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I recall reading about these while they were still in the preproduction phase. Unlike other translucent or polymer magazines, these have metal reinforcements.
Funny, it only took the AR community 20+ years to catch up with the AK world, this idea is far from novel, but is certainly past due.
Link:
http://www.aimsurplus.com/acatalog/L..._Magazine.html
http://www.aimsurplus.com/acatalog/magl5.jpg
What makes these mags worth twice as many D&H mags for the same money?
They're made by a company that doesn't produce firearm accessories, until now however, so that's probably what is in part - not to mention they're a brand new product.
You'll also notice that the mags are curved, like an AK mag is. Unlike conventional aluminum mags, which have a noticeable "joint" where it leaves the magazine well. This is supposed to aid in proper feeding, and I believe MagPuls have this as well.
It's more of a novelty than anything else really, just like most translucent magazines are. I don't foresee anyone selling off all their good D&H's for the sake of these. .
Plus, they're only $4-5 more than a good D&H anyway.
Have D&H mags gone up that much. I bought 10 @ $10 each (shipped) the night of the last Congressional elections.
...and I've never had a feeding problem and they're a proven design. I'll be curious to see how the feed lips hold up on these plastic wonders over time. Wear should be good but having the dissimilar materials I can see a potential for cracking of the plastic in that area.
ETA: Just found D&H mags for $9.99 here;
http://www.44mag.com/products.asp?dept=1335
I've bought mags from these folks a few times.
You're right about the D&H's, I was thinking of C-Products, because I ordered a few from 44mag.com a while ago.
But yeah, I'd imagine if you used the magazine heavily year-round, year-after-year, you'll eventually end up with metal/plastic separation, or perhaps a crack or two. But like I said, I think it's more of a novelty fun/range mag than anything else. They certainly look cool, that's for sure.
As for the way the mag is curved compared to aluminum mags, I'm in the same boat as you. It's just what I heard for the logic behind that.
Just remember, if you can see how many rounds you have left in your mag, so can the bad guy :)
I agree that they are a novelty, at $5 more than a non-windowed PMag (MSRP) I can't see the justification especially with the track record that the PMag is developing over seas.
+1 Thats why I would never ues then. Now if it had just a clear back, like the C mags, i'd give it a try. More then once soliders have lived by bluffing, but not with one of these.Quote:
Originally Posted by BadShot
[Bang]
If the bad guy is close enough to count my rounds I'm really screwed. And I probably deserve to get shot. I seriously doubt that would ever be an issue. And since you should be pointing your gun at the bad guy, all he'll see is the leading edge of the magazine, and that's not much. Chances are he'll be looking at your hands or eyes, not at your magazine.
And if I have time to look at my magazine, I better be behind cover.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BadShot
Yea, cause you never know when you'll run into a Speical ops Bad guy that is trained in counting how many rounds you already shot off.[Bungi]Quote:
Originally Posted by Tora
All seriousness though, they look fragile.
You took the words right out of my mouth. Other gun owners from other forums have said the same thing about counting rounds in the magazine, it's just lame and unrealistic.Quote:
Originally Posted by Roger
I can just picture some bad guy pointing with his finger, and saying under his breath, "One .223, two .223's, three .223's. . ."
"Hmm, he only has 22 rounds left, it's probably safe to attack him now!"
[LOL]
The translucent polymers ARE more fragile than the solid colored ones. The more translucent they are, the more fragile they will be.Quote:
All seriousness though, they look fragile.
But like I said before, I think they'll serve nicely for a fun novelty magazine.
Hey, I was just re-iterating one of Mr. Murphy's laws .. if you can see the enemy, he can see you! Pretty sure that carries over to translucent mags :)
Now given the reviews on some of the boards.. they are just as tough as PMags and theoretically address a weakness found in the other poly mags (I don't think PMags have these issues) .. the metal feed lips are there to supposedly address the splitting that you see with Oralites and others.
Again, novelty item. I'll stick with PMags based simply on my experiences, their growing reputation and at the core.. the price.
Ive compared both the Magpul and Lancer systems Translucent mags side by side. Both look great , but I give the edge to Magpul. I noticed several things about them side by side.
The follower on the Lancer systems tilts alot. The Magpul mag doesnt tilt at all.
As far as body construction the Magpul mag has a thicker mag body and is less flimsy.
I have 2 Lancer mags and Ill be waiting for Magpul to release their translucent mags.
The Lancer mags have functioned flawlessly with about just over 200rounds per mag so far. I havent had a chance to shoot the Translucent PMAG, only got to finger bang it.
John