AK74 low-cap mags

[ForestFighter]

Hey all, been a while...

Just looking to get some low-cap mags for when I start skirmishing for real and was wondering where some of the best places are to pick some up would be? Looking specifically for the bakelitey style mags, not waffles. Colour isn't really important, but the rust/orange coloured ones would be more ideal.

 

[Airsoft_Mr B]

MAG are good. King Arms too I think.

eHobby Asia could be a good place to look. When I last checked they have a load of different brands and types of magazines.

 

[ForestFighter]

Thanks man, will check it all out.

I noticed that the prices on eHobby Asia are in dollars... I'm assuming that this is because their products are for import? Is there any issue recieving items through customs from them if not UKARA registered? Just want to make sure as there seem to be some really good deals but don't want to commit and get burned.

 

[Airsoft_Mr B]

Thanks man, will check it all out.

I noticed that the prices on eHobby Asia are in dollars... I'm assuming that this is because their products are for import? Is there any issue recieving items through customs from them if not UKARA registered? Just want to make sure as there seem to be some really good deals but don't want to commit and get burned.

Yeah USD as standard but I think there's an option to change to Sterling.

I dunno about UKARA, I don't think people ask for them to write UKARA numbers on the box (like we do for European orders)

If it's just magazines there is no problem (doesn't apply to them) I ordered a couple PMAGs recently.

 

[Ian_Gere]

You only need to put a UKARA number on the package if you're having an RIF shipped from abroad.

Do you actually mean low cap, like 30 rounds, or mid cap 100rnd-ish? Because I'm not at all sure that MAG make '74 low caps, although their mid caps are good. For low caps I think you may have to get Ares and i would not be surprised if they are temperamental, work in some guns but not others stylee an ting...

 

[Chock]

I noticed that the prices on eHobby Asia are in dollars... I'm assuming that this is because their products are for import? Is there any issue recieving items through customs from them if not UKARA registered? Just want to make sure as there seem to be some really good deals but don't want to commit and get burned.

Yeah, eHobbyAsia simply use the most 'obvious' currency for international trading, which happens to be Dollars, but it's simple enough to type 'convert dollars to sterling' into Google and find a converter which will tell you how much you are paying in UK currency.

I've never had an issue with getting stuff from eHobbyAsia, I think it took them about 10-12 to get my stuff to me last time I bought from there (which was about a month ago). The only time you will have an issue with Customs, is if you are importing a RIF and don't put a UKARA or (other suitable defence) bit of info on the packaging, or, if you are importing gas blowback magazines (which they have been known to get snotty about on occasion, but actually that's largely to do with it being a pressurised container rather than it being related to weaponry).

You may also want to give this other website a look. This is my 'go to site' when it comes to buying mags, because it is unbelievably cheap and it always has a lot of stock (especially AK mags, including obscure Eastern European types as well as the more typical AK mags). They also have a bunch of bundle deals, such as ten mags for 30 Euros, which is a steal. Be sure to scroll all the way down, there's three pages of AK mags on there:

http://aegcartasia.com/magazines/aeg-std-magazines/ak-series.html

From personal experience I can say that aegCartAsia is okay to buy from, for example, I bought a bunch of magazines for my MP5K from there the other week (and they were gas blowback ones too, arriving with no problem or Customs hassle). They only took about a week and a half to arrive too.

 

[Sitting Duck]

Damn I spend way too much time on here

but if you ask the guy nicely these just "might" - be still up for grabs

ok only 30rd but jeez they are a bargain if ya into real sim stuff

(could be sold already but knew I saw of them up for grabs a while back)

http://www.airsoft-forums.co.uk/index.php/topic/22776-x7-star-30-round-ak-magazines/

and yup I do live on here - might be plastic but worth a look and get 'em quicker than hong kong shipping

PS - if they ain't 74 compatible then please don't flame me, just trying to help coz I have no other life

 

[ForestFighter]

You only need to put a UKARA number on the package if you're having an RIF shipped from abroad.

Ah right. I was under that impression, but thanks for confirming all the same.

Do you actually mean low cap, like 30 rounds, or mid cap 100rnd-ish? Because I'm not at all sure that MAG make '74 low caps, although their mid caps are good. For low caps I think you may have to get Ares and i would not be surprised if they are temperamental, work in some guns but not others stylee an ting...

Yeah, I was thinking of picking up some mid-caps and maybe just topping them up with 30 rounds. I had been furiously googling for low-caps initially, but turning up very few results for 74s. As you say, I had also been reading that there's a better selection of compatible mid-caps than low-caps, especially where ICS are concerned. Filling them up a third full shouldn't be a problem, right?

*snip*

Thanks man, that site looks really excellent. Tons of selection and super low prices. A really hot tip there! Don't know how they get their prices so low, but some of the mags on there are like 3, 4 quid less than a lot I have seen on the market of the same brand. Mental. I think this might be just the solution I need. (Even better, they have dirt-cheap RPK74 mags, which I had thought about experimenting with. )

*snip*

Cheers for the suggestion mate, but I'm really looking to keep to AK74 mags specifically, just to try and keep that authentic flavour. Shame though, because that offer there is a real steal for any AK47 owner out there.

 

[Ian_Gere]

Yeah, I was thinking of picking up some mid-caps and maybe just topping them up with 30 rounds. I had been furiously googling for low-caps initially, but turning up very few results for 74s. As you say, I had also been reading that there's a better selection of compatible mid-caps than low-caps, especially where ICS are concerned. Filling them up a third full shouldn't be a problem, right?

No problem until they get well used - after a lot of use the spring which lifts the BB's will lose strength and the last couple, and eventually few, BB's will not feed. But you will be able to just stick a few more in there to compensate. It will take a long time before that happens though.

Just a point on realism - a bullet travels straight through bushes without being deflected and similarly is not affected by the merest zephyr of breeze; this is not the case with BB's, so it can take several to get one on target. Plus people always feel being hit by bullets, but this is not always true with BB's; thus even if you do hit with your first shot, your target may not notice. Also people are really afraid of being shot by bullets, which means that it takes far less of them to intimidate, or 'suppress', the opposition than it does when firing BB's. So low caps, or 'real caps' as they are also called, are not really equivalent in effect to the same number of bullets. Having said that, you can carry 12 BB mags easily enough, assuming you have the webbing and pouches, whereas 360 bullets would weigh a lot more.

(Even better, they have dirt-cheap RPK74 mags, which I had thought about experimenting with. )

I sometimes use RPK mags in my 74's - the main issue is using them prone without the mahoosive bipod that an RPK has - not easy. The other issue is finding mag pouches for them - you will need to buy Russian gear which tends to be more expensive, although if you look on frontoweic.com you may find what you need without paying the full whack for a Smersh. Maybe look at joining the FB group "Russian Military Airsoft Loadouts - UK" too / lots of Rus-softers with info and/or gear to sell. I think mine are Classic Army mags, but I bought them in a closing down sale a couple of years ago, so I can't remember and can't go back to check...

 

[ForestFighter]

No problem until they get well used - after a lot of use the spring which lifts the BB's will lose strength and the last couple, and eventually few, BB's will not feed. But you will be able to just stick a few more in there to compensate. It will take a long time before that happens though.

Just a point on realism - a bullet travels straight through bushes without being deflected and similarly is not affected by the merest zephyr of breeze; this is not the case with BB's, so it can take several to get one on target. Plus people always feel being hit by bullets, but this is not always true with BB's; thus even if you do hit with your first shot, your target may not notice. Also people are really afraid of being shot by bullets, which means that it takes far less of them to intimidate, or 'suppress', the opposition than it does when firing BB's. So low caps, or 'real caps' as they are also called, are not really equivalent in effect to the same number of bullets. Having said that, you can carry 12 BB mags easily enough, assuming you have the webbing and pouches, whereas 360 bullets would weigh a lot more.

That's good to hear. Midcaps loaded with 30 rounds it is, then. I was thinking of going for mid-caps too because I think it'll be handy to have a good number of rounds when I first start skirmishing, so I can spray a bit more and get used to the gun and the game more generally before I try to get more realistic with it all. Offers a bit more flexibility for the beginner. Handy tips on the realism factor though - I will definitely bear that in mind, cheers! I was also thinking of going for a chicom chest rig to hold several mags, but on the cheap. Do you have any experience with these? I read that the pockets on the front can hold 1 AK47 mag each, but as the 74 mags are slightly smaller, could you squeeze 2 in each pocket?

I sometimes use RPK mags in my 74's - the main issue is using them prone without the mahoosive bipod that an RPK has - not easy. The other issue is finding mag pouches for them - you will need to buy Russian gear which tends to be more expensive, although if you look on frontoweic.com you may find what you need without paying the full whack for a Smersh. Maybe look at joining the FB group "Russian Military Airsoft Loadouts - UK" too / lots of Rus-softers with info and/or gear to sell. I think mine are Classic Army mags, but I bought them in a closing down sale a couple of years ago, so I can't remember and can't go back to check...

Haha yeah, I can imagine RPK mags are a right pain in the practical arse when it comes to using them in a 74, but I kind of just fancied it purely for the looks. Maybe just carry one hicap in the gun and keep the rest as the standard 74 mags, just in case the hicap fails? I dunno. Worth a try though for a game or two, I guess... Again, thanks for the links too. Looks like there is some really good stuff on frontoweic, if a little expensive for me right now. Will bookmark it for later, though.

 

[Chock]

Maybe just carry one hicap in the gun and keep the rest as the standard 74 mags, just in case the hicap fails? I dunno. Worth a try though for a game or two, I guess.

That's what I do with my M4 - one 300 round high capacity magazine, plus either three, or five (depending on the scenario) 160 round mid capacity mags on my tactical vest or webbing. The high cap is good for not worrying about reloading and general use, but there is the possibility it might need a quick wind up in a firefight, so there's the option to switch to a 160 round spring mag, allowing plenty of triple taps on semi auto without worrying about missing a snapshot because the mag needs winding. Also, I can stow the high cap and use a mid cap if I don't want any rattling to give my position away in CQB.

In other words, lots of flexibility.

Might want to consider this factor too, if you are mixing mag capacities: I made a point of getting olive drab 160 round mags so they were easily distinguishable from my black high cap one, in fact I can also differentiate them in the dark too, since the high cap is metal and the mid caps are ABS. Yes you can tell a high cap by the winding wheel, but if you have mag pulls on them (as I do) it's not so easy to do that quickly, whereas an entirely different colour for the mag makes it instantly obvious which mag is which when you are busy thinking about tactics and stuff.

 

[Airsoft-Ed]

May have been mentioned already, but I would say to just buy mids and just load them with a real capacity. Gives you more options and makes them a lot easier to sell if you ever want to drop the AK for another gun.

 

[Ian_Gere]

Yeah Chicom chest rigs hold 1 mag in each of the four pouches. They are loose but you can't get 2 in there. The looseness is handy for getting them out quickly though and it's not enough to make them clatter into each other.

The thing with mixing mid and high capacity mags is that the hicap will rattle, even in your gear rather than your gun. I often use a few mids and 1 hi as a backup, or for those times when you're the last man defending. You can get about 800rnds in a hicap RPK mag and that is enough to keep half the players on site with something to worry about.

The way to minimise rattle is to fill the mag then wind it to full tension, then top it up so there's just a small gap between the level of BB's and the lid, then insert a piece of foam about as big as the last joint of your thumb and jam the lid down. It will start rattling as soon as you fire a few bursts and wind it though, but while it's in your gear it'll make less noise than your breathing and general battle rattle.

 

[Lozart]

Our very own DEDSEC is selling a bunch: http://www.airsoft-forums.co.uk/index.php/topic/22776-x7-star-30-round-ak-magazines/

 

[ForestFighter]

Ian; Thanks for the advice - very useful stuff. I have just been casually looking at a few smersh options on good old ebay and they are relatively affordable, once I actually start getting some disposable income with the new job in January. So even cheaper equals even more affordable. I'll definitely keep that site in mind. I don't really have a real-world loadout I am going for specifically, but I am a huge fan of the Metal Gear Solid series and since I have a 74, I thought I would go for something loosely from Peace Walker (which - coincidentally - is set in 1974).

Lozart; Thanks for the heads up, but as I'm after more of an authentic look, I'm looking to get some bakelite magazines, rather than the metal 47 mags. Cheers nonetheless, though!