wasn't worth but 25 bucks to someone.

I've never seen one either.  I think M1sniper sent me that pic from a website.  Someone out there probably has one stuffed in a tackle box or behind the seat of the truck and doesn't know it.

If they're rarer than waffle mags and waffles go for $200, Id guess someone would pay $250 - $300, but it might take a while to find that one person.

maybe we can get NDS to make a copy. Let Harlan analyze it and make a copy for sale!

That would take a sizable investment for stamping dies. Doubt there's a market for something that proved problematic way back when.

Without having ever handled let alone function tested or abused an original full curve magazine I would wager that the majority of problems that magazine had were related to poor or weak springs that have plagued all but the latest iterations of GI 30 rounders.  Especially since modern high reliability magazines like the Pmag and Lancer mags have a similar curvature.

+1

Those mags didn't play well with varying magwell dimensions.  Stoner has said he  wished they had designed the ar15 to accept a full curve 30 in the beginning.

Mine fits ok but is a little snug at the top of the magwell.

From what I've heard, the major problem was fitment in lower receivers - they fit okay in some, not so much in others. Rather than revisit their broaching procedures, Colt chose to modify the magazine profile, leading to the carrier tilt issues we saw. Of course, millions of weapons were in service by then, so it kind of makes sense. A fully curved mag should have less problems with jamming, and I don't know that I've heard that they didn't work well...take this picture for example - we've seen a number of welded mags that were used. I can't believe they even worked, but why would a guy running an XM use one unless it worked? REMF maybe? I'm thinking it was a mag like this (that worked) that led Colt to the newer 'bent' design.

The top portion of those homemade mags were standard 20 rounders that fit and function fine.   The top part of the mag it was found needed to be straight.

That's why the next round of 30's after the full curves were straight at the top, like a 20, then curve.

Right. My point is, as Stoner said, they should have designed the magwell differently from the get-go. That would have been a real improvement IMO. It all worked out fine though. Looks like all the welded mags I see are made from approximately  five 20 rounders cobbled together. If I had a MIG and a bandsaw, I think I'd have to try making one. Look at all those Filipino mags like that - they made a lot of them. Why would they if they didn't work? Just thinking while having coffee...

BTW - I have an aftermarket full-curve AR180 mag which Peter_Sam sent me years ago, and which drops free from all my NDS lowers fine. It is missing most of it's finish however. I recently got 3 identical mags from BigRix, but they are in better shape - finish is good. They are ALL so damn tight I have to tug them out. When I get a chance I'm going to 'weather' one and see if it helps. I'm guessing it will.

10-4. I see.

It's kinda funny, maybe not, how tradition held that because rifle ammo came in 20 round box's, that it made sense to have 20 round mags; yet the rooskies had 30's.

That would be the way to go for the full curve look, AR180 mags.  I think the followers and feed lips are pretty similar too.

Yeah, if the originals are anything like the aftermarket mags then, they're probably a bit tight in the mag well.

I have 5 aftermarket ones. 4 of them fit, but need a good push to seat and won't drop free.One of them, you can tell previous owners have been trying to get it to fit, but it doesn't really want to. I haven't had a chance to put any live rounds through any of them but, they did cycle dummy rounds by hand without any problems.

They don't have any problems with my AR-180 but, it seems to have been designed with much looser tolerances than the AR-15s.

Interestingly, Hal, the feed lips on the 180 mags seem to be identical to the early 30s. The followers are the later black plastic though. I almost wonder if they used the same stamping dies.

I'll add my 2 pennies here. I have 5 different vintage lowers. 1 vintage Palmetto, 1 vintage SGW,  3 vintage SP1s. My 4 Colt full curves all fit each receiver in the same way. Meaning all 4 are very tight in 1 SP1 yet all 4 will fit another SP1 just fine. All 4 will fit my Palmetto yet be tight in the SGW. They are unpredictable from receiver to receiver.It appears that the mags themselves are consistant,while lowers are not.

I have thought the same thing. The Ar18 started in 1963 at Armalite.  The earliest record we can find for a ar15 full curve 30 is in a 1965 Gun rag.  The time frame is right.
If Armalite was making 30rd. mags for AR18's as early as 65. then it's possible.  I had kinda thought the AR180 30 rounders came in late 60's, but I don't know.

The more I read about AR180's the more and more I want one, so I refuse to read about them now.

To add to this 30rd curved mag discussion check out a Sterling 30rd mag. There are photos posted in a recent thread re a members Costa Mesa AR180 showing a curved Sterling 30rd mag in comparison to another ArmaLite authentic accessory AR18/180 30rd mag with no markings on the floorplate that isn't curved. I believe Pete Fleis has drawings/specs for a 30rd ArmaLite AR18 mag not sure of the date from the ArmaLite/Costa Mesa original records, he emailed me a copy years ago but it  was lost when switching PCs. It's possible ArmaLite was working on designing/mfg a 30rd mag in the mid 60s in preparation for the Howa AR18 that was mfg in 67 but blocked from export. A small number of shop mags may of been mfg earlier prior to the 30rd unmarked parkerized steel ArmaLite mags mfg in late 69 or 70.

I tried the mag in my NDS 601 lower and it fit decently, a little snug.