Magpul PMAG plastic longevity?

BushMaster-15 said:

ALL plastics have a finite life span ,as the materials NEVER cease curing . Newer advanced polymers will endure decades provided there's NO defect in the forming process or material . What kills plastics is excessive heat and Sunlight ( Ultraviolet ) degrades near anything given along enough exposure .

MY basis for comment ,comes from direct involvement within the Composites Industry ,as in Aerospace Material Engineer for over #3 decades .
Pryor to that complete chemical analysis ,while obtaining My PhD. in Organic chemistry , Polymer disciplines . Along with a Masters in Structural Engineering . So you know I'm Not talking out the backside .

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Good old Nylon 66 will last the better part of a century if stored away from direct sunlight. There are still Remington N66 rifles with original stocks from the late 50s kicking around. Between those and 1980s Glocks that are still just fine, at this point I would say plastics are a proven material that will stand the test of time for at least a couple generations.

Plastics can be simple or quite a complex matrix , depends upon intended duty as well as life expectancy .
Was Unable to obtain a couple of rear window latches ,so drew them in CAD and a Friend printed replacement parts . These saw in excess of #30 years usage , in direct and indirect sunlight ; With NO garage and under constant tension . Knowing plastics really bites Me every time I pop the hood and find another push rivet or body clip missing . A simple material change would eliminate 98% of that but we all know WHY manufacturers do it in the first place ; Parts = BIG REVENUE $$$$$$$$$$$'s

The only issues I’ve had were with some first generation P-Mags splitting on the seam at the front (bullet-nose side) of the mags.

Of the 16 30-round P-Mags our office bought for our full-auto M-4’s back in 2008-ish, at least five mags I personally saw developed a separation at that seam after about 3-4 years of monthly practice and qualification use. We took them out of service altogether and replaced them with Brownells-branded aluminum 30-rounder’s with the excellent Magpul follower. These have been running strong, but we replaced these when we bought new AR’s for the entire office last July.

We now issue the latest generation P-mags for our recently-minted Colt AR’s. So far these have been first rate, and reports from others in my area with more experience with these magazines have been consistently positive.

Like any plastic item, chemical reactions, abuse or sunlight exposure can harm them. In a good storage set up and easy usage, your newest model P Mags should last you for an awfully long time.

Stay safe.

I sold all my PMAGs and bought Lancers instead. I didn't really have any problems with the PMAG's, but I wanted to standardize and I heard good things about the Lancers. I also keep my mag loaded at all times.

FROGO207 said:

Meh the good thing about getting old is in another 30 or so years it will not matter to me anymore. Mine just need to work until I no longer need them LOL

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robin banks said:

if you are old now you think you will last another 30 years?

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Nope, nobody in my family has hit 100 of who I am aware. Just hit the 7-0 this year, so wondering if something will last 50 years is pretty moot. I do't even buy extended warranties on things anymore.

FlSwampRat said:

Nope, nobody in my family has hit 100 of who I am aware. Just hit the 7-0 this year, so wondering if something will last 50 years is pretty moot. I do't even buy extended warranties on things anymore.

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LOL me too