As late as Desert Storm (yes i served in it), some support units still only had 20 round mags! I did not see a green follower magazine issued by the Army until 1998.
About polymer stuff. Even if you have excellent mold designers, and your mold is vented, and gated, and heated/cooled correctly, and even if your material handler has the material dried perfectly before it goes into the throat of the barrel, If your setup man doesn't know what he's doing? You will get bad injection molded products. You will get lots of out of spec parts, and a high scrap rate. Injection molding setup is a kind of a black art that requires a person who understands what's going on inside the barrel before the mold, and also inside the mold during the injection of plastic. And literally every single parameter that can be adjusted on that machine has an impact on every other parameter. If your person running the machine has to open the door, rather than having the parts dropping out on a conveyor, or they're being grabbed by a robot so that cycle time can stay constant, then that person becomes another variable, and he can screw things up too. Whoever they have at Pmag doing their setups, must be one of those rare people who can figure this stuff out, lock down parameters that work, and keep ham fisted idiots from messing with it, because they make lots of good to go magazines consistently.
I really don’t understand how this channel only has 61k~ subs and other gun channels have several 100k plus and even over a mil. I’m not knocking those other gun channels but thsi is the only one that goes into extensively technical knowledge of firearms and it’s accessories
I'd say the "one's you are talking about are pimp'n video's". Chris "IS THE REAL DEAL", AND ALL other's are "ALL SHOW". You are COMPLEATELY CORRECT. It's Saturday night, and I'd rather watch his content, THAN netflix!
It’s bc he’s not flashy and has music or women in skimpy outfits. Quite a few of the RUclipsrs w 100’s of thousands of subscribers watch this channel religiously in order to get educated like the rest of us.
That's because a lot of the other channels cater to the kids who are into entertainment. Chris runs a channel for the serious users. The kiddy channels make me nauseous.
Maybe it is because Chris is serious and perhaps also because he is a little difficult to understand, he speaks so fast, and almost in a monotone that I have to keep going back to re run parts that I do not understand, but I do it because I want to know. I think all the really serious guys have a mostly serious following !
The other channels often place production value over content. This channel is rich with content which is ultimately all that really matters. I think not having a proper audio setup early on was a turn off for a lot of people. Things like that are hard to come back from.
magpul really hit one of of the ball park with the gen 3 pmag, the gen 3 magpul pmag is probably the best all around mag for all normal people and military use because it it cheap, light weight, durable and reliable for virtually any ammo from 55-77 grain bullets. 👍👍👍
@@wernervoss6357 PMAGs have always been limited in what rifles they will work in. If they work reliably in your rifle then continue on. I use SS and aluminum USGI. Never an issue minus one 20 rounder from the 60s but that's to be expected.
@@wernervoss6357 The Gen 2 Pmag doesn't have the overinsertion stop. It was made a part of the Gen 3 magazine because overinsertion was a problem with several types of select-fire weapons.
Lots of success with my Gen 1 Hexmags. Blue for 77 gr., Orange for Fusion 62 gr., Yellow fot Gold Dots, Green for M855, Red for M193. An OCD dream come true!
I bought a used aero ar10 and it came with a hexmag and wouldnt even drop free when empty. That alone was enough for me to never want to touch another one. I didnt even bother loading it. First impressions are everything
People seriously underestimate the importance of magazines. One of the reasons the AKM and AK74 are so reliable is because their magazines are so bomb proof.
The first GI issue 30 rnd magazine had an Emerald Green Follower with a white drawing number on it. First issued around 1970-71. The Black Follower was Post-Vietnam. There was an even early commercial 30 rnd magazine offered by Colt in the 1960s, and it was privately purchased by some soldiers and units. See Guns&Ammo ads from the later 1960s. Also the Thermold dates back much further than the Canadian production. It was tested by both the US and English military, and actually did pretty good in the testing. Would have to dig my examples out but there was another name for the company at one point too.
My Great Uncle was 10th Mountain div, 85th Regiment Company G. He fought in Italy. He was awarded the bronze star for reconnoitering German positions and mapping minefields at night by himself. He was KIA April 14th 1945 near Della Spe. Climb to Glory!
Lancer AWM’s were reported to me as a go to for M249 SAW use because the steel feed lips aren’t chewed up as fast as GI and PMAGs. So all carbines ate issued them so they can be reliably used as a SAW compatible backups. He works for a gov agency.
Back in the 80's, "we would keep a death grip on any aluminum mags that would run in our rifles" and junk the rest. Many would be sold at gun shows to naive buyers.. Then we had to deal with other junk mags such as USA mags, that had zero heat treatment. I was a dedicated AK guy until Magpul came out with a truly, reliable AR mag. Many today don't understand the significance Magpul had, "by finally making a reliable AR magazine" and finding the true reliability of the Stoner DI system and platform. Great information and right on the money as usual...
Pro tip: clean your polymer magazines with the DuPont PTFE dry film liquid. It has an alcohol carrier for PTFE powder so it will dissolve some junk and leave behind and PTFE residue that is slick as snot.
When the C7 was introduced, the magazines that came with them were garbage. We were told not to fire more than three round bursts for fear of breaking the lips. You could insert them into the rifle fully loaded with the bolt forward and it would lock into place in the mag well, but bolt would would fail to strip the cartridge from the mag on the forward stroke and pass over the cartridge. leaving it in the mag. I still can't figure that one out. The only way the you could load a cartridge into the rifle was to load no more than 28 rounds or so into the mag.
Fascinating to see all those early polymer magazines! It’s great to learn the evolution of the magazine types especially in these times where people are buying up everything they see with no concern about how well it is going to work!! Thank you for this, it goes perfectly with your other “history” and evolution videos on the AR platforms. Great stuff.
I have found Lancer mags to be the most reliable and quality polymer mags. Pmags are great though, I have just never seen a Lancer break or shear and I have seen numerous Pmags do that. But to be fair to Magpul, there is probably 50x as many Pmags in circulation, so there is a larger sample size of defects or malfunction. Both are fantastic mags.
I have shot many Stoner/Ar-15-type mags for several decades in semi and full autos. The GI mags have always worked as well as any other, especially at full auto rates. I have only experienced failures due to ammo (of course) worn springs or damaged followers. I have seen several Magpul P-mags stuck in mag wells from being seated to aggressively.
He's one of only a couple guntubers I trust nearly implicitly (I say nearly only because I still have to consider the information for myself). He's about as close to a master expert as I think one can find.
17:10 High concentration DEET eats plastic alive at a rate I never thought possible! Anyone who buys high concentration DEET absolutely must cut it down before using. I once got some overspray onto the center console of a car dash and on the watchband of a Casio g-shock and in a matter of hours it had gouged its way into both surfaces.
I've bought a few magazines for their novelty alone. I own a 100 round Surefire. I've used it on one range day. We couldn't get it to work reliably with more than 50 to 60 rounds loaded. I bought a D-60 drum on a Christmas sale one year. I have used it a LOT at the range because frankly, it's too fun not to use it and mine has been 100% reliable. The weight and clearance isn't much different than two 30s clamped together. I love mine.
One of the first ar mags I bought was a maple leaf marked thermold, quickly supplemented it with gi 30s but I never had a issue with it, but that is also a sample size of one.
government contract, getting bad quality wasn't uncommon early 90's camp pendleton had mags load them fire about 3/4 the mag and get fail to feed as the follower would not come up anymore, pull bottom plate nad remove a broken spring or spring that would no longer extend, back to full length
My brother was a member of the 2nd Infantry Division and stationed on the Korean DMZ from 1970 to 1971. Looking though his photo album the 2nd was still issuing 20 rounds magazines, not a 30 in sight, with M1956 Web Gear en masse during this period.
I once finished a rifle build and went straight to the range not realizing I just didn’t install a bolt catch but when I ran pmags the bolt would lock up on the follower and of course slam shut when I removed the magazine but it was a nice thing to feel I had gone empty instead of dropping the hammer on an empty chamber
I cant believe he ranked the hex mag as a durable, combat rated magazine. I have some original hexmags from about a decade ago, and they flex like crazy. The feed lips flex open and let rounds spill out after some use. They do run reliably before they wear out though.
Yeah, mine have been good also, I use them with 300BLK and they've worked well. I understand the early ones had issues but I don't know exactly what the cause was. I have some of the 100s and they've been horrible, I've had some luck after deburring the follower but I need to test more. Both versions are fragile and finicky in a way though, ya can't be rough with them the ammo stack is just so heavy. I had the base plate pop out of one of the 100s after dropping it partially loaded. And with either dropping them partially loaded can mess up the stack and jamb them, less with the 60s of course. I wrap the base in tape to both protect and reinforce the base. That said they're handy and reliable enough that the 60s are my go to for my silenced self defense 300BLK at my side as I type this. However they're of course no Pmag and I've had to make a few tuning changes to make sure the gun runs well with the 60s.
Looking forward to part 2. I’m curious how commercial okay mags w/ magpul followers compare to military mags w/ their various followers. Specifically if they’ll present the round high enough for reliable feeding of M855a1.
Very very informative. The magpul Pmags are definitley the best magazines in the world. So easy to clean out after an IED Blast just dump it, wash it out. Put it back together, ready to rock
Right? Magpul is good enough to where I'm not even really curious about having any other kind. My few Amend 2s have been relegated to only range time use
Yeah, i agree magpul and also Lancers are probably THE mags you should have. I 've tried many many mags and only magpul and lancers are reliable 99.9%. By sticking with just a few manufacturers, you have uniformity and can eliminate mags as a failure point. However, I still download 2 out of habit lol
Chris, Another great informative video. I have a Colt LE 6920 M-4 and I live in California. Very tough state to have a great firearm without some stupid regulation or restriction to handicap the nice factory issued weapon. My LE6920 is California compliant with a Hellfighter magazine release button to press before you press the magazine release button to release the magazine. Because of this Hellfighter button the bolt doesn’t stay back after the last round is fired but sometimes it will hang up on the magazine follower. I have Magpul magazines and have had to file down the backside of the follower so to bolt won’t hang up on the magazine after the last round and slides right over the top. When it’s hung up I’ve had to get a nail punch and push down on the follower to let the bolt slide forward then release the magazine. They had to eliminate the button to lock the bolt back and release it forward so that sucks. Have you had any other comments on bolts hanging up on the magazines with Hellfighter release buttons? Cpl. Sev
Ive seen issues with the Lancer’s from multiple guys on multiple occasions where the feed lips wont hold rounds and when the mag is loaded it spits out multiple rounds into the rifle. Therefore i dont trust them, especially when pmags, okay surefeed, d&h or c-products etc can be had for the same or lower price
Glad to get an explanation on the Bulgarian AR mags. I found one at a local shop a couple months ago and just thought it was odd that Bulgaria makes AR mags. I hope you cover the Ramline AR mags that were supposed to work in AR15s, AR18/180s and Ruger Mini-14s, those mags were garbage. Another garbage mag is these Thermold clones made in Israel, I used them on my second deployment because my company didn't issue me mags. I'm glad I didn't get into a firefight because not only are they not durable but also somewhat unreliable in feeding if left loaded for extended periods of time, I think the springs they use are very weak.
my favorite mags are 1st (gen 3 magul pmags), 2nd (HK maritime steel mags) and 3rd (Lancer mags) honorable mention is ETS mags because i never had any issue with mine, plus they have the best positive feed angle i have seen when using 55-77 grain ammo. 👍👍👍
I’ve had good luck with ETS mags also in the AR platform. But I’ve had terrible experience with ETS in Glock mags. Jamming up in the mags, not loading to capacity, and locking back with rounds in the mag. Sent them back for replacements and ETS sent new ones that did the same. ETS told me then I needed to oil the inside of the mags to make them work?? Nope, I’ll stick to factory for Glock
@@kengray5793 i never had a single issue with my ets ar-15 mags, love them, no fails and they have the best positive or steepest feed angle possible for the bullet to never have any feeding issues.
I have a few SWT magazines. The problem I have with it is that it seats too high. Had to shave down the top a bit for it to work right in my rifles. I told my wife if things go bad, I dont care if we lose these mags. Just dont lose the others.
Speaking of MSAR........ In my experience I've found the PMags are an improvement over MSAR mags( no contest) and preferable to OEM Steyr AUG mags. You can take that to the bank. Steyr 30 rd mags will occasionally let a loaded round pop out under recoil. However the 40 rd is noticeably worse. My sense is the mag springs are not strong enough to push the long column of .223 fast enough. Any rate....PMags all the way for the AUG and the MSAR copy of AUG.
Correct me if i`m wrong I have to check the gun cubaord since 19 hit it`s been slow but gen 2 you need to drop to 28-29 rnds. to work on a closed bolt and gen 3 works with 30 rnds. on a closed bolt.
I started with green and black follower GI mags from the bargin bin at my LGS, dropped magpul followers into them after a while. Moved onto gen 2 and gen 3 pmags. Practiced some stippling on them. Doesnt hurt the mags and i dont ruin a frame. Now i use stainless GI mags. Pmags are wonderful, but do have an issue fitting in double mag pouches if the pouch is on the tight side. I still have my pmags, and i buy a few windowed gen 3s when theyre on sale, but my chest rig is loaded with ss gi mags and the pmags are in a box. Im certainly happy to hand them out to people if "the bad times" happen, or if a magazine ban goes through theyre an investment.
Fascinating! Looking forward to part II! Collecting mags can become a specialty in itself--just be sure to keep the iffy ones separate; though the really bad ones may be useful for stoppage clearance--until they break. I really like the MFT mags, because of their slimness. Annoyingly, the only heavy-duty mags I could find were blocked to 20rds, and I couldn't get the one I bought apart to remove the block. It was returned. That said, my 'emergency' mags are OKays and PMag G3s. Again, I'm looking forward to Pt II; hopefully you'll cover ASC. The ones I have use the yellow follower, and won't take PMag followers. They are in my 'range' pile.
