Having the best rifle and ammo won’t matter if you have a terrible magazine. A good magazine will significantly improve the reliability of your weapon. A well-built, properly packed magazine will consistently load rounds into your chamber even in the most unfavorable conditions.

For those who aren’t sure what they’re looking for, it might be difficult to find the best .300 blackout magazines. The normal 5.56 magazines are so widely used that many people forget they’re not the best option if you’re looking to get maximum performance.

If you’re looking to buy a magazine compatible .300 AAC blackout or finally decided on buying a magazine made just for the .300 AAC Blackout we’ve got everything you need to help you narrow down your choices and hopefully, even help you find the right magazine for you.

	D&H Industries AR-15 .300 Blackout Magazine w/ Red Follower	Very affordable Proper internal geometry No pinching issues Won’t work well with heavier grain .300 Bladckout ammo	$16 Shop NowClick to read my review
Top Pick	Lancer Systems AR-15 L5AWM 300BLK Translucent Smoke Magazine	Hardened steel feedlips Super durable polymer body Perfect geometry for feeding the .300 Blackout cartridge Feedlip can warp during extended use	$17 Shop NowClick to read my review
Best Budget Pick	Brownells AR-15 Magazine 5.56	High-quality aluminum construction Superb surface wear and weather resistance Built to ISO-quality control standards Not optimized for the .300Blackout	$11 Shop NowClick to read my review
	Surefire 60-Round High-capacity Magazine	Durable polymer material Traditional magazine shape Easy to store and carry Expensive	$134 Shop NowClick to read my review

The .300 AAC Blackout Round

Before we talk about magazines, let’s talk about why you should even go with the .300 Blackout in the first place.

Since it’s inception in 2011, the .300 Blackout has become one of the most popular AR-15 calibers. Originally created as a specialized close-combat round for spec-ops, the .300 AAC Blackout cartridge for the AR-15 platform has grown in popularity on the civilian market in recent years with good reason.

The heavier gain .300 AAC Blackout offers better ballistic performance and stopping power than the more popular 5.56 round in subsonic AR setups. Since the case dimensions of the 5.56 and .300 AAC Blackout are almost the same,  you can load the .300 AAC Blackout into most standard 5.56 rifle configurations without running into issues.

Can’t I Use My 5.56 Magazine?

Since the case and cartridge dimensions of the 5.56 and the .300 AAC Blackout magazines are almost the same, the .300 AAC is technically compatible with 5.56 magazines. You can run the .300 Blackout through 5.56 magazines without issues. However, it’s always a good idea to use magazines specifically made for the caliber you’re loading on your rifle.

There’s a good chance you’re buying new magazines anyway so your rifle can chamber the .300 Blackout. Even if you might have multiple 5.56 magazines at your disposal, the key thing to remember is that while most 5.56 magazines won’t have issues with the .300 Blackout, you don’t want to have to find out problems during a self-defense situation.

For instance, your 5.56 magazine won’t feed the .300 properly onto your receiver. Also, if you can get the proper magazine for your round, why wouldn’t you?

If you do insist on using 5.56 magazines for the .300 Blackout round, just remember that as a general rule the .300 AAC blackout magazines are more likely to work well in a metal USGI-style 5.56 magazine, and less likely to work in a polymer 5.56 magazine.

Also, there’s a good chance you won’t be able to fit the full number of rounds intended to fit your magazine due to suboptimal magazine geometry. For example, a 20 round 5.56 magazine might only find 18- or 19- rounds, maybe a full 20 with a little more push, but a 20 round .300 Blackout magazine is guaranteed to stack the entire 20 rounds.

How Many Magazines is Too Many?

The answer to this question is simple: you can never have enough magazines, but you can have too few.

Is 10 too much? 15, 20? I can’t really give you a number of magazines to stop at since each person uses their firearm differently. However, I can tell you right now that .300 Blackout magazines are limited. And with the ongoing gun and part shortages, it’s best to just stock up on enough magazines that you’re comfortable owning for each caliber you plan on using.

