AR-15 Mags

[Long Hunter]

Hello,

This is my first post but have been lurking around here for a while. I’m new to 3-Gun and trying to get all the equipment together. Have the AR ready except for mags, mag holder and sling. What do I need in the way of mags for tactical class and who makes the best. Also thought about installing a Boonie Packer Redi- Mag on the rifle. Is this a good choice or is there something better? What is the best way to carry mags on the body? What sling would you use in this class?

Thanks in advance for the advice. I’m about as green as they come to this game. Hope I don’t get hammered, but I’m a cowboy action shooter looking to add a little spice to my shooting. 3-gun looks like cowboy but with autos. Can’t wait to shoot my first match.

Thanks again,

Long Hunter

[kimel]

Hi Long Hunter and welcome to the forums!

Generally speaking one cannot own too many mags for the AR.

That being said...

For your typical match 3 or 4 30 rounders will get you through. A 40 rounder is handy if you have one that runs reliably but not absolutely necessary. Many people like to have a 20 or two hanging around as well but again, not strickly necessary.

Who makes the best mags....well...generally speaking Labelle Industries makes pretty good stuff. I bought a bunch of 30's from DPMS to celebrate the sunset of the ban and they are marked NHMTG which I think I heard is who bought LaBelle.

Pro-Mag is hit and miss. I have a Pro-Mag 20 that has been perfect but there are others that hate them.

Orlite mags are likewise hit and miss. There are those that love them and those that despise them. Thermold is somewhat the same.

There is a Mag FAQ available here http://magfaq.tripod.com/ and another here http://www.biggerhammer.net/ar15/magazines/rawlesfaq.html

Between the two you will have more info about mags than you ever wanted to know.

Hope that helps.

[bgary]

I've had a couple of Redi-Mags, and ended up taking them all off. They tend to drop the spare mag at decidedly inopportune times.

Ive also used a variety of different devices that claim to clamp mags together, such as the Arredondo and the Mag-Cinch and others. I've found that they tend to slip at those same inopportune times.

I now use a couple of 30-rounders "clipped" together with this sheet-metal clip supposedly from Israel. You can find them at Cheaper Than Dirt and other places, they cost about 10 bucks for two of them. They work great, they are pretty much idiotproof (a necessary attribute, in my case), and they don't slip.

Some people even take that a step further, and just tape a couple of mags together with a block of wood between them.

So.... a reliable 60 rounds on the gun is more than you'll need in most cases, and an additional 30-rounder or two on the belt should be more than sufficient to handle any unforseen problems.

Hope that helps.

Bruce

[rhino]

For mag carriers:

http://www.3gungear.com

[George]

For a sling, I recommend the Viking Tactics V-Tac sling.

http://www.vikingtactics.com/

For mag pouches/holders go to 3gungear.

http://www.3gungear.com/

I prefer just carrying mags on my belt in pouches. IMO, the Redi-Mag is a problem waiting to happen. I have also watched shooters LAMR into the Redi-Mag holder and get a click when they take their first shot ;-)

Taping mags together works for some, but I prefer one mag at a time. Less weight on the gun and less hassles overall IMO.

As far as mags go, the DPMS ones are probably the best out there for the price.

Check out the new anti-dive followers from Magpul. http://www.bizplaces.com/magpul/

They will help any USGI mag function reliably by preventing nosedives and boltovers which are no fun at all.

--

Regards,

[Long Hunter]

Thanks for the information. I’ll get some DPMS magazines and replace the followers with the ones from Magpul as suggested. Will try the Israel clips or do without. Does anybody use the Arredondo oversize mag well from Brownells?

[benny hill]

Can you say "BETA MAG". nice if you just don't want to reload at all.

[diehli]

Can you say "BETA MAG". nice if you just don't want to reload at all.

Tee hee! I like how this man thinks.

[Long Hunter]

“Beta Mag“. Now your talking! Are they reliable? Do a lot of the top guns use them? If the answer is yes to those two questions, where’s the best place to get one? Don’t you guys just love newbies.

Thanks

[EricW]

Thanks for the information. I’ll get some DPMS magazines and replace the followers with the ones from Magpul as suggested. Will try the Israel clips or do without. Does anybody use the Arredondo oversize mag well from Brownells?

Whoa! DPMS mags come from DPMS *with* the green anti-tilt follower. There is no reason to replace it. (At least so far, nobody with our lot of mags has had an issue.) Randy Luth, the owner of DPMS, is the guy who *invented* the anti-tilt follower. Suffice to say his stuff works. I'm still amazed. I bought 15 mags from DPMS. Every single one works. Period. Whodathunkit?

Lots of folks use the Arredondo magwell. There is no shame in bolting one on.

[George]

Only seen one person ever use a beta mag at a match and that was a long time ago and it didn't help him none. They are heavy and are not that useful when you consider that few rifle stages require over 30 rounds and that there is always some movement involved so a chance to stuff another thirty in is always available.

IMHO, Beta mags are a solution looking for a problem that doesn't exist in 3 gun matches.

BTW, the Magpul followers are not a required modification, just an added touch as there are only three other things that matter in a rifle stage besides hitting the targets and they are function, function and function ;-)

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Regards,

[Long Hunter]

Thanks for the heads up on the followers. I'll forget the Beta Mag.

