I just want to reiterate. This is not an issue on all of their lowers.
It is a defect from the forging, and it's not a dimension that is checked as part of BCM's quality control. They don't consider it to be important. According to customer service that area is not well defined within the milspec they reference.
Perhaps, that is why Magpul states that their M3 mags are optimized for "Colt-spec" AR15s and M4s.
By the way I replied to customer service that if they considered this to be normal and within their acceptable tolerances that they shouldn't mind if I post about it online.
I am a BCM fanboy. They are technically correct that their lowers are made to work with milspec (i.e. aluminum GI ) mags.
Having said that, we do live in a MagPul world, and if I ever get the desire to "thin the herd" the BCM's will be the first out the door. We know the Colts work with all quality mags, and that's just another reason to buy Colt. No matter if BCM makes a top tier weapon and the quality is equal to Colt, that one little issue is too much of an "if" in a situation where you might not have a choice of mags in a SHTF situation.
And none of the blame goes to the company that used a not well defined dimension as an index point?
It's a huge problem with many aftermarket parts, where someone goes out and measures a few parts and then assumes that is the nominal size. Not knowing the actual dimension, the actual tolerance, and some do not even know what nominal means.
Magpul should release a print with an added dimension and tolerance that the magazine was designed to function with. Lower manufacturers can choose to add that to their process and advertise it as compatible.
I agree, and like this idea. I love Magpul products generally and am using M3 Pmags, but I think the overtravel stop tab is unnecessary and not a great idea, for the reasons described here. It also doesn't work with Noveske gen2 lowers, and probably various others. While it's probably the most reliable magazine available for lowers it will fit (based on the published military test results), having to go and check the mags for fit with every lower you own is a hassle, and a hassle that didn't generally exist with earlier gen Pmags.
To be clear, early Gen 2 Noveske lowers had issues. At some serial number going forward they are compatible.
I took a dremel to my SBR early Noveske Gen 2 lower so I could run the D60. Is what it is.
I have a later Gen 2 that has the wider cutout at the rear of the magwell.
Yeah but Noveske lowers have always been too tight. I had a Gen II and now have a newer production Gen I. The only mags that will drop free are standard aluminum and M3s, though they’re still very picky. I’ve had aluminum mags fail to drop free just because the gun wasn’t completely parallel.
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Sic semper tyrannis.
I never understood a point of overtravel stop in Magpul mags. I'm not aware of any original military magazines in the world which have that. I think that if you rely on over travel stop in order for your mag to work you have a design issue with the weapon.
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