Give me your Opinion on the Black Thermold Magazines ?

AR-15 » Magazines

AR Sponsor:

Site Notices

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Give me your Opinion on the Black Thermold Magazines ?

Posted: 5/14/2003 5:27:42 AM EDT

Please let me know your Opinion on the Black Thermold Magazines?

I have a bunch of them and they Feed Great,work great, dont' scratch the Mag wells on the guns pulling them in and out and look better than any of the USGI mags in my Black AR15's because they match the guns perfect !!

My only problem is that the Feeder lips have to be sanded a hair to latch nice in the Bushmaster's.

Just my thoughts on the Thermolds.

Let me know how you guys feel about the Thermold's? Like them or Hate them ?

Posted: 5/14/2003 6:01:03 AM EDT

[#1]

Like 'em alot. I've had zero reliability problems. I have Mostly USGI, then Thermolds and a few of the english steel mags. Like 'em all.

Posted: 5/14/2003 11:32:33 AM EDT

[#2]

Thermolds used to be standard Canadian military issue, but they were simply not reliable or rugged enough for combat use, and the Canadians now use USGI-type aluminum mags, despite their increased cost relative to the Thermolds.

What does this mean to you? It means that they're fine for range use, but I strongly recommend that you don't count on them for duty/defensive use. Buy accordingly.

-Troy

Posted: 5/14/2003 11:33:23 AM EDT

[#3]

My primary mags[:D]. I keep reading posts about feedlips cracking and other horror stories, but I just fired a Thermold last Monday, that had been fully loaded for over a year, and ir was fine. I do have to thin the rib at the center a bit, to fit my Rock River lower, but that's because Rock River doesn't chamfer the bottom of their mag openings deeply enough. They work fine "as issued" in my Colt.

Justwish I could find a few more at a decent price.

Posted: 5/15/2003 4:26:50 AM EDT

[#4]

I have no problems at all with my 20 rounders.
Would love to find more of them.

Posted: 5/15/2003 4:38:35 AM EDT

[#5]

None of my FOURTEEN thermolds (READ: Mag whore) have any problem working in my RRA. I didn't have to sand or scrape anything.

Love them better than USGI.

I'm curious though, do they take USGI replacement springs?

Posted: 5/18/2003 1:25:23 PM EDT

[#6]

i had fired 500 rounds yesterday thru mine with no problems at all
I think the earlier number for thermolds didnt fit
mine fit without any mods no sanding
just pop them in give them a whack release the bolt and bang!!!

Posted: 5/18/2003 1:41:29 PM EDT

[#7]

They work good, no probs for me.

Posted: 5/18/2003 8:42:59 PM EDT

[#8]

All of mine work great...20, 30, 30/45, and the orange thermolds (after 10 minutes with a pocket knife).

Posted: 5/20/2003 3:11:20 PM EDT

[#9]

I have a 20-round Thermold mag. It feeds flawlessly, but it has never held the bolt back after the last shot. Not once. Swapping followers had no effect. My USGI mags fail to hold the bolt back only about 5% of the time, maybe less now that I think about it. I have an ArmaLite, and I've read that they're made a little tighter in some areas than are other brands and that this minor malfunction is not too unusual with them. No biggie.

Truck, I like the way they look too. Basic black.

Posted: 5/20/2003 3:25:48 PM EDT

[#10]

They don't work in any of my 3 Bushmasters. They seat, but won't feed reliably. To bad cause they do look cool. I have an Eagle Arms lower coming in and may try again with that. But 2 of my Busys are FA, and I'd love to get them to work in them.

Posted: 5/20/2003 3:32:53 PM EDT

[#11]

Since I was only "echoing" what most have said: "I love.., no probs.., never had a...etc"
I wasn't going to bother, but now I need to add, that through several Busmasters, I have never experienced a problem. AZ Larry has, so that may be a concern for you, but I've never had any probs.

Posted: 5/20/2003 4:01:25 PM EDT

[#12]

They are great looking and great if you keep them clean. On the otherhand, having dropped them in the sand many times, I started getting feed problems. I was preparing for a Carbine course at Blackwater last year. after the first day of the course I had many malfunctions, so I borrowed some USGI mags for the rest of the week. I ended up trading away 12 of my New/never used Thermolds for used USGI mags. I probably took a hit monetary-wise, but the peace of mid of having reliable mags when I need them was worth the price.

Posted: 5/20/2003 6:15:19 PM EDT

[#13]

Vinnie,

Yours is a common experience. Thermolds seem to work fine when clean, but add any sand and grit and the followers bind right up. USGI mags don't have that problem, as the particles can't stick to the interior walls of the mag body very easily.

Thermolds also crack upon impact, especially in cold weather. The floorplate is especially vulnerable, which is bad, because you don't need your AR to spontaneously unload itself... [:)]

-Troy

Posted: 5/20/2003 9:58:31 PM EDT

[#14]

LOVE. THEM.
30's in my mini-14. Wish I had more of them.

