The AR-15 magazine has become the standardized magazine for modern semi-automatic rifles. The AR-15 magazine is in use by the Tavor, the AUG, the SCAR 16S, the Beretta ARX 100, the FN FS 2000, and so on and so forth. It is the go-to magazine for rifles in 5.56/223 and 300 Blackout.
Dozens of companies produce AR magazines, and they vary in design. They can be metal, polymer, or hybrid metal and polymer models.
AR-15 magazines are so prevalent and so popular there is an entire market just for AR-15 magazines. There are numerous accessories that are designed to make AR-15 magazines more efficient, effective, and makes using them more convenient. The market is broad, and some features are kind of useless, and others are highly effective.
We’ve gathered five of the most effective and efficient AR-15 magazine accessories.
Caldwell Mag Charger Tac-30
Source: midwayusa.com
One of the worst parts about shooting is having to constantly load magazines. This can be a slow and boring process that can take the steam out of a day at the range. Caldwell recognized this, and the Caldwell Mag Charger was born. With this device, you can load magazines in seconds. The mag charger is designed to be compatible with standard G.I. AR mags, Magpul polymer mags, Lancer hybrid mags, and more. As of now, it is compatible with every standard AR-15 magazine on the market.
With the Caldwell Mag Charger Tac 30, you attach an AR-15 magazine to the charger. It locks in place and stays stable. You can load via stripper clips or loose ammunition. With stripper clips, you drop one clip in each loading gate. You shove the plunger three times, and your magazine is loaded. With loose ammo, you place it in projectile downwards and shove the plunger until the magazine is full.
The Caldwell Mag Charger can load a 30 round magazine in about ten seconds. This keeps the momentum up at the range and keeps things moving. The device is simple to use and can be mastered after loading as little as three magazines.
This system is also very compact and very lightweight. It’s made from a tough polycarbonate construction. It’s a strong platform that’s made for heavy-duty use. The Caldwell Mag Charger is a real lifesaver at competition shoots. Especially during high speed, heavy duty rifle competitions. 3 gun can and will have you spitting lead downrange at a rapid rate. You can either bring a bucketload of magazines and a ton of ammo, or a ton of ammo and the Caldwell Mag Charger.
The Caldwell Mag Charger Tac 30 would have been invaluable during my time in the Marine Corps. Loading magazines could be a very long part of my day when hitting a live fire range. This device would have given me more time to prep my gear, my team, and myself for the mission. The Caldwell Mag Charger is a great way to save time and to avoid sore fingers.
Blade Tech Industries Revolution Triple Thigh Rig
You always need a good method to carry all those magazines you loaded with your Caldwell Mag Charger. Blade Tech is well known for their brand of high-quality Kydex handgun holsters. Blade Tech also makes high-quality AR-15 magazine pouches from Kydex materials. They make single, double and triple magazine pouches. The Blade tech Revolution triple magazine thigh rig is designed to give you 90 rounds of ammo at your fingertips.
This thigh rig features a thick nylon strap that wraps around your leg and uses nice sized buckles to secure the rig to your thigh. Out of the top of the thigh rig is another nylon strap that rides up and attaches to your belt. Once in place, this triple mag pouch is quite comfortable and doesn’t chafe or rub you in the wrong way. The Blade Tech Revolution stays put to; it doesn’t slide around your thigh once it’s properly adjusted.
Whenever you train, you’ll be accustomed to where your magazines are. This means if the thigh rig starts sliding around it won’t be where it needs to be when you reach for a reload. The Blade Tech thigh rig keeps everything nice and tight and in place.
The mag pouches on this thigh rig are made from Kydex and are single magazine pouches. They are an open top design that gives you unfettered access to your magazines. Simply grip and rip the magazines out of the pouch and slam them into your gun. The fear of the magazine bouncing out is unfounded, as these magazines will hold your mags nice and tight. There is a retention screw that can be tightened to increase that passive retention.
These magazine pouches will hold both metal and polymer magazines without issue. Some have a fear of heat when using Kydex materials. It’s a fear that has solid reasoning because most plastics begin to loosen when exposed to heat. The polymer kydex blend Blade tech is designed to resist high temperatures.
The material will not stretch or loosen in temperatures lower than 300 degrees. If you are facing 300-degree temperatures you, have bigger problems than your thigh rig loosening.
For competition, for fun, or for combat the Blade Tech Revolution Triple Thigh rig is an excellent option for carrying magazines.
MTM Tactical Mag Can
Let’s make your life easier. AR-15 mags are ridiculously affordable, you can get a G.I. standard AR-15 magazine for less than 10 bucks. Most AR-15 owners have quite a few magazines sitting around. Keeping track of them, transporting them, and keeping them secure can be a hassle. They tend to rattle around if they are loaded and get bumped around ammunition can pop out. Transporting them safely and efficiently isn’t an easy thing to do either.
