Whats the fuss over PMAGS ??

[Quentin]

I like PMAGs but have never had an issue with any USGI ones either. I like the Lancer mag over anything but I only have 2

Same here, I like PMAG and GI mags, no complaints with either. But after getting a few Lancer L5AWM mags that's all I'm buying now. (Well when I can find them again!) I also have three Troy polymers that work well but still prefer the Lancers.

 

[TexasPatriot.308]

P mags...just part of the gun scare...it will subside and I will buy from the money needy panic buyers in due time.

 

[Captains1911]

They're fine, and a fad.
Remember Tactical Lights! LOL

Huh??

Pmags have been the most popular mag for quite a few years now, and the preferred mag of our armed forces. They are not a fad.

 

[Captains1911]

I don't see any functional advantage over the GI mags, which work great as long as they are taken out of service once they are worn out.... unfortunately sometimes they are used way beyond their usefulness.

In the army I saw and experienced a lot of functional issues with the M16, but they were all problems due to the use of magazines that were broke or worn out many years previous but had not been taken out of service.

The advantage to PMAGs they way I see it is they are much nicer to handle, as a poster above mentioned. I own some for this reason.

However I still keep a good stock of new GI mags as I still don't trust plastic to last beyond a couple of decades... in use or not.

So then do you think that early Glocks from the 80s must have just deteriorated by now? And polymer technology has come a LONG way since then....

 

[Girodin]

They're fine, and a fad.
Remember Tactical Lights! LOL

I'd hardly call Pmags a fad. They have been well established for some time and unless something demonstrably better comes along I don't see their popularity waning. For a calm square range gun, either aluminium or Pmags are probably fine. Pmags can, in my experience take more abuse than an aluminium mag. Thus if what you are doing has mags hitting the ground, getting dirty, etc then I'd personally prefer a Pmag.

As to lights, have people stopped needing to ID things in the dark? Have they started to be able to see dramatically better in the dark. From what I see (and it surely isn't a sample of all shooters) people are still using lights. New lights new mounts continue to be developed.

 

[jmorris]

Only problem I have ever had with them is that they are the only mag that won't work with 458 socom. I have all sorts of other mags that work just as well though.

 

[wally]

I've used many aluminum GI mags for something like 20 years with no problems in a large variety of guns. I've used some Pmags for maybe three or four years, so far they've worked fine in all the guns they fit, but they don't fit my FS2000 for example whereas the GI mags do.

I will say the .308 Pmags seem better than the DPMS mags.

 

[Tomcat47]

At Gun Show just today and the gouging on .223/5.56 ran amuck!!

PMAGS ran $35-40 bucks Told one seller (at $35 ) no way.. he offered a discount if I bought 5.... $32

At next table I bought Brownells 30 rd for $20 each with Anti tilt followers, I am just not being gouged on the PMAGS.... :banghead:

A few tables over I almost .... !!!!!

Wolf 5.56 ammo $20/box or $475/500

 

[Outlaw Man]

Lay one of each out in the sun during a day at the range, and you'll see the advantage.

As for current pricing, Colt factory 30 rd magazines (used) are finally DOWN to $100 on Cheaper Than Dirt.

I like PMags better, but mostly just personal preference. I'd never pay much MORE for them.

 

[ugaarguy]

they've worked fine in all the guns they fit, but they don't fit my FS2000 for example whereas the GI mags do.

That's why MagPul came out with the EMag (Export Mag), but that was eliminated when the Gen 3 PMag came out which is fully STANAG compatible.

 

[Tomcat47]

I must state that I LOVE my PMAGS ...

I just will not pay more than .... $25 ( and that is pushing it ) for them!

Its a manufacturing issue for me, its what I do.... and it is much easier to manufacture a Pmag ( molding ) than the metal counterpart.

They will come back to earth with pricing on Pmags and then I will stock up what I need. I will just not contribute to the greed right now.

Just Sayin.........

 

[justice06rr]

Pmags are great because of the material (polymer) that is known to be reliable, and they have the option of the magazine window that tells you how many rounds are in the mag. GI mags don't have this.

