Polymer magazines may have taken over a fair amount of the market share, but let’s not give up on metal.  I have taught and taken carbine classes from the east coast to the west coast for almost 2 decades.  I have run the AR-15 in competition, hunting, and plinking.  The main thing I have noticed is that instructors are very opinionated about how people should run their guns.  There is a fair amount of disagreement on the best ways to load, carry, present, fire, and clear malfunctions.  There is one thing that most of the top instructors all seem to agree on: when it comes to magazines, metal is better.

C-Products Defense has been making magazines since 2011 and is a widely recognized brand name, in addition to being made in the USA and ISO-9001 Certified.  DuraMag is the continuation of the C-products magazine line.  In addition to the standard 5.56, DuraMag specializes in caliber-specific magazines like the .450 Bushmaster and .350 Legend.

I have been using C-products and DuraMag products for quite a while, but I recently had the chance to try out one of their specialty caliber magazines in my .224 Valkyrie.

The .224 Valkyrie uses the same magazine as the 6.8 SPC.

 

The 20-Round 6.8 SPC/.224 Valkyrie magazine by DuraMag features a 410 Stainless Steel body with a black proprietary T-360™ coating that is resistant to wear and corrosion and promotes high surface lubricity.

 

DuraMag’s “LipLock” design keeps rounds secure (minimizing or preventing some types of double-feed malfunctions) and their own Advanced Geometry Follower™ for level feeding and preventing follower tilt.

DuraMag 20-rounder loaded with Hornady .224 Valkyrie ammunition featuring their extra-long 88-grain ELD-M Projectile. I also tested the magazine with some Sierra ammunition, loaded with their 90-grain Match King.

 

Testing the DuraMag 6.8 SPC magazine in this .224 Valkyrie Mk12. No issues with the feeding or function of either the polymer-tipped or open-tip match rounds.

Short-barreled rifles and suppressed guns, as well as exotic calibers, can cause higher bolt velocities than the original AR-15/M-16 magazine was designed for.  To ensure reliable feeding and function in these guns, magazines need to run fast, smooth, and strong.  The C-Products Defense DuraMag is designed with improved features to ensure reliability.

RATINGS:

Fit and Finish – 5 out of 5 The DuraMag finish is smooth and durable inside and out.  I tried the magazine in rifles from several different manufacturers and they all slid in and dropped-free when ejected.

Cost – 5 out of 5 You get what you pay for,  while the 5.56 mags are on the slightly higher side in comparison with other makes (albeit without the improvements of this magazine) it isn’t really an apples-to-apples comparison.  The specialty caliber magazines compare favorably (price-wise) with competitive brands.

Function – 5 out of 5 No Issues

Availability – 5 out of 5  With the current issues in the material supply chain and the constant demand for magazines, it’s amazing that C-Products has time to keep up with even the 5.56 mag market, much less have time to innovate and produce caliber-specific mags.

TOTAL – 20 out of 20

Let’s be honest – it’s a magazine, it’s supposed to work.  That said, most of us have experienced magazine-related failures and problems even with new mags.  Based on my experiences with C-Products and DuraMag, the probabilities of having issues with their mags are on the extremely low side.   The functionality is one of the things that makes DuraMags good,  the innovation and commitment to quality, including ISO-9001 certification, proprietary coatings, followers, and springs, is what makes them excellent.

Material Disclosure

I received this product as a courtesy from the manufacturer via Spotter Up so I could test it and give my honest feedback. I am not bound by any written, verbal, or implied contract to give this product a good review. All opinions are my own and are based off my personal experience with the product.

Follow our WEBSITE

Follow on Instagram 

Follow on WeMe

Visit our STORE 

*The views and opinions expressed on this website are solely those of the original authors and contributors. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of Spotter Up Magazine, the administrative staff, and/or any/all contributors to this site.

By Michael Lake

Writer Michael Lake is a Benefactor Life Member of the National Rifle Association and has been actively involved in a variety shooting activities since 1989. In addition to being a certified range safety officer he holds several NRA instructor ratings and armorer certifications. He has received training from the US Army Marksmanship Unit, the US Marine Corps Rifle Team and some of the finest private training facilities in the nation. In 2013 Michael co-founded Adaptive Defense Concepts, a Northwest Ohio-based Training organization. currently a contractor for the Department of Energy managing safety for the National Homeland Security program in Eastern Idaho, an instructor for Badlands Tactical Training Center, and is an accomplished Freemason.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.