CPD Duramag AR-15 Magazines Review: Are They Durable or Duds?

There is something about a steel or aluminum AR-15 magazine that can make any rifle feel like it’s ready for battle. However, they aren’t all created equal, and with the wrong magazines, you won’t have a battle-ready rifle, only a glorified paperweight. 

Over the last two and a half decades, C Products Defense (CPD) has become a household name for rifle magazines, and has since rebranded as Duramag. Whether it’s been a standard black stainless steel mag or a custom M81 Woodland aluminum mag, you’ve likely seen a few of its magazines either online or at the range. 

The classic black magazine finishes off the SA-16 perfectly.

Aesthetics are great and all, but they aren’t what makes a magazine worth your hard-earned money, or what has made Duramag trusted by various law enforcement and military units.

Designed For Durability

A ton of research and development has gone into every aspect of Duramag magazines. From the internal components to the magazine’s construction, no detail is left untouched.

Stamping on the bottom reduces the need for bold branding on the body.

Starting on the outside, both the steel and aluminum magazines feature a Post and Hole design and are robotically welded for maximum toughness and consistency. Duramag’s LipLock technology ensures your rounds stay perfectly aligned, and the entire body, inside and out, is covered by a T-360 total coating technology. The combination of the construction and coating makes the magazines extremely durable and able to withstand shooting in any weather conditions.

You can see just how slick the sides are.

Inside the magazine, you’ll find an Advanced Geometry Follower and an EverFlex anti-fatigue spring that drive the superior reliability. I like that you can also opt for a subtle black follower or a high-visibility orange in certain models to suit your specific needs. I almost always prefer a high-visibility follower, but that’s just me.

High-quality followers, regardless of color, are a necessity.

Unlike some polymer AR-15 magazines, these are capable of being stored fully loaded for extended periods without concern for swelling or flexing. While I haven’t tested this over the course of multiple years, I almost always load mine before putting them away and have never had any issues upon taking them to the range. 

Range Testing

While I typically run Magpul PMAGs in my AR-15s, I have also had my fair share of Duramags in rotation, so you could say this review spans several years in a sense. But for the review specifically, I used two 30-round Duramag magazines and ran them through their paces.

I had to bring a PMAG to compare, of course.

While far from one of those “high round torture tests” you see on YouTube, I put 150 rounds through each magazine, which consisted of everything from higher-quality Hornady Match ammo to inexpensive steel-cased ammo. I alternated between rapid-fire mag dumps, running reload drills, and shooting slowly for accuracy. 

The coating helps the magazines to glide effortlessly into the mag well.

During the reload drills, I let the magazines fall from about chest height onto grass, hard dirt, and in a couple of instances, concrete. While they got rather dinged up, they never skipped a beat through the 300 rounds.

Signs of a good time.

I even performed a few extra drop tests onto concrete with one of the magazines fully loaded, and I only ever had one round pop out, which is to be expected. Any additional rounds would have been a concern, but one or none is acceptable in my opinion. 

I would like to note how smooth reloads are, thanks to the coating that’s applied. The magazines easily seat and eject with no issues. At the same time, though, that coating and the absence of texturing make them a bit slick, especially when wet. I’d really like to see some texturing included somehow on the following models, whenever they do inevitably come out. 

One ejected round is not awful

Overall, they performed well and align with my other experiences with Duramag. I haven’t had any magazine-induced malfunctions with them, regardless of whether I’m running the steel or aluminum offerings. 

Pros & Cons

Pros: 

• As the name suggests, they have extremely durable construction
• Reliable and lightweight
• Offered in a variety of capacities and colors
• Can store them loaded with no concerns
• Made in the USA

Cons: 

• Often a dollar or two more than the competition
• Slick when wet

Final Thoughts

At the end of the day, I feel confident when loading a Duramag magazine into my AR-15 that it will perform reliably. From the range to competitions to duty use, Duramag has proven itself as a quality competitor in the AR-15 magazine space for many shooters. 

Would I replace, say, all of my PMAGs with Duramag magazines? No, but that’s just a personal preference. I will, however, continue to own and run Duramags on occasion and pick up more if the price is right! 

Next time you place an order, why not add a Duramag magazine to your cart and try one for yourself? I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. 

As always, stay safe, train hard, and have fun.

Ryan Domke

Ryan Domke is a firearms enthusiast at heart who has worked with some of the largest manufacturers in the firearms industry, gaining knowledge and expertise he enjoys sharing with the 2A community. He has contributed to numerous reputable publications, including The Mag Shack, Springfield's "The Armory Life," Smith & Wesson's "The S&W Bench," and many others. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his family and enjoying the outdoors.

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