I currently don't own an AKM type rifle but plan on buying one in the nearish future. I want to pick up some 30 round mags ahead of time.

I'm looking on AIM surplus and am torn between ordering the Magpul MOE mags or the polish surplus steel ones they have.

They are about the same price, and I know magpul makes great stuff. I'm looking to buy 8 mags.

Which one of these would you go with? Any other sites/mags I should consider?

Thanks

I'm sure magpul are fine,
but I love the original mags the best.

Steel. No question. Not even close.

The answer is almost always steel unless you're looking at the quality polymer with steel reinforcements.

Other than weight, surplus steel is superior in every way. And frankly, when fully loaded, the difference in weight is negligible. For everyday shooting I tend to gravitate towards my polymer mags because they're a bit easier to load and feel better in the hand. I also buy a lot of them because they're so inexpensive and reliable. But I'm also keenly aware that I have that luxury because I've got a large stash of surplus steel mags, so I'm spoiled for choice. If I had to choose only one type it would, hands down, be surplus steel.

-Magpul MOE mags: fine for hunting and target, but wouldn't trust my life with them since there's no metal reinforcement

-Magpul M3 steel reinforced mags: very nice and fitment seems better than steel in some AKs, maybe not all - but then again steel doesn't fit all well either. A little pricey...

-Commercial steel AK mags (Bulgarian, Polish, Croatian): these are hit and miss. Some fit great, but about 10-20% have fitment issues. This is my experience only and yours may be different. Best bet is to buy them from reputable seller that will allow returns on those with issues.

-Combloc steel mags: tough as hell, generally fit good with a little wobble but who cares. Price is hard to beat. If you're lucky enough to find them new or in excellent condition, these are the best bang for the buck.

-Refurbished Combloc mags: I've seen them from various origins and my experience has been a bad one so I avoid them at all cost because you never know what you are going to get. Rust, thick or poor paint, grind marks, dents, etc.... and who knows what condition the springs are in.

I'd recommend buying one of each and see which one fits best.

No doubt both will function but I've got some Korean 20s that operate fine but don't lock up smoothly so I really don't use them much.

Each country's magazines are just a little different, Romanian surplus fit my WASR & Draco best but Bulgarians are a little tight. Nothing that can't be fixed with a file.

I have a mix of poly & steel mags, overall I prefer the steel mags but I use the poly mags for shooting corrosive ammo or if I think I might lose one in the weeds. They're cheap and easily replaced.

As good as the Magpul MOEs are, I'll occasionally see the Tapcos on sale for like 7 or 8 bucks. That's a good price for a 'disposable' mag. My Tapcos haven't given me any problems either.

I'd try a Yugo BHO mag as well, I don't really care much for the last round hold open but others do, and the Yugos are solid mags.

As others have said, buy steel.  And make it 10.  Later you'll order another 10, then another 10, then another 10.

Curious, how come Magpul polymer rules the Ar world and number 1 recommended. Way more durable than metal ones. Yet in the Ak world, everyone says get the metal ones ?

Seems to me that in order to get the good Magpuls with metal reinforcement, you have to pay more than $20 each. Where you can get surplus steel cheaper and they're stronger.

AR metal mags are aluminum, not steel, so poly wins. Magpul AR mags are cheap

Lots of AK folks like to stay with combloc mags for that authentic look. Heck most still like wood furniture or what came on their AK originally, if that tells you anything.

ignore. Double post.

This would be because of the design of the magwells and retention systems of the different platforms. The AR mag slips into a 3-4in long mag well so any force delivered to the magazine is distributed along a large surface area.

The AK magwell is comparatively much smaller and the retention system is the tab on the front and rear of the mag. When you exert forwards or backward force on the AK mag, it will transfer most of it to those tabs. If those tabs are plastic them they will most likely break. Most polymer mags have plastic tabs like the Magpul gen1 mags. The Magpul gen 2 and US Palm mags have metal inserts for the front and back tabs.

Magpul ain't got nothing on Combloc steel.

Hipster mentality.

Magpul is a big, wildly popular company, originally specializing in ARs, that makes modern parts using cutting edge technology.

Many AK guys tend to be traditionalists who find charm in scraping the cosmline off some old steel magazines made by preteens in some Eastern European commie country during the Cold War.

This will make sense when you get an AK.

Because the locking style of an AK is very tough on mags at the locking points if not made from metal. The original design all polymer AK mags did have failures at the locking points. Its why the steel reinforced were made, but they also cost more than surplus combloc mags. In the case of any AR the mag locking is different and there for there is nothing wrong will polymer.

I agree with the above posts, I would buy combloc if available over all others. I had one 40rd Bulgarian that the follower was out of spec, I ended up buying some aftermarket followers and it has worked great ever since.

There's no standard spec for AK mag wells. With two identical guns one may have a tight well and another is sloppy.

I think the post that lists and describes the pluses and minuses of various mag types is right on.

Best to see what works/fits best in your individual rifle.

Maybe we need an AK mag buyers guide like we have for the rifles themselves, that's a very helpful thread, and this question about mags gets asked fairly often.

OP:

Plastic is shite.

Best AK mags in general:

1. Russian slabsides, baddest mags ever made for anything. 1mm tanks.
2. East German, finest .75 mm stamped mags ever made.
3. Yugos, well made in every way
4. Tie: Chinese, Polish, Hungarian, Russian
5. Romanian

Maybe get a couple magpul for range mags.
But all my ak mags are steel

No, no, no. Metal AR mags are made out of paper-thin aluminum, so polymer is much stronger. Surplus AK mags are made out of steel thicker than your car's door, so metal is much stronger.

If all surplus AK mags were all made from aluminum I promise you everyone would be buying polymer.

FYI, the polish steel mags may or may not be in the best condition. You are buying a surplus mag and they are not sorted or sold by condition like other surplus vendors do.

I bought probably 40 and I can say half had dents that interfered with follower travel, most had quite a bit of rust inside that needs to be cleaned up, and 1/3 didn't have the spring correctly installed on the follower and floor plates where backwards. I still have half of them sitting on my bench after 5 months because it takes 30-45 each to fully clean them up.

They work great when cleaned up and was great for buying as pre-election insurance, but now that we won't have magazine bans for the foreseeable future I would gladly spend more money to save myself the time.