Black Creek Labs' 20-round Bison mags now on the market

Zac Kurylyk in Guns on April 7, 2022

After a few months of waiting, Black Creek Labs' 20-round magazines for the MRX Bison bolt-action rifle are now available on the Canadian market.

Black Creek Labs (BCL) announced its MRX Bison in the wake of the OIC firearms bans of May, 2020. It's a bolt-action modular design, similar to other modern sporting-style rifles announced when AR-15s were banned. It is not currently affected by federal government gun bans, and is capable of using AR-style magazines, and other parts are switchable between other rifle platforms (for instance, it comes with a Triggertech Remington 700 Field Trigger). However, unlike other rifles announced by Canadian firearms manufacturers, the MRX Bison doesn't just use AR-style mags; it's also designed to use the MRX Mag, a proprietary design that doesn't fit in AR rifles.

It's only made to fit the MRX Supershort action, and will not work with any semi-auto design on the market. It seems the current production run is limited to 5.56/.300 Blackout compatibility. And, because it's a propriety magazine designed for a bolt-action rifle, the MRX Mag is not affected by restrictions that see AR-style mags pinned to five rounds for rifle use, 10 rounds for pistols. As such, the MRX Mag is now on the market with full 20-round capacity. Here's what distributor North Sylva says about the magazine:

The MRX MAG is a double stacked, straight magazine made from a proprietary blend of polymer. The MRX MAG has extended length feed lips and a no-tilt follower design that allows ultra smooth and reliable feeding. The MRX MAG uses “follower stop ledges” which keeps the follower from topping out, which allows the MRX Supershort bolt to be manually pushed forward when the magazine is empty and still in the rifle, which is not possible with an AR15 magazine.

Details:

Made of high strength polymer
High Strength stainless steel spring
No tilt follower design with stop ledges that prevent the follower from topping out
20 round capacity allows the magazine body to be a straight design without bullet binding
Mag body shape will not allow it to fit into an AR15, but will allow for a sturdy, tight fit in the MRX Bison and MRX Jackal

MSRP for the new mags is $34.99, and they're stocked at Calgary Shooting Centre, Marstar, Firearms Outlet Canada, Frontier Armory, Nova Tactical, Wolverine Supplies, CRAFM, Reliable Gun, Rangeview Sports, SFRC, Tenda, The Shooting Edge, West Coast Hunting and Tillsonburg Gun Shop.

If you want one, grab it while you can; we waited about six months for these to make it to market, after they were announced. No doubt there's going to be plenty of demand, as no centrefire bolt-action rifle or tactical-style rifle is widely available in Canada with affordable 20-round mags. It's surprising it has taken this long for a Canadian manufacturer to come out with this option, and it could be a game-changer, as all the other tactical/modern sporter rifles introduced since the OIC bans are all restricted to using pinned AR mags.

You can find more details on the MRX Mag here, and if you aren't familiar with the Bison bolt-action rifle, check it out here. With the Bison also available in 7.62x39, hopefully a 20-round option for that calibre is coming in the future.