Whether you’re heading out into the field, or just to the local range, you want to spend as much time as you can pulling the trigger and learning/teaching the foundations…not loading magazines. That’s why it’s a really good idea to have plenty of reliable 10/22 magazines on hand and loaded to best maximize your time behind the gun.

The key, though, is to buy quality mags that won’t give you trouble while loading or reliably feeding ammo into your 10/22. The .22 LR caliber can be finicky enough – don’t lose time scratching your head if it was the ammo or a cheap aftermarket magazine.

While we’ll go into greater detail in each section, here are my favorites:

1. Simple factory magazine – Ruger BX-1 10-round
2. Extended factory magazine – Ruger BX-25 25-round
3. Drum magazine – GSG Ruger 10/22 .22 LR 110-round

The easiest way to do that is to stock up on high-capacity AR-15 magazines. Thirty rounds are great, but 40 rounds are better. And 60 or even 100 rounds mean you’ll have more time to concentrate on your shooting between mag changes.

Here are four great high-capacity magazines for getting more trigger time out of your AR-15 rifle.

Magpul 40-Round

Magpul magazines are popular because they’re tough, reliable and affordable. You’ll see more PMags at the range than any other brand. And that’s why Magpul 40-round high-capacity magazines have been such a big hit. For only about $20, it gives you a 33% increase in capacity over a standard 30-round AR magazine.

Surefire 60-Round

Want to carry even more ammo in a single box magazine? Surefire’s 60-round high-capacity magazines let you double up on standard 30-round mags. The Surefire design packs those 60 rounds into a magazine that’s about the same length as a standard 30-rounder, and does it in an aluminum-bodied magazine for strength and durability.

Instead of shilling for commission earners, this top-10 list is based upon my four decades of shooting, including more than two as an active firearms trainer of thousands of people, young and old. At the same time, I remain a busy student of gun training with a who’s who of nationally known top-tier instructors in courses and seminars.

What Qualifies as a Great Beginner Handgun?

First off, the “best” handgun to buy for one shooter may be completely inappropriate for the next person. As an example? I bought my first 9mm pistol – a Beretta 92 – based on Mel Gibson’s portrayal of Detective Martin Riggs in Lethal Weapon. “I’m a real cop, and this is a real effin’ gun!” Looking back, that was a huge mistake.

Not only was a Beretta 92 a poor choice for me, (a beginner handgun shooter) but I wasted thousands of rounds trying to teach myself how to master shooting that pistol rather unsuccessfully. In the end, nationally known trainer Mas Ayoob taught me how to shoot it, and learning those skills on that very difficult platform made me a far better shooter for every handgun.

You probably don’t want to spend 40 hours, a thousand-plus dollars and invest a couple of thousand rounds of ammo to do the same though. So, before we talk about specific guns, let’s talk about some generalities.

If you’re a beginner handgun shooter or you’re not going to practice, a revolver will likely better serve you for defensive purposes.

Revolvers are sometimes known as wheelguns and they have a lot going for them for both beginner handgun shooters and experienced pistoleros. These benefits include simplicity of use, including loading and unloading, that help make them safer for novices.

Wheelguns remain the ultimate point and click interface when it comes to defensive handgun use. Once loaded, the user points and then pulls the trigger. Malfunctions are rare, and overcoming them often involves simply pulling the trigger one more time.

What’s more, don’t get wrapped around the axle about not being able to carry half a box of ammo in your handgun. Five or six rounds will resolve most personal defense situations.

There are other pros of owning a revolver. It will reliably shoot milder ammunition for practice and recreation and hotter loads for personal defense. The only limit to light loads is ensuring the bullet will leave the barrel. Try that with a lot of semi-automatics. In fact, revolver users have been known to load paraffin “bullets” into primed cases for fun indoor practice. Again, try that with your semi-auto.

While I’ve never fired wax “bullets,” I have fired some custom .38 Special loads that clock at about 450 feet per second at the muzzle. These allow young people and recoil-sensitive shooters a very pleasant introduction to shooting a handgun.

