Anyone try Tapco Galil Mags in S-223?

[dobravery 49]

Anyone try Tapco Galil Mags in S-223? I would expect better quality than Pro-Mags. Anyone fit one yet? Any mods?

 

Only $16 each. . . .

 

[swells08 128]

Fluid power brought that up in a post a few days ago...I called Tapco and Stacy over there said they won't be out till mid-march...they are fit to galil rifles...as I understand we have been able to get galil/orlites to fit with some filing so I might buy one when available and see how it works...I have a bg from Dinzag so should be possible.

[protected static 19]

According to an email I got last night from a vendor who is not a site sponsor, my order which contains two of these magazines has been shipped; the magazines are showing as in-stock on their website. I won't link to them, but they share a name with an island that was the site of a critical WW2 battle in the Pacific...

[Klassy Kalashnikov 1,393]

According to an email I got last night from a vendor who is not a site sponsor, my order which contains two of these magazines has been shipped; the magazines are showing as in-stock on their website. I won't link to them, but they share a name with an island that was the site of a critical WW2 battle in the Pacific...

 

It took place between June 4-7 of 1942

[protected static 19]

According to an email I got last night from a vendor who is not a site sponsor, my order which contains two of these magazines has been shipped; the magazines are showing as in-stock on their website. I won't link to them, but they share a name with an island that was the site of a critical WW2 battle in the Pacific...

 

It took place between June 4-7 of 1942

Absetively poselutely correct, my good sir.

[imarangemaster 315]

Hahahaha!!!! That is "halfway" telling the name of the vendor....

Edited March 5, 2010 by imarangemaster

[swells08 128]

They are listing for less than the reccomended retail as well...

[dobravery 49]

After I posted, Fluid Power mentioned it to me while we were talking Orlites as well. I tried to do a search first, but when you query galil and tapco, you get a whole lot of handguard hits.

 

I already have a BG too.

[mav 459]

Hahahaha!!!! That is "halfway" telling the name of the vendor....

 

 

I'm gonna call this one right down the MIDdle someone is WAY out of line.

[swells08 128]

I loved the video game...anyone else play it back in the day?

[Lashlarue 1]

My galil steel mags fit my Saiga like a glove, even cycle without a BG installed, but my broken promags work too, the follower on them raises the bullets higher than the surefire.They came with the gun, but were paxckaged like new, even though the tabs were broken off.

[protected static 19]

My magazines arrived today. Overall, my impressions are mostly positive. In no particular order:

 

• 
   
  
• They fit! Snaps right in, no mods needed to catch, magwell, or magazine.
  
• They [hand-]feed! The magazine butts right up against the bullet guide. If you don't have a ramped or sloped BG (like the Dinzag design), these might not feed for you. They do appear to sit a touch higher than my metal Galil magazines, so if Orlites work for you, I would think that these will work as well.
  
• They're fugly. Fugly like the mutant offspring of a P-Mag's one night stand with an R4 polymer magazine in a seedy motel on the outskirts of Chernobyl.
  
• They're all plastic. Apart from the spring, there doesn't appear to be any metal in the magazine at all. Still, after snapping it in and out several times full-force, there wasn't any wear or spalling on either the front or back tab. The plastic itself doesn't feel as robust as, say, P-Mags, but that doesn't say anything about actual durability.
  
• They disassemble. The base plate slides off easily, the locking plate is sensibly designed and moves easily and smoothly.
  
• They're smooooooth. The follower practically glides; there were no hitches, snags, stutters, tilting, or catches whether I fed it snap-caps or poked it with a pencil.
  
• They'd probably cut down to smaller, lower-capacity magazines relatively easily. If you're looking for, say, 20-rounders, the external ribs are the same width and length but twice the thickness of the flange that the floor plate slides onto. Cut down the center of one of those ribs, and with a little sandpaper you could slide the baseplate right back on.
  
• The baseplate is surprisingly hefty. It looks like it'll take a fair amount of abuse without cracking. It also looks like it will shield the flange that it slides on from such abuse quite well.
  

The caveats:

I have no idea if these will feed in your rifle. There's enough variability from rifle to rifle (vodka-induced or otherwise) that there's no way I feel comfortable saying that these will work as well as Orlites. Also, I can't speak to actual range reliability, and won't be able to for a while.

 

The conclusion:

The folks for whom the whole 'no steel' thing is a deal-breaker won't like them except maybe as range magazines. Anyone who's a purist about the lines of their rifle won't like them - these magazines will never be mistaken for an kind of AK magazine. Otherwise, if those things don't bug you and Orlites work for you, I'd say give the Tapco Galil/Golani magazine a try.

[Bean.223 365]

The awesomeness factor would be much higher if they were 35 or 40 round mags...Oh well, off to order some, Thanx for the write up!!!

[Mr. Kalashnikov 0]

I'm thinking of buying a .223 to go along with my 7.62x39. Good to know that there are mags readily available for them.

[twouvthree 0]

I would have to concur with "Protected Static"s assessment of the Tapco Galil magazines.

I, too, thought that if the polymer Galil magazines worked in my Saiga, then possibly the Tapco versions would, so I purchased a couple.

They do fit nicely into the magazine well, with some play on the side-to-side motion. I don't think this will prohibit the function or reliability of operating.

I have two .223 Saigas, one with a K-Var bullet guide and the other with Dinzag's. The Tapco magazines fit into both.

I also did a function test on both rifles (with these magazines)and both fed completely through, using five rounds in each magazine.

