Vepr 308 20 round magazines pre-review

[gazpacho 5]

I am posting here to let everyone know about my recent experiences with Vepr 308 20 round magazines. I purchased samples of three of the four US made magazines with a mind to test them after I get my new Vepr successfully modified, so that I may do my testing legally.

 

The first is Ccspecs slabsided magazine. These are over built, big and heavy. They function well in my rifle with Azoom snap caps. (Yes, I actually pulled the furniture off to do the testing! Call me paranoid, but in this case, I like sticking to the letter of the law.). It locks into the magwell as if clamped into a vice. No play at all. I think they will make excellent range magazines.

 

I do not have a sample of Ccspecs 20 round stamped magazine, but if his 10 round stamped magazine is any indication, the 20 rounder should be as functional, weight less, but be just a big.

 

The second magazine is a Promag magazine. It also functioned well, and locked into the magwell better than the factory magazine. It is not as robust as the Ccspecs magazine, and probably somewhere between an aluminimum AR magazine and a steel one. One thing to note is that the follower does not have an anti tilt mechanism, and can be easily jammed with finger pressure on the leading edge of the follower.

 

The third make I will not identify, because I am not certain that it IS a separate make. Visually, it is identical to the Promag except that it has a matte grey colored follower, rather than a black follower. Fit and function was also identical to the Promag magazine. The only significant difference between this and the Promag magazine is that this magazine costs almost twice as much.

 

I hope this helps those few that are privileged enough to own a 308 Vepr. I'll probably get flamed somewhere for my remarks posted here, but I've posted them honestly. Other than my retail purchases, I have no connection, financial or otherwise with any of these three sources.

Edited June 15, 2012 by Gazpacho

[csspecs 1,987]

I'll probably get flamed somewhere for my remarks posted here, but I've posted them honestly.

 

I doubt you'll get any trouble here.

 

What will be the range of testing?

[gazpacho 5]

I probably won't have the 922r parts I need until Monday, so Sunday I'll I use the factory 5 and 10 round mags, and you're (Csspecs) 5 round slabside and 10 round stamped. The Vepr is a brand new 308 27". Hopefully, I'll be able to zero the scope out to 200 yards. I also plan to chrono 150gr cartridges.

 

[draftpick 5]

I probably won't have the 922r parts I need until Monday

What 922r parts are you going to use?

[gazpacho 5]

Trigger and disconnector. The hammer is very different shaped, so I'm going to keep that. Eventually I'll have someone do the piston, and if I can find an exact replacement, I'll do the gas tube.

[Rchen404 1]

Hmm twice the price, ripping off other designs, one guess: tsd

[leadslinger 37]

what is the difference between the saiga .308 mags and the vepr's? could the saiga 20 round mags be modified to fit the vepr?

[Dracozny 11]

what is the difference between the saiga .308 mags and the vepr's? could the saiga 20 round mags be modified to fit the vepr?

vepr is on top left, saiga is on top right. I would say it might be possible to make a vepr fit a saiga, but the feed lips on the saiga mag look like they are smaller.

 

another view

Edited November 19, 2012 by Dracozny

[leadslinger 37]

looks like the only real issue is the demensions of the indent on the front of the vepr mags. the saigas seem to taper from the feed lips to the front of the mag and seem somewhat wider then the vepr. I can't tell from the picture but it doesn't look like there would be enough material on the front of the saiga mags to grind and or sand the contuor. Him i wander if you took a heat gun to the front of the mag and despress both sides it would become narrow and allow small amount of grinding.

 

 

Maybe getting some promags would be a cheaper alternative. what is your range report on these mags. I do prefer the metal ones but some cheap reliable poly mags would be nice to round out the collection.

[gazpacho 5]

The ProMag 20rd VEPR magazine works fine in my 308 VEPR, and should hold up fine for range games. It would also work fine as a duty magazine, but the Ccspecs magazine is so much more robust that choosing the ProMag over it would just be silly. The Ccspecs magazine is MUCH more expensive, but if you go cheap when it really matters, you get what you pay for.

 

Personally, I have 6 Promag/TSD 20rd mags and 6 Ccspecs, plus a few more Ccspecs stashed in wrappers. But when I go to the range, they almost never get used, because I spend my time shooting with 10rd Ccspecs. I don't enjoy multiple 20rd mag dumps in 308. On the other hand, I gladly go though 200 rounds of slow, deliberate shooting. I got ARs and 10/22s for mag dumps.

 

When I do use my 20 rounders, it's usually for spring longevity tests. For all my "go to" guns, I keep some magazines fully loaded in storage to see how well the springs hold up. If the magazine is well designed, the spring should remain functional, pretty much indefinitely while under compression. According to my engineering friends, it is cycling that wears a spring out, not compression. So far, all of my VEPR mags have held up just fine. Some of the mags have been loaded for up to 6 months now.

 

As an aside, I've had some 1911 mags pretty much continuously loaded for over 10 years now, and most have held up just fine.

 

I have a cop friend who won't believe me about springs. He rotates and unloads his duty mags weekly, and replaces springs every six months or so, "before they can wear out". I don't argue with him about it, because it's his life, and if it gives him a confidence edge then I'm not going to mess with that.

 

Anyway, the ProMag VEPR mags go for around $27 on the net, and that is about as cheap as you will find. If you want to play around with modified mags, by all means do so. Personally, I don't thinks it's worth the time, money and effort, when perfectly serviceable magazine are out on the market.

[ran gib 0]

I bought new promags and new and used SGM 25 rd mags, only one SGM will fit in the magwell. It is tight snd a bear to get back out. It is a 1998 vepr .308 . None of the promags will go into the magwell and one is missing the front locking tab.

Edited December 27, 2023 by ran gib
trying to delete it

[ran gib 0]

These are vepr specific mags BTW