TimP
09-09-06, 11:14
When I took the fighting rifle class back in July, I was fortunate enough to be taking the class with none other than Chris Barrett, and Andrew from Barrett firearms. The night before the class Chris told me that he had brought ( what I think ) was a prototype 468 to the class to shoot. As we began to talk about the pro's and con of the 6.8. We both agreed that one of the downfalls of the 6.8 at that time was in the magazine dept. Basically at that time you had PRI mags, and that was it. The PRI mags worked ok, but they were $42+ a piece and only held 25rds max. Chris smiled and said "I have the answer to that" Then Chris showed me a pre-production Barrett 6.8 spc mag. I really liked it alot.
fast forward a few weeks. I mention to Chris that my new 6.8 finally got built for me and I was eager to try it out. For whatever reason Chris said he was going to send me some of the mags to T&E in my new gun. Its been about 2 weeks since I have had the mags so here it is.
The first thing you notice about the Barrett 6.8 mags are the weight. They weigh a good bit more than the C-Products or the PRI mags. Why is that you ask? Because they are steel mags. Some people like it, some don't. This author, most certainly does.
The next thing you notice is how large they are. They hold 30 rds so obviously they are larger than the other mags.
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j268/timpackman/100_0366.jpg
The next thing you will notice is the difference in the follower. It doesnt have a typical follower in it. I'll be the first to admit I LOVE magpul followers, but the problem I have found ( as well as others ) is that the PRI mags dont always hold the next round high enough. Meaning, some rifles have a problem feeding during rapid fire, and will cause the next round to nose-dive into the feed ramps. I have fired over 400rds with the barrett mags and have not had 1 fail to fire, or misfeed. The follower is also coated with some sort of material that makes it slide down the mag body smoother than any mag I have ever seen.
Here are some pics showing what I mean.
C-Products 6.8 with magpul follower on left, Barrett on the right
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j268/timpackman/100_0372.jpg
This one shows how much higher the barret mags hold the round from the side
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j268/timpackman/100_0369.jpg
Now from the front
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j268/timpackman/100_0367.jpg
Wider angle showing the extra length
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j268/timpackman/100_0368.jpg
Since they do hold 30rds they are longer than the typical USGI 30rd 223 mags, and the PRI 25rd 6.8 mags. They stick out a lil more, and at first glance they look like a AK mag.
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j268/timpackman/100_0373.jpg
Testing: Over the last 2 weeks I have fired over 400rds of Remington and Hornady ammo through my Noveske 6.8, and the 2 Barrett mags. I had no misfires, or problems with the mags at all. As a part of the test I inserted and dropped each mag into my gun 75 times, letting the mag hit the ground everytime. No use in taking it easy on these mags, I wanted to see if I coudl break them. Sorry guys, they both took the punishment, and IMO are worthy of wearing the Barrett name. Sure they had some scratches on them, but no dings on the steel bodies. Even after dropping them over and over, no malfunctions. Next test I did was loading a magzine up to 30rds and throwing it across the range. Pretty much like what Yeager does with his G19 at some of the pistol classes. After each completed the 5 trips accross the range, no rounds had some out, and no mags came apart. I walked over to the mags, put it in the gun, and sent all 30rds out of both magazines without a hitch. They passed that test. The C products mag, did not. It sent 6.8 ammo all over the range as the floorplate came off.
Another problem I have encountered with the C-Products mags is that if you have a round chambered, and toss a full ( 25 rds ) mag into the gun, and then try to shoot it will either not feed the next round, or short stroke. The Barrett mags will not do this. Chris had already told me that the the followers were being redone because they would actually let you squeeze 31rds in the mag, the new ones will only let 30 in. But with the current follower it allows you to load the mag to its 30rd capacity, and insert it into a "hot" gun. I don't know if they designed it that way, but I liked it.
The finsih on these mags is very nice too. I'm not exactly sure what it is, maybe Chris can chime in on this one. But it looks like it has a baked-on finish, its smoothe, and does not scratch easily.
In conclusion, these mags are going to be a serious competitor tp PRI and C-Products. Partly because if the increased capacity. You know us gun guys can never have a magazine that holds enough ammo. The other reason, is price. I lil birdy told me these should be cheaper than the PRI mags. I have no way of verifying that ( Chris? ), but I have no reason not to believe the birdy. Plus they have the Barrett name stamped on the side, and it just looks sweet. Liek everything Barrett builds, its top notch, and built to last.
We can only hope Barrett makes a bunch of these, as its all I will be buying for use in my 6.8 from now on.
