All posts tagged 20rd pmags

Magazine capacity and balance, don’t forget it

There was a transition away from the high capacity or should I say, Standard capacity firearms back in the late 1990’s after the AWB of 1994, but it was mostly because the cost of a gun magazine might have gone up 200% or more.   You could easily spend $1000 for a firearm and magazines depending on what it was.   Once thing that I will that will never change is balance and speed.   I think we have recently witnessed the pinnacle of the M4 Carbine accessorizing craze because now we are seeing more and more that people are wanting lighter carbines and 15 lbs AR15 variants is something that really doesn’t help you out in close quarters gun fights, speed does m ore than what optics you have in close up fighting.

When it comes to caliber and capacity, you really need to put some thought into how much weight you want in a firearm especially a handgun.   I’ve shot some double stack 45acp handguns that were so heavy that taking them in and out of  holster felt like I was wielding a ball and chain.  Throw in spare gun magazines and the bulk and weight can quickly become extreme.  The Springfield XD is a nice 45acp gun, but the balance of a 1911 or even the Sig 220 seem to handle better.   And lets not forget, the reason for a handgun is to fight your way back to a rifle, so why bother trying to carry all that handgun ammo.

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LWRC REPR Impressions

I am a FAL owner and I have gotten more out of my DSA STG58 than most people have gotten out of an M1A.   I have never felt like I needed to go out and get the M1A because I am in the minority that can get MOA out of my FAL and I really don’t feel as though I need to get it better than that.  From my experience with Semi-auto rifles, the more you push towards accuracy, the less reliable the gun is after all of the fine tuning.   The best way to get a 308 into gear is to turn it into a DMR.

LWRC is once again the leader in better designs and moving away from the direct impingement design is one thing, but getting an MOA gun with reliable magpul pmags and making it lighter than an M14 or FNFAL is a fantastic thing.   I was fortunate to be able to get to test a few of the new LWRC REPR rifles out and I did not feel like I was firing a 308 rifle.   The REPR feels like an AR15 and the lighter weight really means something for a gun in this caliber.  $3500 + optics is steap though, but hell, everyone has a second mortgage these days.

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Gunfighting stress and round counts

One thing that is stressed in firearms training is that you have to constantly be active and practice your firearm skills or you will most likely loose your edge.   Just remembering the feel of recoil, gun grip and knowing how loud your gun will be if you don’t have hearing protection on is something that is easily lost.   There have been times where I fired guns so much that I practiced training without hearing protection on open ranges and the sound of the gun really didn’t cause me to flinch, but there were times where I’ve fired guns in indoor ranges and the guy standing next to me made me flinch every time his firearm discharged because even with hearing protection, the blast was so loud in an indoor environment.

If you practice with something like an AR15 enough, you will be able know the difference in the cycling of a firearm and when the last round has gone off and the bolt has locked back, but one thing that needs to be thrown into the mix is will  you know this under stress?   The short answer is probable not.   The Magpul pmags with the windows will give you some point of a reference if you are under stress that a simple tilting of the firearm can tell you if yo have 30% or less of your ammunition left.  There’s no reason to drop a mag and have to shake it or waste a partially loaded magazine with a another fully loaded.   If you’ve got 8rds of 5.56 ammuntion you aren’t out of the game and a simple magazine window is an asset.

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Don’t think magazine capacity is the only thing that wins the race

It’s really also a contest about speed.   There seems to be an addiction to 30rd magazines with AR15 owners but all you have to do is roll the clock back 20yrs and most of the gun magazines for M14s, FALs and G3s were 20rds.   Why were they 20rd magazines…because the guns were far too clumsy and bulky with 30rd.   There is still some truth to that with 30rd 5.56 magazines.   The AK47 is a firearm that is very clumsy do to it’s contour when being fired from the ground and would also be better balanced with 20rd magazines.

If you are in the business of having to suppress targets, than higher capacity magazines are for you, but for moving with speed and agility, try the 20rd magpul pmags for sale.   There are several new Magpul accessories that are giving better balance back to the AR15, especially the M4 design which was really getting out of control with protruding fore grips ect.   The magpul angled fore grip is something that brings you closer to the tradition gun hold but gives you the ability to grip your firearm better.

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Ranger Floor Plates and the Original Magpuls

I first found out about Magpul Industries when I was using a Mini 14 and a no name brand tactical vest.   When Woolrich Elite first came on the line, I started using their 4903 vest and this was about as tactical as I had gotten at that point.   The Mini 14 is a great gun for varmint, plinking or home defense, but not something that can handle a real gun fight.   Engaging in a shootout of more than a couple hundred rounds is going to heat the gun up and real damage is going to take place.

There are lots of gun accessories that you put on firearms that will make them look tactical but it doesn’t mean the gun is something you are going to want to be deployed with to Iraq.   Magpul Pmags have gone through several changes over the years and they pretty much got things right.   One thing that is still an accessory to the magazines are the ranger floor plates.   These are an easy swap out, but this will give you more bulk and snagging.   I recommend only doing this for magazines that are going to be put in a vest, but keep your range mags the same.

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Magpul angled fore grip response

We attended the new Zombie Shoot at the New Holland Rifle and Pistol Club and we had fun watching all of the guys  show  up with the new accessories and gear.   I recognized a few faces from years ago when it first began at a few other gun clubs but gun accessories have changed since then.   One of my new favorite accessories is the Magpul Angled Fore grip.   This was a really good idea and considering the number of people that were using them, they have caught on.   I was never a fan of the protruding fore grips that got in the way when you were firing out a window or laying on the ground.

I have tried some of the folding fore grips but they didn’t hold up too well.  I had a friend take mine off to test out a bi-pod and we ended up finding out that the grip I was using was dangerously close to breaking.   Magpul pmags are still the king when it comes to AR15 gun magazines and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.  There are still debates about the orignal mag puls vs the floor plate for quick mag changes, but I personally don’t have that problem depending on which tactical vest I have been using.  The 30rd window pmags in black are the number 1 sellers from us even though I do see a good many 20rd magazines showing up at these events.

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10rd magazines for 1911s?

This is something I’ve only delved into once and it wasn’t a great experience.   Back in the early 1990’s we had all of that assault weapons ban BS and and aftermarket gun magazines were everywhere.   Some of us that owned certain firearms ended up with unreliable firearms that should have been durable.   $90 Glock magazines were not uncommon and $14.99 for a jamming Mini 14 30rd magazine from USA magazines, which I believe is been long out of existence.   Many people fell back on revolvers and there was a big upsurge back into the 1911 because it was one of those guns that was originally designed for fewer than 10rds which was what the Assault Weapons Ban limited you to.

So some of us messed around with aftermarket 10rd magazines and all of the ones I tried failed pretty quick.   We tried to make the 1911 into it’s highest capacity that we legally could, but the balance pretty much got messed up.   Gun magazines, even a few rounds bigger than standard capacity can make the gun imbalanced or make it harder holster.   There are a lot of reasons to use 10rd magazines like Wilson Combat magazines or Chip McCormick which have a good reputation in competition shooting, but they will protrude considerable.   This may cause snagging on shirts ect if you are considering using one for CCW.   If you’ve ever practiced with you’re gun, which you should have, firing 8rds and reloading is probable a better CCW than thinking a 10rd magazine is going to give you more protection.

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Announcing that you are there with all of those things on your M4

There was always something that bothered me about the Trijicon ACOGS when they first started hitting the civilian market in the 1990s.   I couldn’t really figure  out why I didn’t like them at first and it wasn’t just that they cost as much as an actual Bushmaster AR15.   It finally dawned on me a few years ago when I was at a gun club, about 500yds down range and I saw the glint of someones rifle scope.   What i never liked about the Trijicon ACOGS was that the loun neon colors announced that you were there and it was my hunting instincts that were trying to tell me that.  When we are bow hunting we have on cover scent and camo but when you send the military into some parts of the world they have neon strands on their guns.  Something wasn’t right about that.

With all firearms and accessories there has to be a balanced achieved between prevailing in a fight and and not compromising your ability to defend yourself or take cover or concealment.   When it comes to using gun magazines, the hottest sellers are the Magpul Pmags with the window, but again, this is something that can announce you are there when the shiny brass cases are showing on the side of your black firearm  and the sun hits in on that perfect angle.   That is something that can be picked up from hundreds of yards away.  Flashlights, optics and gun parts can help you in getting your bullets on target but be careful they don’t compromise your ability for concealment.

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Did they take your Legos away from you too?

I have noticed for a very long time that there is a strong correlation between the guys that can’t stop accessorizing their M4 Carbines or AR15s and there previous childhood hobby of playing with Legos.  One thing that I always consider when putting something on a firearm is knowing if it is combat worthy or not.   There are a lot of things that are sold at gun shops and gun shows that are just downright trash, and others will hold up if you mount them properly.  Now that everyone has a rail or A3 model, you need to buy rails to protect them when not in use.

Now that you need new rail skins or rail covers, you have to pick out the pretty colors you, do you want Field Green, Dark Earth, OD Green,  Black or Tan on your M4 Carbine?   Magpul Pmags also come in many colors and sometimes people can get pretty particular about which colors they want.   I guess you want your gun to look nice when it’s pointing at someone.   I admit that it does get a little messy when you have mismatched color firearms parts and accessories, but as long as you don’t have rainbow colors on them it won’t be the end of the world.

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Have you considered using 20rd mags instead?

I guess it’s from all of the years of reloading and bench shooting that I find 30rd magazines to be annoying to shoot from the bench with.  I consider myself to be a pretty good shot, but you do have to learn how to get into different shooting positions if you really want to get good with a rifle.  I stared out shooting SKS rifles and could get 3-4 inch groups on a good day, but when I tried shooting groups with an AK, I felt like a was standing on a unicycle.   Sometimes having higher capacity magazines means more bulk and drag.

I’ve had my share of owning 75rd drum magazines, but the amount of work that goes into loading those really takes away the fun of shooting them.  It’s kind of like when you were a kid sledding down a big hill, after the 2nd or 3rd time you were so worn out from walking up when the ride down only took 20 seconds.  The gun magazines are magpul pmags in my opinion and I would even consider picking up 10rd pmags for DMR work or bench shooting and 20rd mags for fighting.   I don’t think there is a difference in reliability with any of the various magazine capacities, but getting down on the ground and putting accurate shots on paper with a 30rd can become awkward.  There are positions you can try, but they aren’t for anyone not in good shape.

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