No matter how incredible your new AR is, no matter how much money you dumped into it, and no matter how great that new optic is, your AR15 needs a magazine to perform. Sometimes overlooked, the magazine for an AR15 can be just as important of a component for your rifle’s performance as the bolt carrier or the barrel. Before you head out to the range, make sure you have the magazines you need to keep your rifle in the fight.

The magazine is a device that stores ammunition for the firearm and assists in feeding said ammunition to the chamber as the bolt is cycled. The AR15 uses a removable, box style magazine. Capacity in the magazine can vary, but most shooters will consider 30 round magazines to be standard capacity for the AR15, when chambered in .223/5.56 caliber.

One of the benefits of a removable, box style magazine is that it makes quickly reloading the rifle and taking full advantage of the semi-auto firing of the AR15 easy; a shooter with a few loaded magazines can quickly put down a high rate of fire for a relatively sustained period of time. This is, in fact, probably the most efficient way to feed a rifle for competition, home defense, or force on force applications.

One of the downsides of this system is that by using a removable component required for operation of the firearm introduces an additional point of potential failure. Poorly manufactured, or damaged, magazines can cause failures in the function of your AR15.

There are generally four main components of an AR magazine: the body, the floorplate, the spring, and the follower. The body should be of the correct size so that it fits in the rifle easily and drops free quickly when ejected. The body also has feed lips which hold the ammunition inside the magazine until the bolt strips the round from the mag to feed it into the chamber, and the feed lips can be a point of failure if they are deformed or damaged. The floorplate must be durable as it is the most likely point of impact when dropping magazines on the ground, and it serves to keep the spring retained inside the body of the mag. The spring applies force to the ammunition, by way of the follower, to keep the ammunition secure inside the mag body and assist with the feeding of ammunition into the chamber. The follower transfers the force of the spring to the ammunition, ideally in an even manner that promotes good and reliable feeding of ammunition to the rifle. A poor follower can bind inside the magazine body and cease to provide force from the spring to the ammunition.

Hexmags are a polymer bodied magazine that uses a stainless-steel spring for an extended lifetime, and an anti-tilt follower. The unique texturing makes them easy to grip during mag changes, and these are considered very affordable.

PMags are another polymer bodied magazine that was long considered the gold standard in AR mags. Their follower is used in military issued magazines due to its ability to improve magazine reliability. The Gen 3 PMag features a window to help the shooter know how much ammunition is still in the magazine.

The Lancer War Fighter Magazine is a favorite among many discerning shooters. The body of the magazine is mostly polymer but has steel feed lips which improves both reliability and durability. These mags come in many colors, but most are translucent to give the shooter awareness of the ammo remaining in the rifle. These are slightly more expensive than most competitors, but deals can be had if you keep your eyes open.

Most magazines that carry an extended capacity for the AR15 tend to be plagued with poor reviews citing reliability concerns. Surefire has solved this problem. If you are looking for a reliable high-capacity magazine, this is probably the best option on the market. The main barrier to entry on this magazine is the high price, and the fact that adding an additional 30 rounds to your rifle mag will add roughly one pound of weight.

For a no frills, reliable magazine that will last for years, many shooters gravitate towards the standard aluminum bodied US GI style magazine. These are good enough for the US military, and they are inexpensive. It is recommended that you pay attention to the follower when you buy yours because older models were plagued with followers that tended to bind up during operation.

While there are dozens of companies that provide reliable magazines for the AR15, there are some options out there that might leave you disappointed. Don’t take the magazine for granted when you are finishing your rifle build or completing your rifle system. The humble magazine can easily be a component that will either make or break your day at the range.