Anybody here use ProMag magazines for the SD series?

[ClaytonG]

I've been using ProMag mags in my SD40 for several months and they seem to work extremely well.

I've read a lot of bad things about ProMag mags.
The ones I have worked flawlessly. They hold 15 rounds versus the standard 14 in S&W mags.

I only paid $16.50 per mag for them.

Anybody have problems with extended usage?

 

[ADP3]

In my experience any firearms product with the term"Pro" in is best avoided. Disappointment seems to be inevitable. I hope others have more positive experiences but I avoid "Pro" products like the plague.

Best Regards,
ADP3

 

[SamMeow]

Sorry, never tried any ProMags with any handgun.
And my SD9VE mags are 16 rds.

 

[Loyaljeeper]

Promags do not have the best reputation. I am happy that they are working in the SD, but just about all other platforms I hear nothing but the worst.

 

[getoff]

i avoid anything promag like the plague... some work great, but most don't ever work properly. after many years working in gun shops, the failure rate is about 50/50. the good ones are good, the rest should be properly recycled. glad yours are good to go for you, but i'd get some OEM if you have access, and can afford them.

 

[Steve912]

I got three ProMags for a Glock 27, years ago. Used em for many
hundreds of rounds as range mags, without any problems.

 

[Skoll]

ProMag has a well deserved terrible reputation. I've personally seen their AK mags break under little to no pressure.

 

[Dangerman]

most of there mags are pretty good. A few of them have issues. online they have a terrible reputation due to a lot of things. One being that many people equate other aftermarket magazines to promag when they are not.

Basically you have to try one out for whatever gun your useing. Test it and make sure its well designed and go from there.

Often they have slightly weaker springs that can act up on pistols where magazine spring strength is important IE 40s&w or subcompact pistols in larger calibers. For something like a wondernine the magazines are typically functional.

They also sometimes have sloppy followers that dont have the stability of factory followers. Again... this can cause issues more in some designs than others.

Personally I have had great luck with all my promags. They do require fitting and plain magazine 101 reworking sometimes but once they are dialed in they are great. They are also the only option a lot of times for super duper capacity magazines.... which I like. I dont care if people make fun of 32rd happy sticks in my pistols... I like them.

Rifle mags..... probably better options though the newer versions of sks magazines are well designed. The older ak and SKS waffle plastic mags were problematic and fragile. I am not big on plastic magazines in general as plastic feedlips on magazines is a horrible concept IMO.

Thanks for the review on the SD mags. I will pick some up for my sigmas.

 

[M E Morrison]

I used them in a Walther P38 and a Ruger MK2 .22 auto.
I had a half dozen, or so, of each and had zero problems.
Makes me wonder if the single stacks are OK, but not the double stacks???

 

[zephyr]

Personally I think they are junk like pretty much everything ProMag makes. Nowadays when you can get factory mags for not much more I have no clue how they are still in business. Stay away.

 

[vortex360]

When your girlfriend says, "I'd fly ValuJet for you" or, "I'd carry ProMags for you", you know they're dedicated.

 

[RUT]

Friends don't let friends buy Promags!

 

[federali]

Tune The Magazine?

Sometimes, Pro-mag may be the only game in town. Pro-mags are readily available for the S&W Model 39 but original S&W magazines for this gun sell close to $100.00 each, if you can find one.

There's a youtube video of someone enhancing the Pro-mag by de-burring the follower. I believe you may also substitute a Woolf spring for the Pro-mag spring.

Pro-mags are probably okay for range use.

 

[Alk8944]

What Federali said^^^^^^

I only have had one experience with Pro-Mag magazines, and that was for a Model 39 also because they were cheap and Model 39 magazines are hard to find and expensive! I bought two. When they were received it took about an hours work to get them so they would even go into the gun! Adjustments had to be made to the tubes, floorplates, floorplate latches and the follower one of them!

I can give them that after all the work to get them to work I have had no failures with either of them!

