Plastic AR-15 Magazines

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PMAGs are excellent, and often are used by military and police. Only negative I've heard is rarely they can stick in tight magwells, which can be corrected by filing a little in the right spot on the mag. Mine don't stick in my S&W lower. I like them as well as USGI aluminum mags, maybe better because of the improved mag follower.
 
PMAG's are top shelf items, been a few videos on u-tube demonstrating the abuse they will take and like a timex it just kept asking for more without fail
 
Pmags are also cheap. They're selling them at the gun store here for $13 without the window and $15 with. With the window you can see the orange marked spring. When the orange spring is near the top of the window you know you've got less than 10 rounds left (I could be wrong on the exact number of rounds).

Lots of troops buy or otherwise manage to get their hands on Pmags to use instead of the cheap STANAG mags. I like them and with STANAGs selling for $10 or more around here the Pmags aren't a bad deal either. Only downside is that they're thicker than STANAGs and don't fit in the mag pouches as well.
 
PMAGs are great. The other brands, I dunno. But Pmags are definitely more durable and easier to spot damage, compared to aluminum.

The new ones definitely will stick in a tight magwell, though. I had to sand mine pretty heavily to make them drop free from my CMMG, while the 1st gen PMAGs were fine.
 
I bought some 20 round "Master Molder?" mags for mine-- while they work well enough, they feel squishy at the top, and long term, I don't trust that they will last...YMMV though
 
When I first held one I thought it was flimsy because it is light, but after knocking one around for a bit I find them very durable
 
I got a lot of 10 magazines from bravocompanyusa.com. They are teflon coated USGI mags. Flawless in operation. I think the price was 10/$110 or so. If I were to do it again, I would stick with the USGI mags. I have not had any problem with them and they are cheaper.
 
I just ordered a few Magpul PMags to check them out. I'm impressed and will be buying more soon. I bought a couple 20 rounders and a couple 30 rounders with the clear window. All worked flawlessly in my LWRC rifle.

I like the fact that you can fully load a mag and put the protective cover on and the mag body has a little extra space so the rounds are pushed down far enought that they don't exert upward pressure on the feed lips. If the torture test videos are for real (which I believe they are) you'd have to try pretty hard to damage these mags.

Shabo
 
PMAGs seem to work fine with both my Colt and RRA ARs.
I've got some Orlites from waaaaaay back-just got around to trying PMAGs since I already had plastic-wanted to stock up on metal first.

PMAGS are longer than metal mags-you can insert a full 30-rds on a closed bolt due to extra mag length (can be iffy with a USGI mag). Most folks recommend downloading USGI mags by a round or two-I have replaced all the followers on my USGI mags (D&H black Teflon) with GEN III MagPul followers. I can store 18 USGI mags in the same space as 15 PMAGS (stacked or side by side).

As others have stated, they're great for long-term storage loaded by using the mag clip to relieve pressure on the feed lips.

FWIW-I got my last 30-rd PMAGs from Shooters Connection for $11.99/each (no window, 10-pack) but you have to pay shipping (he's fast, and shipping is reasonable). Got my last 30-rd D&H black Teflon from 44mag.com for $8.49/each, but had to install MagPul Gen III followers, which added 'bout $2 each. I know Bravo company sells the same thing with the followers already installed, but they have their own stamp on the baseplate-44mag.com also has free shipping on $200 orders.

Iff'n you do get PMAGS, make sure they're the latest generation "M".

A couple of PDFs you might want to download?
PMAG Tech Note- Usage
PMAG Product Guide- BETA
Page with all the PMAG videos you've seen on the 'Net?
(Look on the Related Info tab right side of product pix)
 
I've seen pictures of PMAGS breaking when dropped from some height ( i don't remember how high) when they are fully loaded. Does anyone have info on this? I'm believe pmags are great, and maybe better than metal mags, I just want to point out a potential weakness. Not a big deal.
 
What I've seen at our local rifle matches is that since most of the shooters have switched to Pmags the number of malfunctioning ARs has dropped dramatically. The occasional FTFe is now rare enough that it's abnormal and remarked upon.

With Pmags AR shooters can get mags that are almost as tough as AK mags. BSW
 
I have Orlites (Israeli) and some Thermolds (Canadian). Neither work in my non-Colt's (maybe someone'll explain why) though fine in Colt's and have a GREAT reputation. Aluminum surplus work just fine in all. Well, except maybe Guns-R-Us' "5th Generation Mags"...

After paying a premium for sticky followers, not responding to returns for months, and lieing about replacing the bad ones (I secretly marked them) at least they feed, however, they had to explain to me that AR mags are not supposed to drop free! These don't consistently if at all and you can clearly see the lines where the pressed metal flares wide.

Al
 
I've seen pictures of PMAGS breaking when dropped from some height ( i don't remember how high) when they are fully loaded. Does anyone have info on this? I'm believe pmags are great, and maybe better than metal mags, I just want to point out a potential weakness. Not a big deal.
Click to expand...

I'm betting an aluminum mag would also break under the same conditions. So definitely not a big deal.
 
Go to "YouTube" and search P-Mags.
Watch the torture test and then decide. They drive over them with a pickup truck.
Then they park a pickup on top of one, spin the tires until the mag flies out, and it still works.
I have a bunch and I like them.
 
The only magazine that I prefer over a Magpul PMag is the Lancer magazines, but they are a good bit higher so I only use them for HD magazines. The great feature about Lacer mags is the ability to stay loaded without a cover (I leave my magazine in the rifle, with bolt locked to the rear for quick operation (this would be hard on PMags). I use PMags and USGI for everything else, and they perform admirably, especially for the price. I also like the fact that they are available in 20rnd configuration which I vastly prefer over 30s. WRT other plastic magazines, I have found the Thermold magazines are alright, but stay away from ProMags. No experience with the Tapco mags, but I doubt I will try them since Lancer and Magpul makes everything that I need.

:)
 
The great thing about PMAGs is that they DO break. If the magazine is stressed past the limits of the polymer to return to its original shape, it will crack and you have a nice visible indicator that the mag is out-of-spec (although it may continue to feed fine).

The problem with the old USGI aluminium mag bodies is that they lack the memory of polymer. Instead of breaking, they just dent or bend slightly and often in a way that is difficult to detect. If the feed lips on a USGI magazine are out of spec, you may not know it until it starts spitting rounds two and three at a time into your upper receiver or the follower binds.
 
The great thing about PMAGs is that they DO break.
Click to expand...
Never really thought of it that way, but I have to concur. It is better to know when it is broken than to have to search and waste ammo (which can easily cost more than a new mag.) trying to diagnose the problem.

:)
 
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