Without further ado, let’s get into the Top 10 best, first pistol or handgun options. These aren’t presented in any particular order as they represent 10 guns that serve different purposes for new shooters.

Snub-Nosed Revolver: Ruger LCR

Ruger makes a very nice snub-nosed revolver that’s widely available in their LCR. Yes, Ruger uses polymer materials for a big part of the frame, but they use metal in all the critical areas.

The LCR revolver has an excellent trigger and shoots well in a fairly lightweight package. Light enough to carry it all day long without fatigue, but heavy enough that you can shoot 50 or more rounds of practice ammo in a day without crying out in pain or developing a nasty flinch.

Affordable Snub-Nosed Revolver: Taurus Model 85

Don’t have $500-$600 to spend on a small-frame revolver? No worries. Taurus makes some very good revolvers today and if you watch sales in normal times, you can find Taurus Model 85s for $300 or even less.

I’ve owned several and they’ve all had good, manageable triggers and provided flawless service and reliability. In fact, I bought my first one as a Christmas present for my first fiancée decades ago.

No, it probably won’t stand up well to shooting 100,000 rounds, but it’s a carry piece, not a plow horse.

Taurus keeps coming out with new incarnations of the Model 85. I’d avoid the exotic metal guns that weigh next to nothing. Those are quite unpleasant to fire, especially with defensive ammunition. But the blue steel or stainless 85s will serve you and your loved ones well at an affordable price.

Springfield Hellcat

The Hellcat is very close runner-up to the SIG P365 and many say they prefer it to the 365. Springfield’s Hellcat holds one extra round than the 365 (11+1 or 13+1 with the slightly extended magazine). It also has an option for an RMS red-dot optic which makes it probably the best handgun to buy for those who prefer red-dot sights on their carry guns.

Springfield Armory did well with their Hellcat. It garners top marks for a general purpose carry piece with a great trigger right out of the box.

For Young People or Those With Very Small Hands: Ruger SR-22

The Ruger SR-22 is a very small rimfire pistol with an equally petite grip. It’s ideal for sharing the fun and excitement of handgun shooting with small-framed women and responsible young people with small paws. I’ve used mine at youth shooting camps and kids as young as 7 or 8 years old had no problem holding this tiny pistol securely.

First-time or new shooters usually aren’t intimidated by the mild recoil and fairly mild muzzle blast. In skilled hands with good ammo, it will deliver respectable accuracy.

Insider tip: Buy four or five extra magazines, because when you hand this little gem to a beginner handgun shooter, they’re going to have a grin from ear to ear and want to shoot it — a lot. Loading magazines typically takes longer than excited shooters can empty them while they make memories that will last a lifetime.

Plus, while shooting rimfire .22s, you won’t land in the poorhouse watching kids and maybe even a few grown men giggle while shooting through 500 rounds in an afternoon with this sweet little handgun.

The Walther P-22 is a runner up in this category, but the Walther seems a lot more finicky when it comes to ammo that will make it run reliably. And nothing kills a good-time buzz faster than malfunctions.

Smith & Wesson M&P 2.0 9mm Series

Smith & Wesson’s M&P 2.0 9mm line is even better than their original M&P guns, especially their double-stack 9mm pistols. These semi-autos come with adjustable back straps to better accommodate various hand sizes. The gun comes with a great, crisp trigger right out of the box, along with a pair of 17-round magazines in free states.

The M&P 9’s shoot well and have been a great seller for S&W. That means lots of aftermarket parts and accessories are widely available. That’s good news when you’re looking for a holster or two for your M&P 2.0.

While it’s a pretty fair-sized gun for concealed carry (the compact version carries more comfortably and shoots every bit as well), it also doubles as a great casual competition and home defense tool as well.

SIG Sauer P320 Series

If I was starting over today, I’d probably buy one of SIG’s P320 series guns. They have a magnificent trigger, very comfortable grips, generous magazine capacity and shoot very well. Interestingly, the actual registered “firearm” in the modular P320 is an internal “fire control unit” that you can remove from one P320 chassis and insert into another larger (or smaller) one. Yes, the chassis might even mean a different caliber in addition to a different size or type of frame.

