Poll: Metal or Polymer magazine (WHY?)

[Xaevian]

I am with EPS. I don't really have a preference. I have both, sort of. I have magpul pmags for my 5.56, mainly due to price and availability when I bought them in the AR scare, and metal C-products mags for my 7.62x39 AR, which was good because I had to rebend the feed lips and dremel the front so they would feed reliably. I was hesitant to buy an AR platform for a long time, and still find them somewhat boring. But Obama told me I really needed one or more.

 

[Xaevian]

No we don't,since thebummer made it famous it can drift away

It was already a cliche before he used it, which was carefully used by him to sway more youth to his side, as any politician does. But still, using it for something he fought against has such sweet irony, I can't resist.

 

[EPS]

I will say some of the polymer AK mags I got where hard to get into the gun right but a file on it for a little bit go right in no problem lol what do you expect for $8.99

 

[P7M13]

I answered metal. Been working with metal all my life. It's familiar.
The preferences come down to a few things:

• Plastic is quieter, metal is easier to handle (pure preference here)
  
• Metal drops better from my ARs.
• Plastic is a whole lot friendlier in sub 20°.
• Plastic tends to be cheaper than metal, in my experience

In poly, I have Magpul and Troy. People say Troys suck, I have found them just as good as Magpul. I find I prefer the feel of Troy's fish scale over Magpul's ribbed orange peel.
In metal, I have ASC, C-Prod, PRI, Barrett, AICS (bolt action), and GI issue. C-Products are the only ones that have jammed. At $3 apiece, the GI issue mags are simply awesome.
I've thought about getting the PMAG AICS pattern mag for my magnum rifles, and the price is ~1/3 of the AICS, but I can't bring myself to do it. I ain't puttin' no plastic in that chassis!

 

[Medic!]

View attachment 356390
What is this "Polymer" or "magazine" you all are speaking of?...
Just kidding... ( sort of )

I too associate plastic ( polymer ) with toys and toy guns.
I know , I know , the AR 15 design is 60 odd years old and you should never mistake a real gun for a toy gun.
I also know that the plastic of today has come a long way from the plastic of my youth...
But it just doesn't hold a near and dear place in my heart as does wood and steel. ( or brass )
Andy

This from a guy that hasn't embraced copper jacketed bullets.

 

[HB of CJ]

PROBABLY future magazines will be a one time use then reuse for other purposes. Perhaps they will snap apart and make good fire starter sources for whatever. Or ... temp sensitive high explosives for whatever use.

Or we might see different flavors. Yep ... you can eat your empty one time use mags which are made up of yummy various combinations of eatable carbohydrates and mixed in proteins. Yumm yumm. Many flavors available.

Or ... (again) we might see the environmental wackos regaining control and demanding that all used discarded articles of war and mayhem must be completely bio degradable. You know ... turns to shiet to grow the flowers.

 

[Medic!]

Metal magazines suffer from problems because there metal.
The same with polymer.

 

[EPS]

PROBABLY future magazines will be a one time use then reuse for other purposes. Perhaps they will snap apart and make good fire starter sources for whatever. Or ... temp sensitive high explosives for whatever use.

Or we might see different flavors. Yep ... you can eat your empty one time use mags which are made up of yummy various combinations of eatable carbohydrates and mixed in proteins. Yumm yumm. Many flavors available.

Or ... (again) we might see the environmental wackos regaining control and demanding that all used discarded articles of war and mayhem must be completely bio degradable. You know ... turns to shiet to grow the flowers.

It 's funny you say that there is video of a CALIFORNIA SENATOR SAYING THAT SAME THING if you look up the dumbest things said by anti gun people you will see a lady say why don't we just ban new magazine 's and when the people use up the ones they have then that will be it no more assault rifles LOL

 

[lambene]

aWESOM OPINIONS EVERYONE! ty

 

[Andy54Hawken]

This from a guy that hasn't embraced copper jacketed bullets.

While it is true that copper jacketed bullets ain't my first love .... I do own this guy that loves 'em.
Andy

 

[etrain16]

Your poll is missing an option - both. I own both and I like both. I'm not going out into harsh conditions to fight the commies, at least not yet, so as long as they work reliably for home defense and range trips, I'm good. If I did end up in some kind of SHTF scenario though, I'd probably favor the metal mags for durability in harsh conditions.

 

[Stomper]

I roll with STANAG/USGI as I've used 'em in the Central American jungles, Europe, and over half the States in CONUS with NEVER an issue... plus they have a higher melting point than I do and yes, I've gotten weapons hot enough to potentially melt (at least soften) plastic mags.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Never had a polymer mag melt or get hot ... No surprise there for those that know me...

But I have seen the hand guards on a M16A2 crack and split...
Admittedly this was from far more use , abuse and in a far more extreme environment and conditions than what most folks are shooting in...
Andy

 

[MrMillspecer]

Never had a polymer mag melt or get hot ... No surprise there for those that know me...

Andy

I bet you warmed up a few nipples in your time.

 

[Stomper]

I bet you warmed up a few nipples in your time.

Yeah but now you're talking melted candle wax n'stuff, and we DON'T want to go there!

 

[3MTA3]

Battlefield Las Vegas, a high volume machine gun rental has this to say:

"USGI mags have outlasted all of the other brands. We use UGSI (Brownell's with tan follower) and on a mag for mag basis, they have outlasted Pmags and a few of the other mags that we get from mfg's with new weapons. We don't have to worry about various generations with different weapons like the MR556, SCAR, F2000, Tavor or a couple of others that use AR15/M4 magazines."
​

AR endurance findings, at a rental range - The Firearm Blog

Other considerations are:

• USGI mags fit and function in all 5.56 NATO systems. Pmags are now in their 3rd generation fixing compatibility problems.
  
• USGI mags are lighter
• USGI mags are smaller and fit better into most pouches
• USGI mags are cheaper

Polymer mags have the advantage of being able to flex without permanently bending

So, while I've been very happy with my Pmags from this point on it's Brownell's tan follower USGI. Not throwing away my Pmags, though...

EDIT: I came a second away from accidentally posting this in an audio and music forum... would have been fun as the many of folks there lean waaaaay to the left.

 

[Flopsweat]

While it is true that copper jacketed bullets ain't my first love .... I do own this guy that loves 'em.
Andy
View attachment 356525

I don't know if you noticed, but you've lost your ramrod and your flint looks funny.

 

[EPS]

I don't know if you noticed, but you've lost your ramrod and your flint looks funny.

And it won't take a P Mag or a metal Mag lol

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Actually the magazine is indeed metal* ... and the stripper clips that load it are metal as well.
Andy
* The 03A3 has a 5 round internal box magazine.

And it won't take a P Mag or a metal Mag lol

 

[Andy54Hawken]

I don't know if you noticed, but you've lost your ramrod and your flint looks funny.

Well truth be known a man can't live on black powder alone...
Andy