For people that have run AW and AICS mags in comp, which one would you run and why? I have been using AICS mags and haven’t really had any issues but considering a move to AW for smaller foot print. Have a Zeus action which is cut for AW mags so that box is checked.
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Move to AW Mags?
- Thread starter werth338
- Start date
AICS, for the simple reason there are 12 and 14 round mags. Eventually you run into a stage that is more than 10 rounds, and that reload will cost you. AW mags are welded on the bottom, so you can't just put an extension on them.
I’m generally of the ‘if it ain’t broke’ crowd, but you could always get one to try. They’re cheap enough to buy and easy enough to move on the secondary market if it came down to it.
Whether or not they feed properly will really just depend on your setup. While certain actions are cut to accept AW mags, there are definitely some that work better than others. I have no personal experience with the Zeus but it’s long-lost 60 degree brethren are generally not known to be flexible feeders. YMMV.
You could also try the MDT or ARC AICS flavors as well if you’re just looking for a more compact footprint.
Whether or not they feed properly will really just depend on your setup. While certain actions are cut to accept AW mags, there are definitely some that work better than others. I have no personal experience with the Zeus but it’s long-lost 60 degree brethren are generally not known to be flexible feeders. YMMV.
You could also try the MDT or ARC AICS flavors as well if you’re just looking for a more compact footprint.
I’ve had zero issues with AI, accurate, or magpul AICS mags. I like magpul because money.
I’ve tried both on my Fuzion action. The lone peak is cut for aw. Could not get them to run well at all in the 6br with hrd kits.
I have 10 round mdt 6br mags that run great. So I have 14 and 10 round mags.
Two lug action I’ve found work best with aics, while aw work great with 3 lug.
My only experience is only with short cases, like 6br.
I have 10 round mdt 6br mags that run great. So I have 14 and 10 round mags.
Two lug action I’ve found work best with aics, while aw work great with 3 lug.
My only experience is only with short cases, like 6br.
Does saving and inch of the "footprint" help you at all? Are you banging the bottom of your mag on things and not being able to get into positions and losing points? If not then leave it as is. Never saw the allure of AW mags myself. Never had an issue with mag length and now people are putting longer mag extensions on and still running fine. So why change? No reason. I am still running my original AI AICS mags from 2004. If it ain't broke....LOL
Rob, believe it or not. I’m a short-shit, a shorter mag helps a lot with being able to get good position in some props or rocks that impact the vertically challenged.
Morgun King spoke about this on a recent podcast. I think uses AWs exclusively on his rifles, but what do I know.
I haven't had an issue with clearance but a couple of times I was wondering if it was going to be an issue. I don't shoot out in NM or CO so have no point of reference on rocks and more natural type of setting which has me thinking as I want to do more of that next year.
I was talking to the OP. But if Morgun King uses them exclusively then I am changing all mine over. Lol
You obviously think you are missing out on something so go spend some money and test it yourself. Only way you will know.
I know you were, but I was responding to you. Lol
I could care less what Morgun does, just making mention that he spoke about the benefit of AWs being short allowing for some flexibility vs longer mags.
I wouldn't say that I feel like I am missing something. Just trying to see if really a reason to make the change vs spend money and time just to do it. If footprint is all that can be a definitive advantage, I don't see me making a move.
Having a physical size issue where you have issues getting into positions with the length of aics vs aw mags is a good reason to change. I just don’t want him thinking that the 1” of mag length is what’s holding him back from the podium if aics mags aren’t causing an issue. No one could really answer his question but him and why I said drop the money and try it. Gets expensive sometimes though lol
ETA I was responding to the post above yours OP.
ETA I was responding to the post above yours OP.
Expensive and frustrating if you can’t get them to feed right. You’re right for most 1” doesn’t make a difference.
ARC (assuming they work with your bottom metal) with a +2 extender from MKM is the Bees Knees for short, runs well and having enough rounds to get through any stage.
Its about the same height as a MDT or Accurate 10 rounder. Accurate 10 rounder with +2 MKM extension works fantastic, but its a bit long.
AW mags are nice but I would never want to be limited to 10 rounds in the mag.
Its about the same height as a MDT or Accurate 10 rounder. Accurate 10 rounder with +2 MKM extension works fantastic, but its a bit long.
AW mags are nice but I would never want to be limited to 10 rounds in the mag.
Go with whatever works best for you, I run AICS mags and don't have a problem but if you think AW will help then go for it.
One of my 6 AW mags doesn’t feed as well as the others. Probably needs some spring adjustment to bring the nose up. It’s not every time, but noticeably more inconsistent than the other mags.
The rest of them work fine after tweaking the followers. I use HRD kits for 6BR. I haven’t adjusted feed lips on any. The front corners of the followers needed some filing so the follower would come up above the action feed ramp to feed the last round (without this filing, the rounds would jam into the feed ramp and never come out of the mag to go into the chamber). I’d say better than 95% reliability. Not 100%.
