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Posted: 8/1/2005 3:35:32 PM EDT
[#1]
Stock up on USGI 30's... That should be all you need. Supposedly beta's weren't reliable enough for uncle sam. Or so I've read...
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Posted: 8/1/2005 3:40:07 PM EDT
[#2]
I've heard that too. They work great up 'til the 'dropping them on the ground' part and they usually break then (so I've heard). That's my main concern I guess. So far the poll agrees exactly with what you said (except for my ignorant vote for the Beta C...damnit! I almost picked 'wait for the Shrike'). ETA: Sweet! I've got someone else saying wait for the Shrike! |
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Posted: 8/1/2005 3:49:06 PM EDT
[#3]
It would be nice to shoot an entire 2 gun match stage without reloading...
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Posted: 8/1/2005 4:10:41 PM EDT
[#4]
c-mag or 30 rounders.
I have both, No problems. I used my c-mag about 8 times (with Wolf - OH MY GOD!) with no issues. no, I don't crawl around in the sand with the c-mag no, I don't jump cave to cave with the c-mag no, I don't run through a MOUT course with the c-mag no, I don't run 3 gun matches with the c-mag No, I don't care if people think it is junk. Yes, 2 Ivan plastic dummies have been heavily perforated by my c-mag. I bought it because I can. If you really want it. get it. |
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Posted: 8/1/2005 4:19:51 PM EDT
[#5]
Awesome points at the end. Just because I get one doesn't mean I won't have plenty of good old 30 rounders. It's not an either/or. ETA: OMFG! I've got 2 for the Shrike! |
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Posted: 8/1/2005 4:25:53 PM EDT
[#6]
Just get 30 round mags...you can get about 17-18 or more (depending on price; I'm going by the usual $15)USGI 30's for $240-260 and that's alot more ammo capacity than 1 Beta C. If you have a full auto though, sure, get a Beta C.
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Posted: 8/1/2005 4:28:06 PM EDT
[#7]
My two cents:
I see no use for them in what I do. They are an expense that could better be used on something useful. They make the rifle extremely heavy when loaded. They cheat me out of 3.333 reload practices per hundred rounds shot. 
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Posted: 8/1/2005 4:29:49 PM EDT
[#8]
stick with 30 rounders, a drum mag for a semi-auto rifle is not very practical, just heavy
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Posted: 8/1/2005 4:37:55 PM EDT
[#9]
Get the beta.Its fun to watch all the oil smoke off your barrel.If you don't like it you can always sell it.I've only shot mine once but didn't have any issues with it.
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Posted: 8/1/2005 5:12:31 PM EDT
[#10]
I'll stick to the mags, this is one of those less is more situations... although... now that I think of it...
If you were in a fortified possition with a horde of Zombies shuffling towards you... Hmmm... I may need to rethink this... 
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Posted: 8/1/2005 5:15:58 PM EDT
[#11]
If it were priced at what I think it's true value is ($50-$75) then I would say get one for a range toy, but for $275.....
 Way not so worth it!!!! I had a 75 rd drum AK drum I got before the ban. I can count the number of times I used it on one hand. Big waste of my precious ammo. I would rather use my ammo to get some decent practice as I cannot afford to just "make noise and shoot stuff" If everybody would stop buying them at $275, they would start lowering the price......
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Posted: 8/1/2005 5:27:30 PM EDT
[#12]
I had a drum mag, I hated it. If you have a FA and want to dump a bunch of ammo for fun they are great.
Carrying them in the real world, no. Stick with USGI 30 Rds. |
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Posted: 8/1/2005 5:30:50 PM EDT
[#13]
99.999999999999999% of arfcommers will not do anything with their rifle that Uncle Sam does with his. Most guys here worry about scratches and the color match between uppers and lowers. I seriiously doubt most of us would ever break a c-mag. I would only because I'm a klutz. |
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Posted: 8/1/2005 5:32:18 PM EDT
[#14]
Nothing wrong with USGI 20s and 30s.
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Posted: 8/1/2005 7:40:35 PM EDT
[#15]
We have not had a problem with our C Mags - they're great for getting the round counts up during reliability testing!
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Posted: 8/1/2005 7:44:16 PM EDT
[#16]
I have never had a problem with a C-Mag. Everybody should have at least one.
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Posted: 8/1/2005 7:51:12 PM EDT
[#17]
I'll find out in a few days. I finally broke down and ordered one. I bought it to play at the range with. I feel comfortable with the amount of 30's I have now, so I decided to splurge a little.
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Posted: 8/1/2005 8:00:14 PM EDT
[#18]
C-mag gets in my arms way......30rounders for me oncwe I get my own AR....
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Posted: 8/2/2005 4:03:33 AM EDT
[#19]
I bought one 'cuz I could have it, then I used it for controlled fire on my pistol the other day. OMFG!!! It's perfect for that. 80 rounds from 50 yards, 65 of them in a paper plate shooting as fast as I could while still aiming. The added weight really makes the pistola a joy to shoot from a sling.
