A serious question about magazines

McDirkale

McDirkale

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 16, 2016
Messages
1,158
Location
Da ville
Rating - 100%
6   0   0
I hear people all the time refer to magazines. Different brands/quality, etc.

I also hear that when people speak of a "self defense" handgun, that you should use manufacturer specific mags in the handgun. Now, I haven't tested any but I see MagPul, 2A and others make mags for handguns now. If a Magpul is good for a AR, why isn't it good for a handgun?

But, in things like AR's....people talk about "buy MagPul, buy USGI surplus", etc.

So my question is, some manufacturers of AR's (and other guns) don't have a huge selection of mags produced by them. And, people feel it's ok to use a Magpul in any brand AR. But why is it "recommended highly" to use a manufacturer specific mag for a self defense handgun?

Does that question make sense?
 
Doesn’t make a difference if you’re still alive and the perpetrator isn’t. You’re not going to get convicted if all they have is the make of magazine you used. A good shoot is a good shoot period. Some people like to spout out bs that doesn’t matter because their buddy who’s a swat operator told them so.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I’ve found Magpul Glock mags to be just as reliable as factory mags. The larger baseplate also helps with potential need to strip a mag during a complex stoppage.

The only gun I’ve personally ran into that absolutely needed a specific magazine to function 100% reliably was a 9mm 1911. In that particular case I wasn’t comfortable carrying it as a defensive weapon anyway so it quickly moved into range toy category due to its lack of reliability with both magazine selection and ammunition preferences..

I say Magpul mags are good to go.

That said I have not had great luck with pro mag branded mags in my Springfield XD lineup. I prefer to pay another $8-$12 and get factory mags for them. But if Magpul made XDm and XD mags I’d definitely give them a try
 
I may have read the question wrong. In terms of legal ramifications:
—MY OPINION—
Nobody likely will give a shit unless you are running a 33rd fun stick. Or have “get f*cked” or some racial slur painted on the mag.
 
There have definitely been a higher percentage of complaints with the Magpul Glock mags than with their AR lineup.
 
Metalliman27055 said:
I may have read the question wrong. In terms of legal ramifications:
—MY OPINION—
Nobody likely will give a shit unless you are running a 33rd fun stick. Or have “get f*cked” or some racial slur painted on the mag.
Click to expand...
What if it says 'ProMag'? I'd prosecute. :p
 
First off : why use plastic mags when most wont use a plastic lower, I've had problems with many plastic mags I'll only use gi mags in an ar
:

Zbizzle911 said:
Doesn’t make a difference if you’re still alive and the perpetrator isn’t. You’re not going to get convicted if all they have is the make of magazine you used. A good shoot is a good shoot period. Some people like to spout out bs that doesn’t matter because their buddy who’s a swat operator told them so.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
^^^^^^ this
 
Well, most ARs are milspec and similar specs.
Hard to compare to pistols which are all different designs and specs.
 
Reliability. It's a reliability issue. What is most common failure in a handgun, other than operator error? The magazine. Generally, factory mags are the most reliable while aftermarket mags can be problematic. It gets a little confusing when the aftermaket companies also make the factory mags like Mecgar. But, aftermarket magazines used to be a small portion of the market, and have upped their game. Pro-Mag used to have a terrible reputation, but seem better now. History and experience are the biggest factors. Magpul was a game changer, because they produce a magazine that could out perform "factory" or in this case Mil-Spec. The proved themselves out in the field as durable and reliable in the AR/Military world. Many companies have not. The verdict on Magpul and Glock magazine is still pending, because there are still stories of problems, especially early on when they did the recall. My personal experience also reflects this. I acquired a number of Magpul Glock mags and found that after about the 10th round loading the magazine was noticeably tougher and feed was slugish with rounds not "popping" up to the mag lips reliably. Disassembly, showed that the springs had developed some sort of oxidation that was causing drag. I cleaned the oxidation off and lubed the internals of the magazine and everything seems fine, But, these magazine are now in the testing phase. I feel good about them now, but time and use will improve my confidence.
So, it gets back down to testing the gear you're going to run. If it seems really reliable and you're comfortable with it, if you're willing to bet your life on it, then you're good to go. Saying to stay with factory is simply saying it increases your "potential" reliability.

It's like the life preserver paradigm. Maybe you buy cheap because the law says you have to have them on your boat and you don't really care. But, if your boat is sinking in a storm, you're gonna wish you had bought the best damn life preserver you could buy.

My .02
 
I wouldn't EDC a firearm that I hadn't satisfied myself was reliable. The same applies to a magazine.

That said, I have been shooting Glocks with Magpul mags as long as they have been available, and I have never had one fail to perform flawlessly. And I completely quit running surplus mags in my ARs years ago -- nothing but Magpuls. My latest two AR purchases came with Magpul mags from the factory. That is just my experience.
 
Last edited:
This is an interesting question with several answers based on what firearm you are using. I do not, unfortunately, shoot my firearms as much as some here do, but I have been doing it for a while and have found certain things to be true. Some aftermarket magazines are nowhere near as reliable as magazines provided by the maker of the firearm. Ruger Mini 14 and Mini 30 are prime examples. I bought my first Mini 14 long before any type of high capacity magazine ban occurred. I had two of the Ruger 20-round magazines that worked without fail. I bought some aftermarket magazines when the 20 round ones became unavailable to us citizens. They were not reliable. I tried several different types. Only the Ruger ones were reliable. I have a bunch of Ruger magazines now.

Some of the aftermarket magazines for a Ruger 10/22 are junk. Some may work OK.

I have several AR style rifles that work well with all but a few brands of magazines. My P-Mags have given me good service. I have a bunch of GI mags that never fail me. I did get some 308 magazines from Brownell's that were not up to snuff although all the 223 magazines I have from them work fine.

My 1911 magazines are many and varied. Some work better in some pistols than do others. One brand refuses to function properly in my Commander-size pistols but do fine in full size. I am more concerned with the type of follower and feed lips configuration than with the brand. I have found magazines that work reliably in my pistols and use them.

Glocks are made by Glock. M&P are made by S&W. A 1911 can be made by a whole bunch of different companies that may not always get things exactly the same. As long as the factory magazines are available for firearms made by one company, I plan on using the magazines offered by that one company. For those firearms offered by a bunch of different makers, I find magazines that work for my firearms and use them.

Garand clips also can be problematic. Some work a whole lot better than do others. I have several clips of recent manufacture that are difficult to load into the rifle. I have enough GI clips to last me a while and just use them.

Basically, use it if it works. If it does not work, find something that does.
 
My experience with Magpul Glock mags has been they are good, but not great. They pretty much don't lock the slide back, which I want in a carry mag. They have feed issues more than OEM, this is a very low number like 2 out of 5k or so, enough to remember it happening. They swell and don't drop free as reliably. Far less important but they also vomit rounds when dropped partially loaded. I don't carry Glocks, but I won't use Magpul in games. A lot of people hate on ETS in Glocks, I have over 20k on four of them, I find them nearly as good as OEM, with a rare drop free issue, and one broken follower found during cleaning. I don't think their M&P mags are as good as S&W by a decent margin.

In ARs I have zero issues with Magpul.

I think people are more open to aftermarket when there is a large aftermarket, the mags have always been made by several contractors, and/or the gun design itself is not proprietary: ARs, AKs, and 1911s.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom