I'm going to get a few more AR mags Ive had AR15's since the early 80,s and have only used gi aluminum and P mags and wanted to try out Lancers . My question is are the clear ones as durable as the black or other colors ? I know throughout the years clear mags were always having cracking issues mainly on the feed lips I know that wouldn't be an issue with Lancers . Also if anyone knows a reliable place online for purchase. Thanks

I have a few but I'm not a fan boy and convinced they are not any better than Magpul.

I use "gun.deals" to search for lancer mags, but the EE is a good place to look.

I haven't heard of clear magazines being weaker than opaque mags. Time for some research.

I don’t think they’re in the same league as Magpul.

They came in dead last in reliability in the testing that resulted in the Gen M3 being bought by the USMC.

They work fine with factory ammo. If you reload to maximum OAL (2.260") you will have interference problems. Most factory ammo is considerably shorter than that, especially m193/m855 surplus.

Yeah I jumped on the lancer hype train a few years back because of the whole steel feed lips, I have since sold off most of mine.

No long term info, but short term I've had no issues with mine. I use them for 300blk only to reduce the possibility of kabooming myself.

My experiences with poly mags in the 1990s was that the clear plastics tended to get brittle and break, and the black plastics tended to get soft and have the feed lips spread or split.  That was with brands like Ram Line (aka Jam Line) and Thermold (aka Thermelt).  There were others, but those particular ones were notoriously prone to failure.  Pretty much all of those brands died off partially probably due to being crap, but also because of the 1994 AWB.  Apparently materials science has improved.  After Magpul proved that a good poly mag could be made there now appear to be a number of other companies who have followed along.  That's a good thing for all of us.  The more mags the better.  Competition is a good thing.

Has the unredacted document from that testing been published?  I'd heard conjecture as to who the code names belonged to but not verified.

Magpul tested clear PMAGs and determined that the clear polymer was too weak for their standards.

Lancer has not made any statement regarding durability differences between their clear and opaque mags.

I don’t know if it’s posted online anywhere but I have seen it.

Gen M3, Gen M2, and tan follower GI mags are tits.

Lancers are garbage.  But I was saying that looong before 2017.  

Fun fact:  If you take non-magazine related stoppages out, tan follower GI mags were like .017% less reliable than Gen M3 Pmags.  They were both so good that even though the Pmag had 200% less stoppages, the difference could be lost in the noise.

The Pmags smashed the GI mags in drop testing though.  

I used a couple clear lancers for a while in matches and had the only malfunctions with said rifle.  Each clear lancer caused malfunctions.  I have since gone back to Magpul and had no malfunctions.

Thanks for all the info . I guess I'm going to pass on the Lancers.

Do you know how well the lancers did in drop testing? Just curious.

There was a bunch of different drops, hot, cold, full weapon, etc. I don’t remember how they stacked up as I was interested in GI vs Pmag.

I don’t think it’s even relevant given their reliability.

Opposite Day today I guess.

https://www.ar15.com/forums/ar-15/Lancer-mags-GTG-/17-755550/

Lancers are GTG

In respect to the Lancer L5 AWM's, the reviews I've seen seem to be overwhelmingly positive.

I have 3 I've yet to use, so take this for what it's worth.

My Lancer AWM both 20rd & 30rd have functioned 100%.  I don’t have any clear but I have a few smoked.

But then again my PMAGS & USGI with magpul followers have also been 100%

I can recommend Lancer AWM.   Just make sure they are tested.   All mine have been tested with thousands of rounds down range.  I trust them with my life.

If for some reason your magazine don’t work 100% it’s should be used as a range mag or garbage.

I am pretty sure that Lancer has an issue a while back with QC  but the newer ones seem to be in line with PMags.  There are reviews on line of people beating the crap out them and having them hold up.

I have dozens of clear AWMs in 20R and 30R.  I use them mostly in .458 SOCOM and .458 S cats as well as in a half dozen 5.56.  I’ve never had a problem with them at all.

That said, I do not abuse my rifles or their magazines.  I’m not a couch commando, I’m a shooter and I don’t do mag dumps or play games.  When I shoot it’s serious business, shooting for groups, load development, function testing, not spray and pray burning ammo for burning ammo’s sake.  For me Lancers are 100% good to go.  The much touted P-mags, they don’t work worth a damn for my uses since most of my shooting involves full mag length .458S loads and wildcat variants.  The front rib does not play well with my loads and needs.

I would take a Lancer over a Magpul if forced to choose.

I have Magpuls, Lancers, OK's, NHMTG, D&H, Parsons, Sanchez, Labelle and some others...

I have the smoked clear and solid black Lancers.  

I really like my Lancers, never one issue with them.  Really like the steel feed lips

More Pmags for me then.

The U.S. Marines chose Magpul not Lancer. So, there’s that...

Ive had lancer since they first came out.  mayeb 1 or 2 mags in the very beginning i had issues with (ie 2 old school "gen 1" versions that wouldnt lock into a magwell.  could have been that lower as well, as they work in others).  Still buy/use them, just wish they werent so pricey.  I probbaly have 10 pmags for ever 1 lancer.

they also eat crayons

l bought a few FDE both solid color and a transparent FDE Lancer magazines. They function flawlessly in my AR. I have the newer L5AWM ones.

I have two Lancer opaque mags and they run just fine. I also have four smoke Lancers. They too run fine. Same goes for all my Gen2 and Gen3 Magpul Pmags.

Let's see I have 33 5.56 Lancers (2 -10 rounders, 20-20 rounders, 11-30 rounders)

And 21 300 Blackout Lancers (2-10 rounders, 18-20 rounders, and 1-30 rounder)

No problems with any of them.  But if any of you guys want to get rid of those inferior Lancer mags, I'll take em off your hands

I also have GI Mags and Magpuls in 20 and 30 round sizes for both 5.56 and 300 BLK. And yes, I have more 20 round mags than 30 round mags, because I can....

I read an article some years ago with Lancer & they said the clear ones are actually stronger than the opaque.  My go to mags are Lancers.  My son is currently in the 101st & they are his favorite mags to use as well.  He's had Pmag's feed lips break on him, never had that problem with the lancers.

Brittle...

I have a few and seem to work perfect.  I don't know how long the clip on metal feed lips will hang onto the body but I haven't had the time to drop them off my roof.  I think you'll be good for normal use.

Government contracts are not given based on the item having the best performance.  

The group involved creates a list of requirements they are looking for, and a minimum standard (mean time between failures, weight, length, and so forth).

Very little extra credit is given for having better performance in one standard than another vendor.  And then, from all vendors who meet the standards, they select the lowest cost.  Or the one "owned" byt a one-legged lesbian Eskimo or other favored group.

Except when they are looking for an item with the best performance.

I’m no Magpul fanboi, but the Gen M3 was the best mag they tested.

Lancer has made some changes to their mags over the years, the oldest ones had completely different feedlips, and IIRC around 2018 they updated the follower to fix the issue of it getting stuck halfway up the body if dropped when partially loaded. I have a couple dozen of them and haven't had any issues with mine, but I haven't really abused them or anything. They are all 2019 and newer production 30's in smoke, green apple, grape, and cherry; and I have a few clear 20's.

The feedlip cage at the top is nice because you can leave them loaded without worrying about the lips spreading without having a cap clipped on that makes it harder to fit in a PC.

I wouldn't describe them as brittle, the plastic seems softer than the other polymer mags I have (Magpul and ETS).

I trust Pmags more than anything for reliable feeding.

I made a thread a few years ago about my Lancers choking in dust and snow. Nothing stupid, just reload drills. Same results with different mags from different batch numbers. I sold them off and keep pmags and USGI, which have never given me issue in the same condition.

Ayup

I have 30 round Lancers in Smoke, Smoked Tan, Black, OD Green, Tan.  I use them exclusively for training in a duty rifle (BCM Recce), this includes using them during qualifications.  No issues after mag change drops, last round lock open, feeding, loaded for long periods, etc.  I do not do the youtube mag torture test thing on my mags.  I have left them loaded (over 12 months) just to see.  No issues there also.  I keep 4 Lancer mags in my "Oh sh!t" pack in case it all goes to hell and I need more mags.  Duty carry round:  Speer 62gr 5.56.  

I purchased my Lancers several years ago, maybe 2016 or 2017?  I have not used the clear Lancers.  Personally do not like the look.    So I can't attest to the clear mag reliability.  Only reason I do not have more lancers is that M3 PMAGS and some USGI aluminum mags are cheaper by a few dollars, which adds up in the long run.  

Bottom line, find a magazine you would like to put your life on and test the heck out of it using the ammo you plan to carry.  Every rifle likes a certain type of mag. Find out which mag it likes and there is your answer.

When it comes to the government whether that’s local, state or federal what they choose isn’t always he best. In the mid 1980’s the Utah Highway Patrol started buying H&K P7M8 and later the P7M13 pistols to issue to each trooper. They started buying them for $550 a piece. At the time a Glock G17 could be had for under $400 new. I’m sure a government contract price would be much lower. Towards the end of the 1990’s the price of the H&K P7M8/13 had jumped to $1200 per gun. As a result they started looking to replace them for something much cheaper. The Utah Highway Patrol choose the Berreta Cougar 9040. As the department armorer put it once we went from the best handgun to the worst handgun, hell the Berreta isn’t even good for doorstop. The reason they choose the Berreta was that the price ($350 per gun) included a leather holster and a double mag pouch. The Cougar was so bad that the department allowed troopers to carry their personally owned guns on duty. When I bought my blue label G22 in 2004 my price was $425 & my safari land holsters was another $75. I wasn’t worried about pinching pennies, I was worried about having a reliable weapon if the need should arise.

