Last updated and checked October 29, 2026 · By Nick Hall
- Treat every gun as loaded
- Point the muzzle in a safe direction
- Keep your finger off the trigger until you’re ready to shoot
- Know your target and what’s beyond
You can never have too many magazines. Whether you’re stocking up on PMAGs for your AR-15, buying factory Glock mags, or picking up extra SIG P365 magazines for your carry rotation, the same magazine can cost noticeably more at one store than another.
We compare magazine prices from 200+ retailers. Browse rifle magazines, pistol magazines, shotgun magazines, drums, speed loaders and magazine extensions, and filter by platform, caliber, brand and capacity. Below the finder, I’ve laid out what to buy and what to watch for, with every price checked on the maker’s own site.
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SGM Tactical .45 ACP / 10mm Speed Loader for Glock Magazines
Overwatch Precision Mag Basepad for MP5 Variants Black
HKS Speed Loader Red Plastic for 22 LR Ruger Mark I Mark II
HKS Speed Loader 22 LR Plastic Red Finish Compatible with Browning Colt Ruger
HKS Speed Loader 22 LR Red Plastic Compatible with S&W 41 422 622 2213 2214
GLOCK OEM Magazine Follower 9mm Fits Glock 17/19 Magazines Gen 5 Orange
Glock 9mm Gen 3-4 10-Round Factory Magazine Follower - Black
Glock 21 .45 ACP 10-Round Factory Magazine Follower - Black
Glock 36 Slimline .45 ACP Factory Magazine Follower - Black
Glock .40 S&W 10-Round Factory Magazine Follower - Black
Table of Contents
AR-15 Magazines
The Magpul PMAG 30 AR/M4 Gen M3 is still the benchmark polymer AR magazine. Magpul lists it at $15.95, with a “long-life stainless steel spring” and an “anti-tilt, self-lubricating follower.” The Gen M2 MOE is the budget version at $13.95; MOE stands for Magpul Original Equipment, which is a product line, not a factory label for your rifle. The PMAG 40 lists at $23.95.
The Lancer L5AWM pairs a hardened steel feed lip insert with a polymer body, and some colors come in a see-through body so you can count rounds. ETS lists its 30-round smoke AR magazine at $17.99, and its translucent body does the same job. My rule: pick one model and buy it by the case, so every magazine in your rotation runs the same.
Pistol Magazines: Factory vs Aftermarket
Factory (OEM) magazines are sold under the gun maker’s own brand, but the gun maker doesn’t always build them. SIG says outright that its magazines “are sourced from multiple manufacturers and are then made to our exact specifications.” Mec-Gar says it has supplied over 115 million OEM magazines to gun makers since 1965 and uses the same materials in its own brand.
So a quality aftermarket magazine can match factory. Magpul’s PMAG 17 GL9 and 15 GL9 for Glocks list at $14.95, ETS’s Carbon Smoke Glock magazines at $15.25 and its steel-lined Omega line at $25.99. SIG’s P365 magazines are $49.99 each on sigsauer.com. Glock’s US store doesn’t sell complete magazines direct, only parts, so buy those from retailers. Whatever brand you choose, run several full magazines through your gun before you trust one for carry. See best Glock magazines.
Extended and High-Capacity Pistol Magazines
The Shield Arms S15 Gen 3 turns a Glock 43X or 48 into a 15-round gun for $39.99, but it comes with a condition. Shield Arms says you “must install the Shield Arms steel magazine catch for proper function,” and warns that the factory plastic catch may cause reliability issues. It fits the 43X and 48 only. More in our best Glock 43X magazines guide.
For range fun, ETS sells a 40-round Carbon Smoke stick for Glock 17-pattern pistols at $16.00. On the P365 family, SIG’s own 15, 17, 21 and 25-round magazines cover everything; our SIG P365 parts hub has the full fit chart.
Drums: Worth It?
A drum holds more but weighs more and costs more. Magpul’s PMAG D-60 holds 60 rounds of 5.56, lists at $139.95 and weighs 20.5 ounces empty and 46 ounces loaded, per Magpul’s spec block. The D-50 GL9 drum for Glock-pattern 9mm lists at $134.95. One point in Magpul’s favor: it says the D-60 “is designed to be left loaded without any loss of function or degradation.” For most shooters, two PMAG 40s cost less and carry easier. Drums are illegal in every state with a capacity limit.
Magazine Springs and Loaded Storage
Spring maker Wolff says magazines kept fully loaded for long periods, as in home defense and police use, see more spring fatigue than ones loaded only for range trips, and that high-capacity magazines stress the spring more. Wolff’s advice is to unload “a round or two” to help spring life and to replace springs on a schedule.
The warning signs Wolff lists: poor feeding, frequent jams and stovepipes. Springs are cheap: Glock’s own store sells 9mm magazine springs for $5.28. I rotate carry magazines and shoot them every few range trips, which is the best way to know they still feed.
Which States Limit Magazine Capacity?
As of October 29, 2026, Magpul’s compliance list and the state statutes put the limits here. These laws move fast and several are in court, so check your state’s current status before you order, and see our dedicated magazine capacity laws page for detail.
| Limit | States | Status notes |
|---|---|---|
| 10 rounds | California, Connecticut, Maryland (sale and transfer), Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island, Washington, D.C. | In force |
| 10 rounds | New Jersey | Struck down by the Third Circuit July 17, 2026, but stayed; still enforced |
| 10 rounds | Hawaii (pistol magazines) | In force |
| 10 rounds | Oregon (Measure 114) | Not in effect |
| 10 long gun / 15 handgun | Illinois, Vermont | Illinois upheld by the Seventh Circuit July 9, 2026 |
| 15 rounds | Colorado | In force |
| 15 rounds | Virginia | Effective July 1, 2026; paused by state court injunctions |
| 17 rounds | Delaware | In force |
Retailers enforce these at checkout; Mec-Gar, for example, won’t ship its 15-round Beretta magazine to the 10-round states or Delaware. Related news: D.C. magazine ban case and Columbus magazine ban.
How Many Magazines Do You Need?
For a carry pistol, I want at least four: one in the gun, one spare on the belt, and two in rotation so I can shoot the carry mags at the range and swap in fresh-loaded ones without leaving myself short. For a home-defense AR, three to five is plenty for one gun and a training class. For competition, count the stages: most USPSA and 3-gun shooters carry more magazines than they need for the longest stage, plus one.
Buy them all at once if you can, from the same production run. Magazines from different lots of the same model can feel different on the reload, and a uniform set makes your training transfer.
What to Check Before You Buy
- Exact fit: confirm the magazine is listed for your gun and generation, not just the caliber. SIG’s P365 10-round flush magazine, for example, is “not compatible with the P365X, P365-XL, XMACRO, AXG or FUSE.”
- Your state’s limit: retailers block orders that break it, but check before you build a cart.
- Steel or polymer: steel bodies (SIG, Mec-Gar, Shield Arms) resist wear at the feed lips; polymer (Magpul, ETS) is lighter and won’t dent.
- Follower and spring: Magpul uses a stainless spring and an anti-tilt follower; Mec-Gar uses heat-treated springs it makes in-house.
- Test before you trust: run at least a few full magazines through your gun before you carry one.
Magazine Care
No magazine maker I checked publishes a cleaning schedule, so here’s what I do. Pull the baseplate after a muddy or sandy range day, wipe the spring and follower dry, and wipe the inside of the body. Don’t oil the inside of a magazine; oil grabs grit and powder residue and turns it into paste. Number your magazines with a paint pen so that when one causes a malfunction, you know which one to set aside. If a magazine keeps causing problems after a new spring, retire it; at $14.95 for a PMAG, it isn’t worth the doubt.
Magazine Pouches and Carriers
A spare magazine you can’t reach fast doesn’t do much. For carry, a single pouch on the support side, or the magazine carrier built into appendix holsters like the Tier 1 Axis Elite and LAS Concealment Ronin, keeps a reload where your hand expects it. For the range and matches, see best competition magazine pouches, and browse our gun holsters hub for carriers.
Shotgun Magazines and the Law
Capacity laws don’t stop at rifles and pistols. Massachusetts defines a large capacity feeding device as one holding “more than 10 rounds of ammunition or more than 5 shotgun shells.” Colorado’s 15-round law also reaches shotguns: it covers fixed tube magazines longer than 28 inches and detachable shotgun magazines holding more than 8 shells. If you’re buying a detachable-magazine shotgun or a magazine tube extension, check your state’s shotgun rules as well as the rifle and pistol limits.
For everyone else, tube extensions and detachable shotgun magazines are some of the cheapest capacity upgrades you can make, but they change how the gun balances and how it fits a case or rack. Our accessories hubs and shotgun guides cover the rest.
Speed Loaders
Loading the last few rounds into a 15-round magazine is where thumbs give out. Maglula’s UpLULA “loads and unloads virtually all 9mm Luger up to .45ACP single and double-stack magazines of all manufacturers,” plus most .380 and 1911 magazines, with a short list of exceptions such as Staccato 2011 9mm and Glock 36 magazines. Dealers sell it for $35.95 to $38.95. If you shoot pistols weekly, it pays for itself in saved thumbs.
Clip or Magazine?
A magazine has its own spring and feeds the gun; a clip holds rounds together to load a magazine or an internal box, like the stripper clips for an SKS or the en bloc clip in an M1 Garand. Most of what people call a clip today is a magazine. Our clip vs magazine explainer goes deeper.
Facts and Figures
- PMAG 30 Gen M3: $15.95 list, per Magpul
- Shield Arms S15: needs the Shield Arms steel magazine catch, per Shield Arms
- OEM sourcing: SIG magazines come from multiple manufacturers built to SIG specs
- Delaware’s limit is 17 rounds, not 10 or 15
- Glock 9mm magazine spring: $5.28 from Glock’s US store
Our Magazine Guides
- Best Glock magazines
- Best Glock 43X magazines
- Best competition magazine pouches
- Where to buy gun magazines
- Magazine capacity laws
- Clip vs magazine
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best AR-15 magazines?
The Magpul PMAG 30 AR/M4 Gen M3 is the benchmark polymer magazine, with a Magpul list price of $15.95. The PMAG 30 Gen M2 MOE costs $13.95 at Magpul and uses the same anti-tilt follower and stainless steel spring in a simpler body. The Lancer L5AWM pairs a hardened steel feed lip assembly with a polymer body, and some colors come in a see-through body. ETS sells a 30-round smoke AR-15 magazine for $17.99 on its own site. Buy several of the same model so every magazine in your rotation runs the same way.
Are aftermarket pistol magazines reliable?
Quality aftermarket magazines can match factory ones, because gun makers buy many of their own magazines from outside suppliers. SIG says its magazines "are sourced from multiple manufacturers and are then made to our exact specifications." Mec-Gar supplies factory magazines to gun makers and uses the same materials in its own brand. Magpul's PMAG 17 GL9 and PMAG 15 GL9 for Glock both list at $14.95. Whatever brand you buy, fire at least a few full magazines through your pistol before you trust it for carry or home defense.
What does OEM mean on a magazine?
OEM means the magazine is sold by the gun's maker under its own brand, the same one that ships in the box with the pistol. The gun maker does not always build it. SIG states its magazines are sourced from multiple manufacturers and built to SIG specifications, and Mec-Gar says it has supplied over 115 million OEM magazines to gun makers since 1965. An aftermarket magazine is one sold under a third-party brand, such as Magpul, ETS or Shield Arms. Magpul's "MOE" line name stands for Magpul Original Equipment, which is a product line, not OEM status for your gun.
Which states limit magazine capacity?
Magpul's compliance list names California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island and Washington at 10 rounds, plus Washington, D.C. Colorado and Virginia stop at 15 rounds, and Delaware stops at 17. Illinois and Vermont set 10 rounds for long guns and 15 for handguns. Hawaii's statute covers magazines for pistols. Several of these laws are in court in 2026: New Jersey's ban was struck down by the Third Circuit but stays in force under a stay, Virginia's 15-round sales limit is paused by state court injunctions, and Oregon's Measure 114 limit has not taken effect. Check your state's current status before you order.
Can I store magazines loaded, and when should I replace the spring?
Spring maker Wolff says magazines kept fully loaded for long periods see more spring fatigue than ones loaded only for range trips, and that high-capacity magazines put more stress on the spring. Wolff advises that unloading a round or two helps spring life, and that poor feeding and frequent jams are signs a spring needs replacing. Magpul says its D-60 drum "is designed to be left loaded without any loss of function or degradation." Replacement springs cost little: Glock's own store sells its 9mm magazine springs for $5.28. Shoot your carry magazines on a regular schedule so you know they still feed.
Do Shield Arms S15 magazines need a different magazine catch?
Yes. The Shield Arms S15 Gen 3 is a 15-round steel magazine for the Glock 43X and Glock 48 that lists at $39.99. Shield Arms says you "must install the Shield Arms steel magazine catch for proper function," and warns that the factory plastic catch may cause reliability issues. The S15 fits the Glock 43X and 48 only.
What is a speed loader and do I need one?
A speed loader such as the maglula UpLULA pushes rounds into a pistol magazine for you, which saves your thumbs on 15-round and longer magazines. maglula says the UpLULA loads and unloads most 9mm through .45 ACP single-stack and double-stack magazines, plus most .380 ACP magazines. It does not work with a short list of magazines, including Staccato 2011 9mm and Glock 36 magazines. Dealers sell it for $35.95 to $38.95.
Are drum magazines worth buying?
A drum holds more rounds, but it is heavier and costs more than a stick magazine. The Magpul PMAG D-60 holds 60 rounds of 5.56 NATO, lists at $139.95, and weighs 20.5 oz empty. The Magpul PMAG D-50 GL9 drum for Glock-pattern 9mm guns lists at $134.95. For less money, ETS sells a 40-round stick magazine for Glock 17-pattern pistols for $16.00. Drums are restricted in every state with a capacity limit.
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