[George]

BTW, if you push down on the front of a Greenie follower with your finger it will still tilt a bit, whereas the Magpul one absolutely will not tilt no matter how hard you push. The greenies are definitely good, the Magpul Brownies are even better. If mags work 100% with the Greenies, cool. If they don't, stuff in a Brownie.

I still got boltovers with Greenies in some older USGI mags I had (Sanchez). Replacing the Greenie with the Magpul followers solved it. The Greenies are not a 100% solution in all mags.

--

Regards,

[rhino]

Actually, in any mil-spec mag, I would test it thoroughly first in your rifle. Most will run without any trouble with the old black followers. Almost all of mine have them and I never have a problem.

If you do have a problem, then consider changing followers. If your mags have the greenies to start, it's unlikely you'll need to change, but if you do, there is always the magpull option, but I'd also look at the rifle to make sure it's okay too.

[PacMan]

...I’m a cowboy action shooter looking to add a little spice to my shooting. 3-gun looks like cowboy but with autos. Can’t wait to shoot my first match.

Thanks again,

Long Hunter

Cowboy shooter ... Just kidding! Welcome to the dark side amigo I would suggest that you carry the mags on your belt with good holders such as the ones by Wilderness

Mag on rifle is a cool idea, but problematic. With practice, reloading from the belt is just as quick. The oversize mag well isn't necesary. A standard sling will do just fine, I actually like the "hasty" sling method much better since it is simple and quick. Have fun at your first 3 gun match, you won't go back

[kurtm]

George:

The Beta mag I have helped me win at SMM3-G one year and was a definate plus for the second place last year. It not only holds lots o shells it is also a great flat mono pod for setting on sandbags etc. I'm with Benny... I try not to reload if I don't have to. See Benny I just get lazier and lazier KURTM

[George]

It not only holds lots o shells it is also a great flat mono pod for setting on sandbags etc.

With that much weight, mono-podding on bags must be a lot like shooting a Browning 30 from a tripod

Crew serverd AR!

I can see an occasional use for a Beta, like for those one position prone, 50 round plus, long distance steel stages that come around every once in a blue moon

Kurt, I think you are just messing with me cause I live CA and can't get one

--

Regards,

[benny hill]

I myself, all the shooters from S. texas, taren buttler, jerry michelick, kurt miller, & several other top shooters all use beta mags. I hope most of my competion does reloads on the high rd., close quarter hose fests. Just my 2 cents worth.

[gunny]

I saw Benny ablsolutely "hose" a helicopter stage in Waco with a Beta C. Meanwhile, I deep sixed a 30 round mag fumbling a reload.

Beta C's are worth their weight in GOLD!!!!!

[George]

Hey Benny, I need some kinda' rationale to cover my sorry ass "I can't get one" situation

California really sucks sometimes. I learned to reload 30's quickly and without too much fuss. Ain't got any 40's either

Seriously though, I have never come up against a situation where a Beta was a clear cut advantage. I have come across maybe a stage or two in my time where a forty rounder would shave a single re-load by a round or two. I guess I need to get back east more often.

The stage designs I typically come across don't present 30+ contiguous shots without some sort of a break in the action where a mag could go in. As far as fumbling a re-load, well that's a personal thing and I understand it well

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Regards,

[Long Hunter]

Well that settles it. I'm going to have a Beta Mag and DPMS magazines. Any excuse to buy a new toy works for me. This should finish me off on the rifle. On to the shotgun forum.

Thanks for all the advice!

[kurtm]

George:

I am surely not picking on you. I am sorry you are under the influence of Caliban rules. That being said, I can't think of but one time I loaded the old Beta all the way up. so usually it has like 50-60 rnds in it. Where it shines....out side of being like a 30 on a tipod, is where the round count is around 28-38 rounds on a long asault course, read lots of movement. We can all shoot and move, but to get really good hits you have to slow WAY down, OR.....really LAY on the trigger. There is a simple beuaty of having enough rounds to shoot each target 3-4 times at a full sprint. In the time it takes to put in a mag, even if there is room to do so, a Beta guy can be another 20 feet down range and still "dealin". Now with that said...I never said Betas were barrel friendly . In your defence, I neve saw the need for a 18-20 round .40 cal pistiol, because ther was always time to stuff in another 8 rounder for the old 1911.....untill I tried one. Not having to plan and remember a reload frees the mind to do pleanty of front sight watching, or in my case not watching KURTM

[George]

or in my case not watching

Now that is funny, Kurt.

If I could have a beta, I would. I see your point on not worrying about how many rounds you actually launch at targets during a hoser run.

If I ever get a Beta mag, I just hope I don’t start emulating all the characters I have seen use one in the movies by hip-shooting my CTR-02 all the time

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Regards,

[John Dunn]

If this is the Long Hunter that has been on some of the cowboy shooting shows, we three gunners need to circle the wagons. He's good!

[JFD]

I don't have much 3-gun experience at all, but the First Samco mag couplers have been excellent so far. No slippage whatsoever.

Using the FS coupler, I was easily beating the reload speeds of anyone using a spare mag on their belt. Keep in mind that 3-gun is fairly new around here, so who knows what value my opinion has.