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REAR GUARD esanow@hendonpub.com AR Mags Are Disposable! By Richard Hecht I Guest Editorial A ccording to the U.S. Army Field Manual 23-9 M16A1 and M16A2, AR-15 rife magazines are a disposable item. Why we seem to fall in love with them, even after they���ve done us wrong is beyond understanding. Going back just 15 years, aluminum GI mags and just a few semi-unreliable polymer mags were the only types on the market. We had not yet realized our magazines are just as important as the type of ammo we use. Te advancement of many frearms accessories has all changed since the attacks in 2001. Te selection of AR magazines today allows the buyer numerous choices. Traditional military-issue aluminum? Aluminum with enhanced internal parts? All steel materials? Polymer copies of the GI design? Enhanced polymer magazines? How about a magazine that extends in the middle, allowing the choice of holding 30 or 45 rounds? Regardless of what magazines you use, do the following. Mark your magazines with your initials or a unit number as you don���t want to mistakenly end up with the magazine your buddy accidentally (or on purpose) dropped or discarded. Also, mark your magazines so you can tell them apart, like A,B,C or 1,2,3. On aluminum magazines, you can use a permanent marker and on polymer magazines, you can scratch numbers into them with a knife tip. Model paint can also be used, but it is prone to chipping. After a malfunction caused by a magazine, try to induce the same thing to happen. If the magazine creates a second malfunction, the same type as the frst one or something diferent (even at a later date,) take it out of duty service and mark it with a big ���T��� for training only. Since there is no fx for bent or worn feed lips, use your big duty boots to monkey stomp the magazine into the ground or drive over them with your car. No rebuilding it with new parts, no selling it to your cheap buddy. Destroy it so it doesn���t get someone killed and throw it out. Tat���s Tough Love! Cleaning an AR magazine is something that should be done only as needed. Routinely taking them apart can cause unnecessary damage. If your mags are exposed to extreme wet or dust and dirt, use a dry cloth to wipe them of. A stif toothbrush can also be used to get into the crevices. After reassembling the magazine, load it with a dummy round and make sure it both feeds correctly and will allow the AR bolt to lock back when empty. Never use oil on your magazines or their internal parts. Should 30-round magazines be downloaded to 29 or 28 rounds? Maybe, but only if the fully loaded magazine cannot be easily locked into place with the AR���s bolt fully forward. Many of the newer polymer magazines are specifcally engineered to allow for it to be seated on a closed bolt with 30 rounds. Original-style GI mags were designed to be loaded into the AR with an open bolt after all of the previous rounds had been fred. Tere simply isn���t enough room in the body for the compression of 30 rounds in many of them, to allow it to be fully seated on a closed bolt, which forces the rounds down into the magazine body. If you download a magazine from its full capacity, also mark the new amount on the body. For the cost of a week���s worth of cofee, you can buy a couple of well-engineered, quality-built magazines. Do that a couple times a year and you should have no problems at all. Richard Hecht has been a deputy sheriff since 1991. He served 11 years with his department���s SWAT Team, has been a member of the frearms training cadre since 2004, and currently serves in the Patrol Division. Hecht served four years with the 2/75 Ranger Battalion and participated in Operation Just Cause in 1989. He may be reached at rich275rgr@ msn.com. Ed Sanow I Editorial Director Editorial Director Ed Sanow is an active member of a multi-regional SWAT team. He remains on the cutting edge of technology and industry trends by participating in monthly training activities and conferences. He can be reached at esanow@hendonpub.com. Te strong have a duty to protect the weak. ��� George W. Bush To post your comments on this story, please visit www.trmagonline.com 62 Tactical Response Mar-Apr 2013