Magpul is known for producing some of the most talked about tactical gear in modern production. Whether it is the FMG-9 machine pistol or theBushmaster ACR, Magpul always seems to be involved in the latest, coolest tactical gear. The Magpul PMAG is no exception.
The PMAG is Magpul’s polymer AR-15 magazine that has proven to be one of the more popular AR magazines on the market.
The PMAG comes in two basic models: standard and MagLevel. The MagLevel features a clear plastic window on the side of the magazine and a painted magazine spring that allows you to get an approximate round count with the weapon still in the rifle. The standard PMAG comes in 20 or 30 round versions, while the MagLevel PMAG is 30 round only.
The PMAG has waffle-style texturing on the body of the magazine to enhance your grip. The body of the mag feels solid, but not too thick.
The PMAG ships with a dust cover that locks tight over the top of the magazine. This prevents dirt and sand from getting into the magazine. Magpul also says the dust cover takes the pressure off of the feed lips of the magazine when it is stored loaded. By taking pressure off of the feed lips, they are less likely to warp or bend over time, and therefore less likely to cause reliability problems.
The dust covers do lock on tight, so while it is possible to get them off with one hand, using two hands is much easier. Only one hand is needed to get the dust cover off, but the magazine has to be firmly held, in a pouch or in your second hand, to quickly sweep it off. My recommendation is not to have the dust covers on any magazine you anticipate you might need to use in the short term.
The follower is the Magpul self-leveling, anti-tilt follower that they have been selling as a seperate component. This is the same follower that other companies, like Brownells, have been using in their magazines.
I was unable to get the follower to tilt or bind in any way. Pushing down on one corner of the follower pushes the entire follower down in a even, uniform manner. The Magpul self-leveling followers are vastly superior to the mil-spec stuff that I have been exposed to.
The PMAG stainless steel spring is strong, but loading cartridges is still very easy. I had not problems loading these right to 30. The floor plate removes easily for access to the spring and follower for parts replacement or general cleaning.
*** NOTE ***
This magazine is part of a head-to-head comparison I did of three polymer magazines: the Magpul PMAG, the Tango Down ARC-L, and the TAPCO AR15 magazines. Photos and testing results will be posted soon.
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