jStat 0 Posted September 29, 2007 Report Share Posted September 29, 2007 So I took a chance and bought a $30 Promag 30 rd. Magazine for my .223 and it cycled freely. It seems nice, just a bit too loose in the side-to-side play. What are your experiences? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
3balltony 0 Posted September 29, 2007 Report Share Posted September 29, 2007 I havent used the promags in my Saiga .223 I modified mine to use the 35 rd Orlite Galil mags i.e I installed a feed ramp kit from Danzag and the Orlites feed perfectly and are available from CDNN for 19.99 (www.cdnnsports.com) Thats my two cents worth Karl Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Maniac Jack 2 Posted September 29, 2007 Report Share Posted September 29, 2007 I've actually got a couple Orlites myself, but I've held off on doing the bullet guide mod even though I've got the kit. Procrastination is a wonderful thing. I come to find out that Bulgarian waffle mags will work without installing a bullet guide, so I've planned to buy some of them to see. For me, less work = more fun. Any experience with the Bulgarian mags? Pros, cons? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
vjor 2 Posted September 29, 2007 Report Share Posted September 29, 2007 (edited) Who say the Bulgarians not need a feed ramp, I have few and still need a ramp and yes galils orlites my favor flavor on my .223 but the orlites and the Bulgarians are pretty good mags both have metal inserts on the lugs, promags are all plastic even the lugs dont use stuff with plastic lugs, they may dont be there when you need the mag the must. But is always the guy that say that the promag here and there is the best and here and there, bla bla , bla. I use stuff that is going to be there when I need it, but is your choice or what you get. My 2 cents worth of nothing. By the way I may use AR15 mags on my .223 but not sure yet, still have a shit load of orlites I got cheap. In few the promag is like a cheap version of the Bulgarian mag. Edited September 29, 2007 by vjor Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jStat 0 Posted September 29, 2007 Author Report Share Posted September 29, 2007 As long as they work, I can't see anything wrong with them, "cheap" as they may seem to some. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
vjor 2 Posted October 1, 2007 Report Share Posted October 1, 2007 (edited) Bro is not that is cheap, the Orlites and Bulgarians are cheaper, just that I have seen the plastic lug on the mag brake on two mags just by hitting a bench, not even hard or been drop, making the mag useless real quick. Dont take it wrong, I dont try to look down on you or the stuff you use just trying to help not to get something that may give you problems latter on. Edited October 1, 2007 by vjor Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jStat 0 Posted October 2, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 2, 2007 No, not 'Cheap' as in cost, but 'cheap' as in quality. That was my point. Sorry about that; I should have clarified. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cavediver 0 Posted October 4, 2007 Report Share Posted October 4, 2007 FWIW, since several people reported sucess w/o a feed ramp, I ordered several different types of magazines over the last two weeks. Pro-mag .223, Bulgarian 45rnd and The Galil orilites. The Bulgarian fit after a little filing, no-go on feeding w/o a ramp. It's still a little tight; I need to do a little more shaping before it's good to go. The Pro-Mag fit out of the box, no filing. It's got some side to side play, but I doubt it will be a problem (as long as I don't use it for a handle). Also a no-go for feeding w/o a ramp. The Galils should be here today, I expect they'll fit fine after shaving down that front rib. End result: I've got a Dinzag ramp on order, and I'll have several spare mags that will work (in a pinch) sitting at the back of the safe. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Maniac Jack 2 Posted October 4, 2007 Report Share Posted October 4, 2007 Yeah, man, that's good to know. I'm glad you picked up a couple different mags to check them out. I ordered Dinzag's bullet guide and 2 Orlites awhile ago, but they're still just sittin' around waiting to be installed. I kind of wanted to go with a less instrusive way of hi-cap in the .223, but it looks like the Orlites are definitely gonna need a feed ramp also. It looks like Dinzag's feed ramp is the way to go. Now if I could just motivate myself to install it... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cavediver 0 Posted October 4, 2007 Report Share Posted October 4, 2007 (edited) Yeah, man, that's good to know. I'm glad you picked up a couple different mags to check them out. I ordered Dinzag's bullet guide and 2 Orlites awhile ago, but they're still just sittin' around waiting to be installed. I kind of wanted to go with a less instrusive way of hi-cap in the .223, but it looks like the Orlites are definitely gonna need a feed ramp also. It looks like Dinzag's feed ramp is the way to go. Now if I could just motivate myself to install it... I ordered the feed ramp just so I could buy a milling vice for my drill press Even though is seems intrusive, there's no reason you couldn't remove the feed ramp and return to using stock magazines (at least not one that I can see...). Edited October 4, 2007 by Cavediver Quote Link to post Share on other sites
sks_sniper_clone 1 Posted October 5, 2007 Report Share Posted October 5, 2007 (edited) Yeah, man, that's good to know. I'm glad you picked up a couple different mags to check them out. I ordered Dinzag's bullet guide and 2 Orlites awhile ago, but they're still just sittin' around waiting to be installed. I kind of wanted to go with a less instrusive way of hi-cap in the .223, but it looks like the Orlites are definitely gonna need a feed ramp also. It looks like Dinzag's feed ramp is the way to go. Now if I could just motivate myself to install it... I ordered the feed ramp just so I could buy a milling vice for my drill press Even though is seems intrusive, there's no reason you couldn't remove the feed ramp and return to using stock magazines (at least not one that I can see...). It only takes about 10 mins. to install Danzigs feed ramp using a hand drill. Dont forget to lock-tite it in after you test for function. And I also used a dremel to make my factory mags work with the ramp(about 5 mins. a piece). Edited October 5, 2007 by sks_sniper_clone Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cavediver 0 Posted October 5, 2007 Report Share Posted October 5, 2007 It only takes about 10 mins. to install Danzigs feed ramp using a hand drill. Dont forget to lock-tite it in after you test for function. And I also used a dremel to make my factory mags work with the ramp(about 5 mins. a piece). Hand drill??? Hand drill!!!! Blasphemy! I figured I could get away with a hand drill for most of this conversion. However, I've got a small drill press (and a new vice ) that need to justify their existance... I'm hoping to do the PG and stock conversion this weekend. With any luck, the guide will be here sometime next week, and I'll be shooting the week after. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RedFalconBill 0 Posted October 6, 2007 Report Share Posted October 6, 2007 So I took a chance and bought a $30 Promag 30 rd. Magazine for my .223 and it cycled freely. It seems nice, just a bit too loose in the side-to-side play. What are your experiences? ProMag's are what they are. Which is to say a cheap (NOT inexpensive) copy of OEM magazines. When people want to buy magazines, they seem to be price point sensitive, rather then wanting a quality product. Since it is hard for most companies to say they are better than OEM, they go cheap. Cheap springs, cheap followers, cheap magazine bodies, cheap, cheap, cheap. Nothing wrong with cheap, if it works. This is where the ProMag's, Triple-K's, National Magazine's fail, in performance. Buy the Bulgy's or Israeli Orlites. If you like steel mag's, buy the E-German or Yugo 5.56 mags. Hell, buy AK-74 mags and mod them to use 5.56 before using ProMag's. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
sks_sniper_clone 1 Posted October 6, 2007 Report Share Posted October 6, 2007 It only takes about 10 mins. to install Danzigs feed ramp using a hand drill. Dont forget to lock-tite it in after you test for function. And I also used a dremel to make my factory mags work with the ramp(about 5 mins. a piece). Hand drill??? Hand drill!!!! Blasphemy! I figured I could get away with a hand drill for most of this conversion. However, I've got a small drill press (and a new vice ) that need to justify their existance... I'm hoping to do the PG and stock conversion this weekend. With any luck, the guide will be here sometime next week, and I'll be shooting the week after. Yeah, hand drill. I have a drill press and vise but they are out in my shop and it was late. I was in my liveing room with the guide in one hand and the gun in the other. And it was only one hole. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ms3p 0 Posted October 6, 2007 Report Share Posted October 6, 2007 I have a ProMag (.223) and while it functions, there are some gripes I have with quality and fit. They (as already mentioned) rock from side to side. And not just a little, but a pretty generous sway. I have addressed that issue by attaching (with glue) one metal plate on each side of the magazine. The fit is much tighter and the side movement has been minimized although still some exists, but maybe my expectations are too high. I tried to make it look somewhat stock by trimming the plates that I attached to fit right to the edges of the magazine and rounded them off a little bit. i also painted them semi-gloss black to achieve close match to the finish of the magazine. Since, I have ordered a Bulgarian magazine in hopes that is a much better fit without any modifications to it. So after all that babble I just went through, I am trying to say that, Yes, you can use the ProMag, but there will always be the thought in the back of your mind that you should have gone with a better quality mag. