Promag Polymer AK Mags.......

dieseldirt · January 30, 2013, 09:23 AM

I know these have a bad rep but I got a "good" deal on a few....

They are the "AK-A1" mags for ak47 variants.
I already had one of the Clear ones and the fit and function are flawless in my Bulgarian stamped SSR-85.

I ordered a few of the black ones and they won't even fit in there. Should be the SAME mag right?? I would have to file down or even notch below the front catch (on the mag) so there is clearance for the rear catch to snap in there.
Worried I would take too much off.....

Any tips or tricks are much appreciated.

(Other than getting rid of them)

Mrgunsngear · January 30, 2013, 09:38 AM

Looks like you've discovered one reason people (myself included) do not recommend Promag AK mags...

One thing you can do is outline the parts of the mag that are not catching/getting stuck with crayon or chalk and insert. Where the chalk/crayon comes off---grind that off. Then just repeat slowly until they lock up correctly (if they ever will).

Hairbag · January 30, 2013, 10:01 AM

I have 2 new ones and they fit my arsenal and ww like crap. I'm not sure what AK they intended these mags to fit Sure file it down they are still junk with no metal support tab Bulgarian steel mags or bulgarian circle 10 all the way.

dieseldirt · January 30, 2013, 11:16 AM

Yeah. Seems that it would be better to have a couple of the real thing than a case of junk.

My mistake for assuming that their CLEAR AK Mag and BLACK AK Mag would fit the same rifle.

Maybe they should list them as a "modify to fit" part..........

Technosavant · January 30, 2013, 11:35 AM

IMO, there's no such thing as a good deal on bad magazines. If it says "Pro Mag" on it then it should be assumed to be a bad magazine. They came by their awful reputation honestly.

Better a third as many magazines but have them actually WORK.

Fishbed77 · January 30, 2013, 12:11 PM

Quote:

If it says "Pro Mag" on it then it should be assumed to be a bad magazine. They came by their awful reputation honestly.

It blows my mind how uniformly bad almost every ProMag product is. It's almost as if they intend to make unreliable products (this goes for both their steel and polymer magazines, regardless of host firearm).

Technosavant · January 30, 2013, 01:11 PM

Quote:

It blows my mind how uniformly bad almost every ProMag product is. It's almost as if they intend to make unreliable products (this goes for both their steel and polymer magazines, regardless of host firearm).

I still laugh about what happened at this past NRA convention. Pro Mag was handing out bags, and I told the guys with me "If their bags are as bad as their magazines, I'd be better off just holding the stuff" and got a different bag from another vendor.

Sure enough, before we left the building the handle of one of my buddies' Pro Mag bags broke. Even their promotional gear is garbage.

Jimboski · January 30, 2013, 01:21 PM

I recently got a Chinese surplus ak47 mag with factory grease still on it, broke it down, cleaned/oiled took to range, smooth as Chinese silk. No brand on it, not sure if its a Norinco, but it ran like a champ. I had issues with my Tapco ak47 mag, but after cleaned/oiled, ran great too. I could be wrong, but I always clean/oil mags and guns before use, seems to help function.

flgunguy · January 31, 2013, 12:49 AM

agree 100%. although i've never tried promags in my bulgy slr (i bought two pistol mags for a p229 and took them back the next day and have never bought a pro mag since), i can also say unequivocally that tapco mags are worse than hot garbage.

stick to metal mags or pony up and get the bulgarian ones. i was able to get a shipment in from k-var.

Jimboski · January 31, 2013, 11:35 AM

My Tapcos' been pretty reliable, not the best, but not 100% either. What about those Arsenal or not sure what brand off the top of my head, but they are polymer, and among the highest priced I've seen online...they better be good for that price, not sure what brand tho'

Fishbed77 · January 31, 2013, 01:39 PM

Quote:

i can also say unequivocally that tapco mags are worse than hot garbage.

I've heard the newer Tapco mags aren't half-bad. They are certainly for range use versus serious use, of course.

flgunguy · January 31, 2013, 11:17 PM

Yes, I use the bulgarian mags. They are waffled on the outside. They have 40 rd varieties too. I have a couple of them, but they certainly are not cheap. $40 for the 30 rd, and $50 for the 40 rd.K-var distributes them. You may be able to order directly from arsenal? I've never tried tho...

