Guys I see and read here that people are always saying swap out your followers for the green ones. I have used the Black ones in USGI mags for years. I have never changed a follower out because it was the reason of a malfunction. I have aluminum ones ,Black and green. The only reason I put the green ones in was because I was replaceing worn out springs and bottom plates.I kept my black ones .From what Ive read the only reason for the green ones was in Full Auto to keep it from laying over to much causeing a jam. Now in semi that isn't an issue.You can't pull the trigger fast anough to get full auto speed on spring pressure. Has anyone read differently? I was in the ARMY 4 years and had black ones the whole time.No problems ever. Has anyone changed out green to black and had a better functioning rifle. Im not saying it can't happen , just wondering. Just thought I would post this for everyone to think about.Cheers WarDawg

If the mag follower functions fine in your weapon, then leave it alone.

I have only changed out some black to green followers on the early british import mags.

I did buy a dozen pack of green followers from brownells just in case some of my older M16 mag followers need replacing.

"why fix it if it isn't broke"

I've never had a problem with my black followers...But I still changed them out, better be safe than sorry.

I prefer Orange followers though...They are identical to the green ones, but the color contrasts much nicer from the mag body...Overall they look alot better than the green ones in my opinion.

I just got back from GPSS ( Tommy Haskins ) place. I brought up the subject with him.He told me from his experiance was the problems comes from the last three rounds in a full 30 rnd mag. From what I thought I understood the tips would drag and cause a tilt. It makes sense.He said some mags no problems at all where others the green type follower solves the mishap. I will have to say I always underloaded my mags.19 or 18 in a 20rnder.And 28,27 in a 30 rnder.Maybe thats why I haven't ever experianced this type of problem. Ive been shooting AR's since the mid 70's . Thanks for the replys, WarDawg

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The underloading the mag thing might just be another myth developed from long ago.I really don't know.Ive often heard it came from Nam .The story goes that soldiers would put one two many rounds in a mag and it would mess up stripping a round.Been told you can squeeze and extra one in there.Haven't tried it.Anyhow my platoon Sgt. in the 4/23 Infatry would always tell us young punks ( as he would call us)  to load our mags one or two rnds less.He was a Nam vet also.Thats where I got it from.I guess it was beat into me wheather its right or wrong. :) Cheers WarDawg

The rifle does not care if you had 28 or 30 rounds in it when it gets to the last few bullets of a magazine... think about it.  This has never made any sense to me.  If a mag fails on the last 3 rounds and you load 27 you only have 24 rounds till your to the last 3 rounds now... see what I mean?

18 rounds proved more reliable in the ragged out 20 round magazines that were used in Vietnam.  

It got carried over to the 30s.  I do it more for the ease of chamber loaded bolt forward tactical reloads than anything.  My GI 30s all functioned with a full 30 rounds.  I use the green followers...what the hell, a little added insurance never hurt.

IIRC, didn't the military switch to green followers back in '91?

I've also heard that underloading was done to make inserting a mag with the bolt closed easier.  That's makes more sense than underloading because the last three rounds would dip...

Yeah after pulling my head out my A$$ I see what your talking about.I believe I was mixing up two different problems.A green follower corrected problem and a 20 rnd mag fully loaded reliably stripping the first round problem.I got a typing faster than I was thinking.I believe the story goes that you could squeeze 21 into a 20 rnder, making it so tight that it wouldn't strip the first rnd.Like the other poster it seems to have been carried over to the thirty rnd mags as well.But would like to say Ive never had a problem with the black follower.Saying that I will get a jam monday when I go do my weekly shooting.  [BD] Cheers WarDawg

Matt I ETSed in Sept 1989 and we didn't have them yet.You might be right about 1991.Heck I didn't know anything about green followers till I got on the internet a couple of year ago.I first saw them I thought"What pretty colors"[:\] LOL..Cheers WarDawg

As stated in the above link - the green follower is a better design with more "meat" at the front of the follower to eliminate tilting, thus eliminating feed problems due to tilting followers...
I had a 20 rounder that failed to feed on every other round...
replaced with green follower - never fails now...

I bought (6) 30 round GI mags and replaced all of the followers with green ones simply because the follower is a better design (same goes for the orange - it's probably the same follower just a different color plastic)...

[sniper2]

I prefer the green followers for the 30rd mags, especially in the M16.  I have seen green followers for 20rd mags, look like the 30rd version but chopped shorter.  I read somewhere that they were designed for the 30, not the 20, and that the 20rd mags were better off with the metal followers - don't know if that is true though.  Besides - [green][b]green[/b][/green] is cool! [8D]