MaineMarshal 0 Posted February 1, 2009 Report Share Posted February 1, 2009 I own several Surefire 30 round mags for my unmodified Saiga .223 but just ordered a Promag 30 rounder from Sportsman's Guide noticing the great difference in cost. Should I expect similar flawless performance with the Promag? MM Quote Link to post Share on other sites
imarangemaster 315 Posted February 1, 2009 Report Share Posted February 1, 2009 Surefire are a little better made than Promag, but I have both, and neither functions any better. I actually like the Promags a little better, as the Surefires have sharp, deep ridges that hang up on each other and magazine pouches. Good luck with Sportsman's guide. I ordered Saiga 223 mags from them in November, and their latest email say end of Februarary for shipping. I got my Pro-mags from Promag itself, but paid $29 each. They are only backed up 4 weeks , In my book, using Saiga Specific Promaaags and Sure fires beats using other maags that need modified, and bullet guides added. With that said, If I do get a 7.62x39 Saiga, I will modify it for standard AK mags, since they are still cheap and plentiful (for the moment). I really foresee myself getting a 12 ga before a 7.62. A 19 inch with PG conversion, front sight tower, and a 12 rounder makes me sweat! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
WardenWolf 6 Posted February 1, 2009 Report Share Posted February 1, 2009 (edited) ProMags use low quality springs and other components and usually spend more time taking advantage of that lifetime warranty service than in actual use. Any savings you get, you'll quickly lose in return shipping costs. Because of this, I strongly recommend Surefire. Any GOOD results you get out of a ProMag are more due to the gun's inherent reliability than the mag. Edited February 1, 2009 by Mike the Wolf Quote Link to post Share on other sites
imarangemaster 315 Posted February 1, 2009 Report Share Posted February 1, 2009 I agree Surefire's are a better mag. I use my one I have in the gune with Golden Bear 62 HPBTs. However, since I am not rich, I cant afford $40x10 just to have a stable of Sure Fire mags. I settled for 6 more Promags at $28 each. The horizontal high ridges on the surefires are a PAIN IN THE BUTT, though, getting out of mag pouches. Maybe I will find a secret cache of 35 round Galili mags at $15 each, and make the conversion. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
saigafan12345 21 Posted February 1, 2009 Report Share Posted February 1, 2009 Same, I have a Surefire 10-rounder that works great. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MaineMarshal 0 Posted February 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2009 As I mentioned I have several of the Surefire 30 rounders and have never had a single problem with any of them. Their deep ridges have never been an issue for me due to the manner in which I carry them in my tactical set up, basically each having it's own compartment/pouch. When I saw that the Sportsman's Guide had the ProMags in stock at half the cost of the Surefire mags I had to order one to give it a try. Right now SG is selling them for $21 (compared to $40 elsewhere for the same capacity Surefire's) so this will be a cheap investment for experimental purposes. If it functions reliably and consistently I may order more but the Surefire mags will remain my primary high cap mag source until and unless the ProMag proves itself. Thanks for the feedback. that helps me to know I haven't completely wasted my money ... MM Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MesaCranker 0 Posted February 5, 2009 Report Share Posted February 5, 2009 (edited) From what I have found, the "tab breaking off" issue some complain about with the promags is a little bit of a fit & finish problem with the feed ramp on them. On some guns it seems that the tab is too long and will come in contact with the bolt as it slides up or have a round hit it at too direct of an angle causing it to break off. Having a factory mag and a promag side by side, I filed the feed ramp of the promag to match the height of the factory mag. It made a WORLD of difference. No feeding problems.... Now, would I throw this magazine across the yard with a load of ammo and expect it to still function properly? Dunno, haen't tried it yet. But I will after I'm convinced that the feed ramp issue is just a matter of height adjustment. Edited February 5, 2009 by MesaCranker Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bad Bob 0 Posted February 7, 2009 Report Share Posted February 7, 2009 ...Good luck with Sportsman's guide. I ordered Saiga 223 mags from them in November, and their latest email say end of Februarary for shipping... IMHO, based on personal experience (and IIRC, I have e-mails from the jack@sses at SG to prove it - I've got over 1,200 UNread messages backed up in my mail box, so I'm sure those legally-binding 'gems' from SG are in there somewhere ;>) SG defines 'the bottom of the barrel.' Just my personal opinion, based on the way they treated me as a supposedly privileged 'club member' (in reality, all they wanted was my money, IMHO), when I was younger, and, quite frankly, more trusting of strangers supposedly offering 'goodies'... In other words, I wouldn't go there... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GregM1 241 Posted February 13, 2009 Report Share Posted February 13, 2009 I have been looking at ordering some of these also. Would you let me know your opinion after you get yours in? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dftc 0 Posted February 13, 2009 Report Share Posted February 13, 2009 I have been looking at ordering some of these also. Would you let me know your opinion after you get yours in? I just received 3 promags from SG. The bullet guide tab broke clean off the first one I put in the rifle the very first time I sent the bolt forward. I'm not impressed. When comparing them to the Bulgarian polymer mags I have for my other rifle these things feel like cheap toys. I guess I'll be taking advantage of that warranty. I'd much rather just have a mag that will function reliably. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MaineMarshal 0 Posted February 13, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 13, 2009 I have to say that SG did a great job at getting the one Promag I ordered out quickly as I had it in hand in about a week, maybe less. The Promag itself, while I have not yet tried it on the range feels solid enough, the spring tension feels strong and it locks in and releases with my Saiga .223. Can anyone tell me if these Promags have the "bolt hold open" feature when empty? I have found that when I let the bolt fly with the mag in place (totally unloaded) that the bolt seems to catch up. I don't know if this is designed into it or if it is indicative of something more problematic. I have not attempted to chamber a round with the mag loaded to see if it happens when loaded too. I still need to do a side by side comparison with my Surefire mags and of course a try at the range to see if this mag will even function properly. The tab that is being reported as shearing off, is this the tab in the front of the mag that sticks straight up? That caught my attention and struck me as being out of place or certainly protruding more prominently than my Surefires. Maybe filing this down some might alleviate the bolt catching up .. unless of course that is a design feature, lol. MM Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Fett 0 Posted February 16, 2009 Report Share Posted February 16, 2009 Here's my $.50 on the Issue for what it's worth..... You just paid anywhere from $250 -$500 for a rifle. You then dump another $200 - $500 into it to modify it as you want. You bought the Saiga for its dependability and it's unwillingness to malfunction. You spend $300 - $500+ for 1000 rounds of ammo. Why is everyone so concerned about saving $20 on a mag that by popular opnion is not as good? A Mag is a one time purchase and is good for 1000's of rounds. Admittedly, I own 2 Promags because I didn't do my homework up front. They do seem to work OK, but they have missfed rounds and my Surefires have never missfed. Granted, If you are looking to buy 20 mags, the savings adds up. However, what is dependability worth to you. Fett Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bad Bob 0 Posted February 16, 2009 Report Share Posted February 16, 2009 Here's my $.50 on the Issue for what it's worth........ my Surefires have never missfed. Granted, If you are looking to buy 20 mags, the savings adds up. However, what is dependability worth to you. Fett Bingo! - just look at your priorities, and go from there (which might include a feed ramp for use with milspec 5.56 AK mags, or an adapter to use milspec AR mags without a feed ramp, or after-market mags, etc. - do the math, consider your own needs & preferences, and hammer it out... ;>) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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