What I like is that they fit perfectly in my milled slr. the tapco mags, as I noted in my previ post, simply do not fit at all. The rifle is nothing more than a cumbersome paperweight without mags that actually fit. Until I find an after market brand that will work with my rifle, I stick with the bulgarian ones. I have heard of similar issues from saiga and other arsenal rifles.

Hairbag · February 1, 2013, 10:44 AM

I'm not a fan of tapco but they fit my PTR 93 great and work flawless except they dont fit any of my AK's. Pro-mags should just be recycled as egg cartons or something more useful. The arsenal circle tens are worth the $$ most likely last a lifetime unless your going into combat.

spacecoast · February 1, 2013, 10:54 AM

The Tapco mags ($8.33 apiece from SG) work great in my milled Lancaster AK with a minor bit of sanding of the lug that is gripped by the mag release. I have five of them now.

Sarge · February 1, 2013, 11:09 AM

My only experience with ProMags has been with steel magazines for the Beretta 92 and the Ruger Mini 14. Both were left loaded continuously for months at a time, and gave perfect function.

Based on user reviews I would be reluctant to buy their polymer AK mags.

I do have a half-dozen 7.62x39 Tapco polymer AK mags in 10, 20 and 30 round configurations. They are basically a good product that may require a little tweaking to perfect them.

They seem to be sized with the largest magazine opening in mind. The sides of several had to be sanded down before they would fit easily in my WASR.

I also noted that they worked great in warm weather, but got a little sluggish in cold weather. So I tore each of them down and sanded material off the sides of the follower, until the follower would drop freely up and down in the magazine by gravity alone. Some were fine & others needed a little sanding. Cleaning out the sanding grit and hosing the internals down with CRC Silicon Spray, completed the process. I have since run them all after being left loaded in the trunk, in 10 degree weather. They are run slick as can be now.

I realize some will grumble about having to work on a new magazine. I gave between 8-11 bucks for these and I don't mind tweaking them a little at that price. I'm sure glad I bought them now.

dieseldirt · February 2, 2013, 09:48 PM

Thanks for the replies..... I ended up trading them out for some polymer Bulgy mags.

January 30, 2013, 09:23 AM	#1
dieseldirt Member Join Date: March 19, 2010 Posts: 43	Promag Polymer AK Mags....... I know these have a bad rep but I got a "good" deal on a few.... They are the "AK-A1" mags for ak47 variants. I already had one of the Clear ones and the fit and function are flawless in my Bulgarian stamped SSR-85. I ordered a few of the black ones and they won't even fit in there. Should be the SAME mag right?? I would have to file down or even notch below the front catch (on the mag) so there is clearance for the rear catch to snap in there. Worried I would take too much off..... Any tips or tricks are much appreciated. (Other than getting rid of them) Last edited by dieseldirt; January 30, 2013 at 09:31 AM.

January 30, 2013, 09:38 AM	#2
Mrgunsngear Senior Member Join Date: May 13, 2011 Location: Carolina Posts: 3,415	Looks like you've discovered one reason people (myself included) do not recommend Promag AK mags... One thing you can do is outline the parts of the mag that are not catching/getting stuck with crayon or chalk and insert. Where the chalk/crayon comes off---grind that off. Then just repeat slowly until they lock up correctly (if they ever will). __________________ Mrgunsngear Youtube Channel

January 30, 2013, 10:01 AM	#3
Hairbag Senior Member Join Date: October 22, 2010 Posts: 449	I have 2 new ones and they fit my arsenal and ww like crap. I'm not sure what AK they intended these mags to fit Sure file it down they are still junk with no metal support tab Bulgarian steel mags or bulgarian circle 10 all the way. __________________ I'm hairbag and I approve this message.

January 31, 2013, 11:35 AM	#10
Jimboski Member Join Date: January 28, 2013 Location: New Mexico Posts: 32	Arsenal Mags? My Tapcos' been pretty reliable, not the best, but not 100% either. What about those Arsenal or not sure what brand off the top of my head, but they are polymer, and among the highest priced I've seen online...they better be good for that price, not sure what brand tho'

February 1, 2013, 10:44 AM	#13
Hairbag Senior Member Join Date: October 22, 2010 Posts: 449	I'm not a fan of tapco but they fit my PTR 93 great and work flawless except they dont fit any of my AK's. Pro-mags should just be recycled as egg cartons or something more useful. The arsenal circle tens are worth the $$ most likely last a lifetime unless your going into combat. __________________ I'm hairbag and I approve this message.

