The NT-Mag AICS Adapter snaps in place to the rifle’s magwell just like our other NT-Mags with the front latch serving to remove the AICS adapter. They have a rear latch used to remove the inserted AICS pattern mag with an extension that wraps to either side of the trigger guard for increased stability. These adapters position the AICS style magazines slightly lower than the barrel chamber to clear the path of the bolt while the ramps at the front of our adapter lift the round into the correct orientation as the round cycles forward into the chamber. Note that lightweight dummy rounds such as Snap Caps may not cycle normally into the Compass barrel chamber unless it’s done slowly. In testing we found that the strong springs in Magpul AICS mags especially tended to bounce snap caps around excessively as they leave the feed lips causing a bolt jam, but normal rounds worked fine every time (see function test video below from our Youtube channel!).
These AICS adapters are intentionally made to be a very tight fit to the rifle! They have to solidly interface with the rifle’s magwell so that the AICS mag stays in the correct position and the adapter doesn’t come loose unintentionally. The bottom of the NT-Mag AICS adapter is flared on the sides for easier insertion and removal of mags and locks in securely via the latch on the rear of the adapter in front of the trigger guard. The adapter was designed around and tested extensively with Magpul AICS magazines and will have a light friction fit with these mags (just enough friction to not drop free when the rear latch is disengaged, this will wear in slightly with usage and make mags smoother to insert and remove). Other mags built to the AICS specs should all be compatible for each version, although some minor sanding of the adapter’s mag slot may be necessary for best fitment with your AICS mags.
A function demonstration video for these Compass AICS adapters is below: