If you shoot a rimfire AR, you’re probably familiar with Black Dog Machine. They make excellent conversion mags that allow you to use a standard AR lower with a .22 LR, .22 Magnum, or .17 Magnum upper, or a .22 conversion kit.
I have a bunch of their .22 LR mags, as well as .22 Magnum mags. I use the .22 LR mags with my CMMG conversion kit, and the .22 Magnum ones with my Frankenstein .22 Mag pistol build. I have 10 and 14 round .22 Magnum mags and they work great. They only thing that would make them better was if they held more rounds. Well now they do. Black Dog Machine just released a new mag that holds 23 rounds of .22 Magnum or .17 HMR.
The Black Dog Magnum .22 /.17 HMR Mag
The previous 10 and 14 round Black Dog mags had the same profile as a GI 20 round magazine. They were the same size, just differing capacities to accommodate states with 10 round mag limits. The new mags are the profile on a GI 30 round magazine. They hold 23 rounds of Magnum ammunition. Currently they’re listed as being available in a gray smoked finish. Their other mags are available in either black or smoked so maybe we’ll see a black one available down the line.
I have to say that I’ve been anxiously awaiting this release. My .22 Magnum AR is one of my favorite plinkers. It’s an ugly mismatch of parts, but it shoots great and is a ton of fun. Recoil is nonexistent, and the .22 Mag hits a good bit harder than the .22 LR. It would make a great varmint and pest gun too.
The 10- and 14-round mags work just fine, but I always wanted a higher capacity .22 Magnum auto-loader, and there aren’t a lot of options out there. With the introduction of the Black Dog Machine 23 round mags you can now get some pretty respectable capacity in the Magnum platform. MSRP on the new mags is $28.00 and they’re available direct from their website.