Now, as for the issue of reliability of mags: I have used mags of all types, USGI, pmags, Lancer, orlite and some others. I’ve had the most problems with USGI mags (black & green followers) however it should be noted that I was running a Army range at the time. The range mags were used & abused. When these mags got to the point that they were causing FTF issues, we would destroy them. I must have destroyed several hundred pre 1994 AWB mags during this time. When Pmags first hit the market they were the cats meow. I think out of the 12 FDE Gen 2 mags I bought I have 3 left. I have had 9 that have had either the feed lips or the back of the mag crack. Magpul has been kind enough to replace each mag without question, but that’s still a 75% failure rate. While I haven’t had my Lancer mags as long I have yet to have an issue with any of them. Likewise, my Israeli Orlite mags have yet to give me a problem too. I bought them used in the late 1990’s.

If my life depended on whether the mag function or not, my go to mag would most likely be a USGI aluminum mag. The amount of abuse that I saw those mags take was crazy.  Having had a 75% failure rate on my pmags, I just couldn’t feel 100% confident with them in a life and death situation. They failed far faster than any USGI mag ever did. I’m sure some the mags that failed had 20 years of use on them which is pretty darn good considering at the time they were made, they were considered an expendable item, a solder wasn’t expected to retain an empty mag during combat prior to the Blackhawk Down incident.

I have found the Lancer mags to run as well as Magpul and are just as tough as any. But they take a good whack to seat on a closed bolt. Much more than Magpul so I don't buy any more and just stick with Magpul.

Zero issues with my Lancers. Zero issues with my PMags. Zero issues with my ETS rifle mags. Zero issue with my Troy mags.

I'm thinking that the manufacturing of polymer mags has jumped by leaps and bounds since the "Thermelt" days.

Mags are still plentiful and cheap. I say get more of the brand that makes you happy.

Yeah Magpuls have a bit more space in them. If you really believe in yourself you can get 31 rounds in there.

But the extra space is to make it easier to insert on a closed bolt.

The Lancers weren’t total garbage in the testing, and correct me if I’m wrong, a big part of the testing was M855A1 which has an OAL that doesn’t work too well with a variety of magazines.

I haven’t bought anything but Pmags in ages, but my Lancers have a lot of miles on them and run great. Anyone who thinks the Lancers are fragile is full of it. Magpul’s clear plastic failed because of the feed lips, a problem Lancer doesn’t have.

I did have one AWM that didn’t have the steel aligned with the mag body properly and wouldn’t feed. They sent me two in replacement, and 10 FDE floor plates for free when I also asked if I could buy them in the same email.

That said, my money goes to M3’s now. I preferred Lancers to M2’s simply because the M2 didn’t fit my mag pouches. The M3 does. Magazines are cheap and I don’t get the fanboi reactions. Buy, try, and pick the one you like most that doesn’t let you down. I’ve ran and shit canned dozens of mag brands with no emotional attachment.

Only problem I ever had with a PMAG was the lips spreading out when I left it loaded, and it wouldn't drop free.

Never had any problems with Lancers at all, and they've become my favorite mags. I've got smoke and clear, and like being able to see how many rounds are left, especially since my favorite AR has cut-outs in the mag well that facilitates it.

I've got a bunch of GI mags, too - I just never seem to use them.

Lancer > Magpul  IMHO

I used to run Lancers until I started to get into lightweight builds.  I would consistently get double feeds, I'm guessing from the sharper recoil impulse kicking up a premature round before the bolt returned to strip one from the magazine every so often.  At least that was my theory, the same mags ran fine in my heavier guns.  At the time I had about 10 clear warfighter Lancers, and two different V7 builds, I would get the same double feeds in both rifles with all 10 mags randomly.  Was part of the reliability testing dropping them and getting rounds puking out?  I've since switched to Magpuls and Okays, haven't had a single malfunction since.

I like Lancers for match mags because I can see what's in them etc etc. I prefer the gen1's because they have an all-around overinsertion stop which allows you to use them as a monopod without the worry of them causing a stoppage or anything.

When they die I'll get Magpul Gen4's since they have that too.

Here is a thread from several years back where a member torture tested several plastic magazines.  Not clear Lancers but they still lasted longer than Magpuls...

https://www.ar15.com/forums/AR-15/The-Unscientific-Plastic-Magazine-Test-Videos-pg15-Part-2-pg16-mobile-users-56k-do-not-click-/17-581741/?page=1

Love my Lancer AWMs but not the price.  That being said I use landers 99% of the time in my rifles but I buy magpul m2s all the time when they r a good price for the 10 pack.