Disclaimer: Some links on this page are affiliate links. So I may get a commission as an expense for listing the products. However, this has no influence on the content of this post. All things that I present and recommend, I use myself and am convinced of their performance.
How I became aware of the magazines
Every day I scour the “new products” pages of all the well-known airsoft stores. On one hand to stay up to date, on the other hand to discover new things for myself. During exactly such a foray, I became aware of new magazines at TaiwanGun a few days ago. Visually alone, they were promising and the data sheet was more than convincing:
- PMAG Style Magazine
- Licensed by EMG for the brand Strike Industries
- Manufacturer CYMA
- Capacity: 210 BBs
- only 16,38€
Because I had to fight with my current magazines a little bit (more about this in the section “Follower: Curse and Blessing”) I ordered 4 new magazines. Normally I would have taken only one at first, to be able to test it. But I thought the magazines might sell out quickly, as they seemed too good to be available for long.
Why did I order these exact magazines?
The magazines are interesting for me for several reasons:
- Capacity: I only have 3 slots for magazines on my plate carrier. A high capacity saves me the reloading in the spawn.
- Manufacturer: CYMA! Fits perfectly, as both my NOVA and my HK416A5 are produced by CYMA. Therefore the mags should fit.
- Optics: I am not a big fan of steel magazines. The G&G magazines have been my favorite so far, but they have a small catch
- No extended follower, more about that now!
Extended Follower: Curse and Blessing
From the beginning, I have enjoyed playing the G&G magazines. They feed very well, you can see how many BBs you have left and they have an extendet follower.
This ensures that all BBs find their way into the HopUp chamber. On paper, a great feature so you don’t constantly lose 4 BBs when changing the magazine. Especially when training at home, I also really appreciated it so that the BBs only landed in the BB trap and not all around me. But technically for the follower still needs some development to function better.
Because the follower can also be extremely annoying. Especially with the new G&G magazines, one of which I bought just for the superior optics.
The problem is simply that the follower (see first picture) moves completely out of the magazine to push all the BBs up into the HopUp unit. Up to this point, it’s fun and well designed, but once it gets to reloading, it gets complicated. Once the follower is out of the magazine, you have to push it all the way back in before you can put the magazine on the speedloader.
With gloves on, it’s pretty much impossible to get the little plastic ball pushed back behind the holding position. This issue almost drove me crazy the last time I played!
The V2 magazine is still the best looking on the market in my view, but not really practical for gaming use. The follower is simply a curse and a blessing in one.
Acquisition costs: Cheapest options with capacity over 200 BBs.
When buying airsoft magazines, I often ask myself if it’s worth investing in more expensive models or if cheaper alternatives will suffice. Especially when the EPM1 magazines were introduced, I was extremely taken with the concept. The thought that you could have the capacity of two mid-cap magazines in one is very enticing.
My G&G magazines always had around 105 round capacity, but I only ever filled them with 80-90 BBs out of mechanical empathy. In general, magazines should not be stuffed unnecessarily. If the speedloader gives you the feeling that enough is enough, you should stop cranking!
Alternatively, the paddle wheel in the speedloader will say goodbye or the spring in the magazine will be unnecessarily stressed.
No matter what the manufacturer says, 10 to 20% fewer BBs will fit in the magazine in the end without stressing it too much. I first filled and emptied the Strike Industries magazines with 90 BBs (one speedloader full) twice and then with 180 BBs, two speedloader loads. This is also where my fake Odin speedloader would like to stop.
Back to the EPM1 magazines from PTS. The first one I bought from the series was already quite expensive at around 35€. In the meantime we have arrived at 46€. For something that falls off, is lost or no longer works over time simply too much money. The fact that there is now a magazine for under 20€, which can also hold more than 200 BBs, is a big plus especially for beginners who may not want to spend a lot of money on accessories.
If I add the international postage of around 12 (fair) euros from TaiwanGun, I spent exactly 77.29 euros for 4 magazines. Unfortunately, I would have only gotten 1.68 EPM magazines for that.
Durability: Inexpensive does not always mean inferior quality
A common argument for more expensive airsoft magazines is their supposed higher quality and durability. It is assumed that because of their price, they will last longer and be less prone to defects or failures. However, I have also heard of expensive magazines failing in rows. Those who use their magazines with technical understanding generally enjoy them longer.
I´ve pass on my old tintend G&G magazines with a clear conscience, because I only ever loaded as many BBs as comfortably fit in them. So the springs were like new.
The workmanship of the EMG Strike Industries magazines is really on a high level.
I would argue that the time of ABS plastic and cheap processing is over at CYMA anyway. This becomes obvious when you look at the CYMA Platinum series and even the inexpensive 416 Sportsline. The feel even almost suggests that the plastic in the magazines is the same as in the 416. And since the magazines are made by CYMA, they fit in my Cyma Platinum and 416 perfectly! I have never had such a good, but not too tight fit with any magazine! 🙂
Don’t care: Cheaper magazines can be more practical
I don’t have much desire to be infinitely cautious when it comes to airsoft. Sure, I move with caution and try to keep the risk to myself and my equipment low. But both my guns and my equipment are designed to be played with. A magazine can fall or bounce off a wall. In the Cloudmaker it can also go down a floor (Rip Glock magazine from the game day in February) and therefore it is quite pleasant if you only pay about 17€ and not 46€ for a mag that might get lost.
Because no matter how well made a magazine is, after 8 meters even the best nylon fiber reinforced plastic can burst open. The drop test from a height of 1 meter did not affect the new magazines at all. Most of the times I take my time when reloading or am behind cover. So for me magazines do not have to meet the requirement to be thrown during reloads and sliding over the ground 😉
Conclusion
I can only give a complete conclusion to a limited extent at the moment. So far 2 of the 4 magazines have been used (putting in more and more BBs so that the spring is accustomed to compression) and then shot empty. But there are no feeding problems or jamming. All good so far!
How they do on June 10th at the next Cloudmaker game day can be deduced quite well from this. The important thing is that from the first to the 180th shot, all BBs reliably enter the hop-up chamber. In my test, they managed that flawlessly.
In general, I find it important to consider the price when buying airsoft magazines. Cheaper alternatives offer beginners the chance to allocate their budget to other important equipment. You can get four EMG Strike Industries magazines for just over 70€. Whereas 4 EPM1 magazines cost 110€ more. For the money you get a decent optic with mount, fancy attachments or even a used / cheap backup gun! The Strike Industries magazines show that the durability of airsoft magazines does not necessarily depend on the price, but on the quality of the materials used and proper care.
So if you’re looking, you can get pretty good magazines at TaiwanGun for an even better price: 210rd Polymer STRIKE MAG M4/AR15 Magazine [EMG].
Again I´m not sponsored or not told to recommend these, I just like what CYMA, EMG and Strike Industries did here! 🙂 So I think that more or less by chance I found the currently most attractive magazines for a very good price!
Two new 4K wallpapers with Begadi Nova with EMG Strike Industries magazines
