100 Round AR-15 C-Mag Copy from KCI Korea – Gear Review

Authors Paul Helinski
This was our second KCI magazine tested with a full 100 round compliment of Fiocchi .223. As you can see, except for a minor pause for adjusting hearing protection, the mag ran perfectly, as had the first one. At around a buck around for .223 for the foreseeable future we don’t do a lot of these tests, but it was worth a couple hundred bucks to see if these mags actually work. This summer we hope to use them for 3-Gun matches and prairie dogs.
100 Round AR-15 C-Mag Copy from KCI Korea - Gear Review
100 Round AR-15 C-Mag Copy from KCI Korea - Gear Review
This is surprisingly not a Beta C-Mag. It is a Korean copy being imported by the Sportsman’s Guide. We ordered two thinking that they’d get a good beating but in testing each with a full 100 rounds they fed flawlessly and were easy to load.

100 Round AR-15 C-Mag Copy from KCI Korea - Gear Review
Each kit comes with the magazine, fully assembled, and a nice poly-canvas case with a waterproof cover. The loading tool and some powdered lubricant is also included. The directions are in easy to read English with great color pictures of the magazine.

100 Round AR-15 C-Mag Copy from KCI Korea - Gear Review
The loader slips over the lips of the magazine and holds five rounds at a time.

100 Round AR-15 C-Mag Copy from KCI Korea - Gear Review
Squash the five rounds in, then load it up again. The pressure was about the same from the first 5 to the last, not difficult at all.

100 Round AR-15 C-Mag Copy from KCI Korea - Gear Review
Thumb loading the magazine is extremely difficult after half a dozen or so rounds. Plus the lips bend out. Just don’t lose the loading tool, which is held in the black case as well.

100 Round AR-15 C-Mag Copy from KCI Korea - Gear Review
The manual speaks of a “speed loader” for military 10 round stripper clips, but we haven’t seen one available. Beta makes one for their mags and it might fit this. The five round loader definately is not made for stripper clips.

100 Round AR-15 C-Mag Copy from KCI Korea - Gear Review
The magazine has a good deal of powdered lubricant in it, enough to noticeably get on the ammo and the dust cover. It is probably a good idea to keep it well lubricated.

100 Round AR-15 C-Mag Copy from KCI Korea - Gear Review
Why would Sportsman’s Guide sell these for $179 at the top of the scarcity when they could get two to four times that? Probably all these crap offers you get with an order from them. They just want you to see how amazing their gay forest king fleece jacket would look on you.

100 Round AR-15 C-Mag Copy from KCI Korea - Gear Review
These mags are great for 3-Gun and prairie dogs. Because they are about the height of a 20 round military mag they work great with bipods like this Atlas from US Tactical Supply.

100 Round AR-15 C-Mag Copy from KCI Korea - Gear Review
Everything about this magazine screams quality. It is made in Korea, but so are a lot of Epiphone Guitars and a whole bunch of other high end brand names.

100 Round AR-15 C-Mag Copy from KCI Korea - Gear Review
The black case has these military clips on the back for Molle gear or a thick web belt.

100 Round AR-15 C-Mag Copy from KCI Korea - Gear Review
If you Google around for KCI magazines you will see that they make straight mags too, and others besides Sportsman’s Guide do carry them, but they may not be in stock. Most of the prices around are back down to the normal $179-$199, (no buyers club required), but some discussion board posts have members claiming that they have seen them at gun shows for $130.


KCI Korea 100 Round “C-Mag” Copy
https://www.sportsmansguide.com/100-rd-ar-15-drum-mag-black/5
Check out the real Beta C-Mag for .556/7.62/9mm Glock:
https://www.betaco.com/

It was a huge surprise when, on March 1st, right at the top of the high cap mag crisis, I got an email from the Sportsman’s Guide for “100 Round AR-15 Magazines.” Excuse me? What do you live in a cave? Who isn’t sold out on any and all AR-15 mags for six months at this point? But sure enough, the sale was real, and while people were still buying 30 round P-Mags on the auction sites for almost 100 bucks each, I got two of what appear to be exact copies of the Beta C-Mag for $179 each (after I joined their stupid club, otherwise they are $199). Initially I thought that it was kind of a dumb move. They were probably a cheap Chinese copy and probably didn’t work well, but since I could write about them for you guys, and “the company” could pay for them, I figured I’d give them a try. Bad reviews are as well received as positive reviews here, and if they were anything like the other after high cap mags I have bought at gun shows over the years, they would end up in the garbage after my scathing review.

Turns out that the magazines are in fact copies of C-Mag, but they are from Korea, not China. Each came with a full color manual, well written in English, as well as a carry case, a magazine loader, and some powdered lubricant, just like the C-Mags do. It did take Sportsman’s Guide several weeks to get me the order, but I just ordered four more yesterday (before you guys clean them out) and they are still $179 for Buyers Club members. In very limited tests (one full mag each, at full-auto speed), they worked perfectly, and they are nearly indistinguishable from the “real thing.” We would all love to “buy American,” but the original C-Mag from Beta is back ordered at best, and it is about $100 more. At today’s ammo prices, a hundred bucks is just about one magazine’s worth of bullets, but a hundred bucks is still a hundred bucks, or er, at least it still says a hundred bucks on it.

If you haven’t encountered a Beta C-Mag in your travels yet, the C-Mag is the one with the two roller cans on the sides of the receiver. As you load the magazine, each side feeds into its respective can, and it indeed holds 100 rounds. I had assumed that C-Mags were still covered by a patent, but it appears that the patent was approved in 1987. Add 17 years to that and you get 2004 (patents are good for 17 years), coincidentally the same year that the Federal high cap magazine ban expired. Right after the ban went into effect C-Mags were going for big bucks, but even before the ban they were $250, back when .223 was about 15 cents a round. That made them too expensive right out of the gate. These days .223 is floating at almost a buck a round so the current $274 price tag is much more reasonable, if you figure total cost of your shooting. Originally the government tested these mags and found them unreliable, but a subsequent test,apparently in 2008 found that whatever issues they had were fixed, and that they are now incredibly reliable. We have not yet tested a “real” C-Mag, but since they also come in 9mm and 7.62, we will definitely be trying one out soon.

As for this Korean copy magazine, first let me say that no, Sportsman’s Guide is not paying us for this article. Neither have they ever been an advertiser here, and no contract is imminent. I say this because there is nothing bad that we could say about these magazines except that are a stolen design from an American company being made in Korea. We bought these mags figuring that we would beat them up and lay their bodies out for your viewing, but there is nothing bad say. Gushing about them may sound silly, but we ran a full magazine of Fiocchi .223 through each of our two test subjects using a Colt 6920 and a SlideFire stock and the brass came out like a garden hose to the last round (see the video). Both mags rocked every last round without a hitch, and they physically feel very sturdy and sound. My guess is that they are indistinguishable from the Beta mags. If you Google “KCI 100 round” you will find other retailers of the same mag for about the same price, or a little more, but most are out of stock.

The manual comes with full instructions on how to disassemble and clean the magazine completely, and it even gives you tips on how to deal with various kinds of contaminants. Since we are not planning to assault a lard factory, nor a terrorist cell entrenched in a desert hideaway, I found no reason to experiment with disassembly, so you are on your own with that one. These mags are perfect for 3-Gun where you might be prone for some shots, because they stick down from the rifle only about the length of a 20 rounder. We are going to use this for prairie dog hunting too. The poly-canvas case has a waterproof lining in the top of it, and it has military clips that will attach to Molle gear or your regular belt. The 5 round magazine loader works perfectly and all 100 rounds load up quickly with about the same amount of force for each rack. Loaded full the mag weighs just under 5 lbs. Don’t lose that loader though. It’s a thumb buster after about 10 rounds. The directions mention a special speed loader for 10 round stripper clips but we have not been able to find one outside of the Beta loader that you can get with the actual Beta C-Mags, but which will probably also work on these.

All in all, whether to buy a Korean copy of a solid, American designed product is really up to you. Say what you want about Sportsman’s Guide, but it would be crazy not to give you guys a heads up about what a crazy great deal these mags appear to be. It isn’t a “too good to be true,” but more like a “just good enough to possibly be true.” We didn’t run the mags over thousands of rounds or bang them on rocks or jump up and down on them screaming “why aren’t you made in the USA?” but my guess is that neither will you. Beta got kind of screwed by losing 10 years of their patent to the national high cap magazine ban, but what can you do? These mags are a fantastic buy.

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  • 機構搬遷 September 30, 2017, 10:36 pm

    SMA would be calculated as: (1.2345+1.2350+1.2360+1.2365+1.2370)/5 =
    1.2358.

  • ed watkins September 16, 2016, 5:41 pm

    is it possible for you to email the owners manual for the kci 100 round magazine that you reviewed on 4/18/2013- I would appreciate it Thank you

  • togel singapura 2015 January 3, 2015, 1:11 am

    this article so useful for me. c’mon make a good article anymore, thank you

  • AZgunslinger May 8, 2013, 9:47 am

    The KCI drums won’t function out of the box in either of my Bushmaster AR’s. The C-Mag does! I bought 2 of the KCI drums at a gun show in Vegas few years ago($150 each) They both sat in the box till about Feb of this year. After reading about people buying them during the beginning of this mess we are in now and stating they didn’t function in some of their receivers I wanted to test them out.. I decided to take them out for a try and sure enough they will not function in my Bushmaster rifles. My C-Mag has at least 2000 rounds through it with same two AR’s and maybe 2 times has acted up.
    I stopped buying KCI mags for my Glocks as well after 3-4 gun shows of buying them. I have 13 of them for 3 different Glock pistols and maybe 3 of them function right. The springs are not strong enough as well as the mags walls bulge when fully loaded. I should of figured the drum C-Mag copies were junk as well!

  • AZgunslinger May 8, 2013, 9:46 am

    The KCI drums won’t function out of the box in either of my Bushmaster AR’s. The C-Mag does! I bought 2 of the KCI drums at a gun show in Vegas few years ago($150 each) They both sat in the box till about Feb of this year. After reading about people buying them during the beginning of this mess we are in now and stating they didn’t function in some of their receivers I wanted to test them out.. I decided to take them out for a try and sure enough they will not function in my Bushmaster rifles. My C-Mag has at least 2000 rounds through it with same two AR’s and maybe 2 times has acted up.
    I stopped buying KCI mags for my Glocks as well after 3-4 gun shows of buying them. I have 13 of them for 3 different Glock pistols and maybe 3 of them function right. The springs are not strong enough as well as the mags walls bulge when fully loaded. I should of figured the drum C-Mag copies were junk as well!

  • mike April 25, 2013, 11:37 am

    I’m just wondering, are the 100 round magazines for target shooting and fun? Or to defend yourself from a home invasion by 20 criminals at once?

    I realize that I will get flamed for the question (before your admins delete any comment that is remotely “anti-gun”), but it is a serious question. I found this site and am trying to understand the point of view that differs from mine. Seems with the new policy of deleting anything “anti-gun” the editors are not interested in discussion, but I find it helpful for myself to understand someone elses point of view. Thanks.

    -Mike

    • Administrator April 25, 2013, 12:37 pm

      So you didn’t see the gestapo that Boston PD was able to mobilize in less than an hour? Did you miss people ordered to leave their homes in Watertown, standing there at gunpoint, while their houses were searched without a warrant? Are you fucking kidding at this point Mike?

    • Archangel May 22, 2016, 1:49 pm

      The main reason I built an 7.62×39 AK variant was not only cost of the gun parts kit, but because I could get decent 73 to 75 round drum magazines just so I can pump out rounds down range to keep any “aggressor of any kind” from just forcibly walking into my home and doing harm at will.
      The right to defend your life should include ANY THREAT to your life, and if anyone points a gun at you without first having their life being threatened, is in fact a life threatening aggressor and needs to be neutralized to protect your, and your family members lives.
      The problem is if they wear a uniform or carry a badge, you supposedly have no right to defend yourself and can only hope to survive, but then you must survive the legal fallout even if you did nothing wrong.
      If they misbehave and/or lie to make an arrest and get a conviction, are they not threatening your freedom, and your life?

  • Steve April 24, 2013, 5:38 pm

    Since this has seemed to develop into discussion about SG I’d just say that I’ve been a member for about 7 years. I let it drop once and then re-upped about a year later. I do feel their shipping prices are excessive but if you are a smart shopper and wait until they have discounted or free shipping to order what you want they can’t be beat. Even well after the SHTF back in December I ordered 500 rounds of 9mm and got them for 10.82 a 50 round box delivered. It did take a few months to get them but where are you going to find ANY ammo now? I have an order pending for 500 of .380 for 12.34 per 50 round box which will be delivered soon. Nothing is charged to your card until it ships. I hardly call that price gouging –

  • David April 24, 2013, 2:40 pm

    this place http://www.gotamag.com has these same kci drums in stock right now for $150. they also have pmags in stock for $22

  • YANKEEBILL April 23, 2013, 6:35 pm

    SPORTSMAN’S GUIDE OFFERS CLUB MEMBERS THE “4-PAY” OPTION WHICH LETS YOU SPREAD OUT THE COST OF WHATEVER YOU’RE BUYING, $150.00 ORDER TOTAL OR MORE, OVER 4 MONTHS. AND THEY ALSO OFFER ADDITIONAL DISCOUNT COUPONS, FREE SHIPPING AT TIMES, ETC…

    CHEAPER THAN DIRT HAS BECOME VERY MERCENARY IN THEIR PRICING, SHIPPING, AND HANDLING CHARGES. AFTER THEY BEGAN THIS PRACTICE, I BACKED OFF IN MY DEALINGS WITH THEM, AFTER QUITE A FEW YEARS OF DOING BUSINESS WITH THEM. THEY ARE REALLY TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THIS CURRENT SITUATION.

    I WAS AT THE “WORLD’S LARGEST RETAILER” THIS MORNING. I WAS ABLE TO PICK UP 3 BOXES (ALLOWED MAXIMUM) OF TULA MAXX 223 FOR LESS THAN $16.50/BOX OF 50. THIS AMMO IS BRASS CASE, BOXER PRIMED, 55GR FMJ AMMO. I DON’T USE THEIR OTHER AMMO, BUT THE TULA MAXX IS GOOD, CLEAN AMMO. THE STORE ALSO HAD ABOUT 30 BOXES OF WINCHESTER 5.56 AT $12.27/BOX OF 20. NOWHERE NEAR AS HIGH AS AT THE LOCAL GUN SHOWS!

  • Will April 23, 2013, 9:22 am

    The South Koreans have been a strong American Allies for a very long time.. They are hardworking and decent folk. There is no reason not to purchase quality products from them..

    For the record the South Korean People continue to fly at their expense and host as guests.. US GIs who served during the Korean War before the Armistice. I know of no other Nation to do that.

    Will

  • John W April 22, 2013, 9:56 pm

    One more thing Sportsman Guide has some really good buys. Just got to know what you’re looking for.

  • John W April 22, 2013, 9:54 pm

    Large beta 100 round mags are to bulky and weight to much. The 90 round snail drums are bulky. The Surefire 60 round mags are as big as you need. But I prefer 30 round mags. Takes a few seconds to reload magazines. Learn to shoot accurately so the rounds count and you need less.

  • JLA April 22, 2013, 9:43 pm

    My only point of contention with the article is that there is nothing ‘stupid’ about the Sportsman’s Guide’s “Buyer’s Club”. I’ve been a member for over a decade and have saved thousands of dollars because of it! Members also get special catalogs with deals not available in the Guide’s standard catalogs, and members have the option of spreading the cost of large purchases out over 4 payments with no interest. (It’s a feature I have used often!) If you shop at the Sportsman’s Guide I highly recommend joining the Buyer’s Club. I’ve never once lost money on the membership fee! (It’s only like $30 a year anyway.)

    BTW, I am in no way associated with the Sportsman’s Guide other than as a frequent customer.

  • Rich April 22, 2013, 3:36 pm

    Been buying from sportsman guide for years, always loved there stuff, but now theyve run out of ammo since the word is out. darn,good for them ,bad for me.

  • Bill Henry April 22, 2013, 3:14 pm

    Sportsmans Guide rocks! Nuff said.

  • YANKEEBILL April 22, 2013, 2:01 pm

    YES, THE 100 ROUND DRUM MAGS ARE INDEED HEAVY. BUT THEY SURE ARE FUN TO ROCK-N-ROLL WITH!

  • Andy April 22, 2013, 1:51 pm

    I have been buying ammo and gun parts from Sportsman Guide for about 8 years and have no complains about them or their produces. I even found Fiocchi 22LR rounds on their site for a very good price. and yes you will get your membership price back with saving on your first order. I only tell close friends about Sportsman Guide because i didn’t want more people buying every thing up. LOL

  • Nick April 22, 2013, 1:31 pm

    I would like to thank Justin for the magazine link, I just ordered a couple of AK mags, and Magpul took care of my AR needs thanks to Operation Boulder Drop.
    Us in Colorado are stoking up before the hi cap mag ban goes into affect (SUCKS). We cannot wait for 2014 to make a whole lot of politicians unemployed and get to work repealing those useless laws.
    Was he using one of those awesome bump fire stocks or was that a full auto AR in that demo?

  • Larry April 22, 2013, 1:27 pm

    I think you are getting “Cheaper than Dirt” mixed up with Sportsmans Guide. I’ve been a happy customer for over 15 yrs. If not I return no questions asked.

    Cheaper than dirt is taking advantage of the situation and their customers. Last week I bought 20 rnds of .223 Tula ammo from Walmart for $5.50, CTD had same ammo for $19.99 plus ship. 3 weeks ago bought premium .223 ammo from local gun store for $11.99, CTD had same ammo for $29.99 plus ship. This is probably why htey will not publish ammo prices in catalogs.

    Ease up on SG, they are a good source for good shooting supplies.

  • Sam Weems April 22, 2013, 1:26 pm

    As to being made in Korea, quality cars, guitars (as mentioned) and a quality rifle come from Korea. I owned a Daewoo K2 carbine back in the eighties. Couldn’t ask for much more in a well made rifle. Fit, finish, reliability, and functionality were second to none. I can’t imagine them skimping on something like a 100 rd AR drum mag either. I think they take pride in the products they manufacture.

  • David April 22, 2013, 1:13 pm

    Impractical. Have you ever humped with a 100 round mag? 30 is heavy enough.

    • Chris February 8, 2017, 12:31 am

      Your right it sounds heavy. Probably more of a back to the wall and hold your ground magazine.

  • Kellee April 22, 2013, 1:11 pm
  • YANKEEBILL April 22, 2013, 12:55 pm

    I WOULD LIKE TO ADD ANOTHER “THUMBS UP” FOR THE SPORTSMAN’S GUIDE. I HAVE BEEN A CUSTOMER AND A CLUB MEMBER FOR MANY YEARS. THE CLUB MEMBERSHIP EASILY PAYS FOR ITSELF WITHIN A FEW PURCHASES. THE GUIDE IS A LITTLE STEEP ON SHIPPING. BUT AS FAR AS A PREMIUM TO SHIP TO ALASKA AND HAWAII-I HAVE SEEN THAT ON MANY OTHER SITES TOO. THEIR RETURN POLICIES ARE GREAT. I HAVE STASHED THINGS I BOUGHT FROM THEM IN MY SAFE OR VAULT, AND FORGOTTEN ABOUT THEM. A YEAR LATER, I HAVE REURNED THEM, UNOPENED, WITH NO QUESTIONS ASKED! I BUILD AR’S FOR MYSELF, AND I HAVE PURCHASED MANY PARTS FROM SG. SOMETIMES, THEY HAVE THE PART I NEED, AT A GOOD PRICE, WHEN I CANNOT FIND IT AT ANY OTHER SUPPLIER. UNFORTUNATELY, THIS LATEST INCIDENT IN CONNECTICUT (AND ALL THE ENSUING BULL_ _ _ T) HAS SLOWED THE GUIDE DOWN, ON MANY THINGS, JUST AS IT HAS WITH ALL THE OTHER ONLINE SUPPLIERS. I WILL CONTINUE TO BE A SPORTSMAN’S GUIDE CUSTOMER FOR AS LONG AS THEY TREAT ME AS THEY HAVE IN THE PAST MANY YEARS!

    I ALSO OWN BOTH A KCI AND A BETA C-MAG. I AGREE WHOLEHEARTEDLY WITH THE RESULTS OF THIS GUNSAMERICA TEST. THE KOREAN COPY IS AN ALMOST EXACT COPY OF THE BETA PRODUCT, AND IT WORKS AS WELL, AS FAR AS I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO ASCERTAIN. I HAVE A FEW HUNDRED ROUNDS THROUGH IT IN MY M4, WITH NO TROUBLES AT ALL. I BOUGHT IT YO BE MY “SECOND LINE” MAG, AT A DIFFERENT WEB SITE LAST FALL, FOR $119.99. MONEY WELL SPENT!

  • chuck April 22, 2013, 12:54 pm

    Hey let up on a good supplier. SG has always done what they say they will.
    Where do you get off being so sarcastic. Let up on the good one.
    I am starting to change my mind about Gunsamerica- They may agitators.
    Sincerely
    Chuck

    • Administrator April 22, 2013, 1:05 pm

      If you do not stop this sillyness I will again say Ni to you. It was be especially nasty.

  • Justin April 22, 2013, 12:35 pm

    These are in stock at http://www.doublejsportinggoods.com

  • David Hamilton April 22, 2013, 12:05 pm

    I have not purchased from SG ever since I discovered that they add $10 to the actual cost of shipping to Alaska. Why? Their answer was, “We just do”. Well, not to me anymore.

    • Andy April 22, 2013, 2:07 pm

      Be advised that Sportsman guide runs deals with no shipping cost, they also have given me free shipping on all products ordered that same day. As far as the postage– i have found few business that don’t gouge you on postage. I’m not sure why they send a set of night sites in a box that takes two hands to carry into the house. Maybe some on on this site can explain that to me.

    • Just The Facts April 22, 2013, 3:16 pm

      Are you serious? I found almost everything shipped to Alaska had a $8.50 to $10.00 surcharge for shipping and that was at least 11 years ago! Even if it was a padded envelope which in the lower 48 might cost $2 – $3 was $12 – $13. It isn’t a mystery or an unusual practice limited to SG. As a matter of fact if you know of a place that will send ammo or clothing to Alaska without it could you share it with us? I have family that still lives there and they would be simply tickled to not have to pay that surcharge. (Yes I’m serious)

  • Joe April 22, 2013, 11:25 am

    My reply to Jay was not posted so I’ll try again. Jay, Sportsmans Guide ONLY and has always only sold Black Powder Firearms. So you must have them confused with Cheaper Than Dirt. SG also did not price gouge.

    • Just The Facts April 22, 2013, 3:00 pm

      Joe, Your 1st post is up, just takes a while because of moderating. It takes a while I would imagine, to remove the anti-gun shills posts. If you are on the email list you should have gotten the memo about Bloomberg’s nutters being on forums posting “can’t we all just get along and let the Feds do universal background checks for the sake of the children” or some other B.S. that the anti-gun animals want us to believe we should all be ok with.

  • Jon April 22, 2013, 10:57 am

    Who’s burning up ammo(with ammo hard to get) fast enough to need 100 round mags. My barrel is dangerously hot after I Slide Fire out 60 rounds from my AR with a Pro Mag. AK same thing. 2 30’s and that baby will burn you. I guess in a war or something. I’m not young enough to be jumping over walls, and running to the next fox hole fast enough not to get shot. But I still would take one.(By the way I bought all them Slid Fire’s from SG and the 60 rounder.) I like SG. Natches not so much. They ripped me off twice.

    • JCitizen April 23, 2013, 1:31 am

      There is a solution to that – get a Robinson’s Armament Expeditionary Rifle – the barrel is removable and in fact is quick change compatible. It is a spit’n image of the Stoner 63 system, which was probably the best design by Eugene in history. To bad they aren’t selling accouterments like the original with belt feed and such! Robarm called it the M96 and it took M15/16 magazines, so it would have been the bomb if they still make it – that is!

    • Doc May 1, 2013, 1:50 pm

      I’d burn it up that fast. Why? Because it’s fun as heaven is said to be! And yeah, the bbl of my Kel-tech (open bbl) and my 16 (A3) were smoking, but overseas they saw a lot worse wear than that (well my 16 did, and I was a Navy Corpsman so I warn’t leart nothing. It’s what ‘pray and spray’ is all about, at least that’s what I lerart when the Marines got through with me, can’t talk about Army guys and what they learnt each other. When I called for cover to get a Marine Down, I sure wish we’d had a buncha these around — and so did everyone else). But I’m too old now for that young-buck syndrome. I’ll patch ya up, but don’t know I’d run very far to get you ‘fore I was ‘got’.

      Around here, they are just plain old fun — I had my custom 16 and mags taken from me here in CA when my renters were having a yard sale, — selling off the plants in my yard — and I came flying back into state along the back gravel roads without thinking about what I normally keep in Nevada, and what I normally keep with me (SAA’s and SASS type firearms and in the truck behind my seat are my beater 10 round Keltec and an old 14, a .270 Rem 700, and a 12 ga Rem 870 which I keep well cleand and ready since it’s the ‘survival’ firearm of choice in the desert) and while I did get some new front teeth – (lost my voice to Agent Orange, and when the cops had me with my hands on my head and asked me my name, I had to take one down to answer them and this one Sgt was getting VERY up set, (“I TOLD you to KEEP your HANDS on YOUR head!”) – VERY fast – until he said ‘take him down’ and at least I had insurance to cover my teeth. The 16 was a ‘thank you’ present from some gunsmithing/ students I’d helped get through regular classes — and it was taken along with a buncha high-cap-mags – this being one of them – and yeah, you use them for fun. When I tried to get the 16 back I was told ‘huh? what 16? It never made it to Evidence”. So SOMEONE has a VERY nice firearm and about 1k of rounds. And I yeah happy I’m not in some jail for life for having a fun-gun. Cause that’s what they are. If I ever wanted them, I’d listen to the Marine DR we had with us — ‘get a good hunting rifle and at the end of the day you can pick them off off the field like rocks.” —

      And while I try for that ever elusive 1 inch 1000 meter group of 5, I have a .4 inch group at 200 yards from my old SSG-69 PII (.308 [NOT, I’m told, a 7,56]). So I figure I’m part way there. BTW that was a 6 round group using 168 gr Horniday HPBT Match with a Leopold Mark 4 fixed 16×40 with their TMR reticule – so I can see the pistol targets through the scope, not cover ithem with a mil-dot). That is fun shooting too, like Zen shooting – the other kind is shoot anything on the hillside that’s been there too long or looks like it shouldn’t be there much longer, and sometimes it takes a real nice long burst on full. And yeah, it’s funner than heaven. THAT’S why you should want a 100-200 round mag – it’s FUN. But then so is a 3 ounce front trigger – set trigger goes ‘click’, spotter says “Sen.. BANG!” since I just THINK ‘send it’ and before I can process the first word, there’s a recoil and a loud noise and a tiny hole appears on the target. That’s one kind of fun, the other is ‘BLAM!BLAM!BLAM!BLAM!BLAM!BLAM!BLAM!BLAM!BLAM!BLAM!BLAM!BLAM!BLAM!BLAM!’ dang, it’s still there, “BLAM!BLAM!BLAM!BLAM!BLAM!BLAM!BLAM!BLAM!BLAM!BLAM!BLAM!BLAM!BLAM!BLAM!BLAM!’ Good, now it’s sand like it oughta been in the first place.

      “Funny, some future archeologist or geologist might say — there seems to be copper and led here in the same spot, they shouldn’t have come to the surface together in the same vein, how odd.” (yeah, I ALWAYS police my brass).

      You need large mags to play a practical joke on the future while having something called FUN right now. A good bbl will take a lot of rounds. Why? Well 1) it CAN save your life but more important 2) it’s just plain fun. And, 3, MOST military bbls and custom bbls will take the heat and recoil not burn out, ruin the head-space, or bend in some adrenalin fueled rush in the field layin down cover for your corpsman, or just having fun in the desert. Only trouble I ever had was a Nevada County Mountie tell me “Sir, I’d be a LOT happier if you put your beer in the back of the truck when you’re shootin’, and just watch out for cows, they get real expensive real fast.” After a single high-cap-mag, he “Wow. Memories.” and said he might be back after he was off duty with a friend or two. I messed around till about 1900 and then went back to camp since he hadn’t shown up.

      But the next AM he and buddies showed up for a good afternoon I’d planed on doing not a lot with, maybe some photography, but we sure had a LOT of fun. And some HUGE steaks cooked over mountain mahogany that simply can’t EVER be beat. Yeah 100 round mags are for country bumpkins to have fun with and for ranchers who want to take out an entire colony of very badly maligned ‘prairie dogs’ who generally do more good than bad. And it’ll ‘walk the range’ up to a coyote who’s sniffing around during birthing season if you don’t want the time to pull out your bolt action and pretend you know the distance — and the older **I** get the less I want to bother — scare the C**p out of them is enough ‘killin’ for the day. Most of us have seen far more than we even want to remember. And as a corpsman, I’ve seen FAR more than I ever wanted to — so live a little!!! Let rip a couple-a-hundred rounds. You’ll be OK if your firearm is OK. If you have a good bbl, it’ll take it many high-cap-mags MANY times over and still shoot a quarter at 100 meters if you flip it back to semi and take your time.

      One thing I’ve noticed on the board: not too many people use the word ‘fun’ but then I grew up in a country where we’d .22LR blue jays for fun, and squirrels and sometimes deer for dinner. Am I the only one who uses and thinks the words ‘fun’ and ‘cool’ when lookin’ at a 100 round mag or a rifle that’ll shoot one, or covet the beauty of a good old wooden stock (an old Sako is a good example) as a LOT more beautiful than black plastic?

      • Ed December 15, 2016, 11:46 pm

        Well said, Doc! I salute you.

