Opinions on Magpul PMAG D-60?

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Rafe
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Opinions on Magpul PMAG D-60?

#1

Post by Rafe »

I've never really been seriously interested in getting a 60-round drum of 5.56, but the whole rush-it-through-the-House recent antigun bill has, I'll admit, got me to thinking about what extra I might want on the shelf if they were never to be available again.

From what I gather, the PMAG D-60 is the most popular drum mag for an AR. And... Brownells is having a decent sale on some PMAGs, with the D-60 at $100 (Gen 2 30-round window PMAGs are 10 for $120, so even though I'm pretty flush there, I just might increase my factory-sealed inventory for those, too).

Maybe I could see a reason to slap a 60-rounder on my HD AR, but I'd have to see what the mobility--both vertically and horizontally--is like compared to the 30- and 40-round standard mags. So...

For those have used the D-60, plusses and minuses? Is it as reliable as conventional mags? How big a bear is charging it with ammo; do LULA loaders fit? Any mag insertion or extraction issues? Are some lowers picky about it? And whatever else you think of... :mrgreen:
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Re: Opinions on Magpul PMAG D-60?

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Post by Noggin »

I have had a D-60 for 6 years. I use it with my IWI Tavor. It has proved perfectly reliable. It does take time to fully fill it but the ratchet mechanism makes that fairly easy. On the range you do notice how it takes a lot longer to empty your weapon. I only have the one D-60 all the rest of my mags are D-30s (I have thought about getting some 40s but never got around it). I keep the Tavor loaded with it all the time as my initial home defence mag. If I have to get out of bed at night in shorts and T shirt, then I will have nowhere to put reloads. Therfore I feel that having 60 rounds to go already loaded may give me an edge. Magpul do stress that the clockwork mechanism is well suited to being kept fully loaded for a long time.

One point that is perhaps noting is that since the Tavor is a bullpup, the extra weight of the 60 rd drum is close to my shoulder so I do not notice it. This of course would not be true with an AR or similar platform. I have no experience using the D60 with a conventional rifle and am unable to comment on the weight penalty.

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Re: Opinions on Magpul PMAG D-60?

#3

Post by extremist »

Mine have been 100% reliable. Love it, use it every month in local carbine match.
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Re: Opinions on Magpul PMAG D-60?

#4

Post by Rafe »

Many thanks, folks. Reliability was my #1 concern. If it doesn't feed, it's just for show, and that I don't need. ;-)

There are 51 reviews on Brownells with 6 1-star ratings and 1 2-star. One of the best 5-star reviews was by 22-year military guy, user "Redrumu," who shows his drum mounted on--ta dah!--another Tavor!

One reviewer who gave it 1 star said, "The pin at the top right shifted after the first sixty rounds. The drum could not be released without removing a takedown pin to gain access to the top of the drum." Another had a similar experience: "Retaining pin on right side of the feed tower partially backed out during use. The magazine would not drop out of the magazine well and could not be pulled out. I had to remove my upper, use a pin punch and reinstall the pin to remove the magazine from my rifle." The other poor ratings all had to do with difficulty charging the mag (which doesn't really concern me; it's not as if I'd ever anticipate having to do a hurry-up "battlefield" refresh) and secondarily the weight (but...isn't that expected?).

I've been extremely happy with the PMAG 40-rounders for a little extra capacity; have a number of these. But the downside to those is the length. In tight interior conditions and having to rotate the angle of the rifle, I fully expect that under stress I might be bumping it into walls or doors. The D-60 is a honking lot wider, but it appears to be the same length from the mag well as a 30-rounder. I'm thinking the width may be less of an issue than the length in the overall usability profile when getting through doors. But I could be wrong.

Anyway, if no one else here has had repeated reliability issues like the "retaining pin on right side of the feed tower," I think I'll order a couple later today.
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Re: Opinions on Magpul PMAG D-60?

#5

Post by Paladin »

I have had no issues beyond the fact that they are a bit bulky.

The 40rd PMAGs are perhaps a bit more convenient, but "getting both" is always a good option.
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Re: Opinions on Magpul PMAG D-60?

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Post by Rafe »

Paladin wrote: Mon Aug 15, 2022 8:59 am I have had no issues beyond the fact that they are a bit bulky.

The 40rd PMAGs are perhaps a bit more convenient, but "getting both" is always a good option.
Cross post. :smile: And thanks. Yep, I'm with ya. Variety is the spice of life. Some years ago I started standardizing all my AR mag purchases on Magpul. Back around 2005-2006 in one of the carbine courses I took I had a truly constipated double-feed with a mil-spec metal magazine. Had to let the rifle drop on its sling and then badly miss the rest of the course of fire using my handgun. :???: One of the instructors came over afterward and it took both of us to finally get the mag out of the rifle and clear the chamber. One of the magazine's feed lips had visibly bent. The instructor recommended PMAGs and I haven't gone back since.

I consider the standard 30s the go-to; they're most of of what I have, in various Gen versions. They fit everything from molle pouches to range bags. I have a good number of the 40s and have never had a problem with one. That's what I currently keep in my HD gun. But I haven't bothered practicing releasing a 40 and replacing it with another 40. Same would go for the D-60, of course. I've done a fair number of reloads with the 30-rounders and I'm confident in my ability to handle those for the purpose. So in "real world" scenarios, for me, the plan would be a larger capacity magazine already seated, and then any others going in afterward would be standard capacity.
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