|
Armalite Magazine Shootout by Alpha
Introduction
How do you write a review on a standard capacity magazine? What is there really to say?
“Uh, it’s kind of gray colored and it holds BBs.”
Tokyo Marui, left. Classic Army, center. G&P, right.
http://www.owlnet.rice.edu/~jconn/lineup.jpg
In truth, however, there are a number of things to examine in reviewing a magazine, including overall build quality, color, reliability, and durability. (Okay, I just made those up – it’s not like there is a “Magazine Review Criteria” list.)
In order to add a little spice to this otherwise boring topic, I’m going to take a look at competing products – namely, the standard capacity magazines that are offered by Classic Army, Tokyo Marui, and G&P. G&P and CA are the new players on the standard magazine scene, but each with a selling price lower than that of Tokyo Marui’s comparable offering, have been making inroads in the standard magazine market.
I’m writing this review based on my experience with the 14 standard capacity magazines that I own – (4) Tokyo Marui magazines, (4) G&P magazines, and (6) Classic Army magazines.
Appearance
What’d you know? They all look like magazines. There are subtle differences in coloration, but I don’t find this to be any type of detractor.
Winner: Tie between Tokyo Marui, Classic Army, and G&P
Build quality
When Classic Army first released their standard capacity magazines, there were a few nagging rumors that the quality of the materials used in the magazines was not as high as those used in Tokyo Marui magazines.
Well, I’m sad to say that fact is true – the Classic Army magazines feel “cheap”. (Keep reading, you’ll want the whole story.) When I say cheap, this is what I mean.
- The sheet metal used in the outer shell of the CA magazines is not as thick nor as sturdy as the metal used in the shell of the Marui magazines.
- The plastic internal parts on the CA mags don’t feel as sturdy as their counterparts in the Marui mags.
- The outer shell and internal parts don’t fit together as tightly on the CA magazine as they do on the Marui magazine.
With these three points made, however, I will say that I think that the build quality of the Classic Army magazines is on par with their price. They’re cheap (around $12.50 to $14.00) from overseas retailers, compared to $20 for the Marui mags.
The G&P magazines show a great deal more attention to build quality than do the Classic Army magazines. In fact, with a TM and G&P mag in each hand, I’m hard-pressed to figure out which is which.
Winner: Tie, G&P and Tokyo Marui – High quality materials, better fit and finish.
Reliability
I’ve been using both the Classic Army, Tokyo Marui and G&P magazines for almost three months now and I can’t say that I’ve had a serious problem with the reliability of any of them.
One note – I purchased the Classic Army magazines new while I received the Tokyo Marui magazines with a weapon I purchased. While the Marui mags were in excellent condition, they were “used”. I don’t think this has a bearing on this review but it’s worth noting.
As with any AEG magazine, regardless of the manufacturer, a small amount of pure silicon oil (no more than two or three drops) is needed every so often to keep the magazines operating smoothly.
Winner: Tie, Classic Army, Tokyo Marui, and G&P
Durability
Durability, you might ask, how is that different than reliability? Well, allow me to explain: I expect my products to work 100% of the time, all the time, never failing me. A product that might work well straight out of the box, but starts to fail quickly isn’t very useful to me.
So, which is more durable? This is easy – the Tokyo Marui magazines. I can drop them, bang them, smash them, etc and they still work. The finish on them is much tougher than on the Classic Army and G&P magazines, as well.
Winner: Tokyo Marui, stronger materials mean increased durability
Ammo Capacity
This is easy – the G&P magazines hold 130-rounds compared to the 68-rounds that the Classic Army and Tokyo Marui magazines hold.
Winner: G&P magazines
Value
Looking at overseas prices, the Classic Army magazines come in as the value leader. However, for just a few dollars more, the G&P magazines offer 2x the ammo capacity.
Winner: Tie, Classic Army and G&P magazines
Conclusion
So, this is the point where I make my final recommendation. Here it is:
Buy the G&P magazines.
They hold more ammo, are quality built, and work just as well as the Tokyo Marui magazines.
Special thanks go to Redwolf Airsoft  and The Q Project  for providing the samples of the G&P magazines for me to use and review.
| 
