AR-15 aluminum magazines

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Oldjarhead

New member
Just bought some D&H 30 round 5.56mm aluminum magazines, from Bravo Company. Is it still recommended to load 28 rounds, for seating easily and for reliability? I was wondering if new mags today, you could load 30, without issues?:confused:
 
I load 30 in all my mags. Some people still reccomended loading 28 or 29 just to make it easier to seat the magazine on a closed bolt.

Fill yours up to 30 and try seating a mag on a closed bolt a couple times, seeif you have any issues getting the magazine to lock in. Then try the same with 29 or 28rnds.
 
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We always loaded 28 rounds the entire time I was in service using Aluminum magazines. We also rotated magazines throughout my combat deployments.

If you are using them for the range to shoot holes in paper, it does not really matter. As others have said, load them up and if they fail repair them.

If your life might depend upon them then do something different.
 
It depends on the magazine. If you can load it to 30, easily insert the mag into the magwell with the bolt closed and chamber a round then you're probably good to go with 30. Some will, some won't. If it won't, download 1-2, or 3 rounds until it works.

You're less likely to have issues if you insert a fully loaded mag with the bolt open. But I like to be able to do it with the bolt closed. You'll just have to check YOUR magazines. I wouldn't be surprised if some work and some don't. But if in doubt I think it's a good idea to download 1 or 2.
 
People will do what people will do, but for what its worth, the original Army training manuals instruct you to insert the loaded magazine with the bolt open, then hit the bolt release to chamber a round.

The M16 was the first US military rifle to use aluminum magazines, and while I never saw anything written about only loading down loading the mag by a round or two, we were instructed (ordered, verbally) to do so.

It wasn't, at the time, anything to do with being able to lock in a fully loaded magazine with the bolt closed, it was about concerns to do with feed reliability, and the possibility of the pressure of a fully loaded mag, bending the aluminum feed lips.

Time has proven this not to be an issue, but remember in the 60s the aluminum mags were new, and felt "flimsy" compared to the steel magazines used by the previous service rifles.
 
After loading the mag full, lightly tapping the back of the mag against something solid would help. It moves the tip of the cartridges away from the front wall of the mag, allowing the spring's force to be better telegraphed to the top round. The top round must pressed against to feed lip firmly to assume correct attitude for reliable feeding.

Seat the mag with bolt open. No banging is required. A positive click suffices.

-TL

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk
 
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