Posted: 5/21/2003 8:54:23 AM EDT

[#15]

I haven't followed the Thermold saga completely. However, my memory of the Canadian problem was that they insisted on making changes to the plastic recipe to lessen costs. This was the cause of the Canadian feed lip problems. The US made non-Canadien issue Thermolds do not experience these problems.

Posted: 5/21/2003 9:08:38 AM EDT

[#16]

I posted this a few weeks ago. I think altering thermolds clearly depends on how they function in the rifle to begin with.

From 4/29/03
All my new thermolds are tight fitting. I have been "pretreating" them before shooting. Here's what I do.

Materials - flat needle file, 150 and 400 grit sandpaper

1. I use the sharp edge of the needle file and the file itself to take down the top edge of the top ridge on the mag body - the one that keeps it from over inserting.
2. From the top ridge up, I use the file and sandpaper on the corner.
3. Eliminate any seams left from the molding process with appropriate material.
4. Lightly file and sand the top of the feed lips.
5. I frequently insert and remove the mag and check for wear marks and sand those down. One problem area that seems to bind a lot is the top left of the rear of the mag, behind the feed lips.
6. When I can easily seat the mag and it is "drop free," I clean the whole thing off with CLP.

Posted: 5/21/2003 1:17:03 PM EDT

[#17]

I bought a Thermold 30 rounder not too long ago to try out (plus it was the only mag they had). I haven't gotten to try it yet but it looks like it will be my range mag.

CRC

Posted: 5/21/2003 5:09:29 PM EDT

[#18]

My two cents...

I have a grip of Thermolds for not only my AR, but my FAL and my SW-3 (HK-91 clone) and they've all functioned flawlessly at the range.

Having said that, I still have USGI/Milspec mags for the same guns.

I've also used Orlite and had no problems whatsoever...

Posted: 5/21/2003 8:32:18 PM EDT

[#19]

i've never had probs with my thermolds but my friends had probs with tight fits in their bushies. i like the way they look and function, but they fit very tightly in some of my vests/pouches, and when drawing a mag from a pouch, the ridges 'clack' against each other and will sometimes pull the 2nd mag out with the first. for range shooting and plinking, i don't have a preference between thermolds and USGI, but for carrying as a load, i prefer the USGI. they just come out of the pouches so smooooooth :-)

cheers,
MM

Posted: 5/21/2003 11:01:53 PM EDT

[#20]

I've had about 8-30 rd Thermolds over the years. They all worked out of my issued M16A2 and M4A1 even on full auto. After using them for 3 years in the German Alps and after GW1 I noticed one mag had a crack running down the backside below the left feed lip. Painted the mag white and contined to use it as a range mag only for another year. They're still going strong but will not fit inside my SGW reciever (personal). Don't use them that often anymore due to the amount of USGI mags avaible.

De Oppresso Liber

Posted: 5/21/2003 11:24:41 PM EDT

[#21]

I've had at least 50 come and go throughout the last few years, and they've all worked great. I prefer the USGI mags, but only because they fit better in my gear. Thermolds seem to hold their value well because they don't show wear as quickly as USGIs..

Posted: 5/23/2003 6:50:17 PM EDT

[#22]

Thermold 30's are awesome. I especially like them for 3 gun competition because they will easily lock in place under a closed bolt with a full 30 rounds when reloading. The ridges molded into them also give a good no slip grip during the reload.

I did wear one out but it has MANY rounds thru it. I doubt a USGI 30 would have fared any better under the circumstances.

Posted: 5/28/2003 1:02:47 PM EDT

[#23]

My Carbine didn't fuction well with them ir the Orlites. The Beta-c Mag works well though.I basically use USGI Mags

Posted: 5/28/2003 5:26:26 PM EDT

[#24]

I've never had problems with the 30rd. Thermolds.
I like 'em but still prefer USGI aluminum.

Posted: 5/31/2003 6:16:54 AM EDT

[#25]

I've got 10 new Thermolds, the made-in-USA types and never, ever had a problem with any of them in my Colt pre-ban, two post-ban Bushy M-4s and my Oly Arms PCR-5. They don't show the wear and tear that the USGI aluminum mags do and corrosion/rust is never an issue. Keep them clean and they work flawlessly 99.9% of the time. When at the range, dropping them in the sand or scraping them across the cement top of a bench rest will cause no damage, whereas the same cannot be said for the USGI aluminum mags under similar circumstances.

I also own about 25 of the 20 and 30-rd USGI mags, but mostly keep those in storage, waiting for the next native uprising. The Thermolds (and Orlites) can definitely take a licking for the extreme weekly duty at the range with minimal wear and tear. They really work for me.

tight groups,
phoenix27

Posted: 6/3/2003 1:22:36 AM EDT

[#26]

I do the same as Phoenix27...love 'em.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Give me your Opinion on the Black Thermold Magazines ?

AR-15 » Magazines

AR Sponsor:

Warning

Confirm Action

About AR15.COM

Stay Connected

Newsletter

Contact Us