In and of itself, a new polymer AR-15 magazine isn't the most ground-breaking of news. Companies like Magpul and Lancer have been making polymer AR magazines for years, so the process itself is established. But it's precisely that establishment that makes a new polymer mag so interesting—obviously the market will bear new manufacturers, else why get into the game? It's a testament to the popularity of the platform that newcomers are breaking into the business.
Enter Mission First Tactical. Known for making stocks, pistol grips, foregrips and other accessories for the AR-15-pattern rifle, the company recently introduced a polymer AR-15 magazine. While it's a natural extension of the company's product line to bring magazines into the fold, it's a bold move. Competing against folks who have been doing this for years means the product has to be both rock-solid and at a reasonable price.
Mission First Tactical has definitely hit the latter—the MSRP on the 30-round magazine is $14.99. It's not unreasonable to suspect these will show up at gun shows and on gun store shelves for $12 or so, definitely inline with other companies' offerings. As for the first part, that remains to be seen. We'll be putting a number of Mission First Tactical magazines through informal testing and will be reporting on that down the road, but from initial contact these seem rugged and held up to repeated loading/unloading cycles.
The new magazines have a stippled texture on the lower portion of the magazine (the part that extends out of the magazine well), low-profile front ribs and an oversize bolt catch. The floorplate contains three interesting features not commonly seen on AR magazines: dual release tabs, a matrix for marking magazines and drain holes. The floorplate is flared to facilitate rapid removal from carriers (or certain magazine wells), and the magazine features a stainless steel spring and four-way anti-tilt follower.
