Plastic P-Mags VS Aluminum GI Mags for AR

[GlockCop]

Ok. Time to vote. While at firearms training for rifle at work no one had ever seen a P-Mag and was wondering how they worked. I had my two and they worked flawlessly however so did my aluminum. But this got me to thinking...which do you prefer and why?

 

[Gideon]

It's 2012, if they haven't seen a PMAG then they haven't been on this continent.

I have 4 PMAGS and 6 GI mags. They all run fine in my AR, but only the PMAGs will fit in my AK's magazine adapter. I'd trade my GIs for PMAGs any day, but that's just my personal preference.

 

[Oklahomabassin]

I haven't had any issues with either, but I haven't put either through the abuse a soldier would. All of my GI mags have the self leveling followers.

 

[farmerbyron]

My BIL told it to me this way. If you experience a malfunction, you know it's not your PMAG.

I have had malfunctions with aluminum mags but never with my PMAGS.

 

[jakerz]

I've had a few issues with aluminum mags. But they weren't all brand new like my pmags. So it's unfair for me to say aluminum's are no good. It was usually the follower or spring that was bad, which can be replaced anyhow. That being said, I only have pmags now. About 20 total.

 

[Biggsly]

I have both, but I never have problems with Pmags. They are hard to beat imo.

 

[ArGyLe64]

Scott, are you serious?!?!?!?! When I went through Patrol Rifle School in 2008 everyone, including myself, was using P-Mags. Aluminum mags are garbage. Drop them on the concrete once doing a reload and they're toast. I won't use anything but Magpul P-Mags.

 

[Zombie]

I prefer a good ole GI mag - I have had pmags and they work great. It's just preference. all I need is range use personally (since I'm not a run and gunner, mall ninja, or anything of the sort) so I use cheap 20 round c products mags with the orange no tilt follower....

 

[vdub]

GI Aluminum mags because I have like 40-50 teflon coated in black and gray. Bought them back in the day for $9 per mag.

 

[dennishoddy]

Well, I have experienced aluminum mags at a soldiers level.
The mags one gets in the military in my era were in really poor shape, and it was rare that you got to keep the same mags for your tour. You grabbed what was in the pile, loaded them with 19, and went out on patrol. There was no such thing as mag maintenance unless it was full of mud. If they were, find a mud hole and rinse them out. We had a lot of malfunctions, some from the gun, some from the mags. The conditions were not conducive to proper gun maintenance.
Current time.
My buddy's sons Unit was deployed to Afghanistan
He was a SAW operator. Having been raised by a dad that retired from the Army after a 20 year career as a drill Sargent, he knew the importance of mag maintenance. He was experiencing so many malfunctions that dad bought aluminum mags from Brownells and sent them across the pond. His malfunction rate went way down.