United States Marines that invade China's man-made islands in the South China Sea will probably be using new polymer magazines for their M4 assault rifles a lot more reliable than the aluminum magazines on the QBZ-95, the standard bullpup assault rifle of the People's Liberation Army (PLA).

Like Us on Facebook

Exhaustive tests over the past five years convinced the Marine Corps to adopt the PMAG GEN 3 magazine made by Magpul Industries in Wyoming as the official magazine for its M4s, giving Marines an extra advantage in firefights.

That edge is no magazine stoppages after over 20,000 rounds fired, which is what the tests proved. That's over 600 30-round M4 magazines, a total no Marine is ever going to fire in combat in his lifetime.

Experience has proven magazine problems are a primary culprit in an M4 malfunctioning in combat. Magpul claims the risk of stoppage is massively reduced with the use of its PMAG. It said PMAG is the first commercial magazine adopted as the official standard for the Marine Corps.

PMAG GEN 3, which loads a standard 30 rounds, can be used on the M4, M16, M27IAR (Infantry Automatic Rifle) and M249 SAW (Squad Automatic Weapon). It works with all types of bullets, including the tricky M855A1.

The test show the polymer PMAGs didn't melt because of its special advanced material. Magpul also said PMAG also passed military testing against dust, grime, UV exposure and salt fog.

One of the big advantages of PMAG GEN 3 is it loads from stripper clips. It inserts rapidly on a closed vault with a full 30 rounds. There is a smart over-insertion stop to protect against hard-core magazine changes and drops.

There's a window that on the side that shows the shooter just how many rounds he has left with a quick glance at the orange coil. This magazine drops free without fuss, making reload very quick and efficient.

Unlike aluminum magazines, PMAG is very easy to disassemble and clean.

TagsUnited States Marines, South China Sea, PMAG GEN 3 magazine, Magpul Industries, M4 assault rifle, M4 assault rifles