I'm looking at Blackdog's website and see two types of magazines, GEN III Magazine and Sonic Weld COLORED magazines. I'm wanting to get some magazines and wanted ya'lls input on your experiences with these magazines before I many of either.
For those that have tried both designs, how do they compare to each other?

All of the 20 Black Dog mags I have are good to go including the 8 32rd mags.

When Black dog started making .22lr magazines the early ones has plastic feed lips, I had issues with those.
All of the ones with metal feed lips have worked perfectly for me.

I think it was the Gen2 mags that plastic lips.

I have several of the early version of the CMMG polymer 22 LR magazines.  CMMG has discontinued this mag but Arms Unlimited is selling basically the same magazine in a different color.  In my experience I’ve had good reliability and service with the various BDM and CMMG mags.  The biggest disadvantage of the CMMG mag is basically they only offered the 25 or ten round magazine in the same length mag body.  BDM has produced many versions and colors of mags over the years

Here is a picture of three 22 LR 25 round mags from left to right, Black Dog Machine smoke color X form with steel feed lips, CMMG with gray body and green follower and the magazine sold by Arms Unlimited with orange follower.




I've been using Black Dog Machine magazines and have tested some of his early prototypes.   The latest Black Dog magazines, Sonic Weld, are really good mags.  I have both steel lip versions and the nylon feed lip version.   I find no real functional difference between the twenty five round CMMG polymer magazine and the BDM twenty five round mags.   Black Dog Machine (BDM) offer more varieties in different capacities.

I don’t own any of the thirty two round BDM mags pictured below.  I do own the Colt/DPMS version of this magazine.  My 32 round mags function reliably and have loading assist tabs which many people prefer.   The only disadvantage to the 32 round BDM magazine is the longer length and higher price.



Here is a picture where the left magazine is a ten round DPMS Gen 1 22 LR mag, middle 32 round DPMS/Colt pattern mag and a Gen 2 BDM all polymer 25 round mag.  This picture illustrates the size difference between the BDM 32 round mag and the current BDM 25 round mags.



Here is another picture to give you an idea of the different size BDM mags.  There are newer versions of the BDM but the overall size are virtually the same.  From left to right BDM 32 round, BDM 25 round, BDM 15 round, 5.56/223 20 round aluminum mag, ten round DPMS gen 1 ten round mag.

I have no affiliation with any vendor or producer of AR-15 products.  I’m just an old guy who has been addicted to AR-15’s and rimfire firearms.  I bought five of the Arms Unlimited twenty five round mags pictured above.  The Arms Unlimited mags are currently $10 each and are decent mags.   I have about thirty various AR-15 22 LR mags of different capacities and manufacture and I use them all.

Many forum users like having a fully functional bolt catch.  The BDM and CMMG/Arms Unlimited mags use a bolt hold open follower (BHO).  On the last round the follower rises to keep the bolt from closing on an empty chamber.  When you remove the magazine the bolt goes completely closed.  The BHO follwer saves wear and tear on firing pins and the rim of the barrel and chamber.  I ruined a DPMS Gen 1 barrel when ten round mags were the only mags available with no BHO follower or functional bolt catch.  Repeatedly dropping the hammer on an empty chamber wore out the chamber end of the DPMS barrel.

Many forum members use the Booney Packer Better Mag Adapter (BMA).  The BMA gives the CMMG pattern 22 LR AR-15 a fully functional bolt catch just like the centerfire AR-15.   The BMA is designed to work with S&W 15-22 mags.  Another option for fully functional bolt catch is the catch 22.  There are two versions of the Catch 22.   One version of the Catch 22 replaces the centerfire mag catch dedicating the lower to 22 rimfire the Second version Catch 22 sits on top of the 5.56/223 bolt catch.   Right to bear sell the Catch 22 and Brownell’s plus other vendors sell the BMA.


https://armsunlimited.com/au-25-round-.22lr-conversion-kit-magazine/

Catch 22 can be ordered directly from Catch 22 web site.

https://www.righttobear.com/catch22-bolt-catch-for-22lr-catch22/

Brownell’s BMA

https://www.brownells.com/gun-parts/rifle-parts/rifle-caliber-conversion-kits/ar-

NVM

I prefer 15-22 mags and the BMA.  Otherwise, the new nylon feed lip BDM mags are great as well.  The new metal feed lip mags are hit or miss on feed angle.

I wish they'd update their Mini-14/AC556 .22 mags like they have the AR style mags. The mini versions are brittle and don't last for shit.

I cracked a bunch of their 25rd screwed together mags, they sent me the sonic welded ones as replacements they state these are supurior to the screwed together type. They have worked fine now for over a year. They even sent me replacements for ones that were cracked but still worked

The gen3 BDM magazines are the best I've used for running a .22lr upper on a Colt M16a1 in full auto.
Running full auto means loading lots of mags and the loading tab greatly decreases reloading time.
And no mag adapter to fool with.

Close second in my experience in the cheap Chiappa M4 22 magazine.
They used to be available and cheap, but have recently dried up and gone up in price.


RCA

If you plan to use a McFadden speed loader, from what their website says (per link below), the Gen3 uses a different adapter than the Gen2, and some grinding is needed also.  FWIW, I just load the Gen3's using its thumb assist, and load the older BDM mags and other brand mags with the McFadden speed loader.
https://www.mcfaden.com/product-p/coltm4-adapteronly.htm
Good luck.
MHO, YMMV, etc.

Thanks all ya'll for the input.

Yesterday my package arrived with two Blackdog 25 round sonic Weld mags and 2 32 round mags.

Last month I picked up 2 CMMG 25 round mags.

Next month I'll try them out at a range day at a Men's weekend.

I'll look more into that McFaden device after some over time money comes in. It looks like a good investment to save reloading time.

I’ve been using the AOA, CMMG and BD mags without any problems.  Within the last year I’ve upgraded to a transferable and the only problem I’ve encountered was worn out springs from use in the semis.  I’ve tried the steel lipped mags and found them to be unreliable.
I’ll also add that the BDM mags for the Uzi are super reliable.  When they were first introduced, I had a few of them split at the seams after a ton of use.  BDM warrantied them and replaced them.  I think they have their welding process down.
Whatever you decide, get the replacement springs from Brownells, or wherever, and replace them when you have feeding problems.  Note: I didn’t have any feeding problems in semiauto.  Going to f/a cyclic rates really lets you know how finicky spring rates matter.

My experience on full auto with these types of magazines is to not load more than 20 or 22 rounds in the magazine.
The more rounds you put in the magazine, the more friction in pushing up the rounds and results in slowing down presentation for the first few rounds.

The rate of fire is such that often times, the magazine cannot present the rounds fast enough through the single position feed on these magazines.


Of course with individual setups with bolts, operating springs, receivers, magazines and their accompanying springs, can result in tolerance stacking etc. which means every setup is unique, and what works well for one gun, not so much in another, so YMMV.


RCA