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MD_Willington 11 Posted October 6, 2007 Report Share Posted October 6, 2007 Well a Pro-mag is what ~ $16 + shipping online... Now gunthings.com has E-German ak-74 magazines for $12.50 + shipping... add a robarm follower for $5.99+shipping and it is still a better deal than a promag... YMMV... & at least you can kludge up the front of an ak-74 mag to make a feed ramp on the mag since the front has a metal insert, if you don't have the feed ramp installed... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ms3p 0 Posted October 6, 2007 Report Share Posted October 6, 2007 Well, little do you know just a couple of hours after I wrote the above post I received my Bulgarian mag. When I first tried to insert it into the rifle, as you can probably guess it wouldn't fit. Then I remember reading something about having to modify the magazine in order to fit. After a little bit of trying to figure out why is it not fitting I started filing away. I guess I could have gone the easy route and tried to find some instructions on this site before going crazy with the dremmel and the file, but I guess stubbornness prevailed. After about 1/2 hour of careful filing and test fitting, I finally heard that sweet "click". The mag was in and ROCK SOLID. Absolutely no rocking in neither direction. I don't think there is a more bluntly obvious difference between good and bad fit as there is in a ProMag (bad) and BG mag (good). Yes, there is some modification needed in order to the BG mag to fit, but it is well worth the minimal labor in comparison of just getting the cheap (in every sense of the word) ProMag. Another thing worth mentioning as far as difference between both mags is that the BG one is lined up with metal underneath the polymer unlike the Promag, which is only plastic. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
muttman2 0 Posted October 8, 2007 Report Share Posted October 8, 2007 Now gunthings.com has E-German ak-74 magazines for $12.50 + shipping... add a robarm follower for $5.99+shipping and it is still a better deal than a promag... YMMV... is there a web page to order from? and are the follower's US made. muttman2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MD_Willington 11 Posted October 9, 2007 Report Share Posted October 9, 2007 robinson arms aka robarm.com has the US made followers for 5.45 to 5.56 mag conversions http://www.gunthings.com/galil.htm <--- not sure why it says galil, but it takes you to the Kalashnikov section Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lollygagger 1 Posted October 10, 2007 Report Share Posted October 10, 2007 (edited) Well a Pro-mag is what ~ $16 + shipping online... Now gunthings.com has E-German ak-74 magazines for $12.50 + shipping... add a robarm follower for $5.99+shipping and it is still a better deal than a promag... YMMV... & at least you can kludge up the front of an ak-74 mag to make a feed ramp on the mag since the front has a metal insert, if you don't have the feed ramp installed... The problem with Robinson, is that they KILL YA' on the shipping. So, getting several and/or going in with somebody is the best course. Or, just using a Dremel (inside the top of the mag body) to raise the follower to were it stops just short of a 1/4" higher. And, bend the front of a metal follower straight, or, melt a plastic one a little to do the same... And you will have a .223 mag (that is reliable and feeds a full loading). Edited October 10, 2007 by lollygagger Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Maniac Jack 2 Posted October 10, 2007 Report Share Posted October 10, 2007 (edited) It seems this whole "hi-cap for the .223 Saiga" is a personal preference thing. I just installed the feed ramp from Dinzag and have flawless feeding from 2 Orlite Galil mags. It was seriously one of the easier gunsmithing things I've done. It literally only took 15 minutes and I used (dare I say it) a hand drill! I just went slow, and it still didn't take long. And the mags? You barely have to take any plastic off them for them to fit nice and snug. Just like an 1/8 of an inch off either side at the front and it was like they were made for each other. I personally like the bullet guide better than any other solution, because it seems to be more permanent than the other "fixes." And now that I've got the guide installed, I can buy any number of Orlite mags, or .223 AK mags for that matter, take literally just 2 minutes to shave 'em to fit and I'm golden. No fuss, no muss. That's peace of mind right there. Thank Dinzag! Edited October 10, 2007 by Maniac Jack Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lollygagger 1 Posted October 10, 2007 Report Share Posted October 10, 2007 I agree. While there may be some reason to work out a "guide" IN a mag to make feed... The placement of a bullet guide in the action is clearly the better choice for most. Beyond that, specific mag choices is a pretty personal thing. Me, I like vareity (and tinkering on the mags when needed). Quote Link to post Share on other sites
muttman2 0 Posted October 10, 2007 Report Share Posted October 10, 2007 could sombody post a link to robarms or who sells them. I googled robarms and could find there web page but could not find there parts page or a curent web sight ( all were dated 2004 ). thanks muttman Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MD_Willington 11 Posted October 10, 2007 Report Share Posted October 10, 2007 Dinzag can take the current ak-74 followers and modify them for you I believe, he and several others posted a "how to" to make your own followers from existing ones. here is the phone number for robarm I have 801-355-0401 I really wish that some one will get a couple of those things and copy them in metal or plastic, since no one else seems to carry them... or go the guide route, it is easy enough. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
muttman2 0 Posted October 11, 2007 Report Share Posted October 11, 2007 thanks. muttman2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cobra 76 two 2,677 Posted October 11, 2007 Report Share Posted October 11, 2007 I've played around with some different .223 / 5.56 mags in my Saiga and eventually decided on the Bulgarians as my mag of choice. First ones I tried were the LEO 35 rd steel Galils but that turned into a waste of time. Sloppy side to side play and they don't feed at the right angle without serious mods. Never tried the Weigers but I heard they were a little sloppy side to side also. Heard about how easy the Galil orlites were to make work but never got any because after I tried the Bulgies there was no need to look further. Very easy to mod (requires only slight fitting of the body) and they fit ROCK SOLID with absolutely no slop and feed 100% in my gun. Orlites are cheaper but I don't mind paying for good quality. Dinzag is the man with the bullet guides. I used one from Kvar and had to modify it to work in the Saiga. Dinzag's guide fits right in on both style trunnions (flat or round depending on which one you have) and comes with all you need to install in a few minutes with ...yes....a hand drill. It would take more time to set up a cross slide in the drill press than it took me to do mine on the pool table by hand. I can appreciate the feeling of getting use out of good tools though... Promag...naaa no thanks. Got a couple of the clear ones for my x39 just for kicks but I prefer proven military mags. Also if anyone is interested I have a few of the Bulgie clear (smoke) mags left for sale that are already modded to work in the Saiga. PM me if interested. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mickdundie 0 Posted October 14, 2007 Report Share Posted October 14, 2007 Man you guys are going to a lot of trouble to file and fit a 30 rd mag! Go to www.jocoemprise.com You will find a .223 30 rd mag that fits and functions perfect with no modifications what-so-ever But...they cost $50.00 Worth it to me for 100% reliability and no fitting to function! My $.02 Mick Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PlinkinPark 0 Posted October 14, 2007 Report Share Posted October 14, 2007 I picked up some SureFire Metal 30 rd mags from TheGunSource for $40.24. Great fit. Already had the mods. They were European, so no compliance parts, but they worked great! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cobra 76 two 2,677 Posted October 15, 2007 Report Share Posted October 15, 2007 Man you guys are going to a lot of trouble to file and fit a 30 rd mag! Go to www.jocoemprise.comYou will find a .223 30 rd mag that fits and functions perfect with no modifications what-so-ever But...they cost $50.00 Worth it to me for 100% reliability and no fitting to function! My $.02 Mick To me it's no trouble at all to spend five minutes modifying a perfectly good military mag to work even better. For $50 you can almost buy two Bulgie mags and spend ten minutes making them fit better than any mag you can put in a Saiga .223. The Galil's are even cheaper. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
akforty7 0 Posted October 16, 2007 Report Share Posted October 16, 2007 So I took a chance and bought a $30 Promag 30 rd. Magazine for my .223 and it cycled freely. It seems nice, just a bit too loose in the side-to-side play. What are your experiences? I got a promag 223 for my Saiga made in 2006 & it would not work at all. It fit & locked in but would not cycle. I'll stick with the factory 30 rounders. They are not cheap but they damn sure work. And the factorys fit great in my gun. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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