Global Sports: Magpul Pmag Versus Troy Battlemag A Battle Of Opinion...

Sunday, November 4, 2012

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.

Are you tired of dealing with the many design issues of metal magazines? How many times have you have to bend the feed lips back into place, or seen inconsistent spot welding cause failures? What about the weak springs, and non self-leveling followers? Are you ready for the answer to these problems? Polymer Magazines like the Magpul Pmag offer some vast improvements.

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.

Battlemag Magazine by Troy

Exterior: The Battlemag is Troy Industries answer to the Pmag. Troy is known for outstanding quality with their buttstocks and handguards so let's see how their magazine compares. Right from the start you can tell that Troy's polymer is softer and a tad lighter. It has a little more flex to it, but it is by no means weak. It has a snake scale texture, but the texture only helps when pulling down on the magazine. There is no lip on the bottom of the magazine like the Pmag, but that is just a personal preference of mine. The Troy Battlemag comes with an interchangeable buttplate and includes a small tab for the base of the magazine that is meant to function like a Ranger Plate. This tab is made of soft rubber and feels very durable. The feed lips are reinforced with more polymer but this magazine does not come with a impact plate like a Pmag to keep those feed lips from coming apart under extended periods with a full 30 round load. If you clean your magazines regularly or remove the buttplate regularly, be warned, it is very difficult to get off. The Battlemag is also advertised as being fully compatible with non USA manufactured 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.




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