I can agree with almost everything the only thing is I don’t like polymer mags I was on the range doing full reload drills and I know I smacked the hell out of the bottom of the Pmag and gave me a death jam so it’s a flaw of polymer mags and shock absorption but it was 100% user induced I believe pmags are great quality for reasonable price but I stick to okay ind and lancer Things I would add is pmags let you know they are bad ( broken feed lips split polymer etc.) metal doesn’t (you can’t see out of spec feed lips) but you can bend it back and “force” longer use with metal Lastly my favorite maybe lancer but pmags and okay ind metal get thumbs up from me
I've found a good use for a Thermold magazine cut off feed lips use for a AR57 upper brass catcher I just posted on a forum about that magazine a day ago. I might have another Maple leaf one somewhere, other uses is fire starter. I like having the Lancer magazines for use with 300 B.O. no confusion between them and Al or P-mags loaded with 5.56
Ive seen issues from multiple guys with the lancers where the feed lips wont hold rounds and when the mag is loaded it spits out multiple rounds into the rifle. Therefore i dont trust them, especially when pmags, okay surefeed, d&h or c-products can be ha for the same or lower price
@@ryanpeck3377 but what was done to those mags before the issue? I have seen usgi mags fell because of feed lip issues. Its happens, but the lancers are good to go.
All I own for my M&P is pmags 40s and 30s all variants I was on the fence about Mission first tactical because they are cheaper but I'm going to score some now thanks for the video appreciate it
I'll be really curious to hear what he has to say about the Surefire magazines. They have a horrible reputation but I think the military bought a bunch and for me the 60s have been good.
Great video I have an early surplus Thermold mag military/leo use only. It worked fine for years, I hadn't used it for a at least 5 years, i put in a X95 Tavor and got a double feed malfunction, I haven't put it in a rifle sense
Awesome video series... I've collected nearly 30 'brands' of AR type magazines, and so far you're spot on! There are only a couple mentioned here that I do not not have. I have many more, but I'll likely see them in part 2(and part 3). Your knowledge of the history of this product is by far the most extensive I've ever seen. I'm lucky to have found this!
Just received a couple of the UTG mags. The windowed version's packaging is marked "Made In Taiwan". There is a more expensive non-windowed version that is USA made.
Very informative video as usual Chris. I hope that Part 2 includes a commentary on the ATI-Schmeisser 60 rounds mags. Agree 100% on the Lancers - they are my go-to.
As late as Desert Storm (yes i served in it), some support units still only had 20 round mags! I did not see a green follower magazine issued by the Army until 1998.
GI mags 3:47
Pmag 6:02
Hex mag 11:05
Tango Down 11:45
CAA 12:35
SWT 14:18
FUSIL USA 15:09
Lancer 16:23
Thril Industries 19:50
MWG (Bulgaria) 21:09
Mission First Tactical 22:46
UTC 25:16
MSAR 26:25
Thermal 27:34
Godsend, thank you
Thanks man!
Thanks for the run down!
Wait. I know you.
About polymer stuff.
Even if you have excellent mold designers, and your mold is vented, and gated, and heated/cooled correctly, and even if your material handler has the material dried perfectly before it goes into the throat of the barrel, If your setup man doesn't know what he's doing? You will get bad injection molded products. You will get lots of out of spec parts, and a high scrap rate.
Injection molding setup is a kind of a black art that requires a person who understands what's going on inside the barrel before the mold, and also inside the mold during the injection of plastic. And literally every single parameter that can be adjusted on that machine has an impact on every other parameter. If your person running the machine has to open the door, rather than having the parts dropping out on a conveyor, or they're being grabbed by a robot so that cycle time can stay constant, then that person becomes another variable, and he can screw things up too.
Whoever they have at Pmag doing their setups, must be one of those rare people who can figure this stuff out, lock down parameters that work, and keep ham fisted idiots from messing with it, because they make lots of good to go magazines consistently.
Pmags are also the most commonly available that I've seen. Usually among the cheapest too. Makes for a win-win-win...
Made in the USA
The British MOD is currently using Magpul EMags in their L85 A2 rifles. The Gen 3 Pmag is also fully compatable with the L85 A2.
@@richardlahan7068too bad guns aren’t compatible with the British people. Too much freedom
I really don’t understand how this channel only has 61k~ subs and other gun channels have several 100k plus and even over a mil. I’m not knocking those other gun channels but thsi is the only one that goes into extensively technical knowledge of firearms and it’s accessories
I'd say the "one's you are talking about are pimp'n video's". Chris "IS THE REAL DEAL", AND ALL other's are "ALL SHOW". You are COMPLEATELY CORRECT. It's Saturday night, and I'd rather watch his content, THAN netflix!
It’s bc he’s not flashy and has music or women in skimpy outfits. Quite a few of the RUclipsrs w 100’s of thousands of subscribers watch this channel religiously in order to get educated like the rest of us.
That's because a lot of the other channels cater to the kids who are into entertainment. Chris runs a channel for the serious users. The kiddy channels make me nauseous.
Maybe it is because Chris is serious and perhaps also because he is a little difficult to understand, he speaks so fast, and almost in a monotone that I have to keep going back to re run parts that I do not understand, but I do it because I want to know. I think all the really serious guys have a mostly serious following !
The other channels often place production value over content. This channel is rich with content which is ultimately all that really matters. I think not having a proper audio setup early on was a turn off for a lot of people. Things like that are hard to come back from.
PMAGs for the win! Great product produced by a great company that employs American workers!