The MTM Tactical Mag Can is designed to conveniently carry, protect, and house your magazines. The MTM Mag Can holds 15 AR-15 magazines in capacities of 10, 20, or 30 round capacities. Sorry for 40 rounder fans. They stay organized due to foam cutouts that keep the magazines standing up in the can. You can place the magazines in any configuration you desire, facing forwards or backward, ammo down or ammo up. The MTM Tactical Mag Can leaves room between the magazines that you can fit a few 20 round boxes of ammunition, or a cleaning kit, or whatever small accessories you desire. The foam is cut wide enough to accommodate a variety of different magazines of different widths.
The MTM Tactical Mag Can leaves room between the magazines that you can fit a few 20 round boxes of ammunition, or a cleaning kit, or whatever small accessories you desire. The foam is cut wide enough to accommodate a variety of different magazines of different widths.
This Mag can is made entirely from a molded polymer that is durable and lightweight. The MTM Tactical Mag can is also sealed with an O-ring seal that keeps moisture out of the box and keeps your ammo nice and dry. This is an excellent way to store loaded magazines for long-term and safe storage. The MTM Tactical Mag Can has dual latches to ensure the box stayed sealed and isn’t accidentally opened.
Another major advantage is the fact the boxes are stackable. You can pile 60 mags in a convenient corner, loaded and ready. 4 mag cans, 60 magazines and 1800 rounds of ammunition can’t be stored any more efficiently than how it is stored in the MTM Tactical Mag cans.
Alternatively, there is a model that will hold 10 AR-15 magazines and 10 double stack pistol magazines if you want to store it. The MTM Mag cans are cut between the latches and to the left and right of latches for three locking points. These cans go for less than twenty bucks and well worth every penny.
Magpul Mag Assists
Magpul has grown into the premier firearms accessory company. They produce tons and tons of gear for AR-15s, AK 47s, and more. They’ve even introduced a revolutionary adaptable rail system called M-Lok. The entire business started with the Mag assist, aka the Magpul. This simple rubber piece attaches to the bottom of a magazine.
An AR-15 magazine with the Magpul mag assist makes it faster and easier to draw from a magazine pouch. This simple attachment makes the magazine way easier to grip under stress, especially when wearing gloves or when you have sweaty or wet hands. This simple rubber piece of material propelled Magpul to the front line of the firearm accessories world. They are so easy to use and makes such a major difference.
Under stress, the Magpul mag assist can make it more intuitive and less difficult to rapidly change magazines. The Magpul mag assist is a very affordable and simplistic method to greatly improve any AR-15 magazine. These bad boys will stretch to accommodate any magazine on the market.
Magpul Mag Ranger Plates
On the same side of the market is the Magpul Ranger Floorplates. These floor plates utilize the same idea of the Mag assist. The difference is these are designed to replace the floor plate of a Pmag or Emag. The Pmag series by Magpul is the most popular AR-15 magazine on the market so more than likely you already own some. These were revolutionary polymer magazines that changed the AR-15 magazine game completely.
Ranger Floor plates are attached directly to the magazine. This basically a permanent attachment to the magazine. Unlike the Mag assist it cannot slide off, and the only way it can come off is if it breaks or is purposefully removed. The Ranger Plate features an integral loop similar to the Mag assist. This makes it easier draw from a mag pouch and also protects the magazines. When a magazine change occurs and the magazine hits the deck it is protected from shock by the Ranger plate.
Magpod
The Mag pod is probably one of the most simplistic but genius ideas I’ve seen come to the AR-15 market. It’s a cool idea that makes your weapon more effective and easier to use. The Mag Pod is a replacement floor plate for you Magpul Pmags. Swapping your stock base plate with the Mag Pod turns you magazine into an effective monopod. This gadget allows you to put that magazine to work when shooting in multiple positions.
Of course, in the prone position, you can rest the Mag Pod on the ground to stabilize your weapon for long shots. The Mag pod can work in conjunction with any odd angle in the prone position. Once it’s set into the ground it doesn’t shift or react to the recoil of the weapon. The Mag Pod features an aggressive and oversized front hoof for really digging into the ground and stabilizing the platform.
The Mag pod isn’t just for shooting from the prone position, in fact, that’s probably the function you’d use least. Instead, the Mag Pod is perfect for shooting over and on barriers. The aggressive front foot can dig into that barrier and give you a stable shooting platform. The Mag pod really gives you an excellent option for digging into a barrier for a stabilized shot.
Hunters can also make good use of the Mag Pod, Imagine being in the field, rifle ready, deer about a hundred yards away. You can’t get into the prone or even a kneeling position because of high grass. Instead, you carefully place the Mag pod on the first chest height tree branch to stabilize your rifle. Trying to take that shot in the standing would have been difficult. Your
Trying to take that shot in the standing would have been difficult. Your scope would be wobbling as you breathe, you may get a tremor of excitement. However, with the Mag Pod dug into the tree your breathing and that excitement tremor hardly affects your sight picture. The
Mag Pod comes in variations for both Gen 1 and Gen 2 Magpul magazines.
Tap, Rack, Bang
The AR-15 magazine isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. If you make firearms, one sure way to guarantee your 223/5.56 rifle will fail is to use a magazine outside of the AR-15 realm. Certainly, the AR-15 isn’t going anywhere anytime soon and we are guaranteed to see more accessories produced. For the time being, we know the five listed above are well-designed accessories that work.
