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AR shooters: 60 and 100 round magazines?

swopjanswopjan Member Posts: 3,292
edited July 2011 in General Discussion
seen ads for them a few times in shotgun News and American COP, believe they're called the mag5-60 and mag5-100, from surefire. anybody ever used them, want to provide a range report? i'd really like to know if they feed reliably and if it's a struggle to fill 'em back up. and any other issues, other than length. i imagine they don't lend themselves well to shooting from the prone...

Comments

  • shilowarshilowar Member Posts: 38,815 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    if they take speed loaders it shouldn't be too bad,. I use an H&K speedloader that was given to me by an ex-Ranger, it was issued to him. Used with str4ipper clips its a breeze.

    That being said I'll stick with p-mags, 30 is enough for me, I personally don't want to add the extra weight to my rifle.
  • MobuckMobuck Member Posts: 13,733 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Several things come to mind:
    1: The weight of the loaded mags is going to make the rifle heavy and oddly balanced.
    2: That puts a lot more stress on the mag release so at some point, it may fail dropping your ammo supply on the ground.
    3: I don't want any more hanging below the receiver than absolutely necessary. If you have to go prone or shoot over an obstruction, you're going to be more exposed. I don't even like 30 round mags all that much if you're not using full auto.
    4: If you break, bend, or lose that big mag, you've lost a significant percentage of your feeding equipment. I can lose/break one 20-30 round mag out of the 10-12 I might carry and still have plenty left.
  • jev1969jev1969 Member Posts: 2,691
    edited November -1
    For me the bulkiness of a 100 round mag and the extra weight on the rifle doesn't offset the second or two you save by not reloading as often. I'll stick with 30 rounders.
  • armilitearmilite Member Posts: 35,478 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I'm pretty sure at the time that they were announced that the main hang up was the price.
  • cpermdcpermd Member Posts: 5,273 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I will stick with my 20 round mags.

    CP
  • CbtEngr01CbtEngr01 Member Posts: 4,340
    edited November -1
    friend of mine has one of those hundred round double drums. tell you what, you get a good comfortable sling th throw over your shoulder and it aint bad.
  • jeffb1911jeffb1911 Member Posts: 2,111 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    From all that i've read from SureFire, these were made to meet a specific request from the military. If you are in an ambush situation, they will come in handy i'm sure. And they will be more reliable than the drum type magazines i'm sure. But for normal use? i'll stick to the 20's and 30's. Now the AR that is kept in the corner for things that go bump in the night, that might have the 60 or 100 in it.
  • beantownshootahbeantownshootah Member Posts: 12,776 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Supposedly the new 60 rounders are quite reliable, since they were designed to be.

    The idea is that the double-width 60 round mags have less weight than two similar sized 30 mags, but take up the same space in your mag pouch.

    So if you're already clipping two 30 rounders side-by-side for fast reloads (as many do), then something like this does make sense. You save a little weight and also save reload time in a pinch.

    Naturally the cost is quite a bit higher than two separate 30 round mags.

    Personally, I have no use for these. They make sense if you know you're going to get into a firefight (ie you're active military). For me, the bulk, weight, and extra cost outweigh the near-infinitesimal chance that somehow I'm going to end up in a firefight where 30 rounds aren't enough!
  • COLTCOLT Member Posts: 12,637 ******
    edited November -1
    ...Shoot for a few minutes, reload for half an hour.

    With a good sling you can shoot comfortably from the hip...hows your aim without using the sights?

    Buy a few 20 rounders with the money, you'll be happier, maybe not as Tacti-Cool, but happier none the less...[;)]
  • bama55bama55 Member Posts: 6,389 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Don't know about the OP mags, but I like a c mag with extra 20's.
  • Laredo LeftyLaredo Lefty Member Posts: 13,451 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I have a buddy who works for Surefire, so I will be able to try out those new mags soon. I have 2 of the C-Mag 100rd double drums. They work great and the balance is fine as they feed alternately from each side. The only minus is the weight when they are fully loaded.
  • TxsTxs Member Posts: 18,801
    edited November -1
    A 100 round magazine logically leads to a very high rate of fire - especially if the gun is FA capable - which results in LOTS of heat.

    C-Mags aren't liked by our military due to their tendency to melt down under such extreme heat conditions.
  • Laredo LeftyLaredo Lefty Member Posts: 13,451 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    You can burn up an M-16 with 20rd mags if you try. I did it in Vietnam during an ambush. I shot up 25 20rd mags on FA as I was in scared sh*&less mode and fried my M-16. We didn't have that sissy 3 shot burst.
  • swopjanswopjan Member Posts: 3,292
    edited November -1
    interesting ideas coming up. mag release being stressed, ambush situations... but, i wouldn't be inclined to use an AR for anything except having a good time punching holes in paper though. i don't want a whole lot of tacticool gear, but a red dot or RCO and a 60 or 100 round mag would make me feel like I'm fighting Terminators, and maybe turn a few heads at the range.

    let me know how they work if you get to try them Laredo. [:)]
  • dcs shootersdcs shooters Member Posts: 10,969
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by Mobuck
    Several things come to mind:
    1: The weight of the loaded mags is going to make the rifle heavy and oddly balanced.
    2: That puts a lot more stress on the mag release so at some point, it may fail dropping your ammo supply on the ground.
    3: I don't want any more hanging below the receiver than absolutely necessary. If you have to go prone or shoot over an obstruction, you're going to be more exposed. I don't even like 30 round mags all that much if you're not using full auto.
    4: If you break, bend, or lose that big mag, you've lost a significant percentage of your feeding equipment. I can lose/break one 20-30 round mag out of the 10-12 I might carry and still have plenty left.


    1: my Beta-C mag does add weight but the balance is good.

    2: have had NO problem with mag release. Have been using it since '04.

    3: it does not hang lower than a 20 round, that is the way it is designed.

    4: have never seen one break, bend, or get lost.
  • JnRockwallJnRockwall Member Posts: 16,350 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I like my 10, 20 & 30 rounders. I use stripper clips so loading isn't so much trouble that I feel the need for that sort of capacity.
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