Sunday

Magpul Pmag Versus Troy Battlemag A Battle Of Opinion...

By Eric Oden


Here is the straight scoop on the differences between Magpul Pmag and Troy Battlemag AR15 Rifle Magazines. There is a lot of different opinions floating around out there. Which is more durable, can be driven over by a vehicle, or can be blown up. If you are getting blown up, or run over by a vehicle you have more to worry about than which magazine you should have chosen. I'm going to give you the facts and let you decide which is best.

If you're still using metal magazines there are some vast improvements in the polymer magazine world like the AR15 Pmag. Metal magazines suffer from a plethora of design issues especially the government issue variety. Problems like bent feed lips (I can't count how many times a LCPL has come to me saying his magazine is screwed, just to bend the feed lips back into place), weak springs, non self-leveling followers, and they are prone to failure due to inconsistent spot welding and two piece designs.

Pmag Magazine by Magpul

Exterior: Magpul's Pmag is the most popular AR-15 magazine in existence. It is stocked with improvements over the older USGI magazines to become more durable, reliable, and of course look cooler. Let's start with the exterior. The outside of the Pmag is textured with waffle-like raised lines that give you a good grip on the magazine regardless of conditions. It has no sharp edges. They are all rounded to eliminate snags on gear or in mag pouches. The body of the Pmag is one piece, no welds or weak joints to fail or break. If color is your thing, you don't have to worry about it rubbing off with use because it is mixed into the mold. One of the best features in my book is that it is QUIET. No metal on metal rattling. No loud dropped magazine on a night patrol. No telling empty magazine drop on a speed reload. It has built in guides for speed loaders, an easily removable floor plate, an impact cover that keeps the feed lips from spreading over time and keeps dirt out. It's also made from the same material as Magpul's CTR and PRS stocks.

Interior: The inside of the Magpul Pmag is where the real improvements come from. Let's start with the spring. The spring is constructed of heat treated stainless steel and is passivated to resist corrosion. It has a built-in follower rail, unlike USGI magazines, that pairs perfectly with the self-leveling follower to drastically reduce failures produced by magazines like nose diving and bolt over base failures. The follower is self lubricating, has longer guides, and is much more robust than a USGI follower. Both the Pmag and the Battlemag are fully made and assembled in the USA.

The Battlemag

Exterior: Troy is also a leader in the industry with outstanding quality - known for their butt stocks and hand guards. Compared to the Pmag - Troy's polymer is lighter and softer. It is more flexible without the weakness expected when you test it. It has a scaled texture like a snake skin, however the texture doesn't provide much grip toward upward motion. The Pmag has a lip on the bottom of the magazine, the Troy Battlemag doesn't. I prefer magazines with a lip. It comes with a swappable buttplate that has a small tab that functions like a Ranger Plate. The tab is a very durable soft rubber. One of the downsides of this magazine is that it does not come with an impact plate like Pmag. It does have reinforced feed lips, but that won't stand up to extended periods of use with a full load. Also if you like to keep your magazines clean, or remove the buttplate often this magazine is probably not for you. The buttplate is VERY hard to remove. The Battlemag works with AR-15 platform rifles like the HK 416 (IAR) and the FN SCAR.

Interior: The Battlemag and Pmag have very similar internal components. The Battlemag built in follower rail and self leveling follower is close to the same and Pmag. The spring is stainless steel and very heavy duty. The Battlemag guides are not as long as the Pmag which makes it more likely to have nose down malfunctions.

Verdict: My recommendation is to always buy polymer. Both the Pmag and Battlemag will be a serious upgrade to the old metal USGI magazines. I prefer the Pmag because of the many color options and windows. The Pmag seems to have a more heavy duty plastic, larger follower, and longer guides. It is easier to take apart as well. Either way Battlemag and Pmag will be a valuable asset to your mag pouch.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment