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King Arms/Magpul PTS 360 round Hi-cap mag


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King Arms/Magpul PTS 360 round Hi-Cap AR15 AEG magazine

 

P1000343.jpg

 

Introduction

Pmags. There are loads of them, these days. For those that don't know, Pmag stands for 'Polymer Magazine', a type of M16/AR15 30 round magazine made by Magpul Industries. The idea behind the RS version is that they're lighter, easier to grip and manipulate, and feed better than standard AR15 magazines. There have been Midcap and Lowcap PMAG Magazines around for a fair while now. Both Magpul PTS and STAR make Pmags - PTS being the 'high end' version, in 120 round flavour, and STAR marketed as 'Green Label' Pmags in various capacities from 20-75 rounds. There are also various ACM companies knocking out Pmag Midcaps, and also hicaps. There are several reviews of all 3 of the main Pmag replicas in these very forums.

 

As you can see, there are an awful lot of Pmag midcaps available, but few hicaps. The only hi-cap Pmag i've come across is the A&K one included with their Masada. I had one for a short time; It seemed okay, and didn't have any noticeable issues. However, i owned the mag for barely a day, and only used it in the Masada it was intended for. It fed fine for the one or two mag-fills i put through it, but felt a bit cheap and the winding wheel was very difficult to access due to being far too recessed.

 

So now, King Arms have made a fully licensed Pmag replica. The first 'high end' manufacturer to produce Hi-capacity Pmags that i'm aware of. Advertised as 360 round capacity replica Pmags, they come either individually or in a box of 5. Available from most decent HK retailers at around $35-40 individually, or around $130-150 for the box of 5. I imported mine from Ehobby, at a final cost of around £100, including shipping and fees. The only place i know of in the UK currently stocking them is Wolf Armouries, at a rather expensive £149.99 for 5, or 34.99 individually. So price-wise, they're a little more expensive than regular hi-caps, but not hugely so.

 

Here's a picture of the right and left sides:

 

P1000345.jpg

 

P1000346.jpg

 

The left hand markings read simply 'Magpul PTS' at the top, and 'PMAG 30' at the bottom.

The right hand side reads 'Magpul Professional Training & Simulation Division - For Training and Simulator Use Only' across the top, and the same 'PMAG 30' at the bottom. Personally, i'm not much of a fan of 'Training' and 'Simulation' markings on stuff, but these are all concealed when the mag is in the gun.

On the baseplate of the gun is the simple 'PTS' logo in one of the recesses.

 

First Impressions:

Packaging wise, these magazines come in the standard King Arms '5 M4 mags' box. There's not much on the outside to suggest what lies within, as this is a generic package for the various 5 sets of M4 mags King Arms make. I didn't spend an awfully long time looking at the box, and nor did i take a picture. It's a fairly boring box.

 

As for the mags themselves, the first impression is very good. They're a lot lighter than the Classic Army midcaps i've used and loved for the past year. I'd say about 2/3rds of the overall weight of a metal magazine. The texture is very good, and so is the finish - A nice, grippy surface that isn't too sharp or pronounced. The ridges and markings are all well defined, and the whole magazine looks very well put together. They look at least 32% more awesome than your average magazine, and the polymer used is very similar looking and feeling to the various PTS stuff i've plastered my MRP with.

 

The texture and ribs make the magazine much more 'grippy' than a metal equivalent; Before now, i've had smooth metal magazines fly out of my sweaty hands in the hectic madness of a firefight with harmless toy guns. I imagine i'll still fumble reloads and launch magazines all over the place, as i'm not a trained professional. However, it'll probably happen a bit less. These King Arms Pmags are definitely easier to grip and far less slippery - I've now used them at a day's skirmishing, and i didn't throw them anywhere and nor did they fall out of my open topped pouches.

 

Usage and fitment:

So, we've so far established they seem to be solidly made, they look cool, and they're lighter than metal mags. So, how do these contraptions work?

 

Fairly simply really - Same as most other KA Hicaps i've seen.

 

P1000344.jpg

 

That there above picture is the top of the Magazine. Standard AEG M4 feed exit, and standard KA hicap hatch. Basically, you need to use the cuts in the top of the magazine hatch to jam your fingernail into, pull the hatch back towards the feeding exit, and the hatch pops up. A little fiddly, but there's no chance of the magazine hatch coming open when you really don't want it too.

 

P1000347.jpg

 

The above image is the bottom of the magazine, showing the winding wheel. They take a fair bit of winding before the ratchety click starts to kick in, i imagine due to the slightly higher capacity. The winding wheel and mechanism makes all the usual re-assuring clicks. Another good thing that i was originally a little worried about, is the depth of the winding wheel. While it is fairly recessed, the teeth of the wheel are nicely pronounced, meaning winding the magazines is easy, even with a pair of gloves on. Much better than the A&K effort; I found the wheel to be a little deep, making winding the mag difficult even with a bare finger. The below image is a fairly poor attempt to show the depth of the winding wheel;

 

P1000348.jpg

 

 

So, do they fit?

 

Well, i've only got G&P AEG's, however i've managed to test them in one or two other brands. These mags fit PERFECTLY in a G&P M4 lower receiver; Lock into the mag catch with a nice click, and drop free easily.

They fit and feed fine in the following guns:

 

G&P LMT MRP M4

G&P M7A1 and Sentry (VLTOR body)

King Arms VLTOR VIS

Classic Army M249 (Just for the hell of it)

 

My next game is on the 31st, so i'll be able to test fitting in a few more brands of AEG, including ICS and Classic Army AR's, hopefully some others.

 

Do they hold 360 rounds?

