Pmags, why so popular?

[SecondsCount]

I picked up some in 2007 because a friend had a couple and was raving about them. The quality is good and while I'm not hard on my equipment, I can say that they have been 100% in all conditions.

[DocGKR]

As noted, Pmags are "so popular" because they work--pretty simple.

[flux]

Thanks people.

[BillSWPA]

Brownells currently has Gen. 2 and Gen. 3 30 round Pmags, and possibly other capacities, on sale.

[rob_s]

As noted, Pmags are "so popular" because they work--pretty simple.

Which is pretty sad that in today's world that's an accomplishment, not the status quo.

They do work, that is a fact, but the reason for their proliferation (and, dare I say, ubiquitousness?) has more to do with marketing and "nudge" than anything else. As I've mentioned elsewhere, I once found myself using Pmags exclusively yet couldn't recall making a conscious switch, and when retracing my steps realized I had simply assimilated to the collective after having received literally dozens of them for free from here's or there.

[Chuck Haggard]

They were the first polymer magazine that was worth a shit.

They also take flat out abuse better than GI mags, it's a fact.

[Failure2Stop]

Way back when HK first brought out the 416, they also made a great to-do about the $80 magazine that they were sending with them.
The implication was that our "crappy" aluminum GI mags wore out quickly, bent easily, and were bad to start with. All of the sudden, people were buying $80 magazines, and happy that they could even find them.
Then out of left field, Magpul delivered a $12 mag that out-performed the HK mag.
During this time, it became more well known that magazines are expendable items, require a little maintenance and upkeep, and replacing the old tilt-a-whirl followers with decent replacements (Magpul again) made them pretty decent.
The Pmag was still more robust overall, but not a complete 1 for 1 replacement.
At the end of the day, they are a relatively inexpensive high performer that meets the need and is backed by a very good company with high customer service.

[Greg]

That 80 dollar HK magazine tended to shit the bed rather quickly (springs) too.

PMAGS are great training mags because you can drop them on the ground and step on them repeatedly. GI magazines from OKay or Brownells with good followers and a bumper pad of some type are excellent and less bulky. They'll probably last forever in storage too.

[nalesq]

[QUOTE=Failure2Stop;527921The implication was that our "crappy" aluminum GI mags wore out quickly, bent easily, and were bad to start with.[/QUOTE]

I blame this perception on the 1994 AWB which kept people from just throwing away mags that had either been worn out or were indeed of suboptimal quality to begin with.

So much of the contemporary magazine market was created out of the trauma of that federal AWB.

[BillSWPA]

Way back when HK first brought out the 416, they also made a great to-do about the $80 magazine that they were sending with them.
The implication was that our "crappy" aluminum GI mags wore out quickly, bent easily, and were bad to start with. All of the sudden, people were buying $80 magazines, and happy that they could even find them.
Then out of left field, Magpul delivered a $12 mag that out-performed the HK mag.
During this time, it became more well known that magazines are expendable items, require a little maintenance and upkeep, and replacing the old tilt-a-whirl followers with decent replacements (Magpul again) made them pretty decent.
The Pmag was still more robust overall, but not a complete 1 for 1 replacement.
At the end of the day, they are a relatively inexpensive high performer that meets the need and is backed by a very good company with high customer service.

This post makes a very good point about the rule of getting what you pay for. In my experience, when you go from a low priced product to a mid priced product, you almost always get what you pay for. When going from a mid priced product to a high priced product, often you do not get what you pay for unless you are specifically looking for characteristics other than a commensurate increase in performance. However, some sellers will try to portray their goods or services as "better" by charging the highest price for them, when they are not necessarily better.