(I removed the firing pin before function testing the bolt and carrier to insure no pressure on the primers.)

 

My next test will be at the range, to see if the "wobble" of the magazines changes or alters the loading operation of the bolt carrier.

 

BTW, my Circle 10 Bulgarian magazines were snug in the rifles. But, some dremel work has to be done to those magazines in order to fit with the bullet guide.

 

So, for around $10 less than the Bulgarian magazines, it's a trade-off.

[dobravery 49]

All this talk about the Pacific etc... There is no reason to travel past the Mississippi.

[Bean.223 365]

SOOSOSOSOSOS??? Anybody get a chance to live fire these muthas???

Edited March 21, 2010 by Bean.223

[Bean.223 365]

you guys are killing me.....

[type44q 13]

I loved the video game...anyone else play it back in the day?

 

Was that the 2D side-scroller where you had to sink the ships one 'block' at a time? If so, I loved that game!

[protected static 19]

you guys are killing me.....

Hopefully some time next week. The downside to living in an urban area - can't just walk out back and let 'er rip without drawing some, uh, decidedly negative attention.

[jimdigriz 580]

dobravery,

In your post subtitle, when you refer to 50 rounders, I assume you are talking about the steel Galil 50 rounders? I have never heard anyone on this forum say that they worked in the Saiga .223, although I have heard someone say definitively that they didn't.

 

I've got some steel 35 rounders on the way, and if they work, I may try a 50 as well. Given my poor luck with magazines and my Saiga .223 - specifically, with the Bulgarians - I'm kind of expecting them to not work though...

[twouvthree 0]

Okay, I went to the range yesterday to do a function test with live ammo on the two [2] Tapco Galil magazines I had purchased previously.

I probably ran about 30 rounds through each of the magazines (loading 5 at a time). Both magazines functioned fine. No problems at all. I mostly did rapid fire to send the bullets downrange. Emptied one magazine and loaded another.

 

Conclusion: I would recommend these magazines to those who own the Saiga .223. It seems to meet the requirements as other magazines do but with less cost.

[Bean.223 365]

Okay, I went to the range yesterday to do a function test with live ammo on the two [2] Tapco Galil magazines I had purchased previously.

I probably ran about 30 rounds through each of the magazines (loading 5 at a time). Both magazines functioned fine. No problems at all. I mostly did rapid fire to send the bullets downrange. Emptied one magazine and loaded another.

 

Conclusion: I would recommend these magazines to those who own the Saiga .223. It seems to meet the requirements as other magazines do but with less cost.

 

 

Cool beans!! Do you have a bullet guide installed or did you use a virgin Saiga???

 

Im sorry NM just read your post above more closely.

Edited March 29, 2010 by Bean.223

[dobravery 49]

dobravery,

In your post subtitle, when you refer to 50 rounders, I assume you are talking about the steel Galil 50 rounders? I have never heard anyone on this forum say that they worked in the Saiga .223, although I have heard someone say definitively that they didn't.

 

I've got some steel 35 rounders on the way, and if they work, I may try a 50 as well. Given my poor luck with magazines and my Saiga .223 - specifically, with the Bulgarians - I'm kind of expecting them to not work though...

 

I've only hand cycled rounds. I haven't done the range test yet. The 50 rounder fit right in. At the same time, Weigers won't go in at all unless I file down the mags' back tab.

I think this is just one of those each rifle is a little different thing. I barely have to remove material from my Orlites.

 

[jimdigriz 580]

I've only hand cycled rounds. I haven't done the range test yet. The 50 rounder fit right in. At the same time, Weigers won't go in at all unless I file down the mags' back tab.

I think this is just one of those each rifle is a little different thing. I barely have to remove material from my Orlites.

 

Thanks for the info.

 

Is the shape of the top of the 50 rd magazine the same as that of a 35 round steel magazine? (My 35s feed fine, but they have enough side to side wobble as to allow the possibility of misfeeds under extreme situations; I plan to add a little bit of material using JB Weld to stabilize them).

[dobravery 49]

I don't know as I don't have any steel 35's. Typically when ppl have to mod the 50 rounder they have to file the sides of the mag near the front. Sometimes they even have to weld/move the tab on the back of the mag.

[jimdigriz 580]

I don't know as I don't have any steel 35's.

 

They look like this:

[CPE1704TKS 24]

Just happens that the vendor Mid Way to Japan has/had the steel Galil mags for $13 each. My eight just arrived.

[dussandr 76]

Just happens that the vendor Mid Way to Japan has/had the steel Galil mags for $13 each. My eight just arrived.

 

 

Do they feed ok? Any jams or problems? I have a .223 and am thinking of getting Galil mags after reading this thread....

[protected static 19]

Just happens that the vendor Mid Way to Japan has/had the steel Galil mags for $13 each. My eight just arrived.

 

 

Do they feed ok? Any jams or problems? I have a .223 and am thinking of getting Galil mags after reading this thread....

There appears to be a fair amount of variability from rifle to rifle (and to a lesser degree, from magazine to magazine) with the steel magazines. I think it's because the steel Galil mags sit oh-so-slightly lower than Saiga magazines, probably at the outside edge of whatever most Saigas can tolerate with a feed ramp installed. Most of my steel surplus mags feed reliably, one is twitchy, and one isn't worth crap. Both of my polymer Tapco mags are fine, if ugly. I don't own any Orlite Galil mags, because I waited too long and prices on 'em have gotten stupid (not that I've looked recently...).