Before I get into the review let’s just get it out of the way––-steel combloc mags are the standard for a reason: they’re fantastic reliable/durable mags at a good price. Ok, moving on…
I always avoided US Palm mags for two big reasons; steel mags were dirt cheap and great and US Palm mags had some serious issues when they first came out (the so called Gen1 mags) and didn’t seem to live up to the claims about their product.
I got a US Palm Gen2 mag in a trade and used it off and on at the range and noticed it ran great, took abuse well, and performed well in general. Then, I saw a site selling them for $18 shipped at the same time steel mags were going for $12-15 most places. I took a shot and ordered a bunch of them to add some more depth to my box o’ mags. Here’s what I’ve found with the batch:
Pros:
-They’ve been 100% reliable thus far through thousands of rounds in several guns.
-They’re lightweight (7oz vs ~12oz for most steel mags).
-The price continues to drop. Several sites are selling them for under $25 shipped currently.
-Steel mag prices continue to go up; especially after the election.
-Several colors are available.
-I’ve left mine loaded for several months with no issues to date.
-Steel cage around the entire top of the mag to include lugs (not in the lips though) seems pretty strong (as demonstrated by the AK pushups in the video below).
-Can’t be disassembled.
-They lock up tight in my AKs with little to no wobble.
-They’re US parts for 922r compliance.
Cons:
-Cost. Although the costs are going down, they’re still more expensive than the proven steel surplus mags.
-Customer service. I emailed and called them several times with questions about the design and they never responded to either form of communication.
-Reputation. As mentioned earlier, their Gen1 mags had issues and they didn’t live up to the claims they made at the time as proven by people cutting their mags in half and not finding steel where it was supposed to be. It seems they’ve rectified this but that leaves a bad taste in a lot of peoples’ mouths.
-No steel in the feed lips. It hasn’t been a problem yet but given the choice I’d prefer it.
-They’re wider than a lot of steel mags and may not fit in combloc mag pouches.
Here’s a video showing the mags in several AKs, a drop test, a size comparison with a few other AK mags, and of course a bunch of shooting:
They don’t fit in the Sig 556R, so Gabe can’t pimp them as the best there is anymore. :no:
FWIW I have over 20 of the Palm mags, and I have yet to encounter a single issue with them; the only thing even resembling one would be that they can be difficult to load to full capacity when you first get them.
Why would not being able to disassemble the magazine be an advantage? Would personally see that as a disadvantage for servicing the magazine, though granted they are a disposable unit but if only the spring were to wear out then I would think being able to replace the spring and continue trudging on would be desirable.
Good unbiased review. I’ve been skeptical of these mags since day one as noted in the various threads on them in this sub-forum however I have added a few to the pile.
I debated where to put it; some people like it because they’re afraid their bottom plate could come off and spill the rounds out. But, a lot of people dislike it for the reasons you stated above as well.
Since you mentioned in your review that US Palm has not responded to emails or phone messages, I am wondering if something might be going on with the company.
Well they’ve gotten back with me since the review came out so I guess they’re okay. One of the things I wanted to know for the review was why they don’t use metal in the feed lips; below is their response:
“We looked at metal lined feed lips and declined that design. The feed lips are NOT metal lined, per our design. If you think about what would happen if a fully loaded magazine were dropped on the feed lips, and they bent, the metal inserts would preclude the lips from rebounding back into position. As a matter of fact, if you attempted to bend the feed lips back into position, you would most likely suffer a lamination issue between the polymer and the metal insert and end up with an even bigger mess. The polymer we use on the current AK30’s is robust enough to handle an accidental fall, and rebound back to it’s original position and remain functional.”
I completely agree with their decision to not put metal in the feed lips…necessary with cheap soviet plastic, and not so much with modern materials. I was a big fan of these for a while, but after some issues with the durability of the sheet metal cage, I use them for range and training and waffle circle 10s and polish steels are back as my go to mags. The sheet metal is too thin and just wraps around the locking tab, so a drop or impact on the tab will still crush the tab or tear it free. They function well, though, and are a decent bit more durable than current unreinforced mags. I do wish they could be disassembled, though.
Glad to see they fixed some of the initial problems they were having. I just wish a US company would step up the AK mag game. They would sell like hot cakes if they kept the price around 15 bucks. I think Ill grab a couple to test since I’m stuck with American made mags till I can swap in a couple American made parts.
Didn’t say they weren’t. Just that at damn near 30 bucks a piece after shipping they are quite spendy. Just said I wish a US company could make ak mags with pmag reliability/durability and pricing.
No, I just got back into aks, please explain, I could use the knowledge. As for primary arms, they seem to always have them cheaper than everywhere else. I think there normal price is 22.00. I think US Palm has the best offerings as far as US made mags go, I’m not trying to take that away from them. They are a lot better than the other option of crapco. I have a shopping cart full of stuff on PA’s website and I will let the wife decide what she wants to order me so it will be a “suprise”.
Very understandable. I see the price of around 20 bucks a mag as not terrible. I still would like to see more US companies producing higher quality mags for the ak platform. Let me ask this, do you believe in US Palms response as to why they didn’t reinforce the feed lips with steel? I don’t make anything with polymer so I have no idea. Are they just blowing smoke to save a few bucks?
so I guess they’re okay. One of the things I wanted to know for the review was why they don’t use metal in the feed lips; below is their response:
