A new .22 rimfire mag for AR rifles – But does it slap?

So, you’re looking for an alternative to the factory magazines designed for your .22LR rifle? MAGLOAD has you covered with their newly designed ‘universal’ magazine for all rimfire variants using an AR-style magazine.

The MAGLOAD .22LR AR15 Magazine is a polymer, split shell construction which allows for easy cleaning and maintenance. Supporting a capacity of 31 rounds with the last round bolt hold open feature, the MAGLOAD magazine is proving to be a great alternative magazine for competition shooting and general plinking.

It is worth noting that these magazines are currently compatible with the S&W 15-22 and any AR using the Better Mag adapter out of the box. Support for the Tippmann M4-22, Kriss Defiance and other variants of .22 AR15 style rifles will be available through the use of an adapter which will be provided by MAGLOAD in the near future.

The new magazine is currently only available in black with a yellow follower which reflects the MAGLOAD colour scheme. It is not known if there will be other colours available in the future, however, we look forward to potentially seeing more colours after the initial release.

The feed lips of the magazine are enlarged to provide more durability over prolonged usage. A functional feature that is not noted on the Magload website is the availability of round count witness holes which provide iterative round check capability. Unlike other magazines, the MAGLOAD magazine does not have a follower that can be manually dragged down for easy loading. That being said, the magazine has been designed to work well with speed loaders by default as part of the reliability in design.

The catch on the magazine is a simple design with a raised surface to aid in removing wobble when seated in the mag well. Sporting a honeycomb texture on the outer shell, the magazine is slightly longer than the average magazine. The shell feels easy to grip with the support of ribbed protrusions on the front and back of the shell. Without being overly abrasive or requiring additions such as skate tape, the magazine is still grippy in wet and slippery environments.

Following the sleek design towards the base plate. The MAGLOAD logo can be seen disrupting the honeycomb design. Normally a branded design would lead to an ugly look on the product. The branding on the magazine is sleek and tasteful which compliments the overall look and aesthetic.

The base plate of the magazine shows a yellow magazine spring retainer which also acts as the base plate plunger for disassembly. Alongside another subtle bit of MAGLOAD branding, the base plate also provides a 3×3 ID matrix which is a growingly popular way of identifying and numbering accessories such as magazines.

So far the magazine is a well-designed alternative to other magazine manufacturers. This is a special accomplishment considering this is MAGLOAD’s first attempt at a magazine. It is hard to tell how far the reliability and durability will go with these mags, however, it is worth noting that these magazines have been in a testing phase for over a year since the initial design. MAGLOAD were not ready to release the magazine until they were sure of its durability. Only time will tell how durable these magazines will be in the long run.