One would think that the AK platform has been around long enough that there’s not much that needs to be done with it. One would be wrong. Despite the “Nyet! Rifle is fine!” crowd, there’s still room for improvement. Xtech Tactical does just that with their MAG47 magazines.
Why Do I Need Another AK Mag?
I know, there are probably a literal billion AK mags out there, and most of them probably work fine. Many of them are also quite affordable. So why do we need a new AK mag? Well, how about reliability, quality manufacture, and an American-made product? Let’s add in some interesting design options to that too. Xtech offers a complete line of AK magazines that provide all of these features.
I saw the Xtech MAG47 AK mags at GunCon 2025 back in June. While I was there, I spoke with the owner, Jeremy Deadman. I had mentioned I was doing show coverage for TTAG and an interesting conversation ensued. Jeremy wasn’t that interested in me just doing a “Hey I saw this cool stuff at a show” news piece. If I were going to write about his products, he wanted me to actually work with them. Try them firsthand, see the build quality. Use them and see how they work.
Most places would be happy with some coverage, but Jeremy didn’t want me to talk about his products unless I had first-hand experience with them. We followed up with each other after the show, and he sent some samples to check out. I’ve been working with MAG47 mags and a few other things over the summer, and I’ll give you a review spoiler now: I’m sold.
The MAG47
At its core, the MAG47 is an American-made product that’s built to last. The mags are built from tough composite materials that Xtech says are the strongest polymer used in the firearms market. They also feature stainless steel reinforced feed lips and locking lugs. The rear lug is machined from a solid steel bloc,k and it’s also stainless steel. I have some pretty crusty steel surplus mags that I’ve had to clean rust off of on more than one occasion, so the weather-resistant construction is a plus in my book.
The springs are an upgrade over most AK springs as well. They’re military-grade, also made of stainless steel, with an anti-binding mechanism. They’re 30% stronger than those used by Magpul and US Palm. According to Xtech, they’re also the only US-made AK-47 magazine that can pass a military standard 6-foot drop test. That’s a fully loaded magazine dropped directly onto the feed lips.
The mag tolerances are tight, too. They have dimensions that allow compatibility not just with the vast array of AK rifles, but also the IWI Galil Ace, the CMMG Mutant and MK47 Dissent, and the Palmetto State Armory KS-47. You may think of AKs as being sloppy so that you wouldn’t run into fit issues, but not all AKs are created the same. And once you get into other platforms that use AK mags, you run into even more differences. I have had mags that were too tight in a couple of the AKs I’ve owned over the years.
The MAG47s have a quick-release base plate for easy cleaning, too. With their rust-resistant materials, they shouldn’t need the maintenance that my crusty old carbon steel mags do, but it’s nice to know they’re easy to clean when they do need it.
The fact that they’re US-made is also a plus for 922r compliance as well. I’m not even sure how many folks even care about that at this point, but I always prefer to err on the side of caution. If your AK needs a US mag for compliance, then the Xtech is a good option.
Last but not least, the Xtech MAG47 mags have a lifetime warranty. Try getting that out of the Chinese or Bilgrain surplus mag.
Test Mags
I had two mags to test out from Xtech. Their MAG47 ELITE and one of their MAG47 Gen2 “Banana” mags. Both share all the build features above and primarily have some cosmetic differences.
The MAG47 ELITE uses a slab-sided body. It has a thinner overall profile than the waffle pattern mags. This allows it to fit in tighter mag pouches more easily. It also works better in guns with tight mag wells. Xtech also notes that it works better with certain tabletop loaders. I’ll touch on that in a bit.
The ELITE is available in black and has a suggested retail price of $34.95. You can save a few bucks off each mag by buying a 10-pack, too. Extech has a Fakelite version of the ELITE available that mimics the red/orange finish of the old Soviet-era Bakelite AK mags as well. There’s also a “Spam Can” model painted in the style of Soviet Bloc green ammo cans.
The other mag I had is the MAG47 Gen2 “Banana” model. As the name suggests, this mag is bright yellow. It’s a play on the term banana mags that’s often used to refer to AK mags. They also make a mottled yellow version called the “Rotten Banana.” This one is waffle patterned. Xtech isn’t the only one doing a yellow banana themed AK mag on the market, but they are the only ones offering the features that they do. The Banana runs a few bucks more at $39.95 each. I didn’t see 10 packs of Banana mags available. Or maybe they’d be bunches of Banana mags?
My magazines were both 30-round, standard-capacity models. Xtech also makes 10-round magazines for those who live behind enemy lines. They still use a 30-round magazine body so you get the classic AK look, but they have a block and shorter spring limiting them to 10 rounds and are marked as 10-round mags.
Xtech’s MAG47 mags aren’t the cheapest AK mag out there by any stretch, but if they live up to the hype they should outlast all of your other mags.
Loading
Xtech says they’ve tested their mag with over 20,000 rounds fired. I didn’t have 20,000 rounds to confirm this, but I did run a few hundred through my two mags. My test platform is a Polish AKM kit built by the now-defunct Vector Arms on one of their lowers. I bought it right after the Clinton “assault weapons” ban expired back in 2004.
For my field work, I used primarily steel-cased Russian hollow-point loads for my testing, along with some Yugoslav surplus brass-cased ammo. I did all of my loading using a Podavach U-Loader bench loader.
I’d like to tell you how the Xtech mags are to load by hand but honestly, I didn’t even think to try it. Xtech mentions compatibility on the Elite mags with bench loaders and I found that both the slabside and waffle style mags fit and worked fine in my loader. Ever since I got my Podavach U-Loader last year I stopped loading my mags by hand like a peasant. The system works extremely well. It’s fast, easy, and a major thumb saver.
It works with AK mags, AR mags, and Mini 14 mags and I’ve used it to load all three. I’ve been kicking myself for not buying one sooner even since I got it. Suffice it to say, the Xtech mags worked perfectly with it. 30 rounds loaded in seconds.
The MAG47’s both locked in my Vector AK easily and fit snugly, without wiggle. The grooved front and backs of the mags ensured a positive grip while loading and unloading as well.
Reliability
I did slow controlled fire, and some mag dumps, using both Xtech mags and never had any issues. Feed was 100% regardless of how I fired, which ammo I used, or even in mags with mixed ammo. I did 5 mags, so 150 rounds, of mixed ammo through each magazine. I know it’s not 20,000 rounds, but I thought it was a good indicator of the mags performance. I’ll leave them in my range bag and keep using them as I got forward as well.
I didn’t baby the mags either. I’d let the mags drop to the ground during reloads, and did a couple loaded mag drop tests of my own. As advertised, the loaded mags held on to their ammo even when dropped on gravel or pavement.
Worth the Money?
Okay, so the big question is, are the MAG47 mags worth the extra money over other AK mags on the market? I guess it depends what you do with your AK. If you just use it as a plinker for some range fun, maybe not. If you use your gun for defense, or for any sort of tactical or 3 gun type shoots, then you probably want to take a look at them. They really don’t cost that much more than the other decent AK mags on the market, and I don’t think anything else matches the materials and features that the Xtech mag offers.
I mentioned the design options that Xtech offers earlier too. While they certainly make basic black mags, you can see they aren’t afraid of some fun, like with the Banana mags. In addition to the Fakelite and Spam Can mags, the also have assorted camo patterns, battlefield patinas, Russian Plum, and some other options. The Fakelite will go perfectly with my laminate stock AKM pattern rifle, and I can definitely see some of those in my future. So if a quality made US mag with a lifetime warranty isn’t enough to win you over, how about adding on a cool finished mag to make your gun unique?
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