I am new to the game deciding to give it a whirl after shooting some rimfire matches. At 65, I am officially a codger who enjoys tinkering with guns (mostly AR platform) as much as shooting them. The bolt game is new and pushed on my by my son-in-law who competes and sponsors (a target manufacturer). I built my 308 (sorry...old school) Defiant Deviant around the AW mag cut. My KRG Bravo required the extended mag release. It functions flawlessly on two of my mags, but kept popping out of the gun under recoil on the third. Downside (other than tweaks for all three to work) is that the very light spring pressure means if you drop a mag, you risk rounds scattering on the ground. But as a previous poster, I am short in stature an the short mag helps me stay low on some stages. I fin the 10 round mag will accept 11 without no downside and fortunately have not encountered a 12 round stage yet. I am going to acquire some AICS mags too as I am told you can use both in this setup, but have not tried it yet.
I love the idea of ARC mags. In practice, their reliability has not quite been that of other mags.
I find smaller cartridges are more reliable than larger calibers in ARC mags, such as the BR variants. It seems that when the mag goes from double stack to single stack, that the extra friction that needs to be overcome can become too much for the mag in the wrong conditions. Smaller cartridges have less surface area contacting the side walls and less weight, thus less pressure to overcome. Debris can make this a challenge to overcome.
One member on here uses graphite lube in his ARC mags, supposedly they run more reliably this way. I personally haven't tried that yet, but neat tip if it works. The mag will probably still require periodic cleaning.
I've relegated my ARC mags as range mags. Not sure if I would trust them in a match. I would certainly have a few backups if I was to try them in a match.
I'm swapping over to AWs and putting an extension on my ARC mag for the occasional 12 rounds stages since my MDT 12 rounders don't work with my 6 BRA when loaded beyond 10 rounds.
Out west, we shoot a lot of spool wheel, rocks, and weird crap stages that tend to hang up on long mags if you're using anything smaller than a full size completely stuffed game changer.
I like how short the AWs are, and with the hrd I won't risk short strokes like I have with my ARC mag, it won't have to worry as much about dirt as I do with my ARC mag, and in the winter it's easier to load with gloves on.
I run a lone peak in a krg w3, so I did have to buy an extended mag catch and trim it. Took about 20 minutes. I also opened up the front 1/4 inch of the feed lips on order to feed straight walled BRA cases reliably.
I say try it. Don't run them at a match until you've run hundreds of dummy rounds through it with a fully loaded mag though. Mag issues are the effing worst when you're at a match.
Out west, we shoot a lot of spool wheel, rocks, and weird crap stages that tend to hang up on long mags if you're using anything smaller than a full size completely stuffed game changer.
I like how short the AWs are, and with the hrd I won't risk short strokes like I have with my ARC mag, it won't have to worry as much about dirt as I do with my ARC mag, and in the winter it's easier to load with gloves on.
I run a lone peak in a krg w3, so I did have to buy an extended mag catch and trim it. Took about 20 minutes. I also opened up the front 1/4 inch of the feed lips on order to feed straight walled BRA cases reliably.
I say try it. Don't run them at a match until you've run hundreds of dummy rounds through it with a fully loaded mag though. Mag issues are the effing worst when you're at a match.
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My experience is a love hate relationship.. when I have them running , it’s like a Porsche. There is no substitute
I am new to centerfire PRS style rifles and built a gun on a Defiant Deviant action using a KRG Bravo chassis. I started with AW mags from the get go due to easy loading and shorter profile. Negative was the mags would not stay locked up until I trimmed the KRG extended mag release a bit more. Too tight and it would drop under recoil. My last match, they were reliable and have always fed correctly. It appears to be a KRG issue. I did buy a couple of pmags just for backup.
It seems to be a KRG issue, yes. Most of the guys I shoot with use XLR and have zero issues. I've been plagued with issues, especially with the MDT BR mags. The only thing that seems to feed short cased reliably was ARC, oddly enough. I did a long mag latch and trimmed it to the longest possible for the AWs and only run AW and ARC now with zero issues. Had to open up the front of the AW feed lips too. Straight walled BRA doesn't play well with a tapered magazine and long lips.
So far from my experience of just using ARC mags at the range, they work surprisingly well for the short cartridges. Specifically BRA in my case.
My experience with AW magazines has been that if you accidentally drop the magazine, or bump it hard on something while getting ready to insert the magazine into the rifle, one or two rounds fly off the feed lips. I've dropped points a couple times in a match or two because of that.
First off, I'm not familiar with a Zeus action. If it's a three lug, go ahead and try the AW's. If it's a two lug you will very likely get screwed by misfeeds, and always at the worst possible time.
I'm running a Zeus action in an XLR chassis and fighting an overinsertion issue with AICS magazines (upward pressure on mag causes rear feed lips to block bolt forward movement). I'm thinking an AW magazine could fix this but how can I tell whether my chassis/action will accept the AW mags?
I have used a lot of mdt aics mags and although they served me well over the past seasons, mostly with my TL3 action, I decided to give aw a try. Decision came from the choice to go with the new ARC action the Coup de Grace, and Xylo chassis. Being new to aw I preferred the safest path of the combination of action+ chassis from the same vendor and designed for AW mags.
I haven’t got the chance to test it but at first sight the smoothness of the aw mags feeling is far superior expecially for the first round of a full mag. Using hrd gear br cartridges kit since I went from 6 creed to Dasher. Ted Karagias addresses specifically the AW reasons on the Coup section of his website.
I haven’t got the chance to test it but at first sight the smoothness of the aw mags feeling is far superior expecially for the first round of a full mag. Using hrd gear br cartridges kit since I went from 6 creed to Dasher. Ted Karagias addresses specifically the AW reasons on the Coup section of his website.
