AR15 Mags Not Locking In Question

[demonsfire813]

This ^^^
Those are junk mags.
There's nothing wrong with your AR mag catch if Pmags lock in.

The only mags you need :

Okay SureFeed
Colt
NHMTG
Lancer
Pmag

What makes them "junk" mags in your opinion? This is the first rifle I've had an issue with them in. Tried them in several others and have loved them for years.

 

[DirectDrive]

What makes them "junk" mags in your opinion? This is the first rifle I've had an issue with them in. Tried them in several others and have loved them for years.

Numerous reports of fail to feed, fail to lock in etc. with ETS.
Besides, battle-proven AR mags are dirt cheap.
There's no reason to go with a hobby mag.

If you like a translucent mag, look into Lancer.
They are much better designed mag with steel feed lips.
Lancer is the only polymer mag that can handle 458 SOCOM without swelling which attests to its strength.

 

[demonsfire813]

Numerous reports of fail to feed, fail to lock in etc. with ETS.
Besides, battle-proven AR mags are dirt cheap.
There's no reason to go with a hobby mag.

If you like a translucent mag, look into Lancer.
They are much better designed mag with steel feed lips.
Lancer is the only polymer mag that can handle 458 SOCOM without swelling which attests to its strength.

Ok. Thank you for your info. I've had nothing but good luck with them up until now and I'm not trying to use super strength bullets. Just standard 5.56. Hopefully I can find a 2nd rifle that I can test this with to confirm the issue. Have a nice night.

 

[titsonritz]

Not helpful. I've had nothing but good things to say about ETS mags up until this point. Have you used them or just being mag elitist? But thank you for the reply.

 

[Lasers]

I totally get why you'd troubleshoot and not just throw out the "bad" mags.

I have collected as many unique mags as I can think of, just because I wanted to be able to test my lowers against them all.

But my "go-to" are gen3 windowed pmags. They have fit and functioned perfectly in every single AR I've fed them to.

If anyone ever wants to test theirs, just meet me at Wolf Creek sometime lol.

 

[DirectDrive]

Ok. Thank you for your info. I've had nothing but good luck with them up until now and I'm not trying to use super strength bullets. Just standard 5.56. Hopefully I can find a 2nd rifle that I can test this with to confirm the issue. Have a nice night.

I shouldn't tell you this because it makes me an enabler.
But I see where you love these ETS mags.
With your calipers "map out" the notch in one of your Pmags.
Top of feed lips to top of notch, then bottom of notch.
Then map the horizontal dimensions.
Measure the over insertion tab as well (thanks msgriff)

With a knife, Dremel or file, make the ETS notch match the Pmag notch.

Then throw one ETS mag into the recycle bin once a week and replace it with a Lancer.
Do this until you run out of ETS mags.

 

[msgriff]

Check that the over insertion tab on the back spine of the mag isn't hitting at the front of the trigger guard area. File down if necessary.

 

[Cerberus Group]

Quit using ETS mags.

Where's that EASY button?

 

[TTSX]

Since you're dead set on using ETS mags, the simplest, lowest effort solution is to use them in the rifles they work in and don't use them in the ones they don't work in. Zero trouble shooting, crack a beer if you drink and have a mind at ease.

 

[Tony617]

Since you're dead set on using ETS mags, the simplest, lowest effort solution is to use them in the rifles they work in and don't use them in the ones they don't work in. Zero trouble shooting, crack a beer if you drink and have a mind at ease.

I would relegate the ETS magazines to gun range use only. If you are using your new Del-Ton or other ARs for HD, etc. then you want magazines that are reliable in all of your ARs.

 

[TTSX]

I would relegate the ETS magazines to gun range use only. If you are using your new Del-Ton or other ARs for HD, etc. then you want magazines that are reliable in all of your ARs.

Well, "me" yes. This thread's OP... no. He wants his ETS mags.

 

[thechase92]

Have you tried taking 1 round out of the mag (29 instead of 30)?

 

[jbett98]

Keep your ETS mags and sell the gun, then buy a gun that works with them.

 

[coop44]

Start running an AK

Drive a Yugo, buy a betamax, buy every out of date pos you can.

 

[GrayGoose]

ETS mags suck. That's likely the issue.

^^^THIS!!!^^^

 

[Knobgoblin]

Drive a Yugo, buy a betamax, buy every out of date pos you can.

We were just talking about Yugos the other day.

I'd daily one, if I could find one.

 

[Stomper]

We were just talking about Yugos the other day.

I'd daily one, if I could find one.

Careful if you do, it'll spin you around over one of its fenders and daily you right back!

 

[demonsfire813]

Have you tried taking 1 round out of the mag (29 instead of 30)?

It's not a round issue. I've tried fully loaded and empty. Thanks for the reply.

 

[DirectDrive]

It's not a round issue. I've tried fully loaded and empty. Thanks for the reply.

Do your measuring as I suggested above.
You will find a difference between the working Pmag and the non-working ETS.

 

[3MTA3]

No experience with ETS magazines, but I usually shy away from anything that has the words "elite" and "tactical" in their name and "systems" is usually a meaningless marketing term.

That doesn't make them bad mags. I'll leave that for folks with plenty of experience actually using them to decide. Personally I use MagPul, S&G GI Mags, and Brownells. They have all worked flawlessly in every rifle I've used them in, but all my lowers are Aero Precision with the exception of one Ruger.

• Magpul - my all around favorite. Feels good, works well, thicker base makes them easier to pull out of a pouch.
• GI Mags - smallest, lightest, works in everything I have and don't have so long as it's NATO compliant.
• Brownells - by far the most rugged, but heavy. Used by machine gun rentals in Las Vegas and outlast all other magazines by far according to their data.

Were I having this issue I'd troubleshoot by trying the mags in as many different rifle as I could and conversely with as many different mags in the Del Ton as I could. I'm certain there would be plenty of people on this forum that would be happy to meet up for some trying this with that without having to make a bunch of purchases.

Whatever the problem followed would be modified to work or it would be replaced. I personally don't use anything I would relegate to "range use" only for AR's.