With Washington State and Illinois having just passed their unconstitutional “assault weapons” bans, the list is now ten states that have some form of ban or restriction. These bans, new and existing, are being challenged in court, thanks in part to recent favorable 2A Supreme Court rulings. In the meantime, the folks at CompMag help you make your rifle legal without permanently altering it.

The CompMag 10

Don’t misunderstand, CompMag isn’t any happier about these bans than the rest of us. The company came up with its mag as a way to hang on to its own property, living in a ban state.

The beauty of the system is that it lets you convert your gun to a fixed 10-round magazine setup. This makes your rifle compliant with many of the bans. As usual, check your local laws to see exactly how this applies to you. But for folks in a lot of areas, this is a great solution.

The CompMag is available for AR-15, AR-10, and AK platforms. As a result, the magazines work in most weapons systems that use those style mags. However, CompMag has a compatibility list that you can double-check if you would like to be sure.

Installation is simple: insert the magazine into your mag well and give it a tug to make sure it’s seated. That’s it, you’re done. Once inserted, the magazine mechanically locks in place and cannot be removed using the weapons magazine release.

Removing the CompMag 10

Fortunately, the process is reversible, so your rifle is not ruined in the process. If you move to a free state, where you can have standard capacity magazines again, you can remove the CompMag with the provided tool.

Access the top portion of the magazine by popping the upper on your AR open. A slim punch is provided with the mag that can then be inserted into the top of the magazine. This releases the lock that prevents the mag release from engaging.

You need two hands to push down on the pin, then work the mag release to pop the mag free. But it’s pretty simple.

A release cover slips in place over the release location during normal use. In some states, simply the fact that you need to disassemble the rifle and use a tool to remove the mag is sufficient to comply with the law.

However, in other states, you may be required to render the mag more permanently installed. This can be done by epoxying the cover in place. You can still remove the mag if the laws change or you move. But it will require you to drill out the epoxied cover first.

Operation and Function

Once inserted, the CompMag looks like a regular 30-round magazine, but it only has a 10-round capacity and operates a bit differently. Since the mag is fixed to the gun, loading it will be different than you’re probably used to.

There’s a sliding door on the left side of the mag that pushes down to reveal the loading port. In addition, there’s also a visible spring with a protruding knob on that side of the mag.

First, slide the knob down and into the locking position to take the spring tension off the magazine. Next, while holding the weapon by the grip, tilt it slightly to the right and slip two rounds into place.

Once those two are in, load the rest of the rounds by placing them between the bottom two rounds. This will gravity-feed the rounds up into the magazine. Once you have ten rounds in place, release the spring from the lock position, being careful not to let it slam in place.

There are round indicators marked on the side of the magazine so you can tell at a glance how many rounds you have left.

Trial and Error

I’ll be honest; even though the folks at CompMag demonstrated this to me at the SHOT Show, I screwed it up at first. Installation of the mag was super easy, so I figured it couldn’t be too hard to load it.

Well, I did everything wrong. I laid the gun flat on its side and let the rounds roll into place from top to bottom. Seemed simple until I went to cycle the weapon and had consistent jams and failures to feed. I got pretty frustrated. 

First, I installed it on my Springfield Armory Saint, and then I pulled it and put it on my KE Arms KP-15 lightweight build, hoping for better results. Same issues. I was ready to chuck the thing in the trash. Then I did something crazy—I read the well-written and illustrated instructions that came with the mag.

Oddly enough, when you do things like they tell you to, they work fine. Once I was humbled by the directions and had the system down, I headed to the range.

The function was just fine in live fire, and I got the hang of loading it through repetition and use. My buddy watched me load the first couple of mags and, with a quick explanation as I loaded, mastered it without issue.

It really isn’t hard, but it is a little different than you’re probably used to. Comp Mag has videos available on their website as well if you still need help.

An Affordable Solution

The AR-15 Comp mag is $64.99 and is currently New York and California compliant. However, CompMag’s attorneys were still looking at the new Washington and Illinois laws when I spoke with them.

That’s a pretty reasonable price to be able to keep your rifle in its current configuration. It would cost a lot more to reconfigure it into a featureless build (no pistol grip, no threaded barrel, no bayonet lug, etc.) or have to replace it with something new.

It’s also nice that you can remove it with some tools, and without damaging or altering your gun if the legal system prevails and the bans get overturned, or you move to a free state.

For more information, please visit CompMag.net.