I'm set for rimfire as I have about 20 Ruger factory ten round magazines for my 10/22. But if/when I do a CF KD using an AR what are the best magazines to use? How many? Any brands to avoid or to mainly (only?) focus on? I'm thinking no more than 20 round at most so it doesn't extend too far down. But 20 or 10? Any need for any 5 round? Anything else I don't know enough yet to ask about?
I am in a state which limits mag capacity to 10.
No need for anything smaller than 10.
You are used to 10 rounders for the 10/22, the same techniques work for the AR15 and allow you to get your elbow under the rifle.
Longer magazines are "standard" size and they work just fine. Just be sure to keep your forearm under the rifle, which means pressed firmly against the magazine.
I like 10 rounders. I have PMag but that is because were on sale.
I bring 6 so you can load a full AQT and not have to rush to prep magazines.
MAHA
In Appleseed, and anywhere bipods are verboten, "magpods" (i.e. using the magazine as a monopod) are also verboten. Thankfully, a good prone position will place the rifle far enough above the deck that you shouldn't have to worry about even a 30-rounder accidentally kissing the deck while you're shooting.
Yes, a 30-rounder (or even a 20-rounder to a lesser extent) is an ergonomic challenge for shooting with the support elbow under the rifle. IMHO, I would rather overcome that challenge and thus know how to shoot accurately with plenty of ammunition in the rifle, than avoid that challenge and thus have to limit my ammunition capacity in order to stay accurate with the technique I prefer.
Where excess magazine capacity can cause problems, is admin. With 10/22s one can absentmindedly stuff rounds into the mag until it's full, then take out the last two and stuff those into another mag. I find that this (https://www.maglula.com/product/m4-ar15-5-56-223-striplula/) is a good tool for mitigating that problem and putting this admin back into the unconscious, provided I always start with empty mags; one good alternative is to put your ammo onto stripper clips in advance and use the USGI clip spoon (or similar) during the event to prep your mags.
As always, there's no such thing as a free lunch, only tradeoffs, and you must choose your equipment wisely to match the equipment's intended purpose and usecase. The above is about Appleseed et al. The below is about other types of shooting competitions and other peaceable purposes.
20-rounders store well in large cargo pockets (be they on pants or on winter smocks) where a 30-rounder would be too long. If you have a really small pocket then maybe 10-rounders might be helpful there. But most pockets/pouches/etc that were designed in the US specifically to carry magazines, were designed to carry 30-rounders rather than anything shorter, because military users of AR-15s are mostly using 30-rounders. (I am in this entire post speaking about 5.56mm NATO.)
Shooting with a loop sling the way Appleseed teaches, is an excellent way to learn and produces accurate results; and it is not the only type of shooting in the world. "Magpodding" that I mentioned above, will cause feed issues on AKs or most traditional-style rifles or with most metallic magazines, but not on many plastic magazines as inserted into long sturdy magwells like in an AR-15. Magpul notably makes good quality plastic magazines. (Counterexample: I find most rimfire AR-15 mags are a loose sloppy fit in the magwell and I would not expect them to feed correctly when "magpodded".) When the equipment tolerates it, "magpodding" can be a field-expedient way to stabilize your shooting, at least half as well as a GI sling. "Magpodding" is easier with 30-rounders than with anything shorter.
Initial thoughts are 8 ten round Pmags would be good to have for KD if 6 is what's minimally needed. And I never heard of magpod until now. That looks interesting and a good thing to have with some thirty round Pmags.
Quote from: eaglescouter on January 14, 2026, 02:43:12 PMI am in a state which limits mag capacity to 10.
No need for anything smaller than 10.
You are used to 10 rounders for the 10/22, the same techniques work for the AR15 and allow you to get your elbow under the rifle.
Longer magazines are "standard" size and they work just fine. Just be sure to keep your forearm under the rifle, which means pressed firmly against the magazine.
I'm limited to 10 rounds too. I bought a mixture of translucent and opaque Lancer mags, and I'm looking forward to trying them out — no reviews yet.
Quote from: mmirate on January 14, 2026, 03:35:05 PMIn Appleseed, and anywhere bipods are verboten, "magpods" (i.e. using the magazine as a monopod) are also verboten.
Verboten yes - but it does work in a pinch outside of an Appleseed. And it has never caused me feeding problems in case anybody is wondering.
QuoteYes, a 30-rounder (or even a 20-rounder to a lesser extent) is an ergonomic challenge for shooting with the support elbow under the rifle. IMHO, I would rather overcome that challenge and thus know how to shoot accurately with plenty of ammunition in the rifle.
That's my philosophy. Practice like you Play. And 30s really weren't much of a problem to begin with.
I like 20rd mag size (they're available pinned to 10rd for folks in restrictive states). It's a nice size to clear the ground as discussed, but also get ahold of while it's still in the magwell if necessary. In an ideal world mags fall free but...
They're also what's required in CMP and NRA competitions like Across the Course, if you ever try to cross over there.
Answered this on another post, I like 20 rounders, but i prefer metal mags as when reloading under timed event, my MAGPULS wouldnt drop free so i had to change position to strip them out. i switched to metal mags and when I pressed the release they dropped free so i could reload. just my 2 cents...
Quote from: LDB415 on January 14, 2026, 03:55:20 PMInitial thoughts are 8 ten round Pmags would be good to have for KD if 6 is what's minimally needed. And I never heard of magpod until now. That looks interesting and a good thing to have with some thirty round Pmags.
I recommend my students bring two mags plus a spare. More won't hurt but you won't use them.
10 or 20 round mags work fine.
I like 10-round magazines. PMAG.
I like 10 round mags because for me they stay completely out of the way of my support arm.
Gus
I can see both points on mags, 10 vs. 20/30 and merits to each. And possible headaches also. And it's interesting needing fewer mags than I imagined. A couple of extras probably can't hurt anything though. I've always preferred having to needing.
Thank you everyone for good and helpful responses so far. It's all I've seen so far and appreciated.
F.W.I.W.....
Ten round magazines eliminate a lot of magazine sticking out the bottom of the rifle. Can be a plus for getting your elbow under the rifle...
For standing, I like using a "20 round" (length) Bob Sled to help get the rifle "up" high enough to be on target for C.M.P. matches. (Slow fire / individually loaded rounds) It rides atop my fist. But that's my body configuration, and limb length proportions.
You ain't me... Y.M.M.V.
Find what fits / suits / works for YOU!!