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Posted: 6/26/2026 2:32:57 PM EDT
[Last Edit: kobren][Edited]
| Browsing the net I ran into a post re a new old stock 30rd OKAY magazine for both the AR-15 /AR-18 with a factory wrapper that says it was a repack in 1988. The post included 5 photos of the magazine and wrapper with info on the attached label. Many years ago I was purchasing large quantities of magazines, AR-15/AR-18/Mini 14 and vaguely remember purchasing two dozen new old stock OKAY 30rd mags in sealed factory wrappers for the AR-15/AR-18 from a pawn shop in Miami FL, might of been in the 1980s but uncertain. I sold all of the OKAY mags with no negative feedback re function. Both this mag and the two dozen I purchased were professionally done, not a basement project. Wondering at what time point items require a repack, assume it might have to do with the life expectancy of the packaging. Leads me to believe the mags were mfg some years earlier than 1988. Have no photo hosting service, if there is interest maybe someone can help me out with posting the photos. |
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Email me the pics and I'll post them for you. [email protected] |
citizen vigilante in the making
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Originally Posted By PGT_0673: Is the rear spine modified? The insertion tab if memory serves It looks like the follower is also modded and the insertion tab is either flatten or it was never die in the body during stamping. Never, knew that Okay Industries had made some dual use magazines. I knew that the Ram-line mags made them for triple use and it sort of worked in my AR180 when I had those mags. Had isuses with follower being to high for early BHO activation or the tight magazine insertion. |
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i was sent one when i bought some other mags. It was an Okay mag also with the 180 slit. Well loved. Thread I put a new follower and spring in it, then tossed it in storage for another day. |
| I did a little more digging and the NSN stock number is for items that were purchased by the US military and/or US Federal agencies. Further I remembered a similar AR15/AR18 magazine and polycraft package I have that came with a Costa Mesa CA AR-180. The package was for a M16/AR15/AR180 magazine assembly dated 1969 but it had a DWG number which I was informed was related to the U S Army. Later confirmed the magazine/package originated from ArmaLite Costa Mesa CA. A few AR15 members have the same magazine and package, one member even had an unopened package. Of note these 30rd parked steel magazines have no markings on the baseplate. Leads me to wonder why the US Military or Federal agency needed magazines with a magazine catch for both the AR15 and AR18/180. |
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That's not a real NSN. It's not even the correct NSN format. This is commercial production meant to appear like a military item. Whoever converted it (Okay?) did a nice job. The overinsertion tab looks to have been pressed flat prior to anodizing which would lead me to believe it was Okay. The slot looks good and the follower seems notched correctly. But this is from what you can tell from the limited pics. At the end of the day, it's a nice converted mag... The unmarked steel mag Kobren refers to is the original ArmaLite constant curve 30, which is one of the earliest 30 round AR mags. Rare and much more desirable than any converted AR mag. If you put a constant curve ArmaLite or Colt mag next to a modern 30 round mag like this one, they look very much different. Pic front @crazynoto current ad- Attached File |
| MASP7 thanks for your expert opinion re the OKAY 30rd AR15/AR18 mag, it all adds up. By the mid 1980s ArmaLite was just doing warranty work, repairs and selling parts from a greatly diminished stock. Rifles, magazines and other accessories were pretty much all sold. John McGerty ArmaLite's long-time office and production manager was operating the business under TimberlineHawk. Likely some distributor seeing the need for AR180 mags asked OKAY to mfg the AR15/AR180 mags. No doubt the OKAY AR15/AR180 mag is of excellent quality and function but as MASP7 says it falls in the aftermarket category and doesn't deserve the much higher price of an original factory ArmaLite 30rd mag. |
| Norinko I once had a sizable collection of aftermarket AR-180 mags, the Threshold were fine for the range, PMI and Federal Ordinance were excellent and according to Pete Fleis who has the ArmaLite office records Federal Ordinance was the subcontractor for the Costa Mesa CA mags. |
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Originally Posted By kobren: Norinko I once had a sizable collection of aftermarket AR-180 mags, the Threshold were fine for the range, PMI and Federal Ordinance were excellent and according to Pete Fleis who has the ArmaLite office records Federal Ordinance was the subcontractor for the Costa Mesa CA mags. Is Peter still alive? I am wondering if he or his family still has some AR180 parts. |
| Re Pete Fleis last time I spoke with him on the phone a couple years ago he stated the remaining parts he was keeping for AR-18 class 3 builds but I suspect he occasionally picks up additional parts when he has the opportunity. I've referred a few AR-180 owners in recent years looking for parts to Pete and he has managed to accommodate them. Worst he can say is there are none available. He did mention he had some takeoff barrels. Also years ago he expertly converted some mags like the OKAY to AR-18/180 for me. He has a jig set up and they turned out to function as good as any factory ArmaLite mag. Checking my old photo files I found photos of my OKAY AR-15/180 30rd mags that I resold. |
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