AK Sponsor
Posted: 7/25/2022 8:03:24 PM EDT
| Are there magazines that are known to run well in the Zastava ZPAP AKs? Are there mags a person should avoid using in that model AK? |
|
any in spec ak should be able to run any in spec mag. However, not all mags are created equal This gets asked once a week, so I'll copy paste what I always saythere are tons of good mags out there. There are good, better and best scenarios and I'll list out the ones I think are sure fire bets, or at least good options. Best.. 1. Surplus Steel. If it in good-great condition these are your best bet. Time tested, excellent mags. Make sure they're from a country that fielded AKs... don't get Korean or Croatian mags..places that never even fielded the gun and are notoriously shitty 2. Bakelite. HOWEVER, I don't actually recommend them unless you know what you're getting into. They're just as reliable as surplus steel, but they're now pretty much collector's items and going for STUPID money. They're basically 1960s plastic mags that are now highly sought over because there isn't as much of them anymore. If you find a steal on them ,sure. but if you just want a good mag then there are way better options for better prices out there. 3. next on the list is the best of the best Polymer mag... the Bulgarian Circle 10 mag. $50 a fucking mag, but excellent battle tested polymer AK mags. PROBABLY the best out there. Better. 1. Now there's a host of commercial mags out there that are EXCELLENT, even if they were not fondled and blessed with holy water by Mikhail K. himself. One of the best is Bulgarian new production steel mags (usually you see them at Atlantic or Gunmagwarehouse) 2. Bulgarian polymer mags with steel reinforced feed lips and lugs. These are made by ISD, the same company that makes the new production steel mags as well. Be careful they also make a version WITHOUT steel lugs and only steel feed lips too. 3. Pmag gen 3s... very good mags with steel lugs (front and back) but no steel feedlips. Great mags, work extremely well, and as long as you don't drop them on their feedlips in some sort of brutal torture tests, will work FANTASTIC. 4. I know I'll get some hate for this, but PSA made a polymer mag that is a clone of the Circle 10 mags. Full steel reinforcements and built like tanks. The gen 1 waffles are sold out, but they are making a gen 2, and they also make a 103 slabsides mag that is fully reinforced. Same mag, just slabside vs. waffle.... We've been beating the hell out of them at the files and myself personally and I love these things to death. They're my go to at $20-$25 each. 5. X-tech Tactical steel reinforced mags and U.S. Palm steel reinforced mags. Same thing, really good commerical polymer mags and some of the best polymer mags on the market. Mabye not battle tested, but hold up REALLY well by high volume shooters 6. Toth Toole waffle mags. Another clone of the Bulgy Circle 10. These were GREAT when they were $25, but now at $45 they're barely cheaper than OG Circle 10 mags so their value to cost isn't as good as they could be like the PSA mags 7. Serbian new production steel mags. you can get em from Zastava direct, or from Lead-Star arms in 10 packs for like $125.... Good 1. Now we have the "good" ones that are solid range mags, but not AS durable or as high speed low drag as the rest. Starting it off is the ISD Polymer bulgarians with steel feedlips. No steel lugs, but otherwise the same. Solid mags, just don't rip them in and out of your gun. The ones with steel lugs AND feedlips usually are only a buck more than these so I don't recommend simply because you can get better for so cheap 2. Gen 2 pmags. No steel reinforcements anywhere. Honestly, for 99% of people these are still good, but at their price you can find the steel bulgys and the polymer bulgies on sale for nearly the same price, so unless you're given, traded, or get them dirt cheap I don't reccomend spending coin on them (though if you get them with the purchase of a new gun don't throw them out.. use those bitches) 3. Tapco Slabsides. I know they're out of production right now, and Tapco isn't usually synonymous with high quality, but their slabsides mags just WORKED. basically Pmag gen 2s from Tapco and looked like 103 clone mags. I still have 51 of them in deep storage and beat the hell out of them because I got them for $5 or less. Never a malfunction in years that wasn't my own fault or just a fitment issue (seriously, I can count on one hand the malfunctions I've had with tapco slabsides in years of using them) 4. U.S. palm mags without steel reinforcements or the X-tech tactical without steel reinforcements. Like the rest, good mags, but no steel reinforcements at ALL makes them not really worth it when you can get other better options for a few bucks more (at most) The Bad 1. Croatian mags. Some people get them to work well, others have to file on them and still get issues. 2. Korean mags. They're OOOOOK but not something I'd every trust except as a disposable mag. 3. A/C unity gen 1 mags. They're ok, but pure chinzy range mags. Ironically they make a gen 2 mag that gets good reviews so far, and their 5.56 and VZ.58 mags are actually rather good. I just wouldn't get their regular 7.62x39 AK mags 4. I'm sure there's more I missed, but this is a general idea based upon the majority of generally accessible mags out there. |
|
Originally Posted By fr3d: Avoid domestic and Korean mags to be safe. US Palm and Magpul mags get mostly decent reviews, but really don't see the point when steel surplus and Bulgarian polymer new production mags are usually better priced and have almost zero complaints. US Palm are shitty range mags. Magpul are fine. Import steel are probably the best bang for the buck. Bakes are awesome but expensive. Gen 2, current gen, Korean are actually pretty good. I run a bunch of the Gen 1 that everyone seemed to think we're garbage. Mine run fine. I've been throwing them on the ground for years. The new ones have some minor changes to be better. PSA makes some polys that are said to be pretty good too. I havnt tried mine yet. |
|
Originally Posted By wormraper:...The Bad 1. Croatian mags. Some people get them to work well, others have to file on them and still get issues. 2. Korean mags. They're OOOOOK but not something I'd every trust except as a disposable mag. 3. A/C unity gen 1 mags. They're ok, but pure chinzy range mags. Ironically they make a gen 2 mag that gets good reviews so far, and their 5.56 and VZ.58 mags are actually rather good. I just wouldn't get their regular 7.62x39 AK mags 4. I'm sure there's more I missed, but this is a general idea based upon the majority of generally accessible mags out there. I actually picked up some Croatian mags. They have the bold hold open feature. I have not tried them yet. |
|
Originally Posted By Deerhurst: US Palm are shitty range mags. Magpul are fine. Import steel are probably the best bang for the buck. Bakes are awesome but expensive. Gen 2, current gen, Korean are actually pretty good. I run a bunch of the Gen 1 that everyone seemed to think we're garbage. Mine run fine. I've been throwing them on the ground for years. The new ones have some minor changes to be better. PSA makes some polys that are said to be pretty good too. I havnt tried mine yet. How does someone know which Korean mag they are getting? IIRC, there are a few brands of them. Also, how does someone know if they are Gen 2? @deerhurst |
Joined:
May 2022
Posts:
267
EE: 0% (0)
ND, USA
| I’ve been running those $5 ACUnity German market mags that RTG has been selling bulk, and they run good. I like them so well, I picked up a couple more cases for future trading stock. Now Promag is just trash. The material is soft, and if the bullet tip hits it makes a pocket and stops the feed. Every single one I got to try eventually stopped feeding. So they are on my do not ever buy list and I literally threw them in the trash. Waste of money. I see a lot of Promag AK mags at gun show, and they are covered in dust, word is getting around. |
Global Warming Hoax Skeptic before it was cool
Joined:
Jun 2007
Posts:
64448
EE: 100% (1)
WA, USA
|
Originally Posted By peacematu: How does someone know which Korean mag they are getting? IIRC, there are a few brands of them. Also, how does someone know if they are Gen 2? @deerhurst I like the Euro-comblock mags better anyway. But buy what you want. |
Selling agent for Algores carbon credit scam.
Shooting and Reloading, one hobby feeds the other.
Shooting and Reloading, one hobby feeds the other.
|
Originally Posted By Shadyman: I’ve been running those $5 ACUnity German market mags that RTG has been selling bulk, and they run good. I like them so well, I picked up a couple more cases for future trading stock. Now Promag is just trash. The material is soft, and if the bullet tip hits it makes a pocket and stops the feed. Every single one I got to try eventually stopped feeding. So they are on my do not ever buy list and I literally threw them in the trash. Waste of money. I see a lot of Promag AK mags at gun show, and they are covered in dust, word is getting around. I know those mags don't have bolt hold open feature/followers. Can a person install aftermarket bolt hold open followers? At the price those German mags are, it almost seems silly not to pick some up. |
Joined:
May 2022
Posts:
268
EE: 0% (0)
ND, USA
|
Originally Posted By peacematu: I know those mags don't have bolt hold open feature/followers. Can a person install aftermarket bolt hold open followers? At the price those German mags are, it almost seems silly not to pick some up. I have some of the bolt hold open ACUnity magazines too. It looks like you could install that follower. They are the same body as the German magazine, without the model writing. Hard part would be sourcing those followers. I’ve been in the AK game for awhile, with the price of these German mags it reminds me of when you could get a 50 mag case of aluminum G3 mags for $50. Now those same mags are going for $5+. So grab a case and sit on them, they will go up in value. Anything Euro military AK, G3, FAL ect has only gone up in value. And better than the rate of inflation too. |
AK Sponsor