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Posted: 8/2/2005 4:33:36 AM EDT
[#20]
The next ban will be coming, let's not all forget that little gem. During the previous ban, Beta-C's were going for no less than $700. Now, you can get them for ~$250 give or take. If nothing else, I'd purchase one just 'cause you can now for a decent price.
"I climbed Mount McKinley because it is there"-type attitude, get my drift?. I'd get both the 30's and a Beta-C 'cause they WILL command a premium when the next one comes. That's why I'm willing to shell out >$6000 for a Barret, before you know it they'll be worth >$20,000 and NOBODY will be able to get them. |
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Posted: 8/2/2005 5:26:43 AM EDT
[#21]
C-Mags are not reliable, and neither are 11.5 inch barrels! And that muzzle rise is awful! Here is proof!
M16 C-Mag (You need divx) |
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Posted: 8/2/2005 5:36:43 AM EDT
[#22]
That's one cycle, and it was probably newly cleaned and lubricated. |
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Posted: 8/2/2005 5:42:33 AM EDT
[#23]
Make up whatever excuse you need. |
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Posted: 8/2/2005 5:45:45 AM EDT
[#24]
It's not a excuse, it's an observation. Now do that in the rain, or in the desert or whatever, repeat it more than a couple times in a row. Face it. They are for sterile range use only. |
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Posted: 8/2/2005 5:50:46 AM EDT
[#25]
Ah, the sound of self defeating logic. 
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Posted: 8/2/2005 5:53:07 AM EDT
[#26]
Any magazine that requires graphite dry-lube to operate as intended has a problem right from the beginning, before it is even used once. |
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Posted: 8/2/2005 5:54:55 AM EDT
[#27]
Correct. Now add just the smallest amount of moisture and watch the fun begin. |
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Posted: 8/2/2005 6:06:28 AM EDT
[#28]
Actually that video was filmed on a 95 degree day, and humidity was over 80%. You can see the evaporation coming off the river in the background, and all the dew on the tree leaves. I live in Texas, so doing it on 100+ degree days is the norm for me. I have done 40-50 dumps in the last few years, the mags work fine for me.
Did the thread starter imply anything else? |
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Posted: 8/2/2005 6:07:53 AM EDT
[#29]
You have better luck than many others. Maybe a lottery ticket or two is in order. |
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Posted: 8/2/2005 6:07:57 AM EDT
[#30]
As silly as claiming any gun that requires lubrication to operate as intended has a problem right from the beginning, before it is even used once. |
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Posted: 8/2/2005 6:10:27 AM EDT
[#31]
It is important to follow directions and keep it properly maintained. Just like my M16. Do that, and it works fine. |
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Posted: 8/2/2005 6:12:34 AM EDT
[#32]
I bet bump firing with a beta-c is fun as hell.
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Posted: 8/2/2005 6:13:27 AM EDT
[#33]
Done and done, except for the M16 part. Operation was hit and miss. More hit than miss, but still somewhat of a PITA. You have the Midas touch with these, I guess. |
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Posted: 8/2/2005 6:18:54 AM EDT
[#34]
Mongo, are you kidding? Self defeating logic?
Let me know what part of the desert you go to to stick your head in the sand, my friend. I'll be sure to let you know about the new pre-ban stripped lowers going for the ass kicking bargain price of $1400 as I help to pull your cranium from the depths of the dirt. You're probably writing your response while looking over the case lot of stripped lowers and 30+ mags in your safe-! |
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Posted: 8/2/2005 6:34:35 AM EDT
[#35]
No, I'm not kidding. And, no, I'm not hording anything. Everything I have is in use. When someone here, who is obviously a gun fanatic like you, thinks like you do, stuff like "the next ban" will happen. If each of us does our part it reduces the chance. For someone to have already given up................................... |
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Posted: 8/2/2005 6:38:16 AM EDT
[#36]
I bought one mostly for shooting prairie dogs. I have brought it to the range and used it in a M-16 a few times, never had a problem at all with it.............as long as you realize it is a novelty, your good to go
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Posted: 8/2/2005 6:49:35 AM EDT
[#37]
I'll do my damned well best to prevent that from happening. With people like me and you, hopefully there will be no more bans. I'm with you on that, for sure...
My point to the original question, if this gentleman should wish to purchase a Beta, now is the time to get it and not wait for the sheeple to take that option away from us, again. I've posted before about this, I was there in '86 fighting against the poison pill in the "Gun Owners Protection Act" (IIRC) which took away all NEW full-autos for the general consumption. Again in'89 when GB the first ended the importation of AK's and the like. And, last but not least, '94. I sure hope it doesn't happen, but the tea leaves are predicting a Hillary run, and if history is any teacher, by '08 the lib press will have painted the fat whore as a centrist Hawk who supports "reasonable gun laws". Get the Beta and have a good time, I says. 
