Are Drum Mags Good?

Are Drum Mags Good?

Hey all, we here at True Shot Academy are going to go over drum magazines today. Specifically, we aim to answer the question: “are drum mags good?” We are going to go over these types of magazines while delving into their traits, features, and other considerations. Without further ado, let’s take a look at drum mags and see if they are good.

What is a Drum Mag?

Like the name suggests, a drum mag is a magazine which mirrors the appearance of a drum. This appearance houses a mechanism and reservoir which allows the unit to hold high round counts. Magazines of this type feature various methods of operation and loading. Some offerings can simply be top loaded while others require more involved processes. Additional steps such as winding or relieving tension on magazine springs may be necessary to support a top-loading process. Other offerings may need to be opened up to facilitate loading. At their core, drum magazines provide users with a large quantity of ammo in a single mag solution. These magazines have been employed historically in military use cases, specifically with machine gunners.

What Types of Firearms Use Drum Mags?

Drum magazines are utilized by a wide range of firearms. Pistols, rifles, shotguns, and subguns are common drum mag hosts. Some of these magazines are available in the form of factory offerings while others are aftermarket magazines. Shooters will encounter drum magazines compatible with AR-15, AR-10, AK-47, Mini-14, and 10/22 style firearms. Glock pistols, clones, and pistol caliber carbines (PCC) and subguns that use their magazines are also compatible with drum mags. Drum magazines support calibers and gauges like 9mm, .45 ACP, 12 gauge, .223, 7.62x39, .22 LR, and .308. In short, a wide range of firearms are supported by drum magazines. Purchase Ammo

Who Makes Drum Mags?

There are a wide range of companies who produce drum mags. These types of magazines are available in various capacities and styles. The style of a given drum mag will depend on its capacity and the firearm it is designed for. Typically, drum magazines either feature a single, prominent drum or two distinct drums. Magazines of this type can be constructed from various materials such as steel, aluminum, and even high-impact polymer. Magpul, KCI USA, X Products, Red Army Standard, and ATI are among the manufacturers of drum magazines.

Are Drum Mags Good for Competition?

While having a large supply of ammo in a single mag sounds like an excellent idea for competition, they are sub-optimal in reality. Competitive shooting is conducted in various ways. Some matches have different rulesets and courses of fire than others. In some cases, shooters may be required to perform reloads at certain intervals during a course of fire. These reloads can arise due to necessity or be required by the stage plan. Put plainly, one cannot expect to just use a drum mag to get through a whole stage without reloading. Additionally, their weight and increased size can make them cumbersome during a match. There are not many pouches which accommodate these magazines and their additional weight is sure to influence one’s handling. Of course, loading and unloading drum magazines is more involved and complex than loading standard magazines.

Are Drum Mags Good for Duty Use?

Some may wonder why these magazines are not widely employed by those in military and law enforcement roles. Surely, these are individuals who realistically would benefit from having more ammo on hand. The reality of drum mags in these use cases is that, like in competition roles, are cumbersome and not supported by many pouches. Users in these professionals utilize magazine pouches of various types to store spare magazines for their duty weapons. For these roles, standard capacity magazines are simply better as they fit into existing pouches easily.

What Benefits do Drum Mags Offer?

Drum magazines certainly present a benefit to shooters as they contain large amounts of ammo in a single source. For example, the Magpul D60 holds 60 rounds of 5.56 ammo, boasting the capacity of two standard capacity magazines. From this standpoint, drum magazines are beneficial as they plainly provide a large supply of ammo in one source. This allows an end user to have more ammo on hand while also delaying the need to reload. If one plans on staging a rifle ready to go with ammo, drum magazines shooters with a standalone, high-capacity solution. Purchase Ammo

Are Drum Mags Reliable?

Generally speaking, magazines with complex mechanisms and high ammo capacities have a higher chance of failure than standard magazines do. Standard capacity magazines feature simple follower and spring designs which compress and decompress vertically. This simple system is proven and has been utilized for well-over a century. There is simply less to go wrong with a simple system such as this. Drum magazines, by contrast, utilize more complex mechanisms and unique geometry. These systems are not as proven as those found in standard magazines. Of course, this is not all to say that drum mags are unreliable. There are many reliable drum magazines on the market today. One should ensure that they follow the loading procedures properly to ensure reliable function. Offerings from Magpul and KCI USA have been known to function reliably when users do their part to load them properly.

Best Use for Drum Mags

Practically speaking, drum mags are best used in recreational roles. Put plainly, drum mags are great for times where shooters simply want to shoot lots of ammo in one go. These casual use cases do not require the use of magazine pouches, nor are shooters on the clock. One does not need to worry about the practicality of magazines in these use cases. Shooters can simply have fun and enjoy these types of magazines for what they are. Magazines of this type are fun to empty and reload rapidly while plinking or target shooting.

Conclusion

In conclusion, drum mags provide shooters with high-capacity feeding solutions for a variety of firearms. Drum mags for handguns, rifles, shotguns, and subguns allow shooters to blast away and have a great time at the range. We here at True Shot Ammo carry a number of drum magazines in addition to our ammo for sale. Our range of ammunition for sale encompasses popular calibers and gauges like 9mm, 5.56, 12 gauge, and .22 LR. Whether you want a drum mag from Magpul or KCI USA or want to buy bulk ammo, we have you covered. As always, happy shooting.