Value of old AR 20 round mags

[Hecklerusp45]

I found a place online where someone is selling some of the OLD 20 round AR mags. Do they hold any collector value? If so do they have to be made by a specific company to have value?

[joem]

I don't know about collectability but I brought several home after my tour.

[Sunray]

Nothing collectable about anything to do with an AR-15.

[Griff Murphey]

image.jpg

Nothing collectable about anything to do with an AR-15.

I would disagree to a certain extent. Original GI from the Viet Nam era is certainly collectible. The older guns "look right" with 20's, the gun is less bulky, easier to case, carry, get in and out of a blind with... If you are shooting in a CMP or NRA hi power match the 20 is much better for prone. For zeroing off of the bench it's kind of a "must have" unless you don't mind being up in the air.

I had a bag of them checked out for the third Mar Div intramurals for my dental team and in the interim they re-equipped with the 30's and would not take them back...

I like to carry a 20 with 5 rds in it for hunting. It slows down my shooting on running turkeys, weight is lighter, etc.!

[RCS]

There are variations which are difficult to find with both the 20 rd and 30 rd magazines


Photo shows pre 1964 "waffle magazines" in special pouch, these waffle magazines run from $200 to $300 eaP1010027_0023_023.jpg

[Art]

Lets say collectability would be minimal except in really unusual cases. I personally like 20 round magazines on an AR, not as bulky, and fewer feed problems

[PhillipM]

Lets say collectability would be minimal except in really unusual cases. I personally like 20 round magazines on an AR, not as bulky, and fewer feed problems

Plus one! I bought four thirty round mags just because I could, but twenties seem fine for semi auto use.

[RCS]

Like collecting en bloc clips or carbine magazines, there will be someone interested in the variations.


When you bought your early AR-15 in '64, the magazines had a white dot sticker and had the small "CAL.223" on the floorplate

Cooper magazines had a lot of rejections and a cancelled contract - there are a lot of variations for the collector

early "sterile" AR-180/AR-15 30rd magazine from '69 made it to Viet Nam before the Colt 30 rdP1010018_0017.jpgP1010006_0006.jpgP1010031_0026_1.jpgP1010009_0004_004.jpg

[PhillipM]

What does sterile mean?

[BEAR]

Can't be traced back to the United States. Used in clandestine operations.