[Dassque]

I'm a new PS-90 owner, and have but a single 50-round magazine that came with it. And I've already put a crack into my only mag learning how to load rounds into it , before I've even fired a shot

The local prices for OEM 50 round mags are $80+, and I'm wary of spending that kind of cash after damaging one mag just learning the system.

Online merchants are sold out or jacking up their prices faster than oil companies.

Does anyone know if any third party is working on aftermarket magazines for the PS-90? Preferably something made of a different material. I don't care if it's a heavy sledge of steel or exotic carbon-fiber, so long as it doesn't crack on me.
[edit: okay I found the Critical Dimensions thread on the 100 round mag - is there anyone else working alternate mag designs?]

 

[Zhurdan]

No offense but, WHAT IN THE HECK ARE YOU guys doing to crack your magazines?

I have 4 50 rounders that I've had for over 2 years and have shot the holy living crap out of them, AND did alot of dry fire practice load and reload drills at home.

If you think that you need to slam the mags home like they do in the movies on this particular gun, you are only costing yourselves some money and grief. I can seat a PS90 magazine with nothing more than a stiff push, not the WHAAAM!! that I often see in movies and internet mall ninja videos. It is afterall polymer (the magazine), it ain't hardened steel. Treat it like what it is.

1. Insert base of mag, push forward to seat.
2. Starting at the loading end of the magazine, push down sharply as it rests on the magazine catch.
3. After you feel it seat, run hand from where it is over the rear of the gun to ensure that it is seated completely.

There is no need to Wham, Bam, Thank you Ma'am this weapons magazines into place. Save yourself some money and slow down a 1/3 of a second, you most likely are not going to be using it to save the world. Regardless of how much we all like to be prepared, speed reloads are just not going to happen in real life, you are going to do the "oh I just Shat myself shuffle" while you try to clumsily stuff another magazine in the weapon, so save yourself some money and go easy on the magazines.

Zhur

 

[Dassque]

I didn't crack the magazine putting it in the PS-90. I cracked it loading individual cartridges into it. The user's pamphlet that came with the PS-90 was not especially detailed in what not to do when pushing cartridges into the mag.

I was loading individual rounds, got to about round 20, and then the top cartridge wouldn't consistently rotate down to accomodate the incoming one. After I got the hang of loading rounds in, I flipped the mag over and saw a longitudinal crack on the topside.

Maybe I'm just too ham-fisted for the PS-90. The question still stands: are there 3rd party aftermarket makers of the PS-90 magazines either making them cheaper or with alternate materials for the ham-fisted like me?

 

[ShipWreck]

There are no alternatives at the moment. Sorry.

 

[tqtran]

Just curious but how are people loading their PS90 mags like:
1) AR-15 magazine style, just push down/top loading
2) Glock magazine style, slide in/side loading

Just trying to figure out how some of you guys are breaking your mags...

 

[acmeraptor]

Just curious but how are people loading their PS90 mags like:
1) AR-15 magazine style, just push down/top loading
2) Glock magazine style, slide in/side loading

I do both actually. I push the round down, then push it back into the mag, then release.

Something I saw on here saying not to drag the feed lips or something made me wary of pushing the round back while the spring tension had it rubbing against the rotation part.

I'm also pretty gentle about seating the mag in the ps90. I don't slap it in but get it in place and pull the release back and push it down.

 

[Dassque]

My magazine load sequence went like this:

First cartridge inserts almost identically to a conventional vertical mag: I push the cartridge body down on the mag follower, depressing it until there's enough clearance to thumb the cartridge under the feed lips.

Second cartridge gets weird. If I take the incoming cartridge and try to press it straight down on the previous cartridge as with a vertical magazine, the previous cartridge barely moves. There is a "sweet spot" where if pressure is applied, the previous round rotates and descends into the magazine, and I can thumb the incoming cartridge under the feed lips.

As more rounds are loaded, the spring force increases, and it gets harder for me to tell if I'm fighting spring backpressure or I've missed the "sweet spot". It just takes more and more force to get the top cartridge to spin and descend into the magazine. I'm guessing this is how I cracked my magazine: I missed the sweet spot and was compressing the magazine rather than the spring.

The silver lining with this cracked magazine is now I don't care anymore, and I've been slapping it around. Other than the crack pursing open when I push the mag into the PS-90, and then nipping my hand as I pull away, it seems to feed fine.

 

[ShipWreck]

From FN Man from the Oct 2007 Q&A:

5. What is the life expectancy of a PS90 magazine.(How many rounds can fired through it)? It depends on how you load it. If you drag the round against the feed lips as you insert it, it will shorten the life span. Always push the round down all the way before you push it back.

 

[kanthek]

Even if they were available I probably wouldn't use them. I don't use aftermarket mags in any of my other guns. The only ones I know of being reliable were in 1911 handguns.