I have a fairly new Bushmaster and I read that Orlite mags will not fit Bushmasters. Is this true? If so, why not?

The Orlite mags are cheap and readily available and I'd like to use them.

I wouldn't waste my time with Orlites...utter trash. You should be able to find even used USGI for fairly cheap.

they will, i have like 6 of them i picked up for like 5 bucks a pop and they work well for me. granted im not some spec ops , navy seal cop that needs exactly what the army uses.  I leave them in a box in the back of my truck fully loaded tell i need them and ive yet to  have a problem. For ranch use, shooting yotes, rabbits and the range they are awsome.

Just use a motor tool or sand down the rigde that runs on both sides. They work great in my bushmasters and colts. I like the fact that you stand on them and not bend the feed lips or bodies.

Good for photo ops, that's about it.

feed lips and floorplate guides cracked after 500 rounds on mine, they found the trash can quickly.


ETA  - The IDF has completely retired them - that should tell you something.

I've never had any trouble with Orlite's.  They wont fit your bushmaster though.

They make decent range mags if you can get them in good condition at a good price.  I wouldnt pay more than half the going rate for a USGI mag, and even then I would be hesitant.  I have a few from the ban days that I never use anymore.

Weren't Orlites designed to be one use, throw away mags?

Quoted: Weren't Orlites designed to be one use, throw away mags?

No.  That was the crappy GI paper thin aluminum jobs (just kidding---sort of).

On the original question, the answer is---it depends.

It depends on how deep the bevels at the bottom of the mag entry were cut.  It also depends on how late in production the Orlites were made.

See, Orlites were designed to work in Colt M16s, and ARs. And Colt has always cut the bevels on their lowers a lot deeper than the average aftermarket lowers (not just Bushmaster), so there's no problem using them in Colts.  Very often, though, when you try them in an aftermarket lower, the rib around the mag hits the bottom of the mag chute, and won't quite seat..  Many folks will take a small file, and thin out the rib on the mag, and then they'll work. The later production Orlites seem to have a thinner side rib than the early ones, and don't need as much shaving, if any.

I've shaved them, first w/the Orlites I used to have, and more recently with the Thermolds I switched over to some years back.

The only other problem I've encountered w/Orlites is that, if you leave them fully loaded for an extended period of time they swell at the sides, and you have a heck of a job inserting them.  This is also true of the Canadian made Thermolds, which used a much poorer quality material than the original North Carolina built pieces.

My own plastic mag choice are the North Carolina built Thermolds. In several years of use, I've only had one failure to feed, and later found that the spring in that piece had been put in backward. I did have to do some trimming at the corners of the ribs so they would insert in all of my ARs. Actually, my Bushmaster lower was not the worst.  An early Rock River lower required the most trimming of the rib, so I use it as the test piece for any plastic mag I get..

Given the large drop in the price of metal mags lately, my own feeling is that, if you can buy some Orlites, or Canadian Thermolds, and just want them for range mags---don't pay more than 5 or 6 bucks apiece for them. At that price they're worth it; but certainly not any higher.

Shamayaim,

You must have gotten some good Thermold mags then because the ones I had in the mid-90's sucked. I had several that wouldn't feed on hot days or would swell up completely in the mag well. I stopped by the company that makes them in Wilson NC and showed them how bad some of the mags were and they replaced them for me free of charge. The plant manager said that the Canadian military had returned a bunch of them at the time due to the same problems. I was tempted to buy a few more from them recently just for the heck of it.

Quoted: I've never had any trouble with Orlite's.  They wont fit your bushmaster though.

That's news. They fit in mine.

mine fit perfect and work perfectly in my bushmaster.

Quoted: I wouldn't waste my time with Orlites...utter trash. You should be able to find even used USGI for fairly cheap.

When i went to the downtown gun store, i was looking to buy a couple of extra mags at the same time as some ammo. They wanted $20 a peice for orlites, $30 for USGI stuff. I said no thanks and bought 4 extra 30rd mags from bushmaster's website at $20 a piece. It was like $80 shipped for 4 mags and a coffee cup.

Orlite mags with mold numbers of 20 thru 36 will work WITHOUT MODIFICATION with the Bushmaster magwell contour.  The mold number is the BOTTOM number in the little circle.

Mold numbers 1 thru 19 will FREQUENTLY fail to lock in the Bushmasters; the ridges will hit the magwell lip before the mag is fully locked.  The Israelis slightly changed the position of the ridges to eliminate this idiosyncracy.

Quoted: I have a fairly new Bushmaster and I read that Orlite mags will not fit Bushmasters. Is this true? If so, why not? The Orlite mags are cheap and readily available and I'd like to use them.

i picked up one orlite just for the heck of it when i bought my bushmaster(an xm-15e2s), and it works just fine.

edit:  i read on here a while back that it's only the older bushmasters that have trouble with orlites...

I have been using 6 orlites for range purposes for 2 years. They work without a flaw in my Bushmaster and I have never encountered a feeding problem.