"drop free" magazine/mag well capability doesn't make sense.

[kal]

Where did this idea come from, that you have to have a "drop free" magazine system? For a couple of years reading multiple forums, there's always a topic in which somebody ends up asking if a particular mag will "drop free/freely" or whether a particular rifle system will allow for mags to drop free.

The way I see it, your rifle may not always be parallel to the ground to allow a mag to drop out of the mag well after pressing the release (ex: m4).

You might be prone, or in another awkward position that may have you pointing the rifle upward or rotating it to it's side. Pressing the mag release in these positions won't eject the mag out because there's not enough pressure onto the follower from the BHO, and you're going to yank it out with your support hand. So why not train to ALWAYS pull the mag out with your support hand and not rely on gravity to do it for you?

[BushmasterFanBoy]

I've rarely had issues with mags dropping free from a variety of positions. It's definitely an asset.

Now, as for mags that don't drop free, since I'm not retaining them, and I'm using a gun that has a mag well that allows them to drop free, its usually a matter of moving the gun slightly or orienting it differently (which I'm usually doing when I get it in my workspace) while you grab the second mag from the pouch, or at the very worst, using your fresh mag hand to tap it/rip it out before inserting the new one.

In general, since my guns drop mags free, I plan on it doing so, and on the rare occasion where it doesn't happen, I'll deal with it using relatively minor motions that I'm performing anyways during a reload, instead of adding an extra motion (ripping the mag). That way things are kept pretty efficient, even when its not going as planned.

That's my opinion, and its worth only the dry fire and range time I've put into it.

[wahoo95]

I agree.....I have a magwell that is hit or miss in terms of being drop free with some PMags, however its been my experience that a "deliberate" twisting of the wrist as used in a speed reload will fling empty mags with no problem.

[C4IGrant]

It is a .mil req that the mag drop free.



C4

[Failure2Stop]

"drop free" magazine/mag well capability doesn't make sense.

Requiring two hands to fix the most common stoppage doesn't make sense.

[Reseremb]

After using rifles without drop free magazine capability, and then using/testing/trying/playing with those which have it... well, just let me say that all of us looked to ways for having such capability. I broke a couple of "Do not touch" parts while trying....

And when one of the most demanded pieces for some assault rifles are magazines releases modified to be drop free, that tells something about what the end users want. Is very simple, is faster and more effective.

Magazines and mag wells made to not be drop free were designed that way because the engineers and the officers/politicians who put the requests for the weapons, thought that soldiers won't be able to keep their fingers out of the mag release.

[120mm]

It is my understanding that Pat Rogers of EAG and others do not teach magazine changes involving "dropping the magazine."

I could be wrong, but it seems that I've read Pat's rant about it, and it made sense when I read it.

[NCPatrolAR]

It is my understanding that Pat Rogers of EAG and others do not teach magazine changes involving "dropping the magazine."

I could be wrong, but it seems that I've read Pat's rant about it, and it made sense when I read it.

You will certainly have empty mags hitting the ground during a class with Pat and virtually any other firearms trainer. The only person that I can think of that stresses mag retention for all of his students is Gabe Suarez.

Mag retention is something that will vary depending on what your "mission" is. For the non-military person (outside of some zombie horde situation) retaining an empty magazine serves no purpose other than to slow your reload speed. Even .mil members can find themselves in situations where having a fresh mag in the gun outweighs retaining an empty mag.

[kal]

for the record, mag retention was not the point of this thread.

It's about the inconsistency of letting a magazine eject itself automatically under the force of the BHO, and to train to always grab the magazine and toss it instead.

It is a .mil req that the mag drop free.

How does the Marine Corps/Army train soldiers to release a mag? Drop it with the trigger finger or reach over and press the release button with your thumb?

[Thomas M-4]

for the record, mag retention was not the point of this thread.

It's about the inconsistency of letting a magazine eject itself automatically under the force of the BHO, and to train to always grab the magazine and toss it instead.



How does the Marine Corps/Army train soldiers to release a mag? Drop it with the trigger finger or reach over and press the release button with your thumb?

The way it was meant to be with the trigger finger.