I picked up a Magpul 40 round Gen M3 magazine the other day. The older Gen M2 had floor plates that slid off towards the front of the magazine body, but the newer Gen M3's have floor plates that slide off to the rear, like all my other magazines. I don't know for sure, because I'm not about to load up my rifle and drop it on concrete like in the video in the OP, but I suspect that change was related to that video. I don't know whether it helps alleviate mag dumps or not.
Other changes in the Gen M3 Pmags include shoulders on the rear of the magazine to prevent over-insertion on an open bolt, a dot-matrix at the bottom of the mag to label it with a paint pen, and beefed up magazine catch surfaces. They claim the floor plate was slimmed down, but I don't see much difference between the M3 and the M2 versions. They're both still bulky, and both present problems when filling a magazine pouch. They could still learn something from Lancer when it comes to floor plates.
The M3 versions also come equipped with a feed lip cover, compared to the feed lip covers being a separate purchase for the M2 series. The covers are not interchangeable between the two. I tried.
The Pmag 40 rounder seats fine on a closed bolt even when it is topped off with a full 40 rounds.
Really, the only big gripe I have with it is Magpul's continued insistence on all polymer feed lips. I still cannot bring myself to trust a plastic feed lip against a hot gun bolt and carrier.
I stocked up on Lancer 30 round mags, but Lancer doesn't make a decent 40 rounder. I've seen some that are clamped together out of two piece magazine bodies, but that seems just a little insane to me, so I've avoided them. So for 40 rounders, I have two steel Colt marked National Magazine (a Commiefornia manufacturer) manufactured mags, which are crap since the followers tend to stick inside the parkerized steel bodies, 3 Bulgarian MWC 40 rounders which are my go-to big mags, because they just work, work well, and have polymer coated steel feed lips, and this one lonely Pmag. The Pmag might be ok as an ambush mag, but I wouldn't trust if for extended use. I only use the big magazines to be obnoxious for 10 rounds longer while I'm seeking cover, but then I switch to standard 30 round magazines. The first 40 rounds probably wouldn't heat it up enough to do too much damage to the lips, but after that, it's all fair game, and steel feed lips.
The gen M2 Pmags had two weak spots - the floor plate that dumped the magazines when it got jarred, and a tendency to split at the top of the back of the magazine, up at the top near the feed lips, which also tended to result in mag dumps if it was out of the weapon. They MAY have addressed the floorplate issue by switching the catch side of it back to front, but I don't know of any improvements to the feed lip area that would prevent splits there. Adding a steel feed lip insert that wrapped around the magazine spine like the Lancers do would fix that problem, I believe, but Magpul seems dead set against that.
All in all, the Magpul Gen M3 Pmags are an improvement over the gen M2, but I'm just not sure that enough improvements have been made to correct all of the deficiencies and bring them to the reliability level I demand in combat magazines.
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Other changes in the Gen M3 Pmags include shoulders on the rear of the magazine to prevent over-insertion on an open bolt, a dot-matrix at the bottom of the mag to label it with a paint pen, and beefed up magazine catch surfaces. They claim the floor plate was slimmed down, but I don't see much difference between the M3 and the M2 versions. They're both still bulky, and both present problems when filling a magazine pouch. They could still learn something from Lancer when it comes to floor plates.
The M3 versions also come equipped with a feed lip cover, compared to the feed lip covers being a separate purchase for the M2 series. The covers are not interchangeable between the two. I tried.
The Pmag 40 rounder seats fine on a closed bolt even when it is topped off with a full 40 rounds.
Really, the only big gripe I have with it is Magpul's continued insistence on all polymer feed lips. I still cannot bring myself to trust a plastic feed lip against a hot gun bolt and carrier.
I stocked up on Lancer 30 round mags, but Lancer doesn't make a decent 40 rounder. I've seen some that are clamped together out of two piece magazine bodies, but that seems just a little insane to me, so I've avoided them. So for 40 rounders, I have two steel Colt marked National Magazine (a Commiefornia manufacturer) manufactured mags, which are crap since the followers tend to stick inside the parkerized steel bodies, 3 Bulgarian MWC 40 rounders which are my go-to big mags, because they just work, work well, and have polymer coated steel feed lips, and this one lonely Pmag. The Pmag might be ok as an ambush mag, but I wouldn't trust if for extended use. I only use the big magazines to be obnoxious for 10 rounds longer while I'm seeking cover, but then I switch to standard 30 round magazines. The first 40 rounds probably wouldn't heat it up enough to do too much damage to the lips, but after that, it's all fair game, and steel feed lips.
The gen M2 Pmags had two weak spots - the floor plate that dumped the magazines when it got jarred, and a tendency to split at the top of the back of the magazine, up at the top near the feed lips, which also tended to result in mag dumps if it was out of the weapon. They MAY have addressed the floorplate issue by switching the catch side of it back to front, but I don't know of any improvements to the feed lip area that would prevent splits there. Adding a steel feed lip insert that wrapped around the magazine spine like the Lancers do would fix that problem, I believe, but Magpul seems dead set against that.
All in all, the Magpul Gen M3 Pmags are an improvement over the gen M2, but I'm just not sure that enough improvements have been made to correct all of the deficiencies and bring them to the reliability level I demand in combat magazines.
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Diogenes was eating bread and lentils for supper. He was seen by the philosopher Aristippus, who lived comfortably by flattering the king.
Said Aristippus, ‘If you would learn to be subservient to the king you would not have to live on lentils.’ Said Diogenes, ‘Learn to live on lentils and you will not have to be subservient to the king.’
Said Aristippus, ‘If you would learn to be subservient to the king you would not have to live on lentils.’ Said Diogenes, ‘Learn to live on lentils and you will not have to be subservient to the king.’