I use Pmags and Bushmaster mags and both are my favorites
magpul really hit one of of the ball park with the gen 3 pmag, the gen 3 magpul pmag is probably the best all around mag for all normal people and military use because it it cheap, light weight, durable and reliable for virtually any ammo from 55-77 grain bullets. 👍👍👍
Not to mention the cover clip witch I like.
@@wernervoss6357 PMAGs have always been limited in what rifles they will work in. If they work reliably in your rifle then continue on. I use SS and aluminum USGI. Never an issue minus one 20 rounder from the 60s but that's to be expected.
Usgi/aluminum and lancer mags are lighter than the pmags
@@wernervoss6357 The Gen 2 Pmag doesn't have the overinsertion stop. It was made a part of the Gen 3 magazine because overinsertion was a problem with several types of select-fire weapons.
Subjects of the state should NOT have banana clips👎🏾💉💉
Lots of success with my Gen 1 Hexmags. Blue for 77 gr., Orange for Fusion 62 gr., Yellow fot Gold Dots, Green for M855, Red for M193. An OCD dream come true!
I bought a used aero ar10 and it came with a hexmag and wouldnt even drop free when empty. That alone was enough for me to never want to touch another one. I didnt even bother loading it. First impressions are everything
Like to see how D&H compares with Okay.
All my D&H have been great from palmetto
Agree, a lot of AR makers use D&H and put their name on the base plate.
Geissele uses D&H mags
@SUFFER Should have seen that
I like the geissele d&h mags that cost twice as much as the palmetto ones. Even though they have the same cage code
People seriously underestimate the importance of magazines. One of the reasons the AKM and AK74 are so reliable is because their magazines are so bomb proof.
The first GI issue 30 rnd magazine had an Emerald Green Follower with a white drawing number on it. First issued around 1970-71. The Black Follower was Post-Vietnam. There was an even early commercial 30 rnd magazine offered by Colt in the 1960s, and it was privately purchased by some soldiers and units. See Guns&Ammo ads from the later 1960s. Also the Thermold dates back much further than the Canadian production. It was tested by both the US and English military, and actually did pretty good in the testing. Would have to dig my examples out but there was another name for the company at one point too.
My Great Uncle was 10th Mountain div, 85th Regiment Company G. He fought in Italy. He was awarded the bronze star for reconnoitering German positions and mapping minefields at night by himself. He was KIA April 14th 1945 near Della Spe. Climb to Glory!
My grandfather was killed September 1944 in France
My grandfather was 10th mountain in WWII. Survived, but never talked about it.
Mountain Dew division ?
Yea man, Pmag is where it's at.
Lancer AWM’s were reported to me as a go to for M249 SAW use because the steel feed lips aren’t chewed up as fast as GI and PMAGs. So all carbines ate issued them so they can be reliably used as a SAW compatible backups. He works for a gov agency.
Back in the 80's, "we would keep a death grip on any aluminum mags that would run in our rifles" and junk the rest. Many would be sold at gun shows to naive buyers.. Then we had to deal with other junk mags such as USA mags, that had zero heat treatment. I was a dedicated AK guy until Magpul came out with a truly, reliable AR mag. Many today don't understand the significance Magpul had, "by finally making a reliable AR magazine" and finding the true reliability of the Stoner DI system and platform. Great information and right on the money as usual...
Pro tip: clean your polymer magazines with the DuPont PTFE dry film liquid. It has an alcohol carrier for PTFE powder so it will dissolve some junk and leave behind and PTFE residue that is slick as snot.
When the C7 was introduced, the magazines that came with them were garbage. We were told not to fire more than three round bursts for fear of breaking the lips. You could insert them into the rifle fully loaded with the bolt forward and it would lock into place in the mag well, but bolt would would fail to strip the cartridge from the mag on the forward stroke and pass over the cartridge. leaving it in the mag. I still can't figure that one out. The only way the you could load a cartridge into the rifle was to load no more than 28 rounds or so into the mag.
Fascinating to see all those early polymer magazines! It’s great to learn the evolution of the magazine types especially in these times where people are buying up everything they see with no concern about how well it is going to work!! Thank you for this, it goes perfectly with your other “history” and evolution videos on the AR platforms. Great stuff.
I have found Lancer mags to be the most reliable and quality polymer mags. Pmags are great though, I have just never seen a Lancer break or shear and I have seen numerous Pmags do that. But to be fair to Magpul, there is probably 50x as many Pmags in circulation, so there is a larger sample size of defects or malfunction. Both are fantastic mags.
I’m guessing Ok industries A.K.A. Colt,Bushmaster and quite a few others is on next video and Looking forward to it .
I have shot many Stoner/Ar-15-type mags for several decades in semi and full autos. The GI mags have always worked as well as any other, especially at full auto rates. I have only experienced failures due to ammo (of course) worn springs or damaged followers. I have seen several Magpul P-mags stuck in mag wells from being seated to aggressively.
My go to mag is Center Industries Corporation GI mags with the Magpul followers. I left the military with a garbage bag full of them.
@smallarmssolutions I could watch your material all day long. Your like the Discovery/History channel but for firearms.
Better!
He's one of only a couple guntubers I trust nearly implicitly (I say nearly only because I still have to consider the information for myself). He's about as close to a master expert as I think one can find.
@@KI.765 You should watch the school of the American rifle. Chad is one of a hand full, that understands the inside workings of the AR rifle.
By far the most educative channel I follow!!!!!? Thanks brother
Love my D60 drum the only reliable drum magazine I have ever used
Not sure why it was relaxing to watch this video lol. Great info man
17:10 High concentration DEET eats plastic alive at a rate I never thought possible! Anyone who buys high concentration DEET absolutely must cut it down before using. I once got some overspray onto the center console of a car dash and on the watchband of a Casio g-shock and in a matter of hours it had gouged its way into both surfaces.
I've bought a few magazines for their novelty alone. I own a 100 round Surefire. I've used it on one range day. We couldn't get it to work reliably with more than 50 to 60 rounds loaded. I bought a D-60 drum on a Christmas sale one year. I have used it a LOT at the range because frankly, it's too fun not to use it and mine has been 100% reliable. The weight and clearance isn't much different than two 30s clamped together. I love mine.
One of the first ar mags I bought was a maple leaf marked thermold, quickly supplemented it with gi 30s but I never had a issue with it, but that is also a sample size of one.
I value your opinion top tier. Thanks for the review.
Great review, hey could you do a history of the Browning Hi-Power?
Great information. I am a definite MagPul guy for my AR
government contract, getting bad quality wasn't uncommon early 90's camp pendleton had mags load them fire about 3/4 the mag and get fail to feed as the follower would not come up anymore, pull bottom plate nad remove a broken spring or spring that would no longer extend, back to full length
I have polymer magazines from 8 manufacturers and the Lancer mag is the only one I've had problems with.
My brother was a member of the 2nd Infantry Division and stationed on the Korean DMZ from 1970 to 1971. Looking though his photo album the 2nd was still issuing 20 rounds magazines, not a 30 in sight, with M1956 Web Gear en masse during this period.
I use Okay Surefeed GI mags with Magpul followers. Range mags are ASC's.
The only rifle I am aware of that isn't compatible with the gen 3 pmag would be the Beretta ARX
You've made start collecting various AR magazines now!
I once finished a rifle build and went straight to the range not realizing I just didn’t install a bolt catch but when I ran pmags the bolt would lock up on the follower and of course slam shut when I removed the magazine but it was a nice thing to feel I had gone empty instead of dropping the hammer on an empty chamber
I cant believe he ranked the hex mag as a durable, combat rated magazine. I have some original hexmags from about a decade ago, and they flex like crazy. The feed lips flex open and let rounds spill out after some use. They do run reliably before they wear out though.
I did not test early mags
I bought one of those 60 round coffin surefire mags when they first came out and never got through a full mag without jamming.
Mine have run flawless. Tested both semi and auto.
Yeah, mine have been good also, I use them with 300BLK and they've worked well. I understand the early ones had issues but I don't know exactly what the cause was. I have some of the 100s and they've been horrible, I've had some luck after deburring the follower but I need to test more. Both versions are fragile and finicky in a way though, ya can't be rough with them the ammo stack is just so heavy. I had the base plate pop out of one of the 100s after dropping it partially loaded. And with either dropping them partially loaded can mess up the stack and jamb them, less with the 60s of course. I wrap the base in tape to both protect and reinforce the base.
That said they're handy and reliable enough that the 60s are my go to for my silenced self defense 300BLK at my side as I type this. However they're of course no Pmag and I've had to make a few tuning changes to make sure the gun runs well with the 60s.
@@snek9353 I gave mine away, nothing but trouble
@@shanek6582 That's nice of ya, things worth a good chunk of change right now.
Looking forward to part 2. I’m curious how commercial okay mags w/ magpul followers compare to military mags w/ their various followers. Specifically if they’ll present the round high enough for reliable feeding of M855a1.
Okay Industries then Pmags for me. AMAZING CONTENT SIR!! Wow
D&H needa be in that mix👌💪💪💪
Very very informative. The magpul Pmags are definitley the best magazines in the world. So easy to clean out after an IED Blast just dump it, wash it out. Put it back together, ready to rock
Ive got a pile usgi mags from the gwot years ago that have been loaded for years and still work. The magpul mags are probably my favorite though
Right? Magpul is good enough to where I'm not even really curious about having any other kind. My few Amend 2s have been relegated to only range time use
Thank you sir for all those years working with Colt. Your videos are informative and educational to all of us firearm owners.
Far more interesting than I expected.
Yeah, i agree magpul and also Lancers are probably THE mags you should have. I 've tried many many mags and only magpul and lancers are reliable 99.9%. By sticking with just a few manufacturers, you have uniformity and can eliminate mags as a failure point. However, I still download 2 out of habit lol
Chris,
Another great informative video. I have a Colt LE 6920 M-4 and I live in California. Very tough state to have a great firearm without some stupid regulation or restriction to handicap the nice factory issued weapon. My LE6920 is California compliant with a Hellfighter magazine release button to press before you press the magazine release button to release the magazine. Because of this Hellfighter button the bolt doesn’t stay back after the last round is fired but sometimes it will hang up on the magazine follower. I have Magpul magazines and have had to file down the backside of the follower so to bolt won’t hang up on the magazine after the last round and slides right over the top. When it’s hung up I’ve had to get a nail punch and push down on the follower to let the bolt slide forward then release the magazine. They had to eliminate the button to lock the bolt back and release it forward so that sucks. Have you had any other comments on bolts hanging up on the magazines with Hellfighter release buttons?
Cpl. Sev
Ive seen issues with the Lancer’s from multiple guys on multiple occasions where the feed lips wont hold rounds and when the mag is loaded it spits out multiple rounds into the rifle. Therefore i dont trust them, especially when pmags, okay surefeed, d&h or c-products etc can be had for the same or lower price
If you own a lancer, load it to capacity and hit it on the bottom, if rounds pop out the top limit it range use.
Thank you for taking the time to hunt down these Freedom Seed feeding devices and putting together a very educational video.
Glad to get an explanation on the Bulgarian AR mags. I found one at a local shop a couple months ago and just thought it was odd that Bulgaria makes AR mags.
I hope you cover the Ramline AR mags that were supposed to work in AR15s, AR18/180s and Ruger Mini-14s, those mags were garbage. Another garbage mag is these Thermold clones made in Israel, I used them on my second deployment because my company didn't issue me mags. I'm glad I didn't get into a firefight because not only are they not durable but also somewhat unreliable in feeding if left loaded for extended periods of time, I think the springs they use are very weak.
Ramline mags are antiques. I tried to stick to recent mags in production or ones that were influential. Sorry, did not cover that one.
I guess I should buy more p-mags. Like I need a reason! Thank you for all of your hard work and great information that you give out.
Fantastic and comprehensive video.
It would really cool to see the manufacturing process of a stanag magazine
my favorite mags are 1st (gen 3 magul pmags), 2nd (HK maritime steel mags) and 3rd (Lancer mags) honorable mention is ETS mags because i never had any issue with mine, plus they have the best positive feed angle i have seen when using 55-77 grain ammo. 👍👍👍
Those additional ones you mention will be in Part 2
I’ve had good luck with ETS mags also in the AR platform. But I’ve had terrible experience with ETS in Glock mags. Jamming up in the mags, not loading to capacity, and locking back with rounds in the mag. Sent them back for replacements and ETS sent new ones that did the same. ETS told me then I needed to oil the inside of the mags to make them work?? Nope, I’ll stick to factory for Glock
@@kengray5793 i never had a single issue with my ets ar-15 mags, love them, no fails and they have the best positive or steepest feed angle possible for the bullet to never have any feeding issues.
I have a few SWT magazines. The problem I have with it is that it seats too high. Had to shave down the top a bit for it to work right in my rifles. I told my wife if things go bad, I dont care if we lose these mags. Just dont lose the others.
Great video. I love Pmag and Lancer. Glad to hear you agree. Thanks for all the information!
Speaking of MSAR........ In my experience I've found the PMags are an improvement over MSAR mags( no contest) and preferable to OEM Steyr AUG mags. You can take that to the bank. Steyr 30 rd mags will occasionally let a loaded round pop out under recoil. However the 40 rd is noticeably worse. My sense is the mag springs are not strong enough to push the long column of .223 fast enough. Any rate....PMags all the way for the AUG and the MSAR copy of AUG.
Iv been using the pmags gen2 for ever and never ever had any problems
Correct me if i`m wrong I have to check the gun cubaord since 19 hit it`s been slow but gen 2 you need to drop to 28-29 rnds. to work on a closed bolt and gen 3 works with 30 rnds. on a closed bolt.
@@gunfisher4661 not the guy you asked, but I've found that you can, it just takes a bit more effort than normal, a decent slap
Very informative video and VERY FAMILY FRIENDLY!
Thnx bro
I started with green and black follower GI mags from the bargin bin at my LGS, dropped magpul followers into them after a while.
Moved onto gen 2 and gen 3 pmags. Practiced some stippling on them. Doesnt hurt the mags and i dont ruin a frame.
Now i use stainless GI mags. Pmags are wonderful, but do have an issue fitting in double mag pouches if the pouch is on the tight side. I still have my pmags, and i buy a few windowed gen 3s when theyre on sale, but my chest rig is loaded with ss gi mags and the pmags are in a box. Im certainly happy to hand them out to people if "the bad times" happen, or if a magazine ban goes through theyre an investment.
Okay with Magpul guts, HK polymer, HK steel, gen 2 & 3 Pmags.
