Magpul started life in the magazine world. Their name comes from the mag pull devices they created way back when. The company has steadily grown and evolved into a powerhouse. They’ve produced tons of awesome products, the most well-known being the P-MAG. They weren’t the first company to produce polymer magazines, but they were the first to be super successful at it. As it sits, the Gen 3 P-MAG is currently the choice of the USMC and most serious AR shooters.
Polymer has always been their thing, especially when it comes to magazines. At SHOT 2024, we got hit with a bit of a surprise in the form of the Magpul AMAG. This is Magpul’s first metal magazine. The first is the AMAG 17 SG9. All those acronyms and numbers equate to a 17-round magazine for the Sig Sauer P320. The P320 seems like the best place to start if you’re getting into the metal magazine game.
Namely, because it’s currently the United States military sidearm of choice. The weapon’s popularity is only growing, with more and more police and military forces adopting it. America might have been the first, but they weren’t the last. The gun’s popular, and the magazines aren’t cheap. The Magpul AMAG is priced nearly $10 cheaper than the P320 OEM options. Do they work?
That’s the question we set out to answer.
The AMAG 17 SG9 First Impressions
Right off the bat, the Magpul AMAG 17 SG9 magazine distinguishes itself from the OEM magazines by being shiny. The AMAG is made from stainless steel, which is quite tough and relatively friction-free. In theory, it would provide a nice, smooth entry and exit from the gun. Another eye-catching feature is the bright orange follower, which is very easy to see and recognize.
Magpul’s mastered the follower game. It’s a tilt-controlled design that increases total reliability, even with crappy ammo and dirty, nonpermissive conditions. The bright orange follower is easy to see through the witness holes of the magazine. The witness holes start at five rounds and continue to 17 rounds. The AMAG 17 SG9 comes with the Magpul floorplate, which includes the dot matrix that’s become popular in Magpul’s mags.
The dot matrix allows you to mark your magazines to keep track of them more easily. Marking mags isn’t a necessity, but if you own a few dozen of the same mags, it can be hard to remember which ones might be giving you hell and which ones aren’t.
The AMAG in Action
How does one test a magazine? It needs to be a realistic test and not just a torture test for the sake of entertainment. Obviously, we have to use it a