magazine compatibility

Equipment and accessories for shooting. Safes, firearm storage, bipods, carry cases, slings etc.

magazine compatibility

Post by Tristram » 22 Jan 2021, 3:28 pm

Hi guys,

Apologies for the lack of introduction, but it seems that the less people know about who you are the better, particularly where firearms are concerned.

I'm fairly new to this, awaiting my license application to be processed, but looking around and planning/dreaming about future purchases.

Given the sometimes eye watering price of magazines, I like the idea of having guns with interchangeable magazines. The CZ .22lr range/lithgow 101/Brno being a good example of this.

I haven't been able to find a decent guide for factory-standard magazine cross-compatibility generally. From what I've gleaned from US information, there are a lot of semi autos that use Pmag and AICS style magazines. These are fairly attractive as they are relatively cheap, however the only AU-available rifles that I've found that use Pmags out of the box are the Warwick WFA1-L and some Remington 7615s. Are there others?

Are there, for example, other rifles that use magazines compatible with a .308 Mauser M18?

I know that you can modify rifles to accept different kinds of magazines, but at the moment I'm just interested in what I can get out of the box.

Thanks guys.
Tristram
Recruit
Recruit
 
Posts: 11
-

Re: magazine compatibility

Post by MontyShooter » 24 Jan 2021, 8:58 am

The reality is you'll probably only ever use one mag anyway.
MontyShooter
Corporal
Corporal
 
Posts: 339
Victoria

Re: magazine compatibility

Post by Bugman » 24 Jan 2021, 9:12 am

I am one who would only use the magazine that comes with the firearm, but that is just me. Compatibility can be a bit misleading at times. Tread carefully.
User avatar
Bugman
Warrant Officer C2
Warrant Officer C2
 
Posts: 1071
New South Wales

Re: magazine compatibility

Post by JohnV » 24 Jan 2021, 10:06 am

I only use one removable magazine on one gun , a Brno 22 and that's it . I much prefer a hinged floor plate internal magazine . You can't loose it , you can't leave it behind and it is far more rugged and long lasting than a thin pressed metal mag .
This notion spread by the internet and advertising that you need a great big magazine capacity is just a con to take more of the shooters money . The average shooter is well served by a 3 to 5 shot capability that does not require you to buy any magazines . In some circumstances like blasting away at a mob of pigs on the run the extra ammo is an advantage but the fact you have it tends to encourage a lot more ammo use that does not result in hits and that gets expensive quick .
JohnV
Warrant Officer C2
Warrant Officer C2
 
Posts: 1161
Other

Re: magazine compatibility

Post by Larry » 24 Jan 2021, 10:23 am

I'm not a fan of the P Mags and would avoid them going forward. The ACIS mags are good and have a greater compatibility use. The magpul mags suited for AR and 7615 are good and I would look for guns taking these mags if a gun i was considering took these over a gun that used propriety mags.
Larry
Staff Sergeant
Staff Sergeant
 
Posts: 775
-

Re: magazine compatibility

Post by scoot » 24 Jan 2021, 10:29 am

There are offerings appearing by some manufacturers which can use aics/pmag. Another concern in using one mag for various rifles is obviously the rounds your using. Ie: a 243 and 308 can use the same mag but your bergara .22lr aics mag ain't no good in a .300. I think especially for a newb your first handful of rifles will be very different chamberings to cover a broader use. Just find a rifle you like and roll with it. If you want Extra mags or capacity pay the bit extra ( quite often they are cheaper than aics) for spares
User avatar
scoot
Corporal
Corporal
 
Posts: 254
South Australia

Re: magazine compatibility

Post by Bello » 24 Jan 2021, 8:14 pm

Hi mate
When out hunting, the average person will only need one magazine.
You will find that it’s your first shot that counts the most. Once the first shot rings out most things scatter.
User avatar
Bello
Corporal
Corporal
 
Posts: 313
New South Wales

Re: magazine compatibility

Post by CAVEMAN » 25 Jan 2021, 8:34 pm

General rule of thumb, 90% of bolt actions will typically use a proprietary magazine typically manufacturer and caliber specific. These are normally designed to function very well in that one rifle. Not many if any are interchangeable. The big exception to this is the now ambiguous AICS magazine, a magazine that handles most round in various forms pretty well. These also come in various style from full size ones that accept 22lr to ones designed to handle 223 and such. Then the 308 size is what we would call the standard size. Also come bigger in magnum calibers.

These are becoming a standard but not for every bolt gun. There quite common in "Tactical" styled rifles. A flush fitting mag is still often preferred for hunting as it makes the firearm easier to carry.

I personally run a Ruger scout that uses AICS magazines. I have the stock steel, the Ruger polymer and the Magpul 579. So i'm thinking about buying another 308 rifle so i'm looking for a riffle that also uses the AICS mag. Plenty of options for this so when I find one I like ill figuratively pull the trigger. But that's just an idiosyncrasies of what I like in a rifle. A easy removable mag is just something that i'm use too.

Semi autos are a different ball game. They are typically designed for use with several mag's at a time. And it wasn't till probably the 90's that the M16 magazine became the standard. So yes this is the standard in that world now. But not exclusively. And also with the M16 mag's they have there own variations. Metal mag's work in some but not others and the same with polymer mag's. Its a rabbit hole if you dive in.

Magazines are presently becoming more streamlined, probably to save firearms manufacturers manufacturing bespoke magazines. And instead just buying in quantity from a third party.
"Well if it ain't an 8 inch, i'm not paying"

Some guy on the internet circa 2020
User avatar
CAVEMAN
Lance Corporal
Lance Corporal
 
Posts: 248
Queensland

Re: magazine compatibility

Post by Larry » 26 Jan 2021, 8:38 am

You can buy 3rd party bottom metals to change the type of magazine that a rifle will take. I have changed out some Rem 700 with internal mags to take external box mag AICS mags there are several floor plates available to do this.
Larry
Staff Sergeant
Staff Sergeant
 
Posts: 775
-

Re: magazine compatibility

Post by Tristram » 29 Jan 2021, 5:42 am

Thanks guys,

I agree with the comments that generally you will only need one magazine, but I like to have a spare of anything that can be lost or broken, and compatible magazines is a way to minimize the number that I would have. Two non-compatible rifles would need four magazines, but two compatible rifles would only need the two factory mags as they serve as spares for each other. I suppose the alternative to that argument is that the place to keep your spare mags is the gun shop.

That then begs the question of how many rifles of a particular caliber you actually need, and the answer to that will usually be one. It seems that I'm going to be better off concentrating on fit-for-purpose rather than compatibility. I'm becoming more comfortable with that the more I look into Pmag/AICS compatible rifles. It looks like the WFAL-1 is not available here and the modern Remington rifles seem to be rife with QC problems.The Rugers do seem like solid rifles though.
Tristram
Recruit
Recruit
 
Posts: 11
-


Back to top
 
Return to Shooting accessories and equipment