AR-15 magazines

[wally]

Quote:
Read David Fortier's AR mag "Torture Test" article in the Nov 20 2009 Shotgun news. Pmags didn't do as well as the aluminum GI type mags from Brownells.

I'll take real world use with PMAGs vs. torture tests.

Did you actually read the article?

Dropped ~8.5' off the back of a truck onto the feed lips. PMAG broke, the "second tier" GI mag didn't. I've never had any issues with the GI mags. PMAGs would seem a slightly better choice if you plan to run over your mags with a truck, but the GI mags do better when dropped.

Don't know about you, but I'm far more likely to drop things than run them over with a truck!

GI mags have been in use for what, approaching 50 years now? How long have Pmags been on the market to "prove" their "real world" superiority?

--wally.

 

[sprice]

words of wisdom from wally...

 

[Avenger29]

Did you actually read the article?

Dropped ~8.5' off the back of a truck onto the feed lips. PMAG broke, the "second tier" GI mag didn't. I've never had any issues with the GI mags. PMAGs would seem a slightly better choice if you plan to run over your mags with a truck, but the GI mags do better when dropped.

Don't know about you, but I'm far more likely to drop things than run them over with a truck!

GI mags have been in use for what, approaching 50 years now? How long have Pmags been on the market to "prove" their "real world" superiority?

Yeah, I read the article. I saw the results. I also don't pay attention to the running over with truck that you mention test that's often heralded for the PMAG.

I'm referring to the durability of PMAGs in real use. Sure, some are still broken, as Taliv mentions, but for overall reliability and durability, PMAGs are very good...the PMAG would not have been developed if the aluminum mag did not have durability issues (especially the feed lips). Haven't had a chance to play with the TangoDown mags yet, but will pick up a couple if they arrive in my local shop.

By the way, this article is why I use PMAGs nearly exclusivly...http://www.weaponevolution.com/forum/showthread.php?t=312&highlight=PMAG

I have been very pleased with using PMAGs for my personal magazines.

 

[nyresq]

I have mostly all Pmags. I sold off almost all of my aluminum colts and only kept a few.

For the money, its hard to beat Pmags. $10 and they can be loaded with 30 rounds and loaded on a closed bolt. You can even push 31 rounds into them and leave them loaded for months (I had kept one loaded with 31 rounds with the top cover on for 9 months and it fed every round perfectly when I took it out to the range.

In my own personal experience (12 years working with Colt 30 round mags), most mags that have 30 rounds loaded dont lock in properly on a closed bolt. Pmags have no problem since they have enough room to actually load 31 or sometimes even 32 rounds.

 

[gb0399]

I dont know why Im even getting into this one but......

I have used colt factory mags, H&K, and P-mags.

PMag
I dont carry the Pmags because they do not come out of the double stack mag pouches well because the grooves on the sides pull the other mag out with the first, Though this wouldn't be an issue in a single mag pouch. I do use them on the range and they have worked fine, but thats under best case scenario.

Colt Factory mags
Work like a champ, no issues, just dont push the lips against a hard object when using the issue speed loader. AND their cheap, if they mess up trash em

H&K
Expensive and heavy, but... still my first choice. Some of my friends have said that they have had bad results with them but I have not and thats all I carry.

 

[Boba Fett]

Pmags have no problem since they have enough room to actually load 31 or sometimes even 32 rounds.

31 or 32??

You must really be compressing the spring or mine were made different than yours.

I can see 31 maybe. Have done it on mine, but didn't care for how much I had to compress it to get it in; like it really didn't want to go in. Can imagine trying 32.

More power to you if you can get 32 in

 

[gb0399]

Ive also seen guys put 31 in the pmag, but why would you do that? Thats asking for the mag to fail

 

[nyresq]

31 is easy, and if you push it will hold 32 but not a good idea, I wouldn't want to do that and leave it loaded for any length of time cause I think it would probably do bad things to the spring, but 30 is easy... 31 requires a good grip and a little more of a push, but 31 can be done with a standard 30 round pmag without breaking anything... and 31 rounds will lock into my AR. 32? no way, but 31 will lock in.

I load 30 in my pmags and 29 in the few aluminum colts I still have.

 

[armsmaster270]

I have USGI 20 round Colt magazines and a bunch of 30 round USGI Center Industries Aug 91 still in the plastic bag.