FWIW, if you need M-39 magazines, Numrich/Gun Parts Co, makes a replica M-39 magazine that is very close to the originals. I bought one to see how they were since they are $40+ each, and had to make minor adjustments to it too! It looks much better than the Pro-Mags, just doesn't have S&W on the floorplate.

 

[growr]

I have often wondered how ProMag stays in business. Somebody is buying their product and it isn't just one person.

Any one have any behind the scenes knowledge of how they stay in business with the reputation that they seem to have?

Randy

 

[Dangerman]

they stay in business because they make a solid product and stand behind it 100%. Most of the bad reputation is just know it alls on the internet that have little to no experience useing them. These same experts have never cleaned a magazine, fitted a magazine etc. Or they will tell you crazy things like take the springs out and stretch them LOL.

Yes, sometimes they need to be fitted. No, they are not as good as mecgars. They are however good mags and rank #2 IMO for aftermarket mags for most pistols and rifle. There are some better manufacturers for specific pistols but none that offer magazines for such a large variety of guns. Not even Mecgar has the selection promag does.

Understand though that some pistols use the same magazine body with different mag catch cuts, followers, or floorplates.

If you have a bad promag magazine. Call them up. They will take care of it. They may have had some sloppy stuff come out from long ago but I have never had one that I could not get running with a little fitting.

Also... having some knowledge of magazines in general helps. Understanding things like nose drop etc. Its hard for single stack mags over say 10 rounds to work well in some pistols. In 9mm anything past 8 rounds single stacked tends to have pretty extreme nose drop so you really need a long gentle slop on a feed ramp or a magazine that fitts extremely high into the magwell. Example would be something like a 15rd 1911 mag. Its not going to work 100% reliable normally due to nose drop.

 

[Muss Muggins]

Agreed that friends don't let friends buy ProMags. In response to the post above, I don't care how well they stand behind their product. There are other products I can buy, for not much more money, sometimes less, that work better without fitting and ultimately returning for service. I don't have time for that . . .

 

[Dangerman]

There are other products I can buy, for not much more money, sometimes less, that work better without fitting and ultimately returning for service. I don't have time for that . . .

sometimes there are.... sometimes there are not. Promag makes a lot of things that other manufacturers wont.

Most of the time they are good to go. Fitting magazines is not that hard and is nothing new. It goes back a long ways and is very common in the 1911 world.

If you learn how to fit a problem one it doesnt have to get sent back for service.

Like I said... once they are dialed in they are good magazines. The bodies are heat treated, the bases are impact resistant polymer (never had any cracks), springs are fine most of the time. There are a few subcompacts that need stronger springs in my experience.

Note... they use a pretty heavy oil in packaging. So a good cleaning in soapy water sometimes is needed.

Probably a good practice to anticipate any aftermarket part will need minor fitting on any gun. If it fits great but its better to be oversized than undersized.

 

[M E Morrison]

sometimes there are.... sometimes there are not. Promag makes a lot of things that other manufacturers wont.

Most of the time they are good to go. Fitting magazines is not that hard and is nothing new. It goes back a long ways and is very common in the 1911 world.

If you learn how to fit a problem one it doesnt have to get sent back for service.

Like I said... once they are dialed in they are good magazines. The bodies are heat treated, the bases are impact resistant polymer (never had any cracks), springs are fine most of the time. There are a few subcompacts that need stronger springs in my experience.

Note... they use a pretty heavy oil in packaging. So a good cleaning in soapy water sometimes is needed.

Probably a good practice to anticipate any aftermarket part will need minor fitting on any gun. If it fits great but its better to be oversized than undersized.

this part is what caught my attention.....

 

[BAM-BAM]

Yes, sometimes they need to be fitted.
No, they are not as good as mecgars.
They are however good mags and rank #2 IMO for aftermarket mags for most pistols and rifle.

There are some better manufacturers for specific pistols but none that offer magazines for such a large variety of guns.


They may have had some sloppy stuff come out from long ago but I have never had one that I could not get running with a little fitting.

.

Now that's a ringing endorsement of a product. I'll stick with factory or Mec-gar thank you!