I try to avoid potential problems when I can. I try to use factory mags whenever possible.However, in some cases, a non-factory or non-OEM mag can work just as well. A good example would be contract AR-15 GI mags. By and large, every Okay magazine is…well, okay. On the other hand, some non-facotry mags are outrageous failures – like USA Brand magazines. When the election was a-brewing, and I was planning on President Hillary, it seemed prudent to stock up on more happysticks. Now, Glock mags were about $30, and the MagPuls, though cheaper, were not available yet. I wanted to stock up on some happysticks for speculative purposes and I wanted ’em cheap(ish).
Cruising over at Tams blog, I noticed the ETS magazines. Now, I don’t normally mess with non-factory mags for pistols…but…these aren’t for me. These are strictly for tucking away for resale after the next ban. So, at a sale price of about $12.95 ea. (and after asking Tam about her opinion on them) I went ahead and bought ‘a bunch’. And this is where we segue….
Customer service, man. Those geeks at Palmetto State Armory took their sweet time. I ordered these things on the 28th of November, they didn’t even ship ’em until December 5th, and the bloody things didn’t even get here until the 13th. Annoying.
Back to topic……
I really prefer metal feed lips in magazines. The reason is that I feel that if I leave a magazine loaded for a length of time, the constant pressure against the non-metal-reinforced feedlips will eventually splay them out a bit and cause problems. Glock has metal liners in their mags and this is the main reason that all of my kept-loaded-and-waiting magazines are Glock factory mags. However, Magpul’s mags seem pretty dang good even without the metal liner. But Magpul uses some pretty solid plastic..it doesn’t have as much give as other plastic mags. These ETS mags, which are transparent..a fun novelty, seem to be of a thinner, less rigid plastic. This has me curious about the feed lips. But…not really my problem since these are for Deep Sleep and eventual resale. I suppose f I were going to use them in practice or competition, where I would load them at the range, shoot em off, and then leave them unloaded in storage, it wouldnt make a difference.
But…this is all speculation. For all I know these things will store loaded just fine. I’ll pull a couple out, load em up, and let ’em sit for a few weeks or months and then mike ’em out against their unloaded brethren.
Semi off topic but I recently went into the PSA brick and mortar store in Charleston…meh…wasn’t that impressed…
“I’ll pull a couple out, load em up, and let ’em sit for a few weeks or months and then mike ’em out against their unloaded brethren.”
Please do report the results… FOR SCIENCE!
CZ,
Longtime reader, first time commenter. Really like your blog and your writing.
Re: PSA – I live/work near their Columbia stores. When they were getting off the ground, they tried to make their bones on the “customer service” issue and, for a while, they really, made it happen. When their second (larger) store opened, *any* semblance of CS vaporized almost overnight. I quit shopping & shooting there because I don’t appreciate being talked down to by $9/hr. sleeved out “operators” or good ‘ol boys who think they know everything (most don’t). And, their range prices border on out-and-out lunacy…
You best watch Tam’s advice. When she worked in the Knoxville gunstore(Coal Creek Armory), she liked to puff up and blow a lot of smoke. Caught her one time trying to tell me that 400ft#s was more energy than 700ft#s. When challenged, she mumbled and wandered off down the counter.
She knows A Lot but only about 10% of what she think that she knows.
“Caught her one time trying to tell me that 400ft#s was more energy than 700ft#s.”
LOL.
Says the guy who won’t sign his name to his comment.
You gonna *mumble mumble*? Or are you gonna put up?
Probably metric foot pounds, which would be exactly correct. Mumble mumble, from one anonymous tool to another.
I live one hour from PSA in Columbia – Customer Service is not their forte – via the mail or in person.
If you’re going to do the experiment, consider numbering the mags and taking measurements first so we can compare before and after results.
I can’t speak to these ETS mags. To magpul I can speak about their AR mags. Once I intentionally left one loaded for a full year. It was the same as on day one.
I’ve had Glock and Ruger 10/22 (factory 10 rounders) loaded at least that long.
I try to rotate my mags intermittently but if I found a random PMAG or Glock mag around my stuff I would feel fine using it.
Depending on how many mags you identify and use for the test, may I suggest including a periodic function test – say, load and measure for 12 months, each month use the one with the worst measurement for the function test, using the same gun each time? It would be useful to know at not only if they degrade, but at what point they become insufficiently reliable.
Tam’s constant use of the ETS mags will produce a higher cyclic rate on a smaller number of mags, a useful counterpoint to a long term static test, and I’m sure we’ll be apprised of her experience with them.
Might an email to ETS produce a quantity of ammo to perform the function testing with?
I received a rifle kit from PSA. The bolt show lots of brass staining on the bolt face and lots of brass scuffing on the bottom side of the BCG where it slides over the cartridges in the magazine. I know that they say that their kits are test fired prior to shipping, but this BCG had been really, really test fired.
I contacted them twice about it via email with photos showing the extensive use and both replies were snarky and really talked down to me. I will never buy another kit from them again. I don’t need to give my money to someone who lies to me and insults me.
I would suggest to others to not use them. Any further business will go to Delton or another vendor.
Matt
Customer service is certainly questionable with them. I visited their Columbia location and talked to the at-the-time owner/manager. He was a great guy and showed me around(I was writing an article). The behind-the-counter guys were tools.
MidState Firearms all the way for uppers.
I can only tell you about Magpul P-Mags for the AR (5.56). I had 2 loaded for 2+ years in the back of the safe. I wanted to see how they functioned….. they functioned flawlessly. Used them all day.
I would suggest applying some common lubricants to the some of the magazines that are left loaded to test the polymers ability to resist being damaged by them. A guy in NFA Talk did that to CZ Evo 3 magazines and many of them failed that test.
I bought a bunch of Glock Pmags in 17 and 21 round configuration for range use. After extensive testing (2000 + rds) i found them to perform flawlessly while shooting unsuppressed with Glock 17, 19, and DDLES carbine. Suppressed was a different story. The extra back pressure in the pistols was enough to spread the lips and cause double feeds. Happened consistently with multiple mags and multiple suppressors (aac ti-rant 9mm and silencerco octane 9). AAC ti-rant 45 with 9mm piston causes less back pressure and did not cause double feeds. No malfunctions were noted in the ddles carbine which is dedicated suppressed all the time. Just thought i would throw this out there as FYI. Thanks for all the great info and laughs. This is truly my favorite blog of all time.