  • Mad Dog April 22, 2013, 10:52 am

    100 round magazines don’t make sense. Everything mechanical has a propensity to fail sooner or later. Not to mention it just gives these anti-gun nuts one more thing to latch onto.

    • Outlaw April 27, 2013, 3:35 am

      Don’t worry if it was a 1 round mag they would still be asking (demanding) a ban. The reason why is, because someone wants to own one and it is free country. Why do you need to be able to buy a ZR1 Corvette? A Volt is transportation, get it? If you don’t get a clue. If you don’t plan a illegal use of the mag why should anyone have a right to complain about your ability to purchase it? Give an inch and they will take it and whatever gun you would give up my rights to own for the false hope of them letting you keep yours. Sorry but it is true we cannot give even one inch if we expect to prevail.

  • Joe April 22, 2013, 10:04 am

    I agree with Country & Jim. I’ve been dealing with Sportsmans Guide for at least 15 years now, and have nothing but praise for their service, prices and products. I’ve also been a Buyers Club member for about that long. I’m kind of “lucky” because I live in the Northwoods of WI, SG is one state over, so I get very quick delivery. And no I’m not an employee of SG nor do I know anyone personally that works for them.

    • Mad-Max April 22, 2013, 3:23 pm

      Yes you are “Lucky” as I’ve been “Screwed” by “Sportsman-Guide” Too many times over the 10 years I ordered from them, so I dropped them and won’t order from them again!! I don’t recommend them to anyone either! Yes I had a few orders that went ok, but I had many orders that they sent the wrong item and then “I” had to pay to return the item “Before” I get the item I “Ordered”!! Cost me more than the items was worth!! Also, “the straw that broke the camels back” sort of speak, was when I ordered Special Hunting stuff “Scent-repelent” Cold-weather-gloves, Gun cleaning supplies, and more for a once in a lifetime hunting trip to hunt with my Brothers in Upstate NY. I ordered supplies 3 weeks in advance so the supplies would be fresh and there “Before I get there” (Shipped them to my brothers home in NY) I get there and no supplies!! Called them, they held the whole order for a $2.99 cleaning brush that was in-stock when I ordered it but 3 days later when they went to pack the items they were out!!!! I told them to ship everything else and take the brush off the order and ship that day as I only had 10 days of hunting… They again took 3 days to take the brush off the order then 2 days to ship it out and it arrived the day “After” I got back to LasVegas!! NEVER AGAIN WILL I ORDER FROM THEM!!!! SO, if you order AR15 Mags and get AK47 mags and have to spend $12. to ship them back and then they send you something else, you have been “WARNED”!!!

      • Outlaw April 27, 2013, 3:27 am

        Really they sent me a box of merch. that I didn’t order (maybe it was yours LOL), I called and told them and they sent UPS to pick it up the next day no charge to me. Maybe your attitude hacked them off?

        • Doc May 1, 2013, 12:02 pm

          I think you may have nailed it. Generally if **I’m** nice, I find other people are nice too. There’s a long story I’ll make short:

          A farmer was out plowing his field (or out standing in his field) and one day a wagon train came by. They asked him what kind of folks lived around the country. The (Sage) farmer (and if you live in Nevada there are plenty of them) asked: “How are folks where you came from?” “Oh Just a bunch of GD hypocrites and thieves!” — “Same here,” said the Farmer. And they moved on.

          Later, another train came by, same story, only they answered “Best bunch of God Fearin folks we’ve ever known, just hated to leave, but with a family to raise and land to split with my sons, just had so say Good-by. Best Buncha Folks you ever met.” “Same here,” said the farmer.

  • Jay April 22, 2013, 9:49 am

    Although this was a nice review, regardless if TheSportsmansguide.com had these on sale even for $50, I wouldn’t by them. In my own personal opinion, this company screwd their longtime customers with their Post-Sandy Hook heiatus on gun sales, and their price gouging on mags and ammo. This company along with a couple of others won’t get another dime of my hard earned money.

    • Joe April 22, 2013, 10:47 am

      Jay,
      Sportsmans Guide ONLY sells Black Powder firearms. So either your confusing them with Cheaper than Dirt, or you have no idea what you’re talking about. They also did not price gouge.

      • Dan April 22, 2013, 12:30 pm

        Sportsmans guide customer service (thats an oxymoron) SUCKS. They might as well be nonexistent.

        • Outlaw April 27, 2013, 3:23 am

          I have never had one problem with getting satisfaction from SG. If it is years old and you aren’t satisfied they will refund or replace it unless something has changed recently. You people are hard to please to the extreme. With all the crap going on today getting a mag is hard enough and while they don’t have ammo (who does mail order) their prices haven’t gone up when they get it in. The only thing I can find any fault with is back in 08 you could backorder ammo and get it when it became available. Now you can’t, but I can’t really fault them for this as bad as things are right now I don’t know anyone who is offering any backorders on ammo.

    • Just The Facts April 22, 2013, 2:51 pm

      I’m not sure why anyone is knocking Sportsman’s Guide either but some people just have to knock things because it makes them feel good to talk bad about things. Good enough, whatever gets you through the day. BUT, at least don’t lie or be damn sure you are talking about the correct company. I’ve been a member of Sportman’s for years and even shop at their retail store in S. St Paul and I personally think Gary is a nice guy.