 

[WoofersInc]

Dropped ~8.5' off the back of a truck onto the feed lips. PMAG broke, the "second tier" GI mag didn't. I've never had any issues with the GI mags. PMAGs would seem a slightly better choice if you plan to run over your mags with a truck, but the GI mags do better when dropped.

I had this same discussion on another board. Just a quick question.
In what scenario would any of us drop a P-mag 8.5 feet onto the feed lips?
I can see dropping one out of the gun during a mag change, but that is still nowhere near 8.5 foot.
Granted this was a "torture" test, but real world usage is a better indicator.

 

[Boba Fett]

I had this same discussion on another board. Just a quick question.
In what scenario would any of us drop a P-mag 8.5 feet onto the feed lips?
I can see dropping one out of the gun during a mag change, but that is still nowhere near 8.5 foot.
Granted this was a "torture" test, but real world usage is a better indicator.

True...but there aren't many scenarios where you drive over the mags with trucks either.

Avenger29's link (http://www.weaponevolution.com/forum...highlight=PMAG) sums up the reasons I like the PMAG.

And as the guy in the link said, there are occasions where through simple handling the magazines get dropped on the feedlips.


Again, magazines are not indestructible, and all are prone to various failures. PMAGs just seem to be the current best of what's out there. Having purchased my share of USGI mags and having them fail or not work from the factory, I prefer the PMAGs which have given me no issues.

If USGI mags work for you, keep using them. If H&K mags are good for you, buy up 100. I'll keep using the PMAGs.

 

[Justin]

For higher-than-30-round capacity, the Tripp Research Cobramags do well. The 42 round magazine I've got runs solidly enough that it's one of my main match magazines. The 52-rounder is slightly less reliable, and I haven't had the time to test to see if the magazine just needs to break in, or what.

Other than that, I run a mix of 20 and 30-round USGI magazines with Magpul followers in them, and PMAGs. I think the biggest advantage the PMAGs have over the USGI ones are style.

 

[gb0399]

I have found that putting the mag pull rubber loops on the bottom of any magazine will give it protection when doing mag changes, especially when on a concrete pad or gravel.

 

[Avenger29]

Loading more than 30 rounds in a 30 round PMAG can be done, but not a good idea at all.

 

[wally]

In what scenario would any of us drop a P-mag 8.5 feet onto the feed lips?

Murphy's Law, in what scenario would any of us drop a slice of pizza

I can see dropping one out of the gun during a mag change, but that is still nowhere near 8.5 foot.

Sure its contrived, but climbing over things, getting in out of transports, etc. Lots of folks worry about the original 1911 lacking a firing pin block even though it need to be dropped from an even less reasonable height to discharge.

Granted this was a "torture" test, but real world usage is a better indicator.

My main point, GI mags have had real world use for approaching 50 years, how long have PMAGs been available? I'm still using GI mags that are over 20 years old, and I got them used.

My Ruger SR-556 came with PMAGs, they seem to work, but so do my old GI mags, the stacking of Pmags in pouches can be a negative.

You can load 31 rounds into a PMAG because there is a little extra space in the mag for the lid to press down and "remove pressure from the feedlips". Either this a solution to a non-problem or the plastic feed lips ain't all they are cracked up to be. I've forgetten about GI mags that have sat loaded in the back of the safe for 7+ years and they shot just fine.

--wally.

 

[Avenger29]

You can load 31 rounds into a PMAG because there is a little extra space in the mag for the lid to press down and "remove pressure from the feedlips". Either this a solution to a non-problem or the plastic feed lips ain't all they are cracked up to be. I've forgetten about GI mags that have sat loaded in the back of the safe for 7+ years and they shot just fine.

The lid was intended early on as a device to remove pressure from the feedlips. Early on, Magpul was worried that the lips weren't going to be as good as they had hoped. However, testing has proved the lips to be more than durable enough, and so the cover is completely unnecessary for its intended purpose. It is nice to have a dust cover, though, if you worry about such things and to keep dust out. Personally, my mags either live in my chest harness or in a sealed ammo can, so I don't use the covers.

 

[kwelz]

Mags are a consumable unlike the firearm you use them in. I trust PMags far more than USGI and test after test have proven they are more durable in every way. Cracked, broken, and even SHOT they will still work.