Greetings to all. Before I post my inquiry I would like to point out that I searched to the best of my ability to ensure that this topic hasn't been covered before. Forgive me if it has and I missed the appropriate thread. Also, I did not receive an email when I activated this account stating that I had to post an Introduction before submitting posts or any other stipulation of the like. If that is something that this community requires please do inform me so that I can be in compliance with the SOP's and TTP's of this forum.

As my moniker implies, along with my membership with this forum, I own a variant of the Ak-47. However, I am not heavily invested monetarily into the platform nor the necessary wares to maintain and operate said platform. I am interested in going the route of the Ak-74 variant. The thing that makes me hesitant is the availability and quality of magazines for the 74 as opposed to the 47. I am conditioned to view magazines as a disposable commodity; retain the magazine if feasible (reloading behind cover or concealment) and ditching the magazine if so doing is conducive to staying alive (reloading in the open).  Having said that, I don't want to pay $25.00+ for quality magazines that I would potentially have to part ways with. I am sure that many of you, hopefully, are aware of potential situations that could arise where an armed civilian has to make a decision to retain a mag or discard it based on exigent circumstances. Am I being a cheap b&@tard? It's likely. Humor me if you will and post some recommendations for duty capable Ak-74 magazines that are cost effective.

Thank you all for your time and consideration.

I bought a dozen circle mags from classic for $25/apiece. That's the best you're going to get unless you go with the garbage tapcos.

I see. If the best I can do is $25.00 per mag, then it is what it is. I was wondering about the quality of the Tapco '74 mags. I have three of the '47 magazines and they've performed admirably for me....thus far. They've held up to God knows how may speed reloads (flicking the magazine release tab with the thumb with the reload in the same hand) and serving as a monopod when dropping into prone. If Magpul does do a '74 mag and they construct it correctly, steel locking tabs and reenforcing, then I would be interested. If they turn out to be anything like their '47 mags, then I'll pass. I've broken one of my two from dropping into the prone position. As far as mags being disposable goes it is circumstantial, l as I outlined in my opening post.

Thank you for your input.

Magpul is also coming out with an updated '47 mag to address the issues folks don't like. The '74 mags will have the updates as well.

Roger that. Indeed, the Tapcos do work for me and I have to add 'thus far'. I've seen them crap out on people and it's not a happy thing. For general plinking and running drills they work.......thus far, lol.
I hear ya. I mean, if you got the money spend it, that's what it's for. Your mags will probably hold up well on a 2+ way range. Mine more than likely won't. Hence why I'm searching out cost effective solid performing magazines for the '74 platform before I commit.

Surplus 74 mags were very cheap at one time but went up with all the panics and popularity.  The price has come down and now are the cheapest in recent history.  That said, you should buy a quality mag surplus mag because as they say here 'Buy once cry once.'  
Also the prices may/should continue to go down since the mid term elections are over, so you could try to wait out cheaper prices.

Sound advice. Thank you for your input.

If you're going to treat mags as disposable, then perhaps Tapco is the way to go. I don't know that I'd ever take them to the two-way range, but then again I also don't think I'd ever shed mags rather than stow them. They may not be combat-durable, but they are reliable and, at $7-8, they are certainly priced right for your requirements.

Took one of my empty Tapco mags today, put it in my rifle and attempted to dislodge it with a rubber mallet.

The magazine was subjected to four rounds of beating with all blows aimed and landing on the back of the magazine.

First Round: 8 blows in the floor plate pops off and the spring and follower shoot out.

I reassembled the magazine and continued with my highly unscientific and impromptu test.

Second Round: 7 blows in and I have a repeat evacuation of the internals and floor plate of the magazine; again, I reassemble the magazine and continue testing.

Third Round: 8 blows in and again everything pops out the end of the magazine.

This time I decide to leave the magazine disassembled and continue testing.

Fourth Round: I am 20 blows in before I loose interest and remove the magazine to only find a slight indentation in the rear locking tab of the magazine from the magazine release tab digging into it.

The magazine came out without any difficulty.

Findings so far: I inspected the outside of the magazine along the spine and found no visible cracks.

I also checked the inside of the magazine for cracks and found none were present.

I loaded the magazine to full capacity and manually cycled the action on my rifle without the magazine having any hiccups what so ever.

The magazine locks up solidly upon insertion and drops free with a flick from my thumb.

So far so good.

Tomorrow I will lay the magazine on it's side and take the mallet to it again and see how it holds up.

