Magpul D-60 Drum Mag... First Match Impressions

[outerlimits]

I find it really interesting that this thing was announced at shot over a year ago, yet there are so few shipped to dealers 13 months later. They are harder to find than a 58 Gibson Flying V. Now why would that be?

[AustinWolv]

They weren't released until the fall that I recall. Sounds no different than half the stuff announced at SHOT that doesn't actually ship until 6-12 months later. Unless you've heard something else.

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Edited February 29, 2016 by AustinWolv

[Alaskapopo]

They weren't released until the fall that I recall. Sounds no different than half the stuff announced at SHOT that doesn't actually ship until 6-12 months later. Unless you've heard something else.

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Beat me to it. Its normal for stuff to get announced way early. Does not mean there is some dark conspiracy.

[outerlimits]

i am aware of that. i got mine around oct. but i see none anywhere for sale. you'd think they would be everywhere.

[SPQR476]

What you experienced is from using the loading lever when unloading. There is a warning in the instructions about making sure the loading lever is in the stowed position when stripping rounds off to unload. You just strip the rounds off like you would a normal mag. No messing around with the lever, and it works 100%. When you lift the lever, it locks the follower stack of dummy rounds in place. Then, if you shake out some rounds, it creates a gap. If the lever is then stowed, it releases the follower stack, and slams it into the bottom of the remaining rounds with considerable force. It's a crazy strong spring.

The other bad thing that can happen is that if you try to use the loading lever and shake the rounds out, the rounds will become dislodged from the track, and make a jumbled mess inside the drum, and jam it up hard.

Follow the instructions, though, and it's easy sailing. Just always make sure the loading lever is completely down before stripping rounds off.

It can't cause problems when shooting, because the lever can't be lifted up high enough to interfere with the feeding cycle when it's in the mag well.

I used mine at the TX3G last weekend, and I have about 2k rounds through the 3 drums that I have.

[billdozer]

I shot mine for the first time (in a match) at the alabama regional, it worked great.

[StealthyBlagga]

What you experienced is from using the loading lever when unloading...

Perhaps - it happened to my son, not me. He just handed it to me and said it was jammed up. He may or may not have touched the lever... Millennials are not known for their patience Magpul were good about it and are sending a replacement.

Edited April 12, 2016 by StealthyBlagga

[billdozer]

Yeah. I learned the hard way about unloading it myself. I didn't break it, but it was a pita to get lined out. Haven't did it since then!

[SPQR476]

And on availability, they have been cranking them out as fast as possible since last fall when they started shipping. Demand is just really high, so they don't stick around long. Cabelas had them in stock earlier today if anyone is looking.

Working on more capacity to meet demand.

[FlashAndPoof]

Do these work for 300 Blackout?

I hear they work on Tavors... but is it true they force you to flare your arm out?

[SPQR476]

We don't call it compatible with .300blk because there is so much variability in bullet profile and how that affects function, but if you can load them in, generally they fire just fine. Laying the drum on its back while loading .300blk helps.

And yes, works on the tavor, but no free lunch...it's a little like cradling a kid size football. But...the muzzle feels super light. :-)

[toothandnail]

I've used mine in 3 matches (and a lot in practice) it is my starting mag on any stage that has more than 20 rifle rounds/targets.

Just like my big shotgun mags - ALWAYS have plenty of ammo to spare to finish the stage.

As one of my squad mates said after watching me shoot a long stage, " I never thought I'd say this , but , you CAN miss fast enough to win!"

If he missed more than once he had to do a reload - I had 6 extra rounds to play with.

[steviesterno]

I just picked up a couple of 60 round surefire mags to play with. I was reading that they are close in length to the GI mags, but that's not totally true. anyway, 60 rounds on tap seems fun, and I had a couple of Lancer 47rounders get hung up on barricades. My fault more than the mag's, but still.

[StealthyBlagga]

MagPul came through like champs - the replacement D-60 arrived the day I left for the Nationals, so I got to run it in a couple of stages. I must not be the only person who broke their D-60, because his time it came with a warning against touching the lever during the unload... a warning that can only be described as hard to miss:

When I was loading this new D-60, I noticed that the pivoting feed lip did not feel right. When I looked more closely, I saw that the spring that keeps it closed was actually missing... here is a photo showing the spring in question:

Despite missing this spring, the magazine ran with 100% reliability at the Nationals, but MagPul asked that I return it for another replacement. That replacement mag arrived very promptly and has the correct spring in place. Kudos to MagPul for their great customer support, and for making a stellar product.

Unfortunately for me, I will be shooting Stealth Division for the rest of the summer, so will not get a chance to use this drum again for a while (30 round mags only ).