Cobra 76 two 2,677 Posted September 26, 2011 Report Share Posted September 26, 2011 Ok the title says it all pretty much. Who has actually tried the domestic mags on the market and what is your opinion of them? Answers based on reliability first, would be appreciated....followed by any other comments you may have on what is available. With the surplus Tantal and 74 mags becoming more and more hard to come by, it would be nice to have a good thread about the US mags, not to mention some folks want real Russian or Bulgy furniture and brake, so compliance can be an issue. Only choices I'm aware of are Tapco and Promag. Has anyone tried both? (Please keep the anti-promag comments out of this thread, unless you have actually tried the new Promag 5.45 mags and had a bad experience with these particular mags...thanks.) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
vulcan16 971 Posted September 26, 2011 Report Share Posted September 26, 2011 Tapcos work great Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ironhead7544 35 Posted September 26, 2011 Report Share Posted September 26, 2011 I have a Tapco 10 rounder 5.45x39 mag. Works perfectly in my Tantal and in my WASR-3, with 223 ammo. Picked up a couple of ProMag 30 rounders cheap. Wont lock in. Needs to have some taken off the top of the rear lug. Might works but I havent tried it yet. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cobra 76 two 2,677 Posted September 27, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 27, 2011 Thanks for the input guys. Any other people with experience with these new mags, please chime in also. Haven't really heard anything about the domestic mags yet. I have some 7.62x39 mags from both MFGs, and they work great. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PinkFloyd 63 Posted September 27, 2011 Report Share Posted September 27, 2011 Think the Tapco's will work in a Saiga .223? Kinda a weird question, I thought they were only for 5.45, but if they work for .223 they'd be a great low cost option. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cobra 76 two 2,677 Posted September 28, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 28, 2011 Think the Tapco's will work in a Saiga .223? Kinda a weird question, I thought they were only for 5.45, but if they work for .223 they'd be a great low cost option. I have a Tapco 10 rounder 5.45x39 mag. Works perfectly in my Tantal and in my WASR-3, with 223 ammo. Picked up a couple of ProMag 30 rounders cheap. Wont lock in. Needs to have some taken off the top of the rear lug. Might works but I havent tried it yet. Well I haven't tried feeding .223 from the Tapco mags, but I do remember back in the day having to modify the follower if you wanted to feed the .223 ammo from an AK-74 Bulgy Mag. I guess I'll go ahead and order one of the Promags just to see for myself if it works. My bet is it will be fine for a range mag. I'm still ordering a couple of Tapcos also. Oh before you mod your mag to fit the Saiga.... it's not the top of the rear lug you need to trim, it's the bottom. Reason for this is the Saiga mag catch is a tad longer, just for that purpose, to keep you from using standard AK mags. You need to either file the catch just a little to work with AK mags, or file each mag you plan to use in it, along the lower side of the rear lug, keeping the same angle for the catch to lock into. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ironhead7544 35 Posted September 28, 2011 Report Share Posted September 28, 2011 (edited) Think the Tapco's will work in a Saiga .223? Kinda a weird question, I thought they were only for 5.45, but if they work for .223 they'd be a great low cost option. I only have a 10 rounder. Some types of 5.45x39 30 rounders will work in my WASR-3 with 15 rounds. After that the base of the case starts dropping down at the back of the mag and the bolt rides over it. The 10 rounder is great for the bench. Tapco may have a Saiga 223 mag, check the net. The 2 ProMags in 5.45x39 that I have dont come up far enough at the back when inserted. Taking some of the top of the lug will bring the feed lips up high enough to feed. Edited September 28, 2011 by ironhead7544 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cobra 76 two 2,677 Posted September 28, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 28, 2011 Ahhh typical flawed design. I was referring to surplus mags and how you can fit them to work. Maybe I will wait to hear from someone who has them working before I waste any money on them. Thanks for the heads up. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TJohn 8 Posted October 7, 2011 Report Share Posted October 7, 2011 Tapcos are good, they appear well made and don't break the bank either. However they lack the metal reinforcements of the Bulgarian polymer mags, but I have yet to break a Tapco. I haven't tried Promags in 5.45, but I have in 7.62x39 and .223, and I am not overwhelmed about them (a lot more loose fitting and some worked and some didn't, misfeeds and such if you held or pushed on the mag while firing). Personally, I would choose Tapco over promag any time. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Paulry 50 Posted November 24, 2011 Report Share Posted November 24, 2011 Tapco 5.45 is all I use at the range. Work just fine. Save the mil spec for serious work. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
FrayAdjacent 1 Posted November 24, 2011 Report Share Posted November 24, 2011 Lots of people pooh-pooh ProMag magazines, but are just regurgitating what they've heard. I haven't tried any in my Saiga yet, but I'd like to get a couple just to see if they would work well as a domestic source. I have however had ProMag magazines for three different handguns (and a Beretta CX4 Storm) and they all worked FINE. No mods needed. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jimdigriz 580 Posted November 24, 2011 Report Share Posted November 24, 2011 Tapco 5.45 is all I use at the range. Work just fine. Save the mil spec for serious work. I like to practice with what I will fight with. I want the feel and behavior to not be unfamiliar if/when the time comes. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rickyrifle 1 Posted November 29, 2011 Report Share Posted November 29, 2011 I bought 2 ProMags for use in my rifle prior to conversion (922r and all that) - as other posters have said, they will not fit a 5.45 Saiga unless you modify them. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SergeK 15 Posted November 29, 2011 Report Share Posted November 29, 2011 What needs to be modified besides the rear tab? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
brucey 5 Posted November 29, 2011 Report Share Posted November 29, 2011 Never had a problem from the tapco. Price is about the same as surplus anymore! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rickyrifle 1 Posted December 4, 2011 Report Share Posted December 4, 2011 What needs to be modified besides the rear tab? As far as I know, just the rear tab - but I've not modified them on mine. I went ahead and converted, using enough compliance parts to use surplus mags. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
meaneg 0 Posted December 4, 2011 Report Share Posted December 4, 2011 I have 4 Tapco's, i had i FTF on the last round. I only shot 1 30 rd mag, and 1 20, and 2 15 rounders (I was just trying to see if i needed a bullet guide) I am not using a bullet guide, It has the flat trunion. i did absolutely nothing to make it fit in my rifle and they fit great. i am very happy to have bought these. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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