Not all PMags are created equal!

[Kruel J]

So I have a pistol lower built and was trying out various mags for drop. ALL my GI Metal mags drop free. MOST of my PMags do. I have 3 of the 20 I own that don't drop free. I even have two windowed gen2's that 1 drops and one doesn't. Anyone else notice this?

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[Kruel J]

And FYI, its and Anderson lower. Yes, a budget lower. But maybe my "budget" lower has tighter tolerances than some others? Obviously PMags have some variance to them.

 

[Caveman Jim]

I also did a drop test when I got my AR a while ago 23 out of 25 USGI mags dropped & two didn't, still kept the two klingons. I didn't have any Pmags at the time.
Last year I traded for 4) 20 round Pmags and two didn't make the cut so I traded them for two 30 rounders of which one does not drop free but kept it for range duty, not a huge fan of Pmags but did buy 2 40 rounders for SnG's....
I am old school and love my USGI mags!!!

 

[Stomper]

USGI/STANAG mags are all I use. I've never been a (huge) fan of plastic mags... ever.

 

[misterarman]

USGI/STANAG mags are all I use. I've never been a (huge) fan of plastic mags... ever.

You mean they make a plastic mag for ARs?
Only been shooting metal for 38 years. Since the Pmags got here not sure how I managed to make the metal ones work. Clean them once in a while and it's amazing. Oh, by the way anybody got any metal ones they want to sell cheap cause the pmags are better?

 

[jbett98]

Is your mag release threaded flush with the mag release button?
If it's not, rotate it one more turn and then try dropping the mags in question.

 

[Joe13]

Sounds like a little sandpaper would help.

 

[Liberty97045]

Sounds like a little sandpaper would help.

 

[Caveman Jim]

I'd think that if 95+% dropped it ain't no adjustment problem... but then I'm not an AR armorer neither.

 

[.45's and .38's]

Sometimes you get what you get with anderson.

I have had the same problem, go out & buy a cheap lower, then your hoard of mags wont drop free. I'd get a new lower, not worth sandpapering anything....especially if P mags wont drop

 

[ZA_Survivalist]

You mean they make a plastic mag for ARs?
Only been shooting metal for 38 years. Since the Pmags got here not sure how I managed to make the metal ones work. Clean them once in a while and it's amazing. Oh, by the way anybody got any metal ones they want to sell cheap cause the pmags are better?

Im the same way, I dropped a few Pmags (and others) that broke the feed lip or cracked down the middle.. From that point on I swore Id replace all but a few with USGI mags, ones I could leave loaded and drop and still be gtg. You can call me, Private butterfingers.. Wait.. That sounds bad..

 

[Kruel J]

Its not an adjustment issue. My mag catch is installed properly. Its a variance in PMags. And I'm not swapping to a different lower as I don't have another lower handy. I think Anderson may have a tighter tolerance than some others. Its just funny how two identical PMags can has such a variance.

 

[U8395279]

Its not an adjustment issue. My mag catch is installed properly. Its a variance in PMags. And I'm not swapping to a different lower as I don't have another lower handy. I think Anderson may have a tighter tolerance than some others. Its just funny how two identical PMags can has such a variance.

Can anyone else duplicate this problem with these 3 mags in another AR-15?? Or is your rifle the only one that you have tried them in?

.

 

[Joe13]

Train so that you flip the rifle upside down, just hold onto the Pmag, hit the mag release so the weight of the rifle drops and then flip it back over and insert a new mag.

You will be the talk of the range every time you go

 

[etrain16]

Train so that you flip the rifle upside down, just hold onto the Pmag, hit the mag release so the weight of the rifle drops and then flip it back over and insert a new mag.

You will be the talk of the range every time you go

That sounds like a great idea for a YouTube video - someone needs to do that

 

[jbett98]

Doesn't James Yeager teach that method?

 

[The B]

I've had a number of lowers and a number of PMags... some lowers drop all Pmags cleanly, some lowers drop none cleanly, some don't drop GI mags either.... so there's a lot of variables. The newer Pmags are all supposed to drop free from in-spec lowers... but few lowers these days are held to really tight tolerances (keep in mind "tight tolerance" means tightly held to the spec, not a "tight" magwell). PMags are designed to be a little tighter in the magwell so they don't rock around and are more reliable.... remember in OSUT when they used to teach not to use the magazine as a monopod or a VFG, because it could make the weapon misfire? That's not just myth- GI mags, at least old ones, wiggle around inside the magwell so much, you can actually cause a failure to feed if you put enough pressure on the front. Pretty much impossible to do with Pmags.

 

[U8395279]

.... so there's a lot of variables.

That was my point too. As long as his testing only involves one single lower, then he has not eliminated it as being a variable.

.

 

[Kruel J]

That was my point too. As long as his testing only involves one single lower, then he has not eliminated it as being a variable.

.

Oh, I'm SURE its the lower. No doubt. BUT....the lower magwell doesn't change size from mag to mag. So my point is that PMags can vary in dimensions. Even two identical generation mags.

 

[mkwerx]

Have you tried the "Magpul flip" ?