What’s more, the 320 series runs from a standard pedigree to the high-end Legion models. You won’t go wrong with any of them.

Smith & Wesson M&P EZ .380

Ordinarily, I champion revolvers as the best first handgun for novices or those who aren’t going to practice. However I make an exception for one specific niche: those with serious hand strength issues. For those folks, the S&W M&P EZ .380 represents a huge improvement over every other center-fire semi-auto pistol on the market.

The M&P EZ shoots every bit as well as traditional defensive pistols, but manipulates easier than most rimfire semi-autos. Even my 80-year-old mother who has serious hand-strength limitations can manipulate this pistol with relative ease. The trigger is also relatively light, making it very shootable for those lacking that finger strength.

S&W offers a 9mm version of the EZ, too. While it’s easier to manipulate than pretty much any other semi-auto out there, it’s not nearly as easy as the .380. Don’t believe me? Handle both at your local gun shop and experience the difference first-hand.

Obviously, owners of America’s favorite rifle – a semi-automatic – need the best AR-15 magazines to feed it. But, with so many manufacturers hawking their wares online, in stores and at gun shows, what are the best AR-15 magazines?

Too many of these “best of” stories are based upon commissions rather than personal experience. This one is based upon my personal experience from nearly 20 years as an AR owner, student of many nationally known instructors and as an instructor teaching the fundamentals to everyday Americans.

Even the Best AR-15 Magazines Don’t Last Forever

Magazines wear out with use. To give you an idea, the military considers their standard-issue aluminum AR-style magazines to have a 4,000-round service life. That’s about 130 loadings. After those loading and unloading/shooting cycles, the military considers them expended, and you should too.

Why do even the best AR-15 magazines eventually fail? Primarily, because their feed lips become damaged with use. They can become deformed or even broken over time. Especially with hard use in training, typically while allowing them to fall to the ground. Springs weaken from loading/unloading cycles. Interestingly, good quality springs will not “take a set” from remaining fully loaded for years at a time.

What’s more, one of the most common causes for malfunctions in semi-auto firearms is a defective magazine. This is why you should use a Sharpie marker and number your magazines. This way, while practicing in the future, if you start experiencing malfunctions from a certain mag, you can put that magazine aside.

Whether you use it for training (after marking it prominently) or destroy it, just make sure it doesn’t remain in your defensive gear rotation.

What Are the Best AR-15 Magazines?

Gun magazines need to be reliable and dependable for long-term use. Whichever manufacturer’s product you select, buy enough to use and some spare ones, especially if you’re going to train or practice regularly. So, what are the best AR-15 magazines? Here are three types of great components to consider:

Other Magazines

Given the incredible popularity of the AR platform, there are a number of other manufacturers out there that provide good products. I just don’t have enough direct experience to put them into “the best” category of the aforementioned. Yes, I’ve seen a tiny handful of other manufacturer’s products, but the above dominate when it comes to those who are serious about shooting ARs.

One consistently poor performer for those who don’t know any better are the blue-steel aftermarket AR-magazines. These usually have prominent verbiage guaranteeing reliability and claims that they are “just as good as” fill-in-the-blank mags. In my experience (and plenty of other people I know and trust), these are consistently junk. Poor followers, soft metal, poor manufacturing tolerances and lousy springs lead to poor performance for users.

Frankly, given the high quality, wide availability (for now) and flawless reliability of Magpul products, Milspec aluminum mags and the HK SA80 mags, I haven’t felt the necessity to try other products. After all, when you find products that work exceptionally well, why stray from a proven winner?

Why You Should Have a Spare Magazine for Your Gun

Everyone will have an opinion on this, but I’ll give mine as a 22-year firearms and tactics instructor and student of a long list of nationally known firearms trainers. I won’t play hide the ball, but first let’s talk about magazines.

Magazines, unlike firearms, degrade with use. To give you an idea, the military considers their standard-issue aluminum AR-style magazines to have a 4,000-round service life. That’s about 130 loadings. After that, the military considers them expended and you should, too.

Why do magazines eventually fail with use? Primarily, because their feed lips are delicate. They can become deformed or even broken with use over time. Especially with hard use in training. Springs eventually weaken from loading/unloading cycles — but not so much from “taking a set.” They can remain fully loaded for years at a time.

One of the most common causes of malfunctions in semi-automatic firearms is a defective magazine. This is why you should use a Sharpie marker to number your magazines. That way, while practicing, if you start experiencing malfunctions from your magazine #13, you can put that one aside.

If you suffer multiple malfunctions from any magazine, mark it prominently, say with orange paint, and use it only as a malfunction clearing drill training aid. Or destroy it. Just make sure it doesn’t stay among the working gear you depend on for personal defense or serious competition.

We know that the vast majority of America’s gun owners don’t practice as much as they would like to. Fewer still train aggressively. In fact, many gun owners might not shoot more than a box or two each year. For the average gun owner, they don’t need to buy magazines by the case or even in 10-packs. However, in good times, that option remains available.

What if my magazines are “high capacity”?

Given the political climate from a potential administration change, firearm magazines may face unprecedented taxes.  That goes double if the capacity is more than 10 rounds. No one is sure when new gun control legislation is coming, but it is better to be safe than sorry.

Back in the late 1990s, when new magazine capacity was limited, standard capacity “pre-ban” Glock magazines sold for well over $100. Today you can buy yours, regardless of the make and manufacturer, while they remain relatively plentiful and affordable. It isn’t like they will go bad in the back of your closet or gun safe.

For the revolver shooters out there, you too should have “magazines” – otherwise known as speed loaders in the revolver world.  Like semi-auto pistol owners, revolver owners should own at least two speedloaders.  The good news is that speedloaders are less prone to failure with use.  For deep cover and less obtrusive carry, speed strips are available, but they are slower to use and reload your wheel gun.

How Many Magazines Is Too Many?

I don’t know that anyone can really own too many magazines. Plenty of women would probably say the same out shoes or maybe purses. Heaven knows most men would say the same thing about guns.

Just make sure you have at least a couple of spares – bare minimum – for every magazine-fed gun you own.  You’ll thank yourself in ten or twenty years. And maybe sooner.

What Are the Best Aluminum AR-15 Magazines for You?

The AR rifle platform will run with near-perfect reliability given proper (generous) lubrication, decent ammo and good AR-15 aluminum magazines. But if you remove any one of those three components, malfunctions will plague any user, beginner or expert.

In practice, malfunctions can be frustrating and embarrassing. In life-or-death defensive situations, failures can actually prove fatal. So, selecting the right magazine is very important.

For instance, those who don’t know any better may buy some aftermarket, blue-steel magazine at a gun show, online or at their local gun shop. Yes, the packaging will often boldly and prominently proclaim guarantees of reliability. But buyer beware.

Poorly made followers can tilt inside the magazine. Followers are supposed to evenly push the ammunition up as the gun shoots and cycles new rounds. But cheap magazines tend to have poor-quality followers that may bind, rendering the magazine a trainwreck until it can be completely unloaded and cleared.

Lousy quality springs may take a set or fail to provide the necessary upward pressure to keep feeding cartridges reliably. Soft metal housings — and by extension, soft-metal feed lips — may bend or deform with use, causing additional reliability problems. Add in poor manufacturing tolerances and it’s easy to see how seemingly little things can lead to poor reliability for the end user.

So, which manufacturer’s product is right for you? Start with what the pros use. Magpul PMags dominate sales because they work and many like the “windows” in some models that show the remaining round count.

For those who like to keep things simple, Milspec AR-15 aluminum magazines offer outstanding performance at an affordable price.

Try some of each of these with your rifle and make sure they work flawlessly for you. While perfectly smooth operation isn’t necessary for an afternoon of plinking with friends, if you’re competing for bragging rights or for prizes, or you’re in a fight for the lives of you and your loved ones, you want perfect reliability and reliably perfect cartridge feeding from your aluminum AR-15 magazines.

