Best AK mags?

[redmax51]

Try to talk bad about US Palm mags on Warrior Talk. I get that newsletter too and half of them end with buy this or that from his company.

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What do you expect,they are in business.Some good articles usually though.

 

[dak]

What do you expect,they are in business.Some good articles usually though.

I agree, at the very least they make you think although sometimes they seem to be emailed a lot more than usual.

I've noticed variations in thickness of Bulgie waffles, even in the little 5 rounders. Some of them are just too thick. When I build my own AKs I fit the rifle with about 4 mags before riveting anything: a bakelite, steel Romy, steel Hungarian, and a Bulgie waffle with the waffle being the thickest of the bunch by far. Steel mags can have a large variation in mag fit too though. I'll put some calipers on loaded versus unloaded waffles though, I never really noticed because I don't really use waffles at the range enough to notice a difference. Personally, I place them with bakelites and for the most part they stay in a dark closet with the rest of my mag collection.

I prefer Yugos or Chinese(flatbacks), Yugos seem to go for $20-25 each now though...

 

[redmax51]

I'm really fond of the 20 rd. Hungarians.Makes for a neat package in my AMD 65.I've got a "lot" of mags including some new in cosmoline and plastic wrap Russians.I really have no preference in 30 rounders though.

 

[JJ Hiryuu]

From Suarez:
The better magazines will be the US Palm magazines made in the USA with current technology, lighter and stronger than everything else out there. They will run about $30 but you won't have to sort out the good ones from the bad ones. Almost as good are the Arsenal magazines.

I've gotta back the US Palm magazines as well. Mr. Suarez apparently does push-ups off these things using the AK resting on the inserted magazine as support. I've had very good luck with the Bulgarian circle 10s as well, however I generally don't use any of my magazines for push-ups.

 

[Daryl Licht]

Hungarian and Bulgarian surplus steel mags have worked fine for me.

 

[Rob72]

I've gotta back the US Palm magazines as well. Mr. Suarez apparently does push-ups off these things using the AK resting on the inserted magazine as support. I've had very good luck with the Bulgarian circle 10s as well, however I generally don't use any of my magazines for push-ups.

That can be done with the plain Bulgy polymer mags, or most any AK mag, as long as the seams are solid.

The problem is "the door jamb test": ie. going prone spontaneously and catching the leading edge of the mag on_____, causing the forward lip to crack off; equally, sudden rearward motions that will crack the rear mag tang.

This was done with the beta batch of mags that were sent out to some trainers- they did not pass, and this was forwarded to the maker. After a loooooong dead silence, they were put into production, with no mention of not matching the circle 10 construction, at the same price point(which was the stated goal in making the Palm mags).

The (older) circle 10s have a steel frame in the upper part of the mag, and steel in the forward and rear catch locations.

Mag pushups are some of the hoo-rah! make-you-feel-studly BS that demonstrates nothing about the gear, and only a bit about personal wrist/forearm strength. And yes, I can do finger-ups (not thumbs, tho') and a couple of one-arms, before I feel like I'm going to stroke out, so the "fitness" isn't my concern.

Now. I'm not "knocking" SI. I was on the board for quite some time. I've just seen a somewhat incestuous mentality develop, where the drive is not about the best technical solution (gear/hardware) or the best operational method (software), but who adheres most strictly to "The Doctrine." Just MO. YMMV/ExperiencesMayDiffer/etc., etc..