Jerking the Trigger

I have used various magazine couplers over the years and have generally found them wanting. Most couplers work by clamping two magazines together tightly enough that they do not slip. The problem is that they eventually do slip or they are clamped so tightly that the magazine body pinches causing feeding problems. I eventually gave up on trying to find a decent magazine coupler.

I recently had my interest piqued once again in magazine couplers when I came across a new design that is all together different from anything else I have seen. The FASTMAG PMAG Couplers from Springer Precision work by replacing the baseplates of the magazine instead of clamping them together. That is not only innovative and interesting, it should completely do away with all the issues of clamp type couplers. It is obvious that a lot of thought went into this coupler.

The FASTMAG PMAG Couplers are machined from aluminum and then hard anodized for durability. It must be durable since it replaces the baseplate and it will take impacts from being dropped during magazine changes and from being used as a monopod. The magazines are not staggered as they are with some couplers. Staggering is usually unnessary and placing the magazines at the same level allows for a broader, more stable base for the magazine monopod technique.

Springer Precision offers 3 different models of the FASTMAG PMAG coupler: a model for .308 PMAGs, a model for 2 30 round 5.56 PMAGs, and a duty model for a 30 round and 20 round 5.56 PMAG. The duty version is very intriguing. It is designed to couple a 20 round PMAG with a 30 rounds PMAG. It weighs less and is slightly more compact than the standard 2x 30 round FASTMAG PMAG Coupler. It gives you the flexibility of having a reload on board with your rifle without the full weight and size of another 30 rounds magazine.

I am really impressed with this magazine coupler.

Glock handguns, especially the 9mm models, have had some very public reliability issues recently. Generation 3 and 4 Glock 17s and 19s that were made starting in 2009 have exhibited extraction issues that have been attributed to changes in the extractors. These new extractors may or may not be the issue but several people are reporting that Lone Wolf Distributing’s (LWD) Glock Extractors have cured their reliability woes.

It appears that the new potentially problematic extractor first showed up in the Gen4 Glocks and found its way into the Gen3 Glocks as early as 2009. The LWD extractor is based on the earlier Gen3 extractors with the loaded chamber indicator which proved to be a very capable and reliable extractor.

If you have a 2009 or later Gen3 or Gen4 Glock that is experiencing reliability issues, you might want to look into the LWD extractors as a potential fix. You can find the extractors on the LWD website.

Troy Industries posted a video of their new Battle Mags being put through some destructive testing. The magazines pass all the tests that are shown in the video. I am not sure that this type of testing really tells you much about the product but it interesting to watch – especially since you catch a glimpse of a Multicam Ford Expedition.

Rob S. from TacticalYellowVisor.net just released the latest version of “The Chart”. The Chart has been the source of a lot of controversy (mostly from people who missed the point) but I find it to be a tremendously valuable tool.

“Mil-spec” is an over-used and over-simplified term that is often tossed around by manufacturers that have never once thought of actually building to a specification, let alone a military specification. Most consumers will never educate themselves as to what mil-spec really means and why it is important. The result is that the majority of “mil-spec” carbines on the market really aren’t made to spec at all. The Chart gives an organized look at the features that actually make a carbine “mil-spec” and allows you to compare how various manufacturers stack up. There are no judgements made – just a whole lot of valuable information.

The information comes from the manufacturers themselves. Rob must have spent a ton of time gathering and organizing all of this. Many manufacturers are not represented on the chart. That is because they have either chosen not to provide information or because they just haven’t provided it yet. If there is a manufacturer you want to see on the chart, tell them to contact Rob.

The best way to access the chart is to view the conversation on M4Carbine.net. You can also view the explanation of all the features listed in The Chart on TacticalYellowVisor.net.