The good news is that the AR-15 is such a standardized platform that it’s difficult to make a bad choice these days. But a little guidance makes a lot of newbies more comfortable, so here are eight affordable options that constitute the best beginner AR-15 rifles that you can feel good about buying.

#1: Aero Precision AERO AC-15M

The AERO AC-15 Mid-Length Rifle is a budget-friendly, high-quality rifle featuring mil-spec parts and accessories made in America. The cost-efficient AV-15M is ready to go, right out of the box and can easily be upgraded down the road.

#2: Anderson Mfg. AM-15 16” Carbine

The AM-15 Optic Ready 5.56 16″ – M4 is Anderson’s entry-level rifle. Anderson makes all their own parts so you’re getting a quality, American-made rifle and one of the best beginner AR15s at a very affordable price. It’s ready for you to add either the iron sights or optic of your choice and head straight to the range.

#3: FN 15 Patrol Carbine

For those willing to spend a little extra, FN America’s FN 15 Patrol Carbine is one of the best options available. FN makes rifles and other small arms for the US military and you can see that pedigree in the FN 15 Patrol Carbine. The rifle comes with a 16” alloy steel, button broached, chrome-lined barrel, Samson flip-up rear sight for compact and reliable back-up sighting and a Midwest Industries quad rail handguard for front grip and accessory options.

#4: Palmetto State Armory PSA 16” M4 Carbine

The PSA M4 is one of the best beginner AR rifles for a new owner. It features a flat-top rail to accommodate any kind of optics or sights the shooter wants, along with US-made forged upper and lower assemblies that are a step above many entry level rifles.

With abnormally high demand for most ammunition calibers, we recommend Glock handguns chambered in 9mm. Put simply, it is the most used pistol caliber, and finding less popular calibers at an affordable is tricky due to the demand.

If you’re in the market for a new pistol in 2021, which one of Glock’s extensive lineup is right for you? Well, that depends. Are you looking for a concealed carry gun? A home defense pistol? A competition gun?

Benefits of Factory Original Glock Magazines

Deciding which manufacturer’s product will work best for your Glock is easy. The factory Glock magazines offer bulletproof reliability and function in your Glock handgun. For personal defense or competitions with prizes (or prize money) on the line, a whole lot of prudent people use factory Glock products. I have shot over fifteen thousand rounds using Glock mags in the past ten years and can count on one hand the number of malfunctions. And none were the result of magazine issues.

But are factory originals the best Glock 9mm magazines? Even though they are factory original mags from trusted vendors, I still believe in the old maxim, “trust but verify.” I always function check the magazines before I carry them for life-saving purposes.

How do I function test them? I shoot both defensive and cheaper range ammo through them to ensure they work flawlessly in my pistols.

Best Aftermarket Magazines for Glock Handguns

For those on a tight budget or those who wish to buy some affordable aftermarket 9mm magazines for practice or training, there are a number of good non-Glock options that work well.

Magpul

Probably the best Glock 9mm magazines from an aftermarket manufacturer come from Cheyenne, Wyoming. Magpul introduced their PMags for Glocks in recent years. The company had some minor issues with some of the early ones, but their current product rivals factory Glock specimens in function and reliability. I have some myself and I can’t recall a single failure in over a couple of thousand rounds.

Even better, the Magpul Glock mags come in a range of capacities, including 10, 12, 15, 17, 21 and 27 rounds. Better still, as of today, all remain priced under $20 a piece street price.

Elite Tactical Systems

Elite Tactical Systems makes a clear plastic magazine for Gaston’s pride as well. I have limited experience using them or watching students run with them, but I have witnessed zero reliability or durability issues with those I’ve seen — to the extent that they’ve earned a place among the best Glock 9mm magazines from third-party manufacturers.

The handful of students over the years using these all expressed strong satisfaction with the clear mags as well. The only thing that has scared me away from these is seeing the cartridges jumbled around inside the loaded magazine. Sometimes some things are better left unseen.