Last night I was cleaning/organizing my work bench when accidentally I elbowed an AK mag and an AR mag at the same time, both landing on the floor.
With the AR mag, I thought “I hope I didn’t screw up the mag lips.”
With the AK mag, the thought was “I hope I did not chip the ceramic tile.
And that defines the difference between both.
PS: Yes, the AK in the rear has rust in it. That was one of the lot of Serbian battlefield pick ups that I bought many years ago. I just cleaned that one (It hat actual dirt and vegetal remains inside), lubricated it and have not touched it in about 8 years, maybe more. Works like a proletarian champion.
AK mags are tuff. You can hammer tent stakes in with em then stuff it in a gun and blister it off. I have found P mags to be pretty reliable. I was told the mil surplus aluminum mags are designed to use twice in the field and throw away…myth maybe? Anyone have good/bad luck with them?
I have heard that also (actually, one use) but tend to discount it. There’s a difference between being cheap enough to discard if expedient, and designed for single use.
Magpul. One brand, two platform, both problems go bye-bye. (although it is hard to argue against the price of surplus AK mags, and Magpul AK mags don’t work in all AKs.)
In my experience a quality USGI mag is good for a good long time, but one day without warning it’s no longer good. And it’s rarely something that can be fixed.
The Gen 3 AR PMAGS are excellent. I’ve pretty much converted over to them except for my retro and nostalgia ARs.
As for Pmags I was talking about AR mags as I dont have an AK anymore..