $10 ea right now, and the best price I found for USGIs with good followers from a good maker being $10.... not a lot

It used to be that USGIs saved me $2-3 / mag, but now it's looking to not be the case.

 

[dsonyay]

From everything I read and have heard from guys who've been deployed in the middle East, the off the shelf Magpul Pmags are every bit as good, if not better, than the mil issued. They are cheap as well. Pmags are as low as 10 bucks and are so well built and long lasting. Nothing wrong with good milspec but they may be more pricier.

I've got 2 Pmags and they are very high quality stuff. They can handle drops on hard surfaces much better.

 

[JNieman]

The only problem I heard about PMAGs is 2 anecdotal, separate accounts, from 2 Marine infantrymen who claimed that diving down on their chest rig (in admittedly rocky terrain) resulted in broke-body PMAGs with bullets dumping from the pouch. They used steel USGIs instead and still poo-poo PMAGs because of bad experience.

I do not know of a single mag where some of the types of "killinest mother ****ers" have claimed "they suck" but the number of complaints /I've/ (whatever that's worth) heard about PMAGs and USGI mags are among the smallest, with likely the biggest sample size of any mag types. The Lancers with steel are similarly low in complaints though the sample pool is surely not as large as the products of Magpul and good USGI mag makers.

I just like buying the cheapest mags that are of passable quality :P I'm cheap. I have standards... but I'm still cheap.

 

[goteron]

Another note on Polymer Mags

I would only buy black and not color additive versions. I have no first hand experience with failures of the colored versions, but the black body mags seem to have the best track record.