Current Brownells magazine quality?

[17K]

Does anyone know if the aluminum mags Brownells sells are good?

I liked their contract mags, but I don't know if they're still the same quality since they haven't had a contract in years.

The mags they had before the mil contract were C-Products if I remember right.


https://www.brownells.com/magazines/rifle-magazines/magazines/ar-15-magazine-5-56mm-prod127641.aspxhttps://www.brownells.com/magazines/rifle-magazines/magazines/ar-15-magazine-5-56mm-prod127641.aspx

[AO777]

Not to take your thread off topic OP but I was looking at the same mags and ended up grabbing some OKAY Surefeeds from primary arms. Same price..

[Mrgunsngear]

Does anyone know if the aluminum mags Brownells sells are good?

I liked their contract mags, but I don't know if they're still the same quality since they haven't had a contract in years.

The mags they had before the mil contract were C-Products if I remember right.


https://www.brownells.com/magazines/rifle-magazines/magazines/ar-15-magazine-5-56mm-prod127641.aspxhttps://www.brownells.com/magazines/rifle-magazines/magazines/ar-15-magazine-5-56mm-prod127641.aspx

They're good to go with the anti-tilt follower

[Pappabear]

Not to take your thread off topic OP but I was looking at the same mags and ended up grabbing some OKAY Surefeeds from primary arms. Same price..

That is probably your answer, but the Brownells mags should be GTG. Have been given good ratings for some time now YMMV.

PB

[CrowCommand]

I've got a half dozen that I run in my 11.5". 2500-3k rounds to date, with no malfs.

[markm]

The Brownells mags I've had in the past have had some sloppy dimensions in the bodies, but none of them ever malfed on my. I used to get them because the came with the brown/tan finish.

[fred]

I have had some issued a few years back that had the feed lips too far apart-lots of double feeds on brand new mags, for a lot of the guys not just me... maybe it was a bad lot that I got several from on different occasions, I don't know. I am sure they are generally OK but for a few more bucks there are way better options out there.

[RHINOWSO]

Probably fine, but when you can get OKAY / D&H for $10-12, I have to ask the question why bother with them?

[Mr McSimon]

Probably fine, but when you can get OKAY / D&H for $10-12, I have to ask the question why bother with them?

I thought Brownell's mags were D&H, just branded (like PSA mags).

[Diamondback]

I thought Brownell's mags were D&H, just branded (like PSA mags).

Last I knew Brownells, BCM, DSG and Palmetto were all D&H. Wish I had the budget to snag a case-lot from BCM... $8 each by the hundred-count is almost as good as Palmetto's best sales for anyone who has the liquidity. I thought about proposing a group buy on these at a local site, but the owner's still trying to recover from a batch of custom-engraved site-logo lowers he took a bath on a few years ago.

[sig1473]

I thought Brownell's mags were D&H, just branded (like PSA mags).

Nope, Brownell's have their own cage code. Mags are stamped 12238
https://www.govcagecodes.com/?code=12238&company=#results

[26 Inf]

Last I knew Brownells, BCM, DSG and Palmetto were all D&H.

No, been manufactured by Brownells for years, here's something I posted on the subject a couple years ago:

https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?187341-So-who-makes-USGI-Magazines-for-Brownells

They have had several contracts to build USGI Mags. The mags they sell on their site are made on that equipment. Here is kind of a timeline:

Brownells Steps-Up Production Capabilities With Launch of Brownells Manufacturing

Brownells® officials today announced the launch of Brownells Manufacturing. Intended to streamline the production of the Brownells-branded products sold by its sister company, Brownells, Inc., Brownells Manufacturing will also offer its engineering expertise and manufacturing capacity to other companies in the gun industry.

“Brownells Manufacturing grew out of our recent competition for, and successful acquisition of a significant contract to supply the U.S. Military with high-capacity magazines for M16 and M4 rifles,” said John Feeley, general manager of Brownells Manufacturing. “Through the process of acquiring the military magazine contract, we recognized the immense potential that exists to leverage our engineering and manufacturing expertise to the benefit of products in the Brownells line, as well as the products of companies that utilize Brownells Manufacturing services. “By partnering with Brownells Manufacturing, companies have the freedom to design truly unique new products, and rely on our engineering, sourcing and manufacturing expertise to get them produced within established cost and time guidelines, with quality that reflects Brownells’ goal of 100-percent customer satisfaction,” Feeley added.

Brownells Manufacturing pairs Feeley with Brownells veteran Tim Dillon, who also leads the company’s Military/Law Enforcement group. Beyond its duties supplying the U.S. Military with high-capacity magazines, Feeley says Brownells Manufacturing will also initially focus on bringing a number of new Brownells-branded products into production for M4 and M16/AR-15 rifles, 1911 handguns, and other firearms frequently utilized by law enforcement and military personnel.

Brownells® Secures Contract To Supply Military With M16 Magazines

Brownells® announced today that it has entered into a contract to supply the United States military with more than 336,000 high-capacity 30-round magazines for M16 rifles in 2006, with an option to extend the contract for up to two additional years.

“30-round M16 magazines are the single most backordered item in the military today,” said Tim Dillon, manager of the Brownells Military/Law Enforcement group. “With this contract, we can help the military meet this incredible demand for high-capacity M16 magazines, and the selection of Brownells for this contract proves that the performance and reliability of our magazines is the best available.”

Brownells also offers civilian versions of their M16 magazines to the public in 20- and 30-round models that are suitable for use in civilian AR-15s. Sharing many of the attributes of their military counterparts, including a welded and heat-treated aluminum body, improved green MIL-STD follower and hard-anodized dry lube finish, Dillon says the civilian-version magazines give up nothing in terms of performance to the military models. Brownells stock numbers for the civilian verssion magazines are:

078-000-107 – 30-round AR-15/M16 Magazine w/Chrome Silicon spring
078-000-113 – 30-round AR-15/M16 Magazine w/MIL-STD spring
078-000-106 – 20-round AR-15/M16 Magazine w/Chrome Silicon spring
078-000-132 – 20-round AR-15/M16 Magazine w/MIL-STD spring

The U.S. military is scheduled to take delivery of its first batch of Brownells M16 magazines in May, 2006, with additional shipments scheduled to follow on a monthly basis.

Brownells Begins Delivering On 30-Round Magazine Contract

Brownells has just completed the first successful, live fire test of their military contract, M4/M16 magazine with the latest follower design. “The new follower is quite a bit different than the green follower that has been around for many years. I’m delighted, and not at all surprised, that our magazine team was able to make a major change and build a mag that ran properly, the first time out,” said company CEO Frank Brownell. Brownell continued, “The government’s new follower was designed to increase weapon reliability for the guys and gals who put their lives on the line, everyday, to protect us.”

Following the test, Brownells delivered the first lot of 60,000 magazines as part of the contract for 1.4 million magazines they were awarded in March of 2009. The current magazine contract is Brownells second, the first for 330,000 was completed in September of 2007

Company President, Pete Brownell shed a bit of light on the testing process, “Every one of the test magazines has to function with 100% reliability, the first time. You don’t get to try again and if one mag fails, the entire lot has to be destroyed. Ours passed the test and I’m very proud of everyone involved.”

And some posts from Brownells on TOS:

Gents,

Any tan follower mags that you see for sale fell off the proverbial truck. We are not permitted to offer them for sale under the terms of the contract, and neither is anyone else that produces that magazine. We are aware that there are some out there, as is the Army CID.

The very first test lot had one magazine that wasn't to spec, and that entire lot is still here, but will probably be destroyed at some point. There have been zero failures in testing since then, and no reject mags. Soo...no rejects have ever left here. Our commercial magazines use exactly the same bodies as the new M4 improvement mags, and in fact, we provided green follower mags under contract at one point prior to the tan follower mag contract. The green follower magazines have the same testing performance. Zero failures. Current purchasing under the contract has wrapped up for now, but we are still making the same mag bodies to the same specs, and they will pass the same tests.

There is a lot of QC that goes into these mags, and they are not re-branded from another magazine company. Made right here in Iowa.

CS may offer you longer spring life, and should, based on metallurgy, and SS should offer more corrosion resistance, but I've never seen either spring wear out.

The other thing is the guarantee. If, at any point, forever, you are unhappy with anything you purchase from us, for any reason, send it back, and we'll send you a new one or a refund.

ETA: I have about a half gross of them at this point, completely happy.

Last edited by 26 Inf; 08-11-16 at 09:35.