Mini 14 Magazines

I've noticed several posts that say "stay with OEM metal magazines" in your mini 14's. My question is what specifically is wrong with the polymer ones ? I'm not disputing the metal ones are better, just trying to understand what makes the others not so good.

I can't remember the specific problems folks have had with aftermarket Mini mags. Just know I've heard the stories as long as I've been a member here.

Got my first Mini 14 about a year ago. It's an older one that some say aren't the most accurate of the bunch. It came with 2 or 3 factory mags and they work great. Another member here had 4 or 5 used factory mags for sale and I bought those too.

That's a long-winded way of saying that I trust the knowledge and experience provided by members here. And I know factory mags work great so ….. why risk it and take a chance on aggravation?

I have 2 pro-mag 10 round mags steel. And 2 pro-mag 20 round polymer. They work fine.

seitz 555 said:

... My question is what specifically is wrong with the polymer ones ? ...

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IN MY EXPERIENCE (big caveat there ;-), there was absolutely nothing wrong with the dozen or so Ram-Line polymer mags I used in three different Mini-14s, back in the 1990s. I put thousands of rounds through them without a single hiccup. At the time, one of my friends was using Thermold mags in his Mini-14, and he had no problems whatsoever with those, either. Other people claim that mags from both of those manufacturers are fill-in-the-blank-with-your-favorite-derogatory-term.

I suspect it may all depend on the specific combination of magazine, firearm, ammunition, operator, etc.

As always, IMHO, FWIW, YMMV, etc., etc.

Back in the day it was the metal aftermarkets that caused problems. Precision brand and factory mags were good many others not so much. As far as plastics Thermolds we're always pretty good. Pro mags on the newer aftermarket metals seem good now for me also. No experience on the others .

protoolman said:

Back in the day it was the metal aftermarkets that caused problems. Precision brand and factory mags were good many others not so much. As far as plastics Thermolds we're always pretty good. Pro mags on the newer aftermarket metals seem good now for me also. No experience on the others .

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This ^. I have one mini, a couple brothers in law have had multiple minis for many years. Several years they cationed me that some of the metal aftermarket mags had issues. I found that to be absolutely true as I have some of them. They don't fit well, have that familiar "click" and can cause all sorts of headaches.

I admit to know nothing about polymer mags for minis as I have none of them.

I bought the Mini in the 80's and bought every after market mag there was. maybe 10 different makers and not one ever jammed. I even had the ramline plastic mag that could be used in the Mini and an AR that never jammed

The only thing worse in my experience than an off brand mini-14 magazine was a mini-30 one. I have to clarify that I have not shot either rifle in close to 10 years and so there may be good ones out there now. My rule back then for any magazine was if the company can't put its name on it then it is for sure trash.

I have had a few Mini 14's over the years.
All of them worked fine with factory magazines.
Aftermarket mags were hit and miss , mainly miss.
I have never found an aftermarket magazine that would work consistently in a Mini 14.
Stick with factory magazines and you will be better off.

I've tried nearly everything out there, with a few different mini's over the years. The problem with mag compatibility seems to be because of the build quality, and loose factory specifications of the mag-well area of the mini 14. Also, the front mag attachment point is different on the mini, especially the early 181+ series between the standard model, and the ranch model. That said, there were also issues of quality and specifications between the different aftermarket mag manufacturers.

Ramline - generally fit and worked well with all my minis, with the exception that bolt hold open after the last round usually didn't work.

Eagle - these plastic mags were visually thicker than most of the rest. Would fit and function in a standard model, but not a ranch model.

Federal Ordnance - These metal mags fit and functioned well in standard model mini's and about half of the Ranch models. These mags were a little thicker than factory mags, but not as thick as the Plastic Eagle mags. The metal quality of there mags were better than most others.

Precision Magazine Inc. ( PMI), and "American" brand magazine. When Federal Ordnance went out of business, these two companies were their successors, and the magazine quality stayed the same.

"Original Equipment", (OE) mags. - These are not factory Ruger mags, but are sold by CDNN. The build quality is very good, and they will fit and function well in most mini 14's. The problem with these magazines is that the green follower has a somewhat gritty texture, that will cause some failure to feed issues. Replace with a factory Ruger follower ( from Midway) and these magazines work 100%.

Pro-mag - current production promags seem to fit and function well with my mini's. Replacing the follower for a Ruger follower helps with reliability with these mags. The problem with promags is that their build quality has varied widely over the years. When the 1994 federal "assault weapon's", and magazine capacity bans were in the process of being passed, pro-mag was going into overdrive putting out crappy 30 round mags for the mini 14. They had straight bend lips on top, rather than the usual rounded feed lips. Avoid these rush job pro-mags like the plague.
Current production Pro-Mags are decent quality once the follower has been replaced. Avoid buying used pro-mags, or Gun Show Pro-mags.

National Magazine Co. - These metal mags are often sold by online sellers. These are about the same quality as the Rush Job pro mags. Save yourself time and heartache. Avoid at all costs. These are bottom of the barrel junk.