223 Promags b etter than I thought!

[imarangemaster 315]

I kept half a dozen Galil steels, but wanted some lighter polymer, and didn't want to dick around with $26-$30 ¸Circle tens that may need mods to gun or mag. On a kick, I got an 8 pack of Promag .223 Saiga mags from SG for about $11 each with a discount coupons.

 

First off, I do not like the Promags in the 7.62x39. They flunk the drop test, partially because of the weight of 30 rounds of 7.62x39. Secondly, the "bullet guide" is fragile and breaks off.

 

With that being said, I was impressed by the 223 Promags for the Saiga. As I have a Dinzag bullet guide, I know it would not fit with the guide, which would be redundant anyway. I immediately snapped off the bullet guide (disgustingly easy) and it fit like a charm. The best feature is that they have vertical ribs in the mag-well area, unlike circle 10s and non-Saiga Promag 223 mags, After removing the bullet guide tab, it fit perfect and perfectly tight. No side wiggle, no fore and aft movement, perfect! I fed 30 rounds through it without a single bobble, even slow cycling by hand hanging onto the bolt handle.

 

I then did my own drop test, dropping it with a loaded Promag from shoulder high on the wood floor of the bedroom. I only did one time each muzzle, butt, and mag first (I didn't want to beat up my new KVar plum). It did not break. While I would not trust one in a 7.62, I think in the .223, they are fine (except for the "bullet guide" which is unnecessary with a Dinzag). The key may be that the external dimensions a smaller (less leverage, I am assuming), and the ammo is less than half the weight for kinetic energy.

 

Now I need to mount the RAM speed catch ambidextrous mag release I got from Carolina Shooter Supply.

[paprotective 362]

christcorp did a write-up on these about 4 weeks ago also and was also happy with them..

 

Has anyone tried these 223's in a 5.45x39?? I noticed the Circle 10/21's both fit in my 5.45x39 and function fine..

[cooger 19]

Thanks for the info rangemaster. I did the same thing- put the dinzag bg in and filed the tabs off the mags. I haven't got to shoot it yet because of the frickin snow but i don't see where they would be a problem. fit is great, no wobble, works good hand cycling.

[into_the_knight 22]

You should check out the promags for AK in 223 that have the tab pre-broken off for you. They made some for the Chinese 223 AKs. Heck I think they're even cheaper.

[Paulry 50]

The .223 AK mag IS different than the .223 Saiga mag in the Promag brand.

 

I live very close to the Sportsmans Guide and drive over to the outlet store at the huge warehouse and can do a side by side comparison. believe me when I say they are completely different. I don't recommend the AK .223 mag as it's too loose. It fits very loose side to side and is somewhat loose front to back. You can twist the AK .223 mag in the Saiga mag well. Of course it does not have the bullet guide tab, but it will do a fair job of feeding as is. In a side by side comparison, the Saiga mag body has the AK74 mag profile, the .223 Mag has a .223 mag profile (like a Surefire and Orlite).

 

No, I do not recommend the Promag .223 mag for Saiga's. I do recommend using the Promag Saiga .223 mags after you fix the poorly designed bullet guide! I have and I do use them in my Saiga's and they work great! (I plan on the Surefire for serious work!)

 

Edited March 14, 2010 by Fluid Power

[christcorp 26]

Here's a surefire warning. (Also applies to promag). Yesterday, I was out shooting some russian ammo that I picked up. Don't know why, but after the last shot, the bolt stayed open. Could be because I'm working on some grinding to get ready for some AR15 magazines, but it's weird. The Promag supposedly holds the bolt open after the last shot. That seems to only have worked a few times, then the bolt doesn't stay open. (Not a big deal, I really don't like it to stay open anyway, because it WON'T stay open when you pull the magazine out). Anyway, the surefire kept the bolt open. Now no big deal, right? Well, after about the 3rd magazine full on the surefire, and the bolt open, I hit the magazine release, but apparently didn't remove the magazine fast enough. The bolt flew forward, and being the magazine was on an angle; "front end tipped up and resting on the trunnion", the bolt flew forward and caught the front part of the surefire. (Bullet guide/mount for trunnion). It snapped the front of the surefire right off. What a Biotch!!!. So, all this worrying about the promags, (Which by the way, I've got 5 Promags working very nicely - gave 2 away to DJ, have one that I've totally screwed around with in my experiments); but it's my Surefire that I have actually broken the worst.

 

So, advice here. ANY MAGAZINE, that holds the bolt open whether intentionally or not after the last shot, do NOT just remove the magazine. Hold the bolt open and either lock it open (That's what the little silver button on the rifle is for), or manually just hold it open when you remove the magazine. The surefires and promag are still plastic. And no matter how well built they are, there is the possibility of the bolt flying forward while you've got it tipped with the front end higher, and the bolt breaking the magazine. I've tried repairing the surefire magazine with a special plastic type glue that chemically molds/melts the 2 pieces of places being glued back together. Not sure if it will be able to hand a bolt going across it, but we'll see.

 

As Fluid Power mentioned, the promags will work fine if you fix the bullet guide issue. Either snap them off and use a Dinzag bullet guide, or shorten the bullet guide on the promag. The will work fine. I'm really hoping that Renegadebuck will have some more AR adapters available soon, so I can go to that next level of evolution. Anyway, thought I'd let you know about taking a magazine out if it locked the bolt back after the last shot. Again, I don't know how the surefire is locking the bolt back, but it is. And the promags aren't. WEIRD.