To be continued...

Ahh,  I  see.  And  thank  you  for  the  pointers.

Double space after each sentence? That's old school. I remember one boss I worked for and he double-spaced a whole online manual he was writing and we were to post online. We had to go through and laboriously fix it so it was single spaced after each sentence. Double spacing is traditionally done back in type writer days, long gone, but if you prefer it and it makes things easier to read for you, so be it....oops, my mistake I was thinking you were saying two spaces after each period in a sentence, re-reading and I realized that you must have been meaning double-spaced lines.

Crap, double spacing AFTER each complete sentence..

NOT double spacing after EACH WORD...

My mistake gentlemen.

Any other SOP's or TTP's I should be aware of?

Back to magazines...

What's wrong with Bulgarian mags ?

        link

THAT Is more like it!

Well, my original intent was to test the resiliency of the Tapco 47' mags to get an idea how their 74' mags would hold up.

I've never heard of the merchant you linked too and I've been googling the shit out of Google.

Much appreciated.

Looks like my Tapco beater has gotten a stay of execution.

Nothing, although those are commercial with plastic lugs.

I think those are the fake bulgies. the ones from classic are real surplus.

The flyer I received today says military so ?

http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_4_55/150033_Bulgarian_AK74_mags_for__19_99__black_or_brown__SOLD_OUT_.html

I'm sure they will work just fine in most cases, but they aren't military ((21)), ((10)) or ((25)) mags.

CDNN has a long history of inaccurately describing magazines they sell.  And that's being kind.

I thought I'd let everyone know that I finally got to the final round of abusing my sacrificial Tapco '47 magazine.

As I stated I would, I took the magazine internals out, laid it on it's side and pounded it with a rubber mallet.

In my previous test, I tried to shear off the locking lugs of the magazine while it was still locked into my rifle with no success.

I once again took the rubber mallet to the magazine starting at the bottom of the magazine, then to the center and finally to the top.

The bottom and center of the magazine sustained 30 heavy and rapid blows with no deformities resulting.

However, the top, where the feed lip would be, took 5 heavy rapid blows before splitting down the side of the magazine about 2 inches from the top of the magazine and running down.

A bit of the cracked portion was wedged into the inside of the magazine, which I was able to pop back into place after some considerable effort.

I replaced the magazines internals with no difficulty or complications and loaded it up to capacity.

I then manually cycled 30 rounds through the rifle with zero problems.

The magazine still locks into place solidly and drops free without any coaxing.

Per my specifications, the Tapco magazines suffice.

I am curious now as to how their 74' magazines would hold up to a drop test, repeatedly being dropped onto in the prone position serving as a monopod and unrestrained pummeling until the first sign of structural compromise.

I do apologize for getting back to anyone who was interested in how this all progressed in a late manner.

I've been going to school to become an EMT and I've been doing fire station rotations for clinicals in addition to  studying for finals and the National Registry.

I've got the finals taken care of, I have one last clinical to do in an ER and I have the Registry coming up.

If anyone has any questions about the magazines or would like to see pictures, PM me and I'll get back to you.

I have Fortier's article from the August 1st 2011 issue of the SGN.He reports in the article with an 11 oz rubber mallet he got the tapco to break with 3 moderate blows to the back of the mag,Promag 9 blows,IO Inc after 9 blows.For a few dollars more I buy milsurp.This test may actually prove durability to some and I trust Fortier,but he could not get any of the milsurp to fail even after he drove a 2.5 ton truck over them....all shot, granted some only up to the dent from the truck but they all shot.If you want find the article and read it yourself.

I have one it works fine, seems very well constructed, but as stated does not appear to be a surplus mag at all.  For $15 its not too bad.

I got my EMT license this past August . I start Advanced next month.

That CDNN is about the best price I have seen for them in a long time. I remember buying them many years ago for a pack of four in the military carry pouch used for $14.99 E. German.
That also included the blank firing adapter and stripper cips and charger. Some of the packs had them and some didnt, but every now and then they were new in the wax paper.
I kept the best mags and sold the others for $20 a mag.

As stated above, not the same mags. (not that these are terrible)

My Tapco AK74 Magazines run like a champ... regardless of what the arm chair commando's say... they work flawlessly for me. I abuse the shit out of them and they keep ticking...

abusing them standing on a firing line at the range haha

On the subject of '74 TAPCO mags....      FWIW here's my test: