Magpul PTS' full product line to be discontinued.

[Airsoft-Ed]

Bad news, or good? I think probably bad, and I don't even like most Magpul products!

Today, I made a trip out to Patrol Base; hung about there for about 40 minutes chatting with the guys in there, as well as the staff, and as per usual when in a gun shop, pressuring mates to buy guns they can't afford (in this instance, a Dan Wesson revolver - he caved btw )

Anyway, during my chat with the staff, we spotted a Magpul FMG9 on the wall and were invited to have a go with it (it was awesome) and whilst talking about it, we were informed by the staff that the entire Magpul PTS product line is either to be, or already has been, completely discontinued. So that's no more E or Pmags, no more PTS Masadas, no snazzy Magpul AK style thingies, no more official mag pulls, grips, rail ladders, body kits, stocks, or whatever else you can think of that's officially licensed by Magpul.

I would usually dispute the legitimacy of claims like this, but as some of you will know, Patrol Base are the UK's main, possibly only, Magpul PTS stockist and distributor; so in essence, I've heard it from the horse's mouth.

Best get stock piling guys, 'cos the second hand market prices of these items are going to sky rocket over the next year or so as soon as people catch on, which may end up being sooner rather than later now I've posted the news on a public forum.

Unless everyone already knew and I've been hiding away in my cave for too long?

[Spatch]

Did they state a reason for this to be happening ed? I think it may be a little wind up if they saw what you were doing, I can't see any reason a company such as magpul would pull a successful product line and certainly wouldn't let any shop, big or small know of its intention to do so so nothing could be leaked in this way

 

Until there is a genuine magpul press release maybe people shouldn't worry

[M_P]

I've heard about this on another forum- thankfully it's only their magpul stuff going and possibly the battlecomp stuff, not all of it.

PTS' own shop in HK has pulled all the magpul stuff awaiting a further announcement, so it does seem to be true.

 

It could be annoying but seeing as the real stuff isnt that much more and often cheaper I'm not too bothered- not a huge fan of the stuff anyway. I would buy P/Emags now though if i used them as a precaution, luckily I don't, so I wont but yeah.

The clones will also probably still be relatively easy to get hold of...

 

The thing is Spatch, is that PTS isn't owned by magpul, they just hold the license. So if Magpul USA (the real deal) say they're pulling the licence, PTS wouldn't be able to do anything about it.

So overall I'm not bothered as I dont use much of their stuff, and the rest of you guys shouldn't be too bothered as a lot of the stuff is still available in either RS or Clone form, the price is similar too. Apart from the aeg specific bits like grips, mags, prs/ubr/special buffer tube stocks etc.

 

I do feel sorry for ACR users as spares may disappear completely, not so sorry for PDR owners- serves you right for buying the most disgusting gun ever

[TheFull9]

Some people reckon that shooters in the states were putting chinese cloned Magpul stuff on actual firearms, it was of course breaking, and that as a result Industries yanked the rug from under PTS as they somehow felt their image was being damaged.

 

Either way there's a ton of rumours swirling around and as per usual everyone claims they know the truth based on the 3rd hand whisperings of what Chris Costa's aunt's brother's dog told them.

 

Heck you never know, some guys at PTS might fancy a bigger bonus this year and wants to scare people in to buying up all the stock like zero-on did with TM RIFs. I very much doubt it, but it's as good an explanation as any at this point.

[Ian_Gere]

I like the look of Pmags, but that's about it, and they're far too expensive anyway. If I ever do decide to get some for my G36, I'll be looking for Beta Project ones, as you say Chris.

[AK47frizzle]

aww man, I like the look of all the magpul stuff, I was intentionally planning to buy the tactical AK when i'm older but.... that's too bad now.

[M_P]

aww man, I like the look of all the magpul stuff, I was intentionally planning to buy the tactical AK when i'm older but.... that's too bad now.

Like I said, the majority of the stuff will still be accessible relatively easily even if PTS' stuff dries up completely.

[M_P]

Quote from a PTS employee who's a member on arnies

No official word. "Unofficial word" is that yes, this is happening. I believe that this is Magpul's direct response to all the counterfeits, that they’re shutting down ALL licensed Airsoft production (the ERG is excluded for now) so that anything coming into the US can't be argued as licensed product (which happens a LOT, even if the item doesn't have PTS markings many importers "claim" it's a legit item which it generally isn't). The fact that this will affect the international airsoft market is irrelevant to Magpul's interests. The unlicensed clones are affecting Magpul USA's bottom line and brand image and that is the deal breaker in the company's mind. They've simply had enough with the counterfeits. This will especially affect the ability for people to import unlicensed clones into the USA more than ever. Magpul is working closer with US Customs and FBI to make sure the crack down will be in full affect and not only seize but also follow through to the full extent allowed by law importers (be it individuals or sellers/dealers). So, yeah sucks for everyone. How this will affect PTS ... Yes it will sting. But they've known about it for a long time, and already long had contingency plans ready and in progress with the many other brands they work with as well as items that will come from their own design team. This was a very strong possibility for a while now which was why there was a strong move to diversify the PTS brand portfolio over 2 years ago, at which time they also changed their company name from Magpul PTS, to PTS Magpul, and last year to just PTS. And just because most of the products coming out of PTS have been primarily Magpul related, that by no means implies that other non-Magpul products aren't in the pipe (they are).

One thing to be wary of is that people will try to spin it as something more than it is. I have heard just about every variation from the rumor mill, from the most outlandish to some that seemed like logical conclusions but were ultimately based purely on conjecture. PTS and Magpul are still on excellent terms. This is Magpul's wish and that wish is being completely respected and honored. Furthermore, this isn't because of issues with PTS who have done everything in PTS' legal power to fight the counterfeiting situation by going after the HK distribution network. There are simply some thing's beyond PTS' legal reach. That said, PTS will continue to work and assist Magpul in fighting counterfeits. And this also doesn't mean that Magpul are interested in looking at other Airsoft partners. This is Magpul taking a very strong proactive stand on a problematic situation (unlicensed clones) for their company's interests. This will be (not immediately) going into affect on a (undetermined) future date. In the meantime, the ERG is still very much a sanctioned and licensed PTS Magpul Airsoft product and the ever evolving situation will have no affect on the ERG's imminent release. Whether the Magpul and PTS collaboration will recommence again in the future is unclear for now since Magpul's top priority in this regard is addressing the counterfeits, and not producing airsoft product for the consumer.

Excluding the ERG and associated ERG PMAGs, this affects every item that is Magpul licensed. That includes G&P GBB PMAGs and more. A lot of people have argued that it doesn't make sense that AEG replicas should be affected. And while I would concede that that is a perfectly logical point, the situation is for the most part it's very much all or nothing for Magpul. That said, KWA / Yih Kai are still working hard with PTS to get the product out in a timely manner and these are the last of the licensed Magpul items allowed to be produced.

[Moose87]

typical Chinese ruining it for the rest of us lol. Its a shame that their government dont believe in Trademarks and allow counterfeiting.

[M_P]

I dont get why everyone is so bothered, everything apart from mags and pistol grip for AEG's are still easy to get hold of. People seem to fail to realise that Magpul arent the only aftermarket body part manufacturer and that there are many alternatives.

Granted it's a fairly hefty loss as they're a large manufacturer but almost everything is still accessible.

[TheFull9]

I dont get why everyone is so bothered, everything apart from mags and pistol grip for AEG's are still easy to get hold of. People seem to fail to realise that Magpul arent the only aftermarket body part manufacturer and that there are many alternatives.

Granted it's a fairly hefty loss as they're a large manufacturer but almost everything is still accessible.

Do they 'fail to realise' though? Unless you have a spidey sense that tingles every time an airsofter changes a part on their gun I'm not sure how you're so certain.

 

When it comes to AEG pistol grips, magazines etc, I have tried all the options, the PTS stuff is in my opinion the best on the market. So yes I do care that those options will no longer be available and that I'm going to forced to purchase an inferior product compared to what I was able to attain previously. What's so hard to comprehend about that?

 

I'm not particularly cut up on a personal level about the ACRs/PDRs/FPGs because I've found their quality and design to be rather lacking in some areas. Also the stocks/handguards etc where I can just use the RS version instead, but the LM4 selectors, ASAPs and other similar items which don't fit in to that category are a real annoyance to see leaving the market.

[Ian_Gere]

typical Chinese ruining it for the rest of us lol.

Oh? What have the Chinese ruined for the rest of us?

[M_P]

Do they 'fail to realise' though? Unless you have a spidey sense that tingles every time an airsofter changes a part on their gun I'm not sure how you're so certain.

I guess I probably should have worded that better, it was more of a generalisation but my point stands, it's not often you see someone going for items other than magpul for their furniture on their rifles (atleast the people I know anyway ) It appears that most alternatives are ignored in favour of magpul- of course sometimes rightly so.

When it comes to AEG pistol grips, magazines etc, I have tried all the options, the PTS stuff is in my opinion the best on the market. So yes I do care that those options will no longer be available and that I'm going to forced to purchase an inferior product compared to what I was able to attain previously. What's so hard to comprehend about that?

I made the exception of pistol grips and magazines for that exact point, I also agree that the AEG mags are pretty much the best out there, and though not to my taste, the grips are great too.

I'm not particularly cut up on a personal level about the ACRs/PDRs/FPGs because I've found their quality and design to be rather lacking in some areas. Also the stocks/handguards etc where I can just use the RS version instead, but the LM4 selectors, ASAPs and other similar items which don't fit in to that category are a real annoyance to see leaving the market.

I probably didn't word my post as well or as clearly I could/should have. What I mean is that yes, it is a pretty big loss for the airsoft community, even if just the mags went it'd have a pretty large effect I reckon, however a large portion of what PTS make will still be available in one way or another, alongside many alternatives that before may have been overlooked by some.

 

On a side note, I'm sure theres a video on youtube showing how to mod a real ASAP to fit an Lm4, I think just a little filing was needed

[Airsoft-Ed]

Oh? What have the Chinese ruined for the rest of us?

Well, they pretty much ruined the idea of communism.

 

I thought everyone being equal sounded like a great idea until they decided to start throwing tanks about the place and putting filters on porn.

[M_P]

Well, they pretty much ruined the idea of communism.

 

I thought everyone being equal sounded like a great idea until they decided to start throwing tanks about the place and putting filters on porn.

Yeah that isn't great- not one of their brighter ideas.

 

On the upside, they greatly improved my evening by giving me a free portion of chicken fried rice with my takeaway.

[Ian_Gere]

I spose they have ruined the US Dollar too, but I'm far from convinced that's a bad thing

[Tariq]

Now that this is happening, I'm finding magpul more appealing. Only real stuff will be around, and I can finally get something without it looking like everyone else.

 

I'm not a magpul fan, however I do like the angled grip and bad lever.

[M_P]

I think enough of the magpul stuff has been sold that you will have to wait for something new to be released before it wont look like someone else's stuff, so there's probably a little while to go yet

[TacMaster]

Can't say I like Magpul stuff, but I think that it is really petty that the rights would be pulled because some stupid American gun owner decided to put cheap clone parts intended for airsoft onto his rifle and they broke.

I'd say that the blame would be best landed on the senseless US gun community.

[M_P]

Can't say I like Magpul stuff, but I think that it is really petty that the rights would be pulled because some stupid American gun owner decided to put cheap clone parts intended for airsoft onto his rifle and they broke.

I'd say that the blame would be best landed on the senseless US gun community.

Magpul has a brilliant reputation for making quality parts, mainly for AR-15's. If something may tarnish the reputation of their primary business (real steel accessories) they'll want to get rid of it.

[jcheeseright]

Indeed, magpul aren't losing that much money on licensing for PTS products that its worth risking their core business which is real parts for real guns.

[Shinobi]

I contacted LWA asking if this was true, and they confirmed that indeed it was. However, I then asked if they were going to stock any of the Real Steel Magpul parts (AFG's etc), to which they replied: "We always have something up our sleeve's Keep checking the website". Personally, I think this is good news. They're going out there way to stock more parts for us. Also, I want an AFG!

[jay83]

shame i like em

[TheFull9]

I contacted LWA asking if this was true, and they confirmed that indeed it was. However, I then asked if they were going to stock any of the Real Steel Magpul parts (AFG's etc), to which they replied: "We always have something up our sleeve's Keep checking the website". Personally, I think this is good news. They're going out there way to stock more parts for us. Also, I want an AFG!

 

I feel confident that's the way it's going to go. The whole PTS line of foregrips, stocks, rail covers etc has been a big seller (and no doubt money earner) for a lot of retailers for years now. They can't replace the loss of the MIAD grips, PMAGs etc (well, until PTS come out with new stuff) but Magpul Industries parts are very well designed and coveted by a lot of people so the demand for CTRs and the like will continue for the forseeable future. The likes of LanTac have shown that RS stuff can be imported and sold on to anyone who wants said commodities for prices that aren't far off the PTS, sometimes the same or even cheaper on occasion.

 

Only problem might be that even the US retailers often struggle to get stock because stuff sells so fast, but Industries are well enough established now and the panic buying of all their magazines in the states has probably forced them to up their manufacturing capability even more.

[Nickona]

Well, they pretty much ruined the idea of communism.

 

I thought everyone being equal sounded like a great idea until they decided to start throwing tanks about the place and putting filters on porn.

 

I'm fairly sure the Russians kinda ruined communism as well.. and generally communism itself