Thermold and Orlite .223 AR magazines...
- Thread starter jwong
- Start date
Glock Raider
New member
I have five thermolds for my bushmaster and they work very well.but I still perfer the aluminum GI type.I use grey teflon coated labelles and find them to be the best available. why not go to www.AR15.com for more opinions. 
[This message has been edited by Glock Raider (edited September 09, 1999).]
[This message has been edited by Glock Raider (edited September 09, 1999).]
Chris Orndorff
New member
I've been very happy with my Thermolds. Wish I would have bought a bunch when they were $12 or so. No experience with Orlites.
One possible problem with both Orlite and Thermold magazines is that they might not fit properly in some AR-15 mag wells. Some mag wells aren't wide enough and others are too long for the "stop ridge" on the plastic magazines.
Check out www.ar15.com for more info.
Check out www.ar15.com for more info.
From what I've learned over at ar15.com, it would seem that the Orlites and Thermolds are FAR better than cheap aftermarket mags, but they're just not quite as good as USGI's. I just bought a Colt AR15 earlier this week, and I already have 4 Thermolds and have 5 USGI's on the way. The Thermolds fit very tight into the Colt, and actually seem to make the bolt harder to pull back. I've heard that this usually goes away after a few uses though. Don't know much about Orlites, but the Israeli's know their weaponry so they can't be too bad.
One common complaint about the Thermolds though, is that under the stress of a combat type situation, the feed lips have been known to crack. However, this seems to have been more of a problem with the Canadian manufactured Thermolds which supposedly use a lower strength plastic than the US made ones. The Canadian Thermolds are identified by the maple leaf on the lower portion of the mag.
USGI's have their flaws too though. Some need new followers to function, they loose their finish fast, and if dented they become unusable. Thermolds can't dent, loose their finish, or need new followers.
Just do like I am and try them all for yourself and see which works better for you.
One common complaint about the Thermolds though, is that under the stress of a combat type situation, the feed lips have been known to crack. However, this seems to have been more of a problem with the Canadian manufactured Thermolds which supposedly use a lower strength plastic than the US made ones. The Canadian Thermolds are identified by the maple leaf on the lower portion of the mag.
USGI's have their flaws too though. Some need new followers to function, they loose their finish fast, and if dented they become unusable. Thermolds can't dent, loose their finish, or need new followers.
Just do like I am and try them all for yourself and see which works better for you.
