Do the new TAPCO and MAGPUL AK47 magazines have metal reinforcement?
Are they junk?
Sorry if its been ask before, I didn't see any threads here..

What dryflash3 said is 100% accurate.

Edit: Also check out SGAmmo.com.

And Korean AK mags are quite good. Steel mags are the best.

 

Haven't the Korean mags earned a crappie reputation? Commie steel works for me.

Commie Steel, I second that emotion!

Some like the Korean 20-rounders, but I've never heard anything positive about the 30-rounders.

Combloc surplus are the best all round, but for day-to-day use I prefer to use Tapcos. They are not steel-reinforced but they're very reliable, light, extremely inexpensive,  and feel better in the hand.

Honestly if I was looking for AK mags right now I'd just order some of the used Eastern European mags that SG Ammo has. I think they are like $8 apiece. Yes, there are lots of cooler mags out there etc...but the standard combloc, 30 round steel magazine simply works and will keep working for a long time.

This. Best advice.

 
This!  Get some to where you're comfortable and then you can venture out into the expensive and never-ending crusade to buy "collectible" magazines.

Bulgarian Circle 10's, pricey these days, but the best.  And, yes they are steel reinforced.

Commie surplus is what you want . Run away from Korean mags and most others

Hate asking what will be to most here an stupid question, but looking at the sites mentioned in this thread, is the general thought stay away from anything polymer? Does someone mind pointing the blind to the comm-block best? Strictly Russian, or who else qualifies? Yugoslavian? Hungarian?

I would actually prefer (but is not a requirement) for 20 round mags, at least some.

Apologize for having the head that seemingly could crack an anvil, but don't want to buy painted over junk. Being used does not bother me at all.

Thanks to anyone who can help.

EDIT: My receiver is an AUSA if that has any bearing on mag selection.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with polymer. A non-reinforced polymer mag won't take the same abuse as a milsurp steel mag, but whether it'll stand up to your use is a different question. If your living on a battlefield then maybe Tapco or Magpul MOE mags aren't for you, but if you're out shooting recreationally they'll be more than adequate.

As far as the source for good milsurp, check out SGAmmo. They've been running a nice offer for a while now: 10 surplus mags for $79.95. They'll be a mix of eastern bloc  (Hungarian, Romanian, Yugoslavian, Polish, etc.) mags and therefore all of good build quality.

When it comes to steel 20-round mags your options are more limited. The Hungarians made 20-round "tanker" mags....and that's pretty much it. More commonly available are South Korean commercial steel mags but the Koreans don't have a very good reputation. Some say the 20s are better than the 30-rounders, but virtually everyone says the 30-rounders are crap. At the end of the day your options are 1) paying $$$$ for Hungarians, 2) risking it on Koreans, 3) sticking with polymer, or 4) making/buying 30-round surplus mags that have been cut-down to 20s.

ETA: there can be a lot of variation from mag-to-mag, even from the same country. Expect that some of your mags, surplus or commercial, may need some slight modification to fit in your receiver.

Lots of guys like poly mags, Circle 10 being best of breed in that class. The cheaper ones are fine for range mags.

For Combloc steel you'll get some slightly differing opinions as to what's the order of best to worst, but in general the lists will be close to the same. Even the worst ones are great solid mags.

My short list (and even it changes)

Russian slabsides
East German
Tie : Chinese flatbacks and Yugos
Russian
Tie; Hungarian and Polish
Romanian

Thanks for explaining the mags. I appreciate the help.