Fascinating! Looking forward to part II! Collecting mags can become a specialty in itself--just be sure to keep the iffy ones separate; though the really bad ones may be useful for stoppage clearance--until they break.
I really like the MFT mags, because of their slimness. Annoyingly, the only heavy-duty mags I could find were blocked to 20rds, and I couldn't get the one I bought apart to remove the block. It was returned. That said, my 'emergency' mags are OKays and PMag G3s.
Again, I'm looking forward to Pt II; hopefully you'll cover ASC. The ones I have use the yellow follower, and won't take PMag followers. They are in my 'range' pile.
I can agree with almost everything the only thing is I don’t like polymer mags I was on the range doing full reload drills and I know I smacked the hell out of the bottom of the Pmag and gave me a death jam so it’s a flaw of polymer mags and shock absorption but it was 100% user induced I believe pmags are great quality for reasonable price but I stick to okay ind and lancer
Things I would add is pmags let you know they are bad ( broken feed lips split polymer etc.) metal doesn’t (you can’t see out of spec feed lips) but you can bend it back and “force” longer use with metal
Lastly my favorite maybe lancer but pmags and okay ind metal get thumbs up from me
Thanks for passing along the knowledge - can’t wait for part 2
Anyone remember the Israeli Orlite magazines black polymer from the 1980's? Just found some in my storage. Primitive compared to today's Pmags
I wish I would have been been able to find an Orlite mag for this video
Great vid but one small thing, there is one rifle the gen3 pmags won’t work in, the Beretta ARX.
I've found a good use for a Thermold magazine cut off feed lips use for a AR57 upper brass catcher I just posted on a forum about that magazine a day ago. I might have another Maple leaf one somewhere, other uses is fire starter.
I like having the Lancer magazines for use with 300 B.O. no confusion between them and Al or P-mags loaded with 5.56
I love the info, and not to be offensive but you could totally impersonate Alex Jones
I use pmag gen 3s for my 5.56 upper but use gi mags that are modified for my 450 bushmaster upper
Awesome info especially on the lancers, they are my favorite. Can't wait for part 2.
The lancers are my new favorite, they are the only mags I trust other than p-mags.
Ive seen issues from multiple guys with the lancers where the feed lips wont hold rounds and when the mag is loaded it spits out multiple rounds into the rifle. Therefore i dont trust them, especially when pmags, okay surefeed, d&h or c-products can be ha for the same or lower price
@@ryanpeck3377 but what was done to those mags before the issue? I have seen usgi mags fell because of feed lip issues. Its happens, but the lancers are good to go.
Any thoughts on the new ar mags by Wilson combat? They are polymer
All I own for my M&P is pmags 40s and 30s all variants I was on the fence about Mission first tactical because they are cheaper but I'm going to score some now thanks for the video appreciate it
Love my pmag 40s and okays. Also got a couple green and black followers for collection and picture purposes.
Great content sir.
Hope to see the 60/100rd sure fire and 60rd schmeisser 60rd mags...
I'll be really curious to hear what he has to say about the Surefire magazines. They have a horrible reputation but I think the military bought a bunch and for me the 60s have been good.
Great video
I have an early surplus Thermold mag military/leo use only. It worked fine for years, I hadn't used it for a at least 5 years, i put in a X95 Tavor and got a double feed malfunction, I haven't put it in a rifle sense
This video is a solid PSA. Thanks!
The color difference is how I keep my 5.56 and 300 black out from getting mixed up.
Curious to see the Surefire 60 and 100 round coffin mags in the next part. Same with Hera Arms and the Schmeisser S60.
All in Part 2
Great review , been using p-mags for yrs and don't believe I've ever had a mag issue with them .
I'd like to hear your opinion on the Brownells magazines.
Awesome video series... I've collected nearly 30 'brands' of AR type magazines, and so far you're spot on! There are only a couple mentioned here that I do not not have. I have many more, but I'll likely see them in part 2(and part 3).
Your knowledge of the history of this product is by far the most extensive I've ever seen. I'm lucky to have found this!
Just received a couple of the UTG mags. The windowed version's packaging is marked "Made In Taiwan". There is a more expensive non-windowed version that is USA made.
Excellent! Please hurry with part 2!
Lancers are my fav, even over PMags
Those are great mags. Wish they same with a removable top cover tho for storage...
Great info on mags from a firearms guru
Very informative video as usual Chris. I hope that Part 2 includes a commentary on the ATI-Schmeisser 60 rounds mags. Agree 100% on the Lancers - they are my go-to.
It does!
As always your deep information and analysis are greatly appreciated.
possible to do an sr25 and/or ar10 platfrom mag run down?
Thanks for the information. I know for sure now that I made good choices.
you are such a huge source of knowledge. thank you
Got a few Lancer mags never an issue unless I tried to use a speed loader
Next on my list is a d-60 from Magpul. Great video
Excellent info as usual SAS 👊
Your knowledge is impeccable! Thanks for sharing.
Excellent run-down on current mags, thanks Chris