January 30, 2013, 11:16 AM	#4
dieseldirt Member Join Date: March 19, 2010 Posts: 43	Yeah. Seems that it would be better to have a couple of the real thing than a case of junk. My mistake for assuming that their CLEAR AK Mag and BLACK AK Mag would fit the same rifle. Maybe they should list them as a "modify to fit" part..........

January 30, 2013, 11:35 AM	#5
Technosavant Senior Member Join Date: May 29, 2007 Location: St. Louis, MO area Posts: 4,040	IMO, there's no such thing as a good deal on bad magazines. If it says "Pro Mag" on it then it should be assumed to be a bad magazine. They came by their awful reputation honestly. Better a third as many magazines but have them actually WORK.

January 30, 2013, 01:21 PM	#8
Jimboski Member Join Date: January 28, 2013 Location: New Mexico Posts: 32	I recently got a Chinese surplus ak47 mag with factory grease still on it, broke it down, cleaned/oiled took to range, smooth as Chinese silk. No brand on it, not sure if its a Norinco, but it ran like a champ. I had issues with my Tapco ak47 mag, but after cleaned/oiled, ran great too. I could be wrong, but I always clean/oil mags and guns before use, seems to help function.

January 31, 2013, 12:49 AM	#9
flgunguy Member Join Date: August 14, 2012 Posts: 33	agree 100%. although i've never tried promags in my bulgy slr (i bought two pistol mags for a p229 and took them back the next day and have never bought a pro mag since), i can also say unequivocally that tapco mags are worse than hot garbage. stick to metal mags or pony up and get the bulgarian ones. i was able to get a shipment in from k-var.

January 31, 2013, 11:17 PM	#12
flgunguy Member Join Date: August 14, 2012 Posts: 33	Yes, I use the bulgarian mags. They are waffled on the outside. They have 40 rd varieties too. I have a couple of them, but they certainly are not cheap. $40 for the 30 rd, and $50 for the 40 rd.K-var distributes them. You may be able to order directly from arsenal? I've never tried tho... What I like is that they fit perfectly in my milled slr. the tapco mags, as I noted in my previ post, simply do not fit at all. The rifle is nothing more than a cumbersome paperweight without mags that actually fit. Until I find an after market brand that will work with my rifle, I stick with the bulgarian ones. I have heard of similar issues from saiga and other arsenal rifles.

February 1, 2013, 10:54 AM	#14
spacecoast Senior Member Join Date: October 14, 2009 Location: Sunshine and Keystone States Posts: 4,461	The Tapco mags ($8.33 apiece from SG) work great in my milled Lancaster AK with a minor bit of sanding of the lug that is gripped by the mag release. I have five of them now.

February 1, 2013, 11:09 AM	#15
Sarge Senior Member Join Date: May 12, 2002 Location: MO Posts: 5,457	My only experience with ProMags has been with steel magazines for the Beretta 92 and the Ruger Mini 14. Both were left loaded continuously for months at a time, and gave perfect function. Based on user reviews I would be reluctant to buy their polymer AK mags. I do have a half-dozen 7.62x39 Tapco polymer AK mags in 10, 20 and 30 round configurations. They are basically a good product that may require a little tweaking to perfect them. They seem to be sized with the largest magazine opening in mind. The sides of several had to be sanded down before they would fit easily in my WASR. I also noted that they worked great in warm weather, but got a little sluggish in cold weather. So I tore each of them down and sanded material off the sides of the follower, until the follower would drop freely up and down in the magazine by gravity alone. Some were fine & others needed a little sanding. Cleaning out the sanding grit and hosing the internals down with CRC Silicon Spray, completed the process. I have since run them all after being left loaded in the trunk, in 10 degree weather. They are run slick as can be now. I realize some will grumble about having to work on a new magazine. I gave between 8-11 bucks for these and I don't mind tweaking them a little at that price. I'm sure glad I bought them now. __________________ People were smarter before the Internet, or imbeciles were harder to notice.

February 2, 2013, 09:48 PM	#16
dieseldirt Member Join Date: March 19, 2010 Posts: 43	Thanks for the replies..... I ended up trading them out for some polymer Bulgy mags.