A cartridge magazine for firearms having internal lateral guide ridges of dimensions for establishing lateral guiding engagement with cartridges within the magazine chamber and having longitudinal internal guide ridges projecting inwardly from said side panels. The internal longitudinal guide ridges establish low friction essentially line contact with the uppermost cartridge and establish low friction forward charging movement of the uppermost cartridge from the cartridge magazine during firearm loading. The cartridge magazine is preferably formed from a single piece of sheet metal stock and is die folded and die formed to define external depressions and internal low friction cartridge guide ridges for lateral guiding of cartridge movement within the magazine and forward guiding movement of cartridges as they are dispensed from the magazine.