Test gun was: Thanks to Grant
Noveske 6.8 16.1 Recon brl
Troy 12.0
Eotech 512 in Larue mount
Cavalry Arms lower
Here are some other misc pictures
Tim Pack
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j268/timpackman/100_0379.jpg
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j268/timpackman/100_0378.jpg
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j268/timpackman/100_0380.jpg
if you have any other questions lemme know.
fast forward a few weeks. I mention to Chris that my new 6.8 finally got built for me and I was eager to try it out. For whatever reason Chris said he was going to send me some of the mags to T&E in my new gun. Its been about 2 weeks since I have had the mags so here it is.
The first thing you notice about the Barrett 6.8 mags are the weight. They weigh a good bit more than the C-Products or the PRI mags. Why is that you ask? Because they are steel mags. Some people like it, some don't. This author, most certainly does.
The next thing you notice is how large they are. They hold 30 rds so obviously they are larger than the other mags.
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j268/timpackman/100_0366.jpg
The next thing you will notice is the difference in the follower. It doesnt have a typical follower in it. I'll be the first to admit I LOVE magpul followers, but the problem I have found ( as well as others ) is that the PRI mags dont always hold the next round high enough. Meaning, some rifles have a problem feeding during rapid fire, and will cause the next round to nose-dive into the feed ramps. I have fired over 400rds with the barrett mags and have not had 1 fail to fire, or misfeed. The follower is also coated with some sort of material that makes it slide down the mag body smoother than any mag I have ever seen.
Here are some pics showing what I mean.
C-Products 6.8 with magpul follower on left, Barrett on the right
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j268/timpackman/100_0372.jpg
This one shows how much higher the barret mags hold the round from the side
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j268/timpackman/100_0369.jpg
Now from the front
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j268/timpackman/100_0367.jpg
Wider angle showing the extra length
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j268/timpackman/100_0368.jpg
Since they do hold 30rds they are longer than the typical USGI 30rd 223 mags, and the PRI 25rd 6.8 mags. They stick out a lil more, and at first glance they look like a AK mag.
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j268/timpackman/100_0373.jpg
Testing: Over the last 2 weeks I have fired over 400rds of Remington and Hornady ammo through my Noveske 6.8, and the 2 Barrett mags. I had no misfires, or problems with the mags at all. As a part of the test I inserted and dropped each mag into my gun 75 times, letting the mag hit the ground everytime. No use in taking it easy on these mags, I wanted to see if I coudl break them. Sorry guys, they both took the punishment, and IMO are worthy of wearing the Barrett name. Sure they had some scratches on them, but no dings on the steel bodies. Even after dropping them over and over, no malfunctions. Next test I did was loading a magzine up to 30rds and throwing it across the range. Pretty much like what Yeager does with his G19 at some of the pistol classes. After each completed the 5 trips accross the range, no rounds had some out, and no mags came apart. I walked over to the mags, put it in the gun, and sent all 30rds out of both magazines without a hitch. They passed that test. The C products mag, did not. It sent 6.8 ammo all over the range as the floorplate came off.
Another problem I have encountered with the C-Products mags is that if you have a round chambered, and toss a full ( 25 rds ) mag into the gun, and then try to shoot it will either not feed the next round, or short stroke. The Barrett mags will not do this. Chris had already told me that the the followers were being redone because they would actually let you squeeze 31rds in the mag, the new ones will only let 30 in. But with the current follower it allows you to load the mag to its 30rd capacity, and insert it into a "hot" gun. I don't know if they designed it that way, but I liked it.
The finsih on these mags is very nice too. I'm not exactly sure what it is, maybe Chris can chime in on this one. But it looks like it has a baked-on finish, its smoothe, and does not scratch easily.
In conclusion, these mags are going to be a serious competitor tp PRI and C-Products. Partly because if the increased capacity. You know us gun guys can never have a magazine that holds enough ammo. The other reason, is price. I lil birdy told me these should be cheaper than the PRI mags. I have no way of verifying that ( Chris? ), but I have no reason not to believe the birdy. Plus they have the Barrett name stamped on the side, and it just looks sweet. Liek everything Barrett builds, its top notch, and built to last.
We can only hope Barrett makes a bunch of these, as its all I will be buying for use in my 6.8 from now on.
Test gun was: Thanks to Grant
Noveske 6.8 16.1 Recon brl
Troy 12.0
Eotech 512 in Larue mount
Cavalry Arms lower
Here are some other misc pictures
Tim Pack
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j268/timpackman/100_0379.jpg
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j268/timpackman/100_0378.jpg
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j268/timpackman/100_0380.jpg
if you have any other questions lemme know.