Alternative AR-15 Poly Magazines – Two Options

I’m always on the lookout for new / improved / better AR-15 magazines. I’ve had some really bad experiences will milspec metal mags, and great times with Magpul polymer mags. Still, I’m on the lookout for “the next big thing.”

I’ve been using Amend2 mags for a while now, I bought my first one’s about 3 years ago and run 4 of them in my rotation for my Tavor X95.

The Troy Battlemag is one I’ve been wanting to try for a while now, and I caught them on sale a while back at my local gun shop for $8 a magazine. Troy claims that they were lightn and strong, and that price is very cheap.

The Bontrager Principle

Mountain bike inventor, racer and business owner Keith Bontrager famously talked about bicycles, but his principle holds holds well for almost all products made today: 

Strong, light, cheap, pick two.

The Troy magazine is cheaper than the Amend2, it’s also surprisingly smaller and not surprisingly lighter. How does this play out in my opinions of the two?

The Disclaimer

We don’t have any affiliate links to any products, and I purchased these magazines out of pocket. All views stated here are mine and I have no financial advantage for recommend or dissing anything. 

Let’s Take A Look At The Magazines In Comparison To Each Other

 

 

The Troy Battlemag Blurb

The Troy Battlemag is engineered to function flawlessly with all M4, M16/AR-15, HK416 and FN SCAR rifles and carbines. An aggressive scale pattern provides the ultimate magazine grip in dirty or wet conditions.

A bolstered floor plate is set flush to eliminate the BattleMag from catching on other magazines or creating unnecessary bulk when stacked or pulled from a pouch. An extended floor plate lock is also included, which helps absorb shock when the magazine is dropped free during a reload.

The reinforced feed lips and anti-tilt follower do not require a clamp to keep the feed lips from spreading when kept loaded for extended periods of time.

Made from improved Troy proprietary military-grade, chemical, biological and impact resistant polymer and extensively tested by Special Ops units. Extra mags are always nice to have and you can’t go wrong with a collection of Troy Battlemags.

Features:

• Includes extended floor plate lock
• Reinforced feed lips and anti-tilt follower
• Durable impact resistant polymer with aggressive texture
• Bolstered floor plate
• Compatible with .223 Remington and 5.56 NATO
• Made in the USA

Salty’s Take On Troy Battlemags

I’m of two minds when it comes to Troy Battlemags, because I like several things about them, but while I have no problem using them on the range, I’m not going to put them in any rig that my life depends on.

Why? I don’t trust them to be tough enough to survive harsh environments. I haven’t done torture tests, but they just feel… flimsy… in comparison to the Amend2 rounds and PMags.

For use around the range or out at the place, I actually like them (for the most part).

Pros:

Let me first list both the advantages that these have over most polymer magazines including the Amend2 and the Magpul PMag (the magazine every poly mag is compared to) and also the other great features of the Troy Battlemag.

• The magazines are smaller than other polymer magazines in the class, which means they fit into pouches better
• They come with an extended floor plate grip that’s easy to install, so you can run the mag either way
• Drops free from every gun I’ve tried
• I’ve never had a jam when shooting a Troy Battlemag
• Lightweight
• Very grippy, easy to hold on to.
• Large, rugged magazine well stop
• Often found under $10 on sale.

Cons:

My list of cons is short, but there’s one really big one that I just don’t care for in a “battle reload” type of a situation.

• Not a huge fan of the “no tilt” follower that tilts and doesn’t work all that well… you can see more about this in the pictures I have posted below. No-tilt followers have been around for years, and while the manufacturer claims this magazine is “no tilt…” it tilts. A lot.
• More “flexy” than other polymer magazines
• Harder to load 30 rounds into the magazine than others… 
• It’s happier with 28 rounds loaded than 30. Thirty is a very, very tight fit.

Now let’s take a look at magazine #2, the Amend2

The Amend2 Polymer Mag Blurb

The Amend2 30 round magazine is a sturdy, reliable 5.56×45 NATO (.223 Remington) AR15/M4/M16 magazine made of advance polymer material. It is a light, durable and excellent alternative to the standard M4/M16 USGI aluminum magazine. The magazine comes in a variety of colors including Black, Flat Dark Earth, OD Green and Gray.

Features:

• Sturdy Impact resistance polymer with textured grip
• Anti-tilt super follower
• Heavy duty, non-memory, and non-corrosive stainless steel spring
• Made in the U.S.A.
• Material able to cerakote

Salty’s Take On Amend2 Magazines

I’m also of two minds about the Amend2 magazine for the AR-15… but not as much so as I am with the Troy mag.

Here are some advantages the Amend2 magazine has going for it.

• Tough, rugged and reliable
• Moderately priced
• The anti-tilt follower actually works
• They are good and grippy, and easy to mark if you are using them in competition
• Dropped free from every rifle and carbine that we own.
• Comes in many colors to match your furniture.
• The somewhat gaudy “Made In USA” and “Amend2” logos that run down each side of the magazine actually is part of the grip enhancement.
• Easy to maintain

I have no cons to add to the list… they are reasonably priced, and performed at 100 percent the entire test period.

Conclusions

While I’m not nearly as big of a fan of the Troy Battlemag as I am the Amend2 and the PMag, I am keeping the several that I have and I plan on using them at the range, where they fit into my vest easier than the others do. I also like the pull tabs.

I would “go to battle” with the Amend2’s as well as PMags… but obviously I hope it never comes to that in the first place.

The Naughty List

Both of these magazines are illegal to own in the following states and areas:

• California
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• District of Columbia
• Illinois
• Massachusetts
• Maryland
• New Jersey
• New York