 

Well, yes. Sort of. Just to be thorough, i crammed a magazine full. I then painstakingly counted the rounds - I'm not exactly busy today. 343 rounds in total went into the Pmag, with a little shaking and tapping. That's with the usual 'Load some rounds, wind until BB's show at the exit, top up rounds' method. I reckon, with a bit more tapping and shaking, you could probably find space for 360 rounds. So let's call it a capacity of up to 360 rounds, or about 340 without making an extra effort.

 

Do they make BB's come out of my gun?

 

Again, yes. Yes they do. a full wind of the magazine happily emptys approximately 300 rounds before the mechanism unwinds. Winding a little more feeds another 30 or so before the last 20-30 rounds are left in the magazine feed tube. The gun used has a RoF of about 24RPS. Not silly, but fairly high, and there were no misfeeds at all. Again, i shall try and test them in a higher RoF set up at the next game i get too.

 

So, They're good then?

 

They are indeed. I've now used them at a skirmish and a half (half being a CQB game i spent more time using my pistol). They've been dropped a few times, and fully loaded and unloaded several times. They feed perfectly in the guns i've used them in, they look nice, they're noticeably lighter and hold far more rounds than a midcap. I haven't missed the winding aspect, but it's a trade-off i'm willing to live with for far higher capacity, far cooler looking and much lighter mags.

 

Have they revolutionised the world of airsoft? Not in the slightest; they're just hicaps. We're not in the real world, and a single mis-feed won't cost anyone their life. There are plenty of cheaper mags that do basically the same thing. However, i was happy to pay the little bit extra for the following reasons:

 

1. They're lighter. A Pmag Hicap loaded with 360 rounds weighs about the same as a CA Midcap loaded with 120.

2. They're easier to grip. A rough surface means you're less likely to drop them, yet they don't stick in pouches at all.

3. They're reliable and functional.

4. Most importantly, they look cool. Especially with added red 'I'm in die hard and these mags have live rounds in' tape.

 

P1000342.jpg

Edited by hwagan
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  • 2 weeks later...

Very good review, nice to know they're solid.

 

My KA Sig series hi caps fell apart on 2nd game, screw at botom fell out, very annoyed.

hwagan, do you think this will fit a KA Sig 556 Shorty?, as a guidance, TM M4 hicaps are very tight fit mad.gif

 

Thanks dude :)

 

Firstly - I'm so very jealous, i've been wanting a 556 shorty since the day they were released, you lucky fugger ;)

 

Secondly - I can see no reason why not, but unfortunately i can't confirm - If i ever get the chance to try one in a 556, i'll be sure to update here.. It's been an awfully long time since i've used a TM mag, but if you can give me an accurate measurement of the widest point in the magwell i can compare to the Pmag?

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hwagan, thanks for the offer to help biggrin.gif

 

but I pulled the trigger yesterday and brought 10 from Circuit Airsoft. I haven't used these people before but they were unbelivably good value at £22 each.

I got 10, five black, five DE. If they don't work on the Sig, I'll use with my KA SR16 or my Ares SCAR Light.

I've allways wanted a DE coloured rifle so the DE ones will come in handy, currently looking at a G&P Magpul Sentry.

 

I'm glad you like the KA Sig 556 Shorty, solid piece of kit for CQB, fires 340 on a 9.6v. Added bonus of being quite rare at Airsoft games. cool.gif

 

Enjoy the pic! (soz for the basicness of it, I don't have a single artistic flair bone in my body)dsc1301rx.jpg

Edited by bladerunner168
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but I pulled the trigger yesterday and brought 10 from Circuit Airsoft. I haven't used these people before but they were unbelivably good value at £22 each.

 

I've allways wanted a DE coloured rifle so the DE ones will come in handy, currently looking at a G&P Magpul Sentry.

 

 

Firstly - Fug me that's an insanely good price. That's not far off the price from ordering in - Will definitely have to look those guys up!

 

As for the G&P Sentry - You can't go wrong. Honestly, all i use is M4's, and i'd never touch anything other than G&P. Bought an ICS CXP today on a whim at my local site, and i'd sold it for £40 less than i paid 8 hours later. Nice little gun and all, but even with the various clever features it just doesn't come close in feel and build quality. The LMT MRP, if you're willing to stretch that far, is the best piece of airsoft equipment i've ever had the pleasure of owning.

 

 

*edit* - Also, the King Arms PMAGS fit into an ICS body, on that note - However, you need to shove them in good and proper and rock them forward a little to ensure they engage the mag catch.

Edited by hwagan
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Quick update: recieved my batch today. As hwagan has allready pointed out in his review, these are top quality magazine, superbly built.

My problems: dont fit in my KA Sig 556 at, very tight fit in my KA SR16 E3 but a perfect 10 on my Ares SCAR Light.

 

Despite the fit issues, I am very glad I brought these, maybe this is an excuse to buy a new rifle again. tongue.gif

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Despite the fit issues, I am very glad I brought these, maybe this is an excuse to buy a new rifle again. tongue.gif

 

 

King Arms PMAGS

Desire for G&P Magpul Sentry

Perfect fit in a G&P Receiver

 

Sounds to me like you need a G&P Sentry mate ;)

 

As for the 556 - No way you can file a few choice areas of the magwell to help them fit?

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Sounds to me like you need a G&P Sentry mate wink.gif

 

As for the 556 - No way you can file a few choice areas of the magwell to help them fit?

 

The Sentry is coming, I ordered from LWA on Tuesday, hopefully coming today rolleyes.gif

 

I could file down the PMAGS, but they are so beautifully crafted, it seems like sacralige to butcher them. wink.gif

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