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Posted: 8/2/2005 6:53:33 AM EDT
[#38]
Agreed on most. My point is this: $250 buys a whole lot of practice ammo and good, reliable mags. Spend you money where you wish, but I could not justify spending that much on a novelty, no matter what the political environment is now or will be in the future. They are way too hit and miss in operation and a minor PITA to keep running on top of all the other issues to justify a purchase. I don't buy anything firearm related, with the intent of buttraping somebody in the future. To me, that is simply wrong. YMMV. |
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Posted: 8/2/2005 7:03:07 AM EDT
[#39]
A mag is not the same as the action on a weapon, it doesn't generate the heat, not does it foul itself. None of my USGI mags ever have been lubricated. None has ever failed that I am aware of, nor do they ship them with dry-lube. They get cleaned with soap/water maybe once a year. Any mag can fail if it gets too dirty, but a mag that requires added lubrication to function is just not for me. If you like 'em, that's great. But let keep it apples and apples here and compare mags and mags. |
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Posted: 8/2/2005 7:38:34 AM EDT
[#40]
Agree, it is more complex than standard mag, and has more moving parts. I have VN contract mags I bought in the 70s that work flawlessy to this day. Keep the context - the original poster clearly said "fun/plinking", not "to bet my life on in harsh environment", and he made no concern about cost. Those are the same guidelines I use mine under. |
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Posted: 8/2/2005 8:04:29 AM EDT
[#41]
I suppose under that context he should be OK if he considers the Beta-C like a golf club or tennis racket. I just think the way I do because I have the mindset that I should be able to grab anything I have and be able to use it in a worst case scanario. |
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Posted: 8/2/2005 12:33:12 PM EDT
[#42]
If I remember correctly, the last couple of months we have had the same discussions more or less.
Everybody more or less agrees that a Beta C-mag is good clean fun for the range, but when the SHTF the only real choice is either 20 or 30 rounc USGI Mag. But I don´t plan on going to war tomorrow or any time soon. Still like to have relaible mags. The Beta C-mag is an exspensive toy; if you can afford it , go a head and enjoy it. If you do not want tie up a lot of cash in one shot, just stick with the thrity rounders. Magpul has some nice extras. Just my $.02 |
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Posted: 8/2/2005 3:33:42 PM EDT
[#43]
Exactly my point. I don't think "butt raping" anybody, Mongo, was my intent in this treatise at all. Quite the contrary, I was merely pointing out that we all get butt raped by the so-called "bans" we experience on an all too often basis. That's it. I'm done. 
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Posted: 8/2/2005 6:00:08 PM EDT
[#44]
Face it. You (and me and 99.999999% of ARFCOMMERS for that matter) are not a super tactical special forces operator. Most guys here fire a couple of hundred rounds and then go home and spend five hours cleaning and polishing their AR's, inspecting the finish to make sure there are no scratches on it or brass markings on the shell deflector. C-mags are fine for most of us.  The only reason I don't own one is that I have better things to spend $250 on. |
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Posted: 8/2/2005 6:26:07 PM EDT
[#45]
Well, mine showed up today. Thanks C4iGrant for the quick service.
A short story to relay. Several months ago while I was at a local shoot. A buddy was trying to run a Beta in M16. He was having all kinds of feeding problems with it. He was using SA ammo, so we decided to try a different brand of ammo. So I broke out the old trusty Wolf ammo, and dumped a few hundred through the M16 and Beta. It seemed that the polymer coating helped keep things running smooth. |
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Posted: 8/2/2005 6:37:37 PM EDT
[#46]
I'm in between the SF operators and what you describe. I shoot 200 rounds per week, on average and clean my rifles once a month, whether they need it or not. Most of my shooting is standup and moving. In fact, I am beginning to hate bench shooting. It is just plain boring. My rifles have dings, to which I say - "big deal". I don't even see the attraction in a "C" mag. A magazine that needs more attention than the parent rifle is just silly, IMO. YMMV.The original poster stated he wanted fun, but reliable and durable. The "C" mag may be one, but the others are questionable at best, and some of us here wanted to make sure that he knew that. Fun, to me, is shooting on the move, with randomly loaded mags to force yourself to reload and shoot some more on the move. Again, YMMV. The greatest fun to me so far is carbine classes, which I hope to get into another this year. Again, YMMV. I don't bump for fun, I don't dump for fun. I see this as a waste of time and money. Again, YMMV.  |
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Posted: 8/2/2005 6:45:54 PM EDT
[#47]
You know, its odd you should mention that. I broke in my 6920 Sunday, and also screening new USGI mags to make sure all were kosher. All told, I ran 1200 rounds through it, LC XM193, British Radway Green, WWB and Wolf 62gr polymer coated. Everything worked fine, but I had a problem twice with wolf rounds popping out of the mag when I slapped the mag in, didn't happen with any other ammo. All rounds were well seated at the back of the mag. Thought it was odd, but I think you are right about the polymer coating acting as lube. Wolf Polymer coated 5.56mm and the Beta-C may be a match made in heaven. Decent, cheap ammo that is self-lubricated and an extreme capacity mag. |
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Posted: 8/3/2005 3:20:49 AM EDT
[#48]
It sounds like a great combo to me.
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Posted: 8/3/2005 3:50:09 AM EDT
[#49]
+1 |
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Posted: 8/3/2005 5:49:37 PM EDT
[#50]
LOTS of USGI mags
1 or 2 Betas |
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