At this point I'd say the best bets are the Midway USA AR-Stoners, which are privately labeled C-Product mags with Magpul-like antitilt followers. I took delivery on a dozen 20-rounders last week (at $9.99 apiece...a price Midway CEO Larry Potterfield told me they'd set in place for a promotion much much earlier in the year! Our gain...); all 6 I checked are fine (I left the other 6 in their wrappers, a policy I've instituted since b-HO became Prez-Elect). I had one report on my blog of bent feed lips, and the VP of Midway USA handled it personally and made it real clear that Midway USA stood by its products.Also, Midway is taking regular delivery of the mags...new stock of 30-rounders on Christmas Eve; new stock of 20s on 17 January. They are taking backorders at the $9.99 sale price.
I totally agree about steel magazines...I shot 3-gun in Florida back in the day, and H-K 91 steel magazines would get sometimes get a patina of rust, especially on fingerprints, during the course of one match. Of course, in Florida wood will rust...
Michael B
MICHAEL'S TOTAL DISCLOSURE: Midway USA is a huge advertiser on my shows and is the name sponsor of Wednesday Night at the Range on OC! Midway's money is what makes Wednesday night possible. I have been taking a lot of crap on my blog for recommending products from sponsors, which makes no sense to me. My entire career I have supported the people who support my sport. Period. What we do on OUTDOOR CHANNEL and DRTV would not be possible without our sponsors. I am very lucky in that my sponsors also make products I use anyway...the other advantage is that I have input into my sponsors' products, hopefully to make them even better. I do NOT shill product; all my shows operate under my standards, which are that yes, we love our sponsors and will use their products when applicable, but we do not ignore every other product out there. We are the ONLY shows with such a policy; every other shooting show is "pay to play."