Also, don’t worry about having extra magazines. Even if you only end up using two or three magazines at a time, it’s always good to have extra magazines in storage for you to fall back on incase of a malfunction, if you’re trying different rounds or even if you just want to spend a long time at the range without having to repack you magazines.

Buyer’s Guide for the Best .300 Blackout Magazines

Build Material

Almost all AR-15 magazines are built out of either steel or alumiinum alloy bodies. Manufacturers often use 6061-T6 aluminum, a durable polymer, or a hybrid of both. However, most of the time, polymer seems to outdo steel and aluminum bodies outright. It’s a lightweight and versatile material that can withstand a lot of wear and tear for a fraction of the cost.

Build Quality

An ideal magazine will come with a high quality metal spring and metal followers. This ensures that the rounds will feed reliably from the magazine into the firing chamber. Some of the more premium options will have a stainless steel spring with a polymer or aluminum anti-tilt follower. These are on the pricier end of the spectrum but you’re sure to come out with a magazine that’s durable and will work great for a long time.

Ease of Ejection

Although often overlooked, your magazine should eject smoothly out of your AR. The last thing you want in a shootout is having trouble replacing your magazine. A magazine that ejects properly should release itself immediately after triggering the mag-release button. It should also drop out of your AR without snagging or needing assistance.

Texturing

Although modern magazines are designed to withstand tough falls, dropping a magazine might misalign one of your cartridges. Or you might get large debris inside the magazine that can lead to feeding problems while shooting.

A good magazine will have a flared base, non-slip texture or non-slip grooves on the body. These features make it easy to grab in any weather condition. If you tend to wear gloves when shooting, try finding a magazine with deeper grooves to give you more surface area to grab on when replacing your magazine.

Review Your State Laws

Remember to abide by all applicable federal, state, and local laws. When in doubt, err on the side of caution. As you’re probably well aware, there are certain states, including Illinois, New York, and California, that have very tight gun laws and heavily regulate AR style weapons.

Additionally, these gun restrictions can regulate magazine capacity for your AR-15. For example, in California since the year 2000 it’s been illegal to purchase or import large capacity magazines. Unfortunately, California decided that anything over 10 rounds is large capacity for an AR. So if you live in there or other states with similar gun restrictions, make sure to get a state compliant .300 blackout magazine.

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Best .300 AAC Blackout Magazines for 2022

D&H Industries AR-15 .300 Blackout Magazine w/ Red Follower

If you’re looking for an affordable .300 Blackout magazine, consider the AR-15 .300 Blackout Magazine from D&H industries. The D&H Industries .300 Blackout magazine is available in 30, 20, and 10 round configurations. It also comes in standard USGI dimensions. It’s built out of 6061-T6 aluminum with a Teflon finish for excellent rust and corrosion resistance.

As a pioneer in the .300 Blackout magazine market, way before Magpul or lancer ever came out with their own versions,  these .300 magazines have withstood the test of time. Although not exactly the most durable in the market, they don’t actually break at all. Instead, they tend to bend and dent which doesn’t sound too bad but can also cause feeding problems later on. So if you do end up going with this magazine, make sure to always inspect the feed lips to ensure they’re still in good shape, especially if they’ve been roughed up or dropped during use.

However, don’t let that little detail discourage you. If you go through ammo like crazy, these are relatively inexpensive magazines for you to use. The built in red tilt spring follower also does a great job at preventing bullet pinching and cartridge jams within the magazine. You might need to get used to the cartridge orientation since this one ends on the left side while the majority of magazines end on the right, which is honestly really weird.

