Pre-ban Canadian military Thermold AR Mags

[massaiga]

I have a friend from out of state that has a bunch of Pre-ban Canadian military Thermold AR Mags that I am considering picking up from him.

I have heard that the Canadians used a different plastic however and had issues with the mags breaking/cracking/melting.

Does anyone have any experience with these? Are they worth the money?

-MS

 

[scottb]

I have a couple. They work great but they are not very durable. I broke a feedlip on one once. I've heard that when used in full auto's they are refered to as 'Thermelts'.

 

[atilla]

more info and it references what scottb said:

The Canadian military licensed the Thermold design, but did not use Zytel as the polymer, using a less expensive plastic as a substitute. This was not a wise decision, and the Canadian military had problems as a result. The most famous problem was the feed lips melting when their ARs were fired for extended periods on full auto (especially with blanks), leading the Canadians to dub the magazines "Thermelts". The other common problem was the mags splitting or cracking in cold temperatures or when dropped. After Desert Storm, the Canadian military changed to USGI aluminum mags, which are now standard issue.

most of us won't run into the problem with extended giggle switch... giggling... but dropping and cold might be issues for us.