Review of the Promag 32 Round Magazine for the M&P 15-22

Fans of ThruMyLens know I absolutely love my M&P 15-22 (previously reviewed) – in fact, I have two of them.  I bought my 2nd one in December of 2012 – not long after the Sandy Hood tragedy and the subsequent calls for banning guns and high capacity magazines.  My thought behind doing so was that ammo might be scarce, expensive or both (which happened unfortunately…and far worse than I expected) so I’d shoot my 15-22 more and not loose touch with the skills I’d paid mightily for in both time and cash to develop.  Of course, I wanted to get some extra magazines for the new rifle – but practically overnight M&P 15-22 magazines all but disappeared in a panic driven marketplace.  As I began searching and researching, I discovered 3rd party magazine manufacturer Promag had recently come out with 32 round magazines for the M&P 15-22:

The stock M&P 15-22 magazine is slightly more expensive ($16.99 vs. $13.99) and holds fewer rounds.  Here’s a photo of the stock 25 round M&P 15-22 magazine next to the larger Promag 32 round magazine for the M&P 15-22:

Whereas the M&P 15-22 looks a lot like an AR-15, using the longer Promag magazine gives the M&P 15-22 a more AK-47 look to my eye.

When I found some of these Promag 32 round magazines available, I initially only purchased a couple to try, and was skeptical.  To be honest, Promag doesn’t have the best reputation when it comes to producing magazines which are as reliable as OEM magazines.  When I received them, I was quite surprised – other than the other obvious size and color differences, the Promag 32 round magazine appeared to be very well constructed and a very close approximation of the S&W counterpart – materials, fit and finish, and function are all excellent with the Promag.  Here’s a close up photo of the feed lips of both the Smith and Promag magazines:

In terms of reliability, it’s difficult to judge in absolute terms as a .22LR/rim fire platform is inherently less reliable than a center fire one.  But I’m quite satisfied with the reliability I’ve seen from the Promag magazines as being on par with the Smith counterpart after about 1000 rounds through two Promag magazines.  They’re plenty reliable for both training and plinking fun.  If you use an M&P 15-22 for hunting or perhaps even self-defense, then an OEM magazine may be preferable.

In addition to this written photo review, I’ve produced a video supplement which further elaborates on the Promag 32 round magazine for the M&P 15-22:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcEIDY_Fg2E

Options are a great thing and having seven more rounds of capacity with the Promag 32 round magazine is great option to have.  It’s also nice to have another supplier option for M&P 15-22 magazines to help alleviate the scarcity which currently exits in this panic stricken market.  If you own an M&P 15-22, I definitely recommend picking up one of the Promag 32 round magazines and giving it a try.