MAG 2500 Rounds M249 Cartridge Pouch Review

[staticzero]

The MAG '2500 Rounds M249 Cartridge Pouch' is a 100 round cloth magazine styled remote switch activated electric auto-winding magazine for the TOP and CA M249s. It is available in OD, US woodland, and tricolor desert patterns.

 

Here's the magazine with it's packaging, TOP and CA connectors, self-stick velcro, and a bullet belt (not included). A rudimentary instruction sheet is also included (not pictured).

 

The magazine is essentially a plastic box wrapped in a cloth cover. The feeding mechanism is a high cap style paddle wheel on it side in the bottom of the mag. It pushes BBs up and through the feed tube and into the gun. The mechanism is powered by a standard 9v battery.

 

The winding mechanism is activated by a tape switch which can be attached to the gun using the included pieces of self stick velcro. The switch has a lead long enough to allow placement in a variety of locations, the most common choices being near the thumb on the pistol grip, on the handguard, or on a vertical grip if a RAS unit is installed. The switch must be depressed when firing the gun to ensure uninterrupted feeding.

 

It comes with two connectors, one designed for the TOP M249 series and one designed for the CA249 series. The only difference between the two is that the CA adapter has a catch to stop the BB flow when disconnected from the gun.

 

BBs are loaded through a small door which is accessible by unzipping the cover. It's not the most convenient thing in the word to do, I'd avoid having to do it under fire.

 

Optionally, the magazine can carry certain types of small battery configurations. It takes a bit of work to get them in there since the magazine must be disassembled, and routing the wires out can be tricky. For this reason it would be wise to choose a battery with capacity appropriate for the magazines BB capacity. Keep in mind that placing a battery in the mag reduces the space available for BBs. Also, you'll need to install a wire extension in the gun to take advantage of this capability.

 

The magazine fit's nicely on my CA259P, much better than CA's box mag. It's a tad on the loose side but it's nothing to be concerned about. The catch is secure, there's no risk of the mag coming off during use.

 

A short belt of dummy rounds can be fitted to the magazine. The belt should be at least eleven rounds long.

 

On to some pictures.

 

Here are the adapters, feed tube (it's a spring), and self stick velcro. The velcro is large enough to be cut in half and used in two locations or on two guns.

 

The 9v battery and BB door are accessible by unzipping and pulling back the cover. Be sure to close the door after filling the mag.

 

The mag easily comes apart by unzipping and pulling up one side of the cover. The top part and cloth come off as one piece leaving the box and winding mechanism. As you can see here I've installed a AA cell based double nunchuck battery in the mag.

 

Here is the box with battery installed.

 

The cartridge port blocking plate can be removed easily by pressing the sides in and pulling it away. The feed tube/spring is simply press fit in and can be pulled out with a little effort. It's the job of this plate to keep BBs from coming out of the mag's cartridge port. In this picture you can see the mag is only half full of BBs. You really can fit a lot in there.

 

The BBs in the bottom of this picture help to illustrate the location of the paddle wheel. The box above it with the wires coming out contains the motor. As you can see I've taped the winding switch wire to help route it out of the mag more easily when reassembling.

 

Here you can see the feed springs simply plug into the cartridge port blocking plate.

 

Here's the plate in it's proper position. You can see how the lower feed tube/spring is positioned. It can block the feed door but it's flexible and will move out of the way easily when filling.

 

Here is one battery option, a relatively common AA cell based double nunchuck config as is commonly used in M4 or MP5 handguard applications. I had this one made for my MP5 by CBP. It's a 9.6v config built with eight CBP1650 cells (1650mAh capacity).

Edited April 16, 2006 by staticzero

[staticzero]

This picture illustrates proper placement of this battery. notice the feed tube side cells are slightly offset so as not to interfere with the feed tube.

 

Here's another option, a standard 8.4v mini battery. A 9.6v mini may be able to be used in this way but slight modification to the blocking plate may be required.

 

Here's another option, a 9.6v 1400mAh single nunchuck pack built with Intellect IB1400 cells. This is my personal choice at this time. I had this pack built by CBP for my G36K and ultimately my VLTOR stock. It should offer just enough run time to make it through the whole mag. Based on the conventional 1.5 shots per mAh of capacity predictor it should be able to last about 2000 rounds. By my estimation it displaces about 400 BBs, so it should be just about right. Also while it takes up about as much space as the CBP1650 pack it offers better performance. It will stay above 1v/cell all they way to 1300mAh and it can sustain higher amp draws when called upon. It's also compatible with a wider assortment of AEGs.

 

Here it is placed in the mag.

 

The battery wires and the switch wire should be routed through this slot. It can be a bit tricky to get the mag back together keeping the wires in the right place, but it gets easier with practice. Thankfully you don't have to take the battery out to charge it.

 

If you route the wires properly this is the result.

 

Then you can put on the ammo belt.

 

Slap on the mag and hook up the wires, taking care to tuck them out of the way. They'll be concealed behind the ammo belt.

 

Now just put the belt in position and close her up.

[staticzero]

Here's another angle to show how I routed the wire.

 

And here's a shot inside the handguard.

 

I tested the mag briefly by putting about 500 rounds through the gun using it. It feed smoothly and reliably. I'm looking forward to testing it more thoroughly in-game.

 

If you just like the look, or maybe you want a lower drag mag, or you simply want something different for your M249, I think the MAG '2500 Rounds M249 Cartridge Pouch' is a fine choice. It's well designed, well constructed, and made of good materials. It offers compelling features and seems to work well too. Not bad for around $100.

 

In the future I plan on connecting it up to the trigger circuit, bypassing the need for the remote winding switch. I'll be sure to update this review when I do.

 

Also, a note for all the Star M149 users. It is possible to make this mag work with your gun. However, modification will be needed. You'd basically have to swap over the connector and rig up the wiring yourself. If you can't stand waiting for Star's own cloth mags to be released and you don't mind getting your hands dirty, this may be a viable option for you.

 

I hope you have found this review helpful. If you have any questions or comments, please post away!

 

CA249 with MAG '2500 Rounds M249 Cartridge Pouch'

Edited April 16, 2006 by staticzero

[Geronimo]

Thanks for the informative review mate, have just ordered mine last week from WGC.

 

Regards

Matt

[Sarge133]

Very Nice review, did you attach it to your Star M249P or was it a friend's CA version? I didnt know you had a CA M249P.

[staticzero]

It's mine, I bought it recently.

[Sarge133]

I see, nice buy. Two M249's...care to send the Star one my way by any chance?

[staticzero]

Haha, not for free. In the end I'll keep the one I like more and sell the other one. I can't really justify having two M249s after I get the change to thoroughly compare the two.

[Sarge133]

Now that you have both M249's will you be doing a compare and contrast write up? for those you plan to buy an M249 (like me) but not sure if the extra $500 or so is worth it for not.

[staticzero]

Yep, that's the plan.