January 19, 2023, 12:39 PM
RichardCWhat's wrong with 'Generation 1' P Mags?
My conglomeration of magazines needs organization.
Are original P Mags a problem? How do I recognize them?
January 19, 2023, 12:53 PM
sigfreundI assume we’re referring to magazines for 223/5.56.
If so, I found that the earliest magazines my agency had were a little wider than subsequent versions and were a tighter fit in some magwells. In particular, they were so wide that they would not drop free from a couple of my agency's early manufacture S&W AR-15 type rifles that had magwells that were on the narrow side. I am not aware of other issues except that the floor plates of MagPul magazines were changed at one time.
January 19, 2023, 01:26 PM
RogueJSKSome of the early generation colored magazines were a bit more prone to cracking, especially down the spine or around the feed lips, reportedly due to the formulation of the colored polymers.
That's partly what led to the eventual discontinuation of the colored PMAGs, then later reintroduction of reformulated Sand and Coyote PMAGs, whose polymer now reportedly offers similarly robustness as Black.
January 19, 2023, 04:03 PM
jljonesThey also will not work with guns like the SCAR, HK MR556 (416) etc.
January 19, 2023, 06:59 PM
VoshterkoffInteresting, I was always an Okay aluminum mag user. Gen 1 pmags are VERY tight in my old Aero lowers.
January 19, 2023, 08:09 PM
parabellumYes, I have 8 or 9 of these and they are too tight in the mag well to drop free from most of my ARs. IIRC, this was the most common compaint about these mags back then.
January 21, 2023, 10:22 AM
bubbatimeIf you look at PMAGS, they have a little circle on the side with a revision number. Some of their mags have been revised 20,30 times or so. Every subsequent revision is an improvement in the mag. Dimensional changes, new polymer formula, etc.
In my opinion, older mags, while reliable, should probably be relegated to range mags. For defense, stick with later mags that have the latest revisions. Just my opinion. They wouldn’t be revising mags and making a better product if they didn’t think they were making worthwhile improvements.
January 21, 2023, 10:49 AM
CPD SIGquote:
Originally posted by bubbatime:
If you look at PMAGS, they have a little circle on the side with a revision number. Some of their mags have been revised 20,30 times or so. Every subsequent revision is an improvement in the mag. Dimensional changes, new polymer formula, etc.
In my opinion, older mags, while reliable, should probably be relegated to range mags. For defense, stick with later mags that have the latest revisions. Just my opinion. They wouldn’t be revising mags and making a better product if they didn’t think they were making worthwhile improvements.
Pretty much this.
There's nothing wrong with 1st Gen PMags on a whole.
yes, some won't drop free from the magwell and they need a little tug, the feed lips were a little weak, the follower was just a little off. But each and every problem was corrected as Magpul became aware.