I'm new to the AR family, I just bought my first one. I've been shooting IDPA for a while and know that the magazine is THE most important part of the system. Being new, what do I need to look for in 30 round pre bans? I see so many advertised fron $75 a piece down to $15 each. I know you get what you pay for..but do I really need those expensive Colt marked mags? I really don't want to pay just for a brand name..I'm most concerned about reliability..Now do I go for aluminum, steel, Orlite, or whatever..And what's all the fuss about green followers?

The best rule of thumb is to with USGI manufacturers.  There are tons of them and I'll try to do my best to list them.  Perhaps other members can chime in and add any that I might miss.  The manufacturer is generally stamped on the bottom of the floor plate:

Center Industries
Okay Industries
Adventureline
Sanchez
Labelle
Cooper
Parsons
UMI

There are also some very reputable non-USGI manufacturers as well:

Thermold
Orlites

I wasn't really sure where to place Colt because I know that their magazines were manufactured by a USGI supplier but I'm not sure if they were issued items.

Stay away from manufacturers like Western, USA magazine, and Triple K.  I can't think of any others to stay away from right now, but I'm sure the rest of the AR15 army can provide some names.


-REAPER2502

I too am just getting started in the AR world, so I'm not very knowledgable in mags yet, but I do know the deal with the green followers... they have some extra material added along the ends to keep them from tilting and therefore malfunctioning.  From what I've gathered...the original black followers were bad about tilting.  Hope that helps/makes sense... Later

Jeremy

The British 30 rounders are good too. Just heavier since they're steel.

No, don't. Colt didn't even make them. They're just as good as any other USGI mags, no better or worse. Worth a bit more to a collector, perhaps.

Also, suggest you check out Troy's exhaustively researched mag FAQ.