Lancer Systems AR-15 L5AWM 300BLK Translucent Smoke Magazine

If you’re looking for a reliable magazine that will last you a long time, the L5AWM 300BLK is one of the most dependable magazines for the AR-15 platform. It has a transparent smoke finish that’s visually stunning. It also gives you an approximate view of the cartridges in the magazine. The company is also well known for its AR-15 5.56 magazine, whose initial design heavily influenced the outcome of the .300 blackout mags.

The L5AWM .300BLK from lancer systems is made from the same ultra-durable polymer construction and steel feed lips as the 5.56 L5AWM. The internal geometry is designed specifically to help heavier grain .300 blackout subsonic ammo to stack properly, improving the reliability of the magazine feed even on full-auto.

I think one of the best things about this magazine might be depression molded 300 Blackout label on the side of the magazine. It’s a nice touch to help you distinguish cartridges for different magazines, especially if you own both the 5.56 lancer L5AWM and the .300 Blackout version.

If you don’t like the look of translucent smoke mags for your system, the Lancer Systems AR-15 L5AWM 300BLK also comes in an opaque black and available in 10,20 and 30 round configurations.

Brownells AR-15 Magazine 5.56

The Brownells AR-15 magazine is one of the best AR-15 magazines thanks to its high quality aluminum construction and durable stainless steel spring. These ensure reliability and proper feeding. Remember that this magazine is technically chambered for 5.56, but it will still work for .300 Blackout even though it is technically not optimized for the round.

When Brownells built this magazine, they wanted to create a battle ready magazine that can withstand a lot of abuse. The result is a magazine built to ISO standards with a hard coat anodized finish for superior rust and corrosion resistance. It also comes in gray and desert tan colors to help you match the aesthetic of your firearm.

Special Consideration: Surefire 60-Round High-Capacity Magazine

If you’re looking for a high capacity magazine for your rifle, consider getting the SureFire 60 round magazine. Although coffin rounds are not as reliable as drum magazines like those made by Magpul, the traditional magazine shape is what sets it apart from other high-capacity rounds on the market. And since it loads the 5.56 and 2.23, you should be able to load the .300 Blackout rounds as well.

Not only is it aesthetically a better fit to standard AR rifles, it also doesn’t take up as much space as other high-capacity mag configurations. As a result, it is easy to maneuver with and  lug around if you plan to attach using some kind of body holster.

Unfortunately, if you are running on a budget, this might not be for you. The Surefire 60-round is an expensive magazine considering it only carries as many rounds as two $20 mags at five times the price. There’s a 100 round capacity version that’s a little more bang for your back but that’s gonna set you back almost $200 post tax. So it is an expensive commodity. But you get the convenience of reloading less, bringing less magazines with you and being able to out shoot your opponent should the need come.

Our Pick

The Lancer Systems .300 Blackout Translucent Smoke Magazine is our top pick-up at a reasonable price. This magazine is extremely durable thanks to a mix of high quality polymer and steel construction.

Also, the 300BLK magazine’s geometry is specifically designed to enhance reliability of feeding the heavier .300 Blackout subsonic cartridge into your rifle allowing you to get off consecutive shots without issue. It also comes in an opaque black color in case the translucent design isn’t really your style.

Wrapping Up

Any one of the.300 Blackout Magazines that we’ve covered here today will make a solid choice for your collection. If you do end up going a different route, you can always follow our buyer’s guide section that we went over earlier to help you find a .300 AAC Blackout magazine that works better for you.

Keep in mind when choosing a .300 Blackout Magazines that you need to be aware of the exact type you’re buying. Although most 5.56 magazines will work with the .300 Blackout, it’s always better to find a magazine that’s configured specifically to the .300 Blackout round to prevent feeding issues later on. If you do insist on a 5.56 Magazine, find one with steel feed lips or an aluminum body since these tend to work better for the heavier .300 Blackout rounds.

Related Reads:

• Best .300 Blackout Muzzle Brakes
• .300 Win Mag vs .300 WSM — Cartridge Comparison
• Best 7.62x39mm AR-15 Uppers