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Posted: 6/4/2022 8:13:29 PM EDT
[#1]
I've never had one fail. Loaded for 10 years, occasionally unloaded via the trigger then reloaded and left again until I shoot again.
A friend of mine I grabbed his mag once and it was bulged. I dont know its use.it worked in his gun but not mine. Clearly had failed. |
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Posted: 6/4/2022 8:39:27 PM EDT
[#2]
A decade for certain.
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Posted: 6/4/2022 9:17:14 PM EDT
[#3]
In my office there’s a set of 6 Rev Ms that were made in, and have been used since 2011 and they’re still fine.
They haven’t been used super hard, but they’ve been in continuous use. Pmags are the deal. I don’t own an AR mag that’s not a Pmag. |
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Posted: 6/4/2022 10:12:18 PM EDT
[#4]
Most of my stock are gen 1 & 2's. They have been strong for 10 years.
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Posted: 6/5/2022 4:21:22 AM EDT
[#5]
I think I’ve read somewhere Magpul have some of the originals still loaded & working
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Posted: 6/5/2022 1:08:15 PM EDT
[#6]
A long time.
Now if you’re thinking 30 years from now and after a ban, it might make sense to buy some steel mags. And with modern plastic that might even be unnecessary. |
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Posted: 6/5/2022 1:19:20 PM EDT
[#7]
I wouldn't trust them to last long enough to be hand me downs or to rely on in a decade or two if there's a ban or something. I've had too many fail and I've seen too many others fail. From cracked feed lips, cracked spines, wallowed out mag catch slots and insides battered from rounds slamming forward under recoil. They're great for range use, but I'd have a stash of metal mags just in case.
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Posted: 6/5/2022 1:22:06 PM EDT
[#8]
Quote HistoryQuoted: A long time. Now if you’re thinking 30 years from now and after a ban, it might make sense to buy some steel mags. And with modern plastic that might even be unnecessary. 
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Posted: 6/5/2022 1:25:03 PM EDT
[#9]
Well since the eradication of the plastic eating moths and rust monsters a lot longer.
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Posted: 6/5/2022 1:47:18 PM EDT
[#10]
My gen1, 2 and emags so for doing good for ten plus years of fun.
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Posted: 6/5/2022 4:10:28 PM EDT
[#11]
Quote HistoryQuoted: ASC, Duramag, C Products, HK, E-Lander, and SHK all have stainless steel/steel offerings. |
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Posted: 6/5/2022 4:14:36 PM EDT
[#12]
Quote HistoryQuoted: ASC, Duramag, C Products, HK, E-Lander, and SHK all have stainless steel/steel offerings. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: ASC, Duramag, C Products, HK, E-Lander, and SHK all have stainless steel/steel offerings. 
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Posted: 6/5/2022 4:42:20 PM EDT
[#13]
Quote HistoryHow are those plastic FAL and AK mags holding up? 
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Posted: 6/13/2022 7:53:29 PM EDT
[#14]
I have AUG mags that I got in the 90s (translucent polymer) that are still going strong. The pmags will be fine long term
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Posted: 6/13/2022 8:12:19 PM EDT
[#15]
They will last loaded and unloaded long enough for your grandkids to use them
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Posted: 6/14/2022 11:33:16 PM EDT
[#16]
My oldest (and most used) are 12 years old. Still no issues at all.
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Posted: 6/27/2022 8:33:33 PM EDT
[#17]
Ten years and going strong. Love my PMAGs.
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Posted: 6/27/2022 9:06:59 PM EDT
[#18]
Most will last a long, long time. Shit happens though, so just buy a bunch of every type.
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Posted: 6/28/2022 12:55:51 AM EDT
[#19]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Most will last a long, long time. Shit happens though, so just buy a bunch of every type. This. Pmags will last. You should still buy a shit ton of aluminum mags to accompany them. |
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Posted: 6/30/2022 4:30:36 AM EDT
[#20]
I like Pmags alot. Still, the mags I leave loaded for many years on end are aluminum. My Pmags that are loaded have covers on them.
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Posted: 6/30/2022 5:02:00 AM EDT
[#21]
I have 20 that I used in Afghanistan in 2012/2013. Half were my spares that were left loaded the entire deployment, the other half were my every day mags.
I never had an issue with those original ten during the deployment, although I have lost two from that batch, one was cracked lips and another bulged. Otherwise I still have the rest of them for range and training use with no issues. They sit unloaded between range time. I still trust them. I expect them to last another 10 to 20 years. |
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Posted: 7/13/2022 10:42:04 PM EDT
[#22]
Black PMAGs seem to last forever. I have an FDE M2 that split on the spine but that seems to be more or less normal for those. The MCT M3 PMAGs are supposed to be as strong as the black ones. I have a couple 2007 date coded windowed PMAGs that have been continuously loaded in my range bag since I bought them in 2007 or 2008. Not a lot of rounds but always loaded and they are fine. No stupid dust cover either.
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Posted: 8/1/2022 10:22:09 AM EDT
[#23]
10 years-20 years easy with care, and assuming it is not left out in the sun exposed to UV light.
I do not lose sleep over PMAG durability. Ammo availability, yes. |
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Posted: 8/4/2022 8:24:47 PM EDT
[#24]
I have abused PMAGS and never had a failure yet. Only magazine I had to toss in the last few years was one of the few metal ones I own. Fell off the safe full of ammo, bent a feed lip, would no longer function.
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Posted: 8/4/2022 8:34:13 PM EDT
[#25]
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Posted: 8/7/2022 12:35:56 PM EDT
[#26]
There magazines...A disposable item, don't fall in love with them.
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Posted: 8/7/2022 12:39:37 PM EDT
[#27]
Yet to be determined.
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Posted: 8/7/2022 12:42:15 PM EDT
[#28]
Half my pmags are right at 15 to 20 years old and function fine. Hell I have thermolds that are IN excess of 30 years, still working fine.
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Posted: 8/7/2022 1:11:19 PM EDT
[#29]
I have three Pmags I keep loaded at all times and use during block training twice a year. The mags are 10+ years old and I have had no malfunctions due to these mags.
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Posted: 8/7/2022 1:12:47 PM EDT
[#30]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Half my pmags are right at 15 to 20 years old and function fine. Hell I have thermolds that are IN excess of 30 years, still working fine. The absolute oldest Pmag you have might be 15 years old. |
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Posted: 8/7/2022 6:23:57 PM EDT
[#31]
Quote HistoryQuoted: The absolute oldest Pmag you have might be 15 years old. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Half my pmags are right at 15 to 20 years old and function fine. Hell I have thermolds that are IN excess of 30 years, still working fine. The absolute oldest Pmag you have might be 15 years old. Released at 2007 SHOT show, pretty sure. ETA: YEAH "At SHOT Show 2007, the original PMAG was released to the public." Time flies.... |
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Posted: 8/7/2022 6:33:28 PM EDT
[#32]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I have AUG mags that I got in the 90s (translucent polymer) that are still going strong. The pmags will be fine long term Hell, I have OEM Aug mags from the 80s and they are fine. I don’t remember the factory mags being anything but polymer. Anyone know when the Aug was first introduced? That would at least tell you how long those have been out. |
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Posted: 8/8/2022 2:23:26 AM EDT
[#33]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Hell, I have OEM Aug mags from the 80s and they are fine. I don’t remember the factory mags being anything but polymer. Anyone know when the Aug was first introduced? That would at least tell you how long those have been out. The AUG itself entered service in 1977, so there is certainly a chance that there might be original run mags still in use. I do have to wonder just how the AUS PMags would compare to the OEM mags in longevity since they use the M3 polymer blend. A more modern polymer utilized in a more polymer friendly magazine design than the AR. Just hate how they tend not to drop free and are incompatible with the AUG mag Striplula |
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Posted: 8/10/2022 7:39:27 PM EDT
[#34]
Quote HistoryQuoted: LINK Never had one break, But…..I’ve always thought of it as a possible fail point. |
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Posted: 8/10/2022 8:23:09 PM EDT
[#35]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Never had one break, But…..I’ve always thought of it as a possible fail point. Quote HistoryI've yet to have one break either. I've got a pal that had some foliage M2s break at the feed lips, only samples I've seen in my circle. FWIW, Magpul quickly replaced them, zero issues. |
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Posted: 8/13/2022 11:44:38 AM EDT
[#36]
Quote HistoryQuoted: The absolute oldest Pmag you have might be 15 years old. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Half my pmags are right at 15 to 20 years old and function fine. Hell I have thermolds that are IN excess of 30 years, still working fine. The absolute oldest Pmag you have might be 15 years old. This. The PMAG 30 wasn’t even introduced until 2007, so everyone saying they have 20 year old PMAGs is full of shit (unless you’re friends with Fitzpatrick and have some early prototypes, which would be a pertinent caveat to include). |
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Posted: 8/13/2022 1:01:25 PM EDT
[#37]
The early Pmags were garbage and I doubt there’s many left.
I was working for a defense contractor in ‘07 when we got some Pmags to try out. Our training group was adamant about COLT mags with green followers at the time. A trainer loaded one up, shot a few rounds into the berm, dropped the mag. It split down the spine and volcanoed out the rest of the ammo. I didn’t touch another one until RevM came out and I was wasn’t fully on board until after the 2016 revision of the Gen M3s. |
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Posted: 8/17/2022 8:40:24 PM EDT
[#38]
I've had 2 split the spline. Gen 1's. 1 FDE, 1 black. Magpul replaced them.
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Posted: 8/21/2022 12:50:00 PM EDT
[#39]
I used a tent the other day that I bought on the way to spring break 32 years ago. Many, many camping trips with it. Still holding up fine.
I sometimes shoot a well used Remington Nylon 66 .22 that was bought in the 60’s. Still holding up fine. The original vinyl interior in my uncle’s ‘69 Charger R/T is (surprisingly) still holding up fine. The plastic grip panels on the Nelspot 007 paintball guns I bought in the 80’s are beat to hell and back but, still holding up fine. I have a gen 2 PMAG at my desk that I fully loaded up early 2009 with no Impact/Dust Cover on and it exhibits no feedlip creep. Still holding up fine. The right polymers in the right applications CAN last for a very long time and I suspect your grandkids will be using your PMAG stash for decades to come. |
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Posted: 8/22/2022 6:03:36 PM EDT
[#40]
 Oldest known production date for PMAG, 03/07. 04/07 It lost the restricted marking. |
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Posted: 8/22/2022 9:29:04 PM EDT
[#41]
Why were they restricted marked in ‘07??
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Posted: 8/22/2022 9:42:55 PM EDT
[#42]
Quote HistoryQuoted: The early Pmags were garbage and I doubt there’s many left. I was working for a defense contractor in ‘07 when we got some Pmags to try out. Our training group was adamant about COLT mags with green followers at the time. A trainer loaded one up, shot a few rounds into the berm, dropped the mag. It split down the spine and volcanoed out the rest of the ammo. I didn’t touch another one until RevM came out and I was wasn’t fully on board until after the 2016 revision of the Gen M3s. A buddy of mine just asked how much a Gen 1 PMAG in the wrapper is worth. I thought about it and realized I haven’t seen one in the wild in ages. |
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Posted: 8/22/2022 9:43:32 PM EDT
[#43]
Quote HistoryQuoted: https://i.imgur.com/P4iIreMl.jpeg Oldest known production date for PMAG, 03/07. 04/07 It lost the restricted marking. Weren't those marked as such only the prototype mags, and markings scrubbed once commercial sales started? Or am I more forgetful than I thought 
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Posted: 8/22/2022 9:48:30 PM EDT
[#44]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Weren't those marked as such only the prototype mags, and markings scrubbed once commercial sales started? Or am I more forgetful than I thought My understanding is the initial PMAG's where marked restricted as their initial customer. It was the changed 04/07 production for commercial sale. Prototypes are not marked in any way different. Some prototypes have no texture to them, smooth finish. |
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Posted: 8/22/2022 9:51:22 PM EDT
[#45]
Quote HistoryQuoted: My understanding is the initial PMAG's where marked restricted as their initial customer. It was the changed 04/07 production for commercial sale. Prototypes are not marked in any way different. Some prototypes have no texture to them, smooth finish. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Weren't those marked as such only the prototype mags, and markings scrubbed once commercial sales started? Or am I more forgetful than I thought My understanding is the initial PMAG's where marked restricted as their initial customer. It was the changed 04/07 production for commercial sale. Prototypes are not marked in any way different. Some prototypes have no texture to them, smooth finish. Thank you. I knew that there was some ryhme to the reason, just couldn't connect the dots. |
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Posted: 8/24/2022 6:18:44 PM EDT
[#46]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I wouldn't trust them to last long enough to be hand me downs or to rely on in a decade or two if there's a ban or something. I've had too many fail and I've seen too many others fail. From cracked feed lips, cracked spines, wallowed out mag catch slots and insides battered from rounds slamming forward under recoil. They're great for range use, but I'd have a stash of metal mags just in case. I concur. I sold all but 5 or 6 of my Pmags and I'll run them as range mags until they die. I have a Vietnam-war era 20-round USGI mag that still runs fine. That's around 50 years old. There are videos on YouTube of the PMag failures you're describing, but to my knowledge dents, bent feed lips, or a worn out spring are the only things that can trash a USGI mag, and you can be careful and prevent two out of the three. Supposedly, just using a Pmag a lot will eventually lead to a complete failure although I've never personally done it. Pmags are great for what they are; legacy mags they are not. |
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Posted: 8/24/2022 6:53:17 PM EDT
[#47]
Pro tip...
AR mags were never designed to be a legacy item.. Aluminum or plastic. |
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Posted: 8/24/2022 8:40:12 PM EDT
[#48]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Pro tip... AR mags were never designed to be a legacy item.. Aluminum or plastic. Don't get me wrong...I know they're expendable, but I do believe the metal ones inherently last longer. |
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Posted: 8/24/2022 9:49:05 PM EDT
[#49]
I would not disagree with that.
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Posted: 8/24/2022 10:29:33 PM EDT
[#50]
I have at least a dozen that are 10+ years old. Never had one fail.
What is the best steel mag? |
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