I recently recieved a magazine from Tapco to review. This is their new 30rd magazine. I only have this mag and can only provide info about this mag alone. If you have questions about different size magazines and future models please write Tapco or post a question either here or a new topic in their Industry section of this forum. Now on to the first review.

First impressions

The magazine is very light. Without a scale I can say it feels about half the wieght of a standard metal magazine. The weld seam in the front is barely noticable and can't be felt when I run my finger across it. The sides are very rigid. The walls of the magazine are thick and there are no sharp edges on the magazine or floor plate. The floor plate and spring are the only metal parts of the magazine, the floor plate being very easy to take off but locks very positively in place. Base plate, follower and body are marked Tapco USA and on the left side is the Tapco logo.

The ribs along the sides,front and back give a very positive grip when inserting or taking out the magazine. The bottom is flared out well when taking the magazine out of a pouch or quickly taking it out of the mag well.

Side by side comparison with a standard metal magazine

This first picture shows how the magazine looks next to a standard metal magazine. To make it clear they are exactly the same height and width in the main body. The grip pattern on the side makes it a tad wider than a standard magazine as does the base plate and flared out bottom which in my opinion is great when griping the magazine especially for those who use that method when firing.


The rear tab of the magazine is very solid and the surface area that the magazine release tab slides over is wider than a standard mag making for a very smooth engagement.


Back view of the magazines showing the construction of the spine compared to a metal magazine. I can tell you the Tapco magazine is easier on the hand when doing quick reloads.


Here is the magazine apart showing the follower with long skirt.


This is a top view comparison showing the followers and the feed lips. The follower in the metal magazine is a Falcon Arms USA follower. It has the bump going all the way forward for better feeding. The tapco follower is more traditional but is still slightly longer than a standard follower. As you can see the feed lips and walls of the Tapco magazine is very thick.


Here is another shot with rounds inserted. The rounds load easily and lock in better than the metal magazine even though I know both hold them in very well.



Magazine inserted into the rifles

The two rifles I used to try this magazine in is a Romanian built from a G kit on a Tapco reciever, the other being a Yugo underfolder. The Tapco magazine locks well in both rifles and in the Romanian is more solid than my metal magazines. I have so far cycled dummy rounds through the guns as slow and as fast as I can with no misfeeds or hangups. To say the least, it cycles like an AK is suppose to with a well built AK magazine.



This last shot is of the magazine inserted into the Romanian AK build. It sits very flush with the rails with no play what so ever.


If you have any questions for me about the mag or want a picture of something I did'nt take a picture of post here and I'll get to it as quickly as possible.

This weekend I will be taking both rifles and only the Tapco magazine with me testing at least 100rds through each rifle. If it works as well as it did with the dummy rounds I have no doubt of its performance. Look for an additional review on this thread on Sat. I may or may not take pictures as the only difference than the above pictures will be that I'd be outside. However I will take pictures of the magazine after the range to show its condition at the points it would wear. I personally have been looking for a lighter weight AK mag and have been leery of other manufactures magazines but I think we have a winner here with the Tapco mag.

Sounds promising. When are they going be available ? A 20 rd. version would be great also.

I used the magazine in a series of live fire tests.......on every AK I have or could borrow, I personally fired about 700 rounds I also loaned it out to a couple folks.......The results were the same in all cases. No failures to feed and all noted a tight, secure, insertion into their rifles. I did have two failure to feed the last round with hollow point ammunition. I noted very rough feed ramps, did a polish on them and repeated the test.........problem resolved. It was a rifle issue rather than a magazine issue. I threw the magazine in the mud and stepped on it, swished it in the horse trough nearby a couple times, filled it with 30 rounds and fired all 30 with no problems, I also performed a test after dropping the magazine in 6" deep dust. No problem after just loading and firing. I understand the magazine will be available after the 7th of August. It appears to me it will be a good investment for the serious shooter.........llc

I got my "TAPCO" mags in today............they were not TAPCO mags. They might have been ordered off the TAPCO website before they started to mauf. their own AK mags cause I know they used to sell some clear ones on there that weren't their own as far as I can tell but the ones I got in were not the new ones.

No TAPCO marking anywhere on the mag body floor plate or follower.

IT'S ABOUT TIME!

I've had my Tapco mags about a month now but never could get to the range. Well I got there this weekend and I'm 100% satisfied. Put Wolf HP, Russian HP and some East German FMJ through them with no failures at all. Neither of my AKs would eat more than about 10 rounds through a PRO-MAG before they would cough (AMD-65, SA-93) and choke. I really like the extra USA made parts on the gun just in case there is ever a reason for someone to count items on my rifles.

regards

Thanks for the review and the pictures are great.

Just a quick followup; I contacted TAPCO customer service and they've gone out of their way for me on this. I've got a replacement magazine on the way and they've already sent me an email with a tracking number. Good stuff!

The new magazine arrived today. TAPCO didn't waste any time getting it to me and my hat's off to them.

The new mag is shaped a little differently in the back. I assume this change was done to clear the center rivet on different brands/styles of receivers. Also, this new mag is clearly marked "7.62x39" and the old mag had no caliber markings at all.

Now, I gotta get back to the range....

Yes. The new mags do seem to be better than the old ones and I think they're a good deal for $14 or so. Some places are listing these at close to (or at) $20 and that's too much. You can get decent steel mags for that.

We did crack another mag by dropping it from about chest height onto a concrete surface. This mag was loaded with about 25 rounds and it cracked but it didn't break. And it still works okay. Time will tell if it'll hold.

I won't buy 100% polymer AK mags. The locking tabs have GOT to be metal for them to be reliable and durable enough for serious use. The russians/bulgarians/poles/etc.etc. all knew this.

Hopefully TAPCO will develop some metal-reinforced AK mags soon.