In my ever continuing quest to find the best 10/22 magazines, I’ve tested a bunch of them.
The list isn’t complete, there are a number of mags that I haven’t tried, mostly due to time and budget constraints. My testing is somewhat systematic, but far from scientific.
The short version: The BX25 remains the most reliable magazine over 10 rds capacity that I have tested. Some other mags come close, but the BX25 would be what I would grab if I needed max reliability.
The Long Version:
For the last several years, I’ve been keeping a spreadsheet where I’ve tracked the reliability of the 10/22 mags that I’ve been using. I’ve tracked only magazines fired by myself, and not counted magazines fired by other users (in case their technique played a factor etc.) Failures because of bad ammo weren’t counted against the magazines.
Any magazine that I only tested a single example of should be considered only for anecdotal value, as every brand produces the occasional lemon. Further testing would be required before I would be happy with the results of those.
Reliability Results, in no particular order:
(25 rd) Ruger Bx-25 (4 mags tested) Avg reliability 99%+/-
(25 rd) Butler Creek Steel lips Clear (9 tested 1 problematic) Avg reliability (minus 1 problem mag) 96% +/- (Problem mag averaged less than 60% reliability)
(25 rd) Butler Creeek Steel lips smoke (6 tested) Avg reliability 96% +/-
(30 rd) Ram-line 30 rd Double stack Pre-ban (4 tested) Avg reliability 95% +/- (This was shocking to me based on their terrible reputation, but I had good experiences with them)
(25 rd) Ram-line “Truncator” single stack (1 tested) 0% reliability (literally wouldn’t properly feed a single round, inclluding the truncated cone ammo it was designed for)
(30 rd) Ram-line single stack (opaque black, 5 tested) Avg reliability 25%+/-
(50 rd) Ram-line double stack (7 tested) Avg Reliability 35% +/-
(25 rd) HC3R single stack (3 tested) Avg reliability 90% +/-
(30 rd) Eagle mags (Pre Ban, 4 tested) Avg reliability 50% +/-
(25 rd) Butler Creek “Hot Lips” (1 tested) Reliability 85% +/-
(25 rd) Tactical Inc TI 25 Composite (5 tested) Avg reliability 92% +/-
(30 rd) Bingham Steel magazines (6 tested) Avg reliability 90% +/- (Tried with 3 different adapters, results very similar, though the adapters differed slightly)
(50 rd) MWG / Mitchell Teardrop (Pre-ban, 3 tested) Avg reliability 50% +/- (All the ones I tested were old. Others have had great luck with them, I didn’t)
(50 rd) Pro-Mag drum (1 tested) Reliability 25% +/-
(50 rd) AMT drum (Pre Ban, 1 tested) Reliability 25% +/- (This old drum was modified at some point in the past, not a great example)
(50 rd) Custom billet aluminum double stack (no markings 1 tested) Reliability 65% +/- (This is an odd magazine, likely someone’s shop project, well made, but modified at some point down the line)
Most of the mags I’ve tested:
In the end, I boxed up all the mags that averaged less than about 90% reliability, and Only use the most reliable mags.
August 19, 2014 Tony 0 Comments
I probably grumble a lot about technology for someone who makes a living from it, but I really don’t much care for social media and the various social engineering exercises that so many of the people involved with it have resorted to.
Don’t get me wrong, I understand the value to analytics to a marketer, I just don’t like being subversively led into a shearing pen with the rest of the interweb sheep.
Sometimes however, the soc-web can be handy for getting the word out about things. As a result, I have officially started the Youtube “I Own Guns” channel. I haven’t uploaded anything yet, but expect to start seeing videos from time to time as I have the chance to shoot and edit them.
And don’t worry, my goal will be to make every video a gun related video.
At some point in the future, when someone is actually reading this, the link to the channel (that by the time you’re here, should actually have videos) is Here.
September 10, 2013 Tony 0 Comments
I will be doing a review of the Mag Tactical/ Alliance Armament Trident muzzle break soon.
I’m waiting on my AR upper to come back from the gunsmith, and I may do some other stuff with the trident in the mean time.
Watch this space for more!
August 20, 2013 Tony 2 Comments
Anyone who has been around guns for a while has most likely had something break on them. It’s not surprising, guns deal with pressures that can be measured by the ton per square inch, things moving at thousands of feet per second, and reciprocating parts and springs. Really, when I think about it, I’m impressed that my guns don’t suffer more breakage.
On Monday, Kevin and I went out and tried a new range that opened recently fairly close to my home. We shot several .32 revolvers, a few auto pistols, a .45 revolver, and the new Reising model 50 that I’ve talked about elsewhere. The Reising was having some hiccups, and jamming more than normal, so I set it aside after one of the jams.
We shot the revolvers some more, and then I decided we should shoot through the rest of the loaded mags for the Reising before we headed out. Kevin pushed a mag home and racked the action and when he pulled the trigger, the only sound was the unhappy “clack” of the hammer striking the back of the bolt. He racked it again, and “clack”. Kevin cleared the gun, and I checked. sure enough, the firing pin was broken.
Reisings are known to break an odd firing pin from time to time, so I wasn’t entirely surprised by it, but I was certainly unhappy about it. Within minutes of getting home I ordered a new replacement firing pin that’s of a stronger design, along with a full set of springs and a few other little things I needed for the gun.
To my delight, the package arrived just 2 days after ordering, and I was able to swap the various parts out before the weekend. While I was at it, I swapped out a few of my original parts for later pieces that had come from a parts lot. I figured I might as well keep my original pieces nice and let the wear and tear take it’s toll on the replacement parts.
In about 3 hours, I’m headed back to the range to see if the hard work will result in a more reliable gun. I’d sure like to think that it will, what with the new springs and such. I’m hoping that the new springs will give the hammer the oomph to ignite the hard Tula primers that I’ve still thousands of, so that I don’t have to start buying the more expensive federal primers just to make the gun run properly.
August 10, 2013 Tony 0 Comments
