I posted the following the other day on Arfcom the other day:
Got my pre-ordered Endomags yesterday and set them up today. I have some new-in-wrap Pmags that have been sitting in a box on my shelf for a few years. So this was the first time they have been used.
The Endomag is initially set up for 10 rounds only. There is a plastic rib that limits how far the follower can travel. It’s also marked where to cut for (I think) 15, 20, and 30 rounds. I immediately chopped mine all for the full 30-round capacity.
The Endo-guts just slide in to replace the standard spring and follower. Reinstall the Pmag basepad and you’re done. I found I had to straighten the feed lips a bit, pushing them out a little to align over the Pmag’s lips. Once there I have not had to mess with them again.
To be honest, I’m a little skeptical about the ejector. It’s made from a somewhat soft, pliable plastic. I can’t help but wonder about it’s longevity.
It’s been raining pretty much all day here. I loaded up my three mags and headed out to the range. I’m running on a suppressed 5” upper, ramped bolt, and an SBR’d CMMG lower with a standard 9mm buffer.
Everything fed and functioned perfectly, and locked the bolt back after the last shot. That’s only one full load and empty per mag, but it’s certainly a good start. I was shooting reloads using 147 gr. Berry’s RN and WSF powder. My usual mag block (VM Hy-Tech) will feed anything, so long as it’s round nosed. I’ll have to try some TCs and HPs with the Endomags next time out. But the built in ramp looks like it will feed those just fine. We will see.
I’m also happy to report the ejectors on the endomags look untouched after 30 rounds each. Time will tell, but maybe they will hold up long term. I have to assume the Endo-folks did some extensive testing prior to releasing these things. So far so good.
More shooting to come, but so far I’m optimistic.
L to R, all inserted into lowers: Endomag empty, Endomag loaded, Traditional mag block loaded.
One oddity with the Endomags. Since the ejector is on the mag, you need to be sure to eject the last round or lock the bolt back before removing the mag.
Often, if I’m shooting and want to clear the gun before the mag is empty, I’ll pull the mag and shoot out the last round. In this instance, it will fire, cycle the bolt, and shove the empty case back into the chamber. The one time I did this, it boogered up the case mouth, making it fit really tight in the chamber.
Best bet is to manually hold down the bolt catch and fire or cycle by hand.
Just a little different than what we’re used to.
I can see someone dropping the mag, cycling the bolt to “show clear” and not realizing they still have a live one in the chamber.
Be careful folks.