 

[Welding Rod]

So then do you think that early Glocks from the 80s must have just deteriorated by now? And polymer technology has come a LONG way since then....

No idea what plastic guns will do in the future, maybe they will get brittle from petroleum and/or UV exposure and crack? That is why I own some metal framed guns as well. I have no idea what kind of plastic PMAGs or Glocks are made of... but it is quite possible they are not the same.

 

[Sam Cade]

No idea what plastic guns will do in the future, maybe they will get brittle from petroleum and/or UV exposure and crack?

Remington introduced the Nylon 66 in 1959 and they have held up just fine.

 

[rondog]

I like Pmags so much I bought a Magpul cover for my iPhone! Looks like a Pmag now.

 

[witchhunter]

There is only a few mentions of pmag follower. To me, this is their biggest advantage. They have changes the game in ar reliability. Their mag eliminates the possibility of "follower tilt". They are the best mag on the market and cheap as well.

 

[Auto426]

Pmags are popular because of they work, they're cheap, durable, and sold everywhere. Their biggest innovation was their anti-tilt follower, which is now used in the many aluminum mil-spec mags as well.

As far as pricing goes, the aluminum mags used to be cheaper than Pmags, but the popularity of Pmags combined with the fact that they just released their Gen M3 models has driven their prices up quite a bit in these times of panic, more so than aluminum mags.

 

[CmdrSlander]

It is the go to mag for the M4Carbine.net/AR15.com set (who are doing most of the hoarding)

It is sexy and very reliable. The GI mag is one of those things on a good day and neither on a bad day.

 

[LawScholar]

I like Pmags so much I bought a Magpul cover for my iPhone! Looks like a Pmag now.

Hey, same here.

Pmags are good quality, cheap in non-panic times, and durable.

The best endorsement is three friends of mine, two Army grunts and a Marine, all served 2-3 tours, two in Iraq, one in Afghanistan. All three swear by Pmags. And considering they actually fought hostiles with them on foreign soil, they should be good enough for my AR-15.

One was won over permanently when he badly dented a GI magazine going over a wall, rendering it useless. A squadmate gave him a pair of Pmags that he retained for over two years without ever facing such an issue.

 

[HOOfan_1]

I forgot to mention a lot easier to take apart and clean, or replace the spring.

 

[Captains1911]

No idea what plastic guns will do in the future, maybe they will get brittle from petroleum and/or UV exposure and crack? That is why I own some metal framed guns as well. I have no idea what kind of plastic PMAGs or Glocks are made of... but it is quite possible they are not the same.

My point was, now is the future for older Glocks made in the 80s, and they are still running strong. And you can bet that the polymer used for pmags is even better than that used in early Glocks.

 

[wally]

My point was, now is the future for older Glocks made in the 80s, and they are still running strong.

30+ years is a long way from 90+ years of many steel framed guns.


I think the light weight and corrosion resistance in polymer guns make them compelling for CCW. OTOH for heavy use at the range or in competitions the extra weight of the steel frame gun helps dampen recoil.

 

[cougar1717]

Polymer is the material of our day. Steel and wood were the predominant gunmaking materials from blackpowder to the 1950's. The post-war era opened up to aluminum frames, plastic and bakelite grips, fiberglass stocks, etc. Many things have trended toward polymer products in the past 30 years since it's a molded product. With AR mags, they've got to be cheaper to produce than folding sheetmetal.

 

[Akita1]

I like Pmags so much I bought a Magpul cover for my iPhone! Looks like a Pmag now.

+1 - me too. Feels like a pmag every time I pick it the phone up - esoteric but cool.

I've been using pmags since they came out - fit everything I own (ARs of every variant, Sig 556, etc.). I have had a few issues with stock metal mags ("come with the gun" stock) not perfectly fitting every lower, resulting in feed issues. Have run 1000s of round through the pmags without a hitch.

 

[TCBPATRIOT]

PMAGs are great if you're actually operating I used a bunch of them on my 2 deployments but as far as most of the needs of most civilians a regular steel mag works fine. I've never had an issue with either one.