      Echoing other statements made here, you have either got the MEE TOOO! little boy syndrome or you have the wrong company in mind. The only drawback with Sportsman’s right now is just like everyone else, they have a severe lack of ammo in my flavors.

      And they only sell Black Powder, Replica, Demilitarized, Blank, Pellet and BB Guns. They do however sell gun parts, including M16 parts, and never put a hiatus on anything they had in stock, and their ammo prices are damn low, in most cases within a penny over or under on ammo like .22LR, and within a penny or two over or under on larger rounds. And their Club, When I signed up they gave me a gift card for the full amount in the mail, when I renew they give me two $10 Gift Cards, and on top of this if you do not feel like you got your money’s worth in a membership period, they refund the cost of the membership. They offer members only deals like free shipping etc, and member prices on certain items that make it a no-brainer. They want your mailing address in exchange for discounts, not at all an uncommon practice today.

      • Skeeve April 22, 2013, 4:33 pm

        ” I’ve been a member of Sportman’s for years and even shop at their retail store in S. St Paul and I personally think Gary is a nice guy”

        Yes, Gary is a nice guy. However, he sold SG years ago to a French consortium, and their policies about not shipping anything gun related to problem states like CA became even more restrictive. So a replacement bolt for a 1903 Springfield became “assault weapon parts.” And the prices went up [have to pay for the buyout loan, y’know.] So while I was a big customer of SG thru the 90s and much of the double-aughts, I’ve purchased relatively little from them over the past 7 or 8 years.

        And BTW: SG had these same mags for ~$40 less before Newtown, iirc. So the whole “not profiteering” claim is a little bit off, IMNSHO.

  • Country Codger April 22, 2013, 9:28 am

    I agree with Jim. I have enjoyed my membership with the Guide and have purchased tons of stuff through them, literally. I have recommended it to many friends and acquaintances and they too enjoy it. Since Dec. 14, 2012 their service has slowed down sum but hey, I have been waiting on a DSArms upper for over 6 months so 4 weeks is fast.
    CC

  • Jim April 22, 2013, 7:30 am

    Why so hard on “The Guide” ? I have been in their club for years and enjoy the additional discount and early notice of sales. Just about every bit gear I have bought has been exactly what I expected, and if not it was easily exchanged for a complete refund. And as far as their numerous offers that come with my shipments, what problem do you have with capitalism and free enterprise? Recently the GunsAmerica site, which I have bought many firearms from and am completely happy with, have had alot of bogus rip off postings. So I think it best you take Jesus’ advice and “Remove the log from your eye, before you take the speck from your kbrother’s.”
    Regards,
    Jim Symons

    PS thanks for the review on another bargain product from “TheSportsmans Guide”!

    • Steve April 22, 2013, 6:10 pm

      I got hacked off at the Guide when they cancelled a 7 case order of ammo I bought for a MG shoot. This was back in the day when Bush was president, ammo was plentiful and they had a really good deal going on 9mm & 223. They accused me of being a dealer. I called them back, offered to send them a copy of my Form 4 and even a notarized statement that I was the end-user. No go. They didn’t want my business. So I cancelled my membership and haven’t spent a dime with them since.

      I don’t know if they still have that same brain dead policy now that Jay Berlin is out of the picture, but I can tell you they probably have lost several thousand dollars of revenue from me and friends that I’ve waived off.

      • JCitizen April 23, 2013, 1:18 am

        I’d be mad too if that happened to me, but I was getting belted MG ammo from them in droves, and I shot thousands of rounds. I never got a refusal to sell – but you got to expect that if it is already belted, chances are it is going into an mg somewhere! The Sportsman’s Guide has been good to me!

  • Dragon April 22, 2013, 7:09 am

    In stock per this web site…

    • Dragon April 22, 2013, 7:11 am
      • Dan April 22, 2013, 12:26 pm

        Thanks but I just checked the website and it says they are sold out for the AR-15. I would have definitely ordered one at that price.

        • Dan April 22, 2013, 2:44 pm

          Sorry about the above post. I e-mailed them and received a reply quickly and they have a large shipment (5,000 to 6,000) coming and will be in stock for a few days until they run out again. Compared to sportsmans guide its a GREAT deal.

          • rbbiggs April 23, 2013, 8:02 am

            Just checked the website and they don’t say “sold out” now. 139 looks pretty good

  • J April 22, 2013, 6:39 am

    “I say this because there is nothing bad that we could say about these magazines except that are a stolen design from an American company being made in Korea. ”

    Stolen implies that there is still some protection owed to Beta… if so they would have extended their patent. If not the design is now free to be copied.

    That’s how patents, and the free market work.

    • Jp April 22, 2013, 9:42 am

      KCI is probably exporting those mags cuz they are allowed to do so. Besides patents are freely tradable between parties.

      If KCI stole their design, ITC would seize them upon report. In most case, if bought imported good, not from China, in most case those goods are legally produced.

      Also, idea of patent is disclosing your useful idea into public domain in return for limited protection right. Technically u can not steal idea in public domain. Infringing is the better word.

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