magpul magazines vs usgi?

[CHS]

If you are starting off with brand new mags, and take care of them, USGI's are great, reliable, inexpensive magazines. They can have follower issues, which like most people have said, are easily fixed by replacing them with Magpul or C Products anti-tilt followers.

The MAJOR advantage that PMAG's have over USGI's is that USGI's are made from stamped aluminum and are very easy to ding up. The stamped aluminum doesn't flex and return to position like polymer does.

If you are in a carbine course, drop a USGI mag, and accidentally step on it, kiss the mag goodbye. The body will be irreparably damaged/crushed. A PMAG will be able to be picked up, brushed off, and used immediately. The feed lips on USGI mags are very easy to bend as well, and feed lip geometry is the SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR behind a functioning magazine. Slamming an empty USGI magazine home on a closed bolt just by itself can bend the feed lips a little bit. The PMAG feed lips bend and flex, but return to normal. PMAG's even come with a cover for long term storage of loaded magazines, which takes all the pressure off the feed lips.

So, if you're just a range shooter, USGI magazines with quality anti-tilt followers will be cheaper than PMAG's, and just as reliable as long as you take care of them. But if you're a known user and abuser (IPSC, IDPA, 3-gun, SSA, Courses/training), then you would be better off investing in PMAG's which will be cheaper in the long run due to all the busted USGI magazine bodies and springs you'll be replacing

[ap3572001]

Magpul follower

You can also just buy Magpul rebuild kits. They will have all the parts inside them. You just rebuild all your magazines with the Magpul Rebuild kits.


New Frontier make sure you tell them you want REBUILD KITS...NOT 10 rd limited magazines

I have a problem ordering magpull rebuild kits for my Gi mags. They think I want rebuild kits that include the mag body. I don't. I just need stuff to update my GI mags from late 80's.Where can I get what I need? Thanks.

[CHS]

I have a problem ordering magpull rebuild kits for my Gi mags. They think I want rebuild kits that include the mag body. I don't. I just need stuff to update my GI mags from late 80's.Where can I get what I need? Thanks.

What you are looking for are parts from Magpul for GI mags that ARENT for PMAG's. PMAG followers only work in PMAG's.

What you want is a quality chrome-silicon OR stainless steel spring and the Magpul or C Products anti-tilt followers (or whatever the new name of C Products is). Those will be compatible with your USGI bodies but upgrade them to the 21st century and increase reliability.

[CHS]

Followers and springs to update your USGI mags here:

http://www.44mag.com/category/ar15_magazine_components

Great prices too.

[palakaboy]

when I used GI mags in the army, it was impossible for me to grow a beard.

now that I use Magpul Emags, my beard flows with the darkness of kevlar.

[pyro3k2]

I have stainless steal bodies for my USGI mags with an anti-tilt follower. They hold up very well even when I step on them.

[getafterit]

I agree, a 30 round reliability test???
As for the hummer...I see the point, I guess. But wouldnt a 2K, 3K, 4K or 5K round test be a little more realistic? I mean if one was to have a mag run over by a vehicle wouldnt it be wise to imediatley go to the next mag in line instead of taking a chance on a damaged unit?
About all the hummer test proves is that perhaps the Pmag could take a hit from flying debris and possibly sustain little to no damage. But then again the USGI mags have been working to date.

[$P-Ritch$]

Okay, I don't see why everyone is trying to draw real world applications out of the truck/humvee tests. All they are doing is showing how tough their mags are compared to the norm. A good parallel for this test would be airborne units that do jumps with combat equipment. If you jump in and eat it real hard on the landing (which is usually the case) your metal mags could bend and become non-operational. Hell I've seen someone bend an ACOG on a landing.

As for reliability, as others have stated, if you have a modern mag with a modern anti-tilt follower you should be good to go. AR are so popular now that most of the mag manufacturers seem to have it down to a science.

[bohoki]

i dont have any p mags and all my 20 and 30 aluminums are still working but i do not use them in battlefield like conditions but i dont baby them or anything also all my 30s have black followers and 20s have aluminum ones

[damndave]

I have both types of mags and they both work perfectly fine. The USGI mags are cheaper though

[tacticalcity]

CHS says it pretty well, but left out these little tid bits.

USGI magazines have seams running down the back held together with spot welds. Over time they begin to pull apart and fail to seat properly which causes malfunctions. Range shooters don't experience this as much because they insert the magazines with considerable more care and caution. Comptition shooters, military, LE, and Defensive Shooters slam their magazines into place as fast as humanly possible, give them a quick push/pull and need them to work perfectly. So the later types of shooters experience considerably more problems with USGI shooters than range shooters.

Magpul PMAGS and EMAGS do not have the design flaw. You can beat the hell out of them they keep right on functioning. Plus if you get the windowed version, you don't need to count your rounds. Once the painted line gets to 25 you stop (loading any magazine to full capacity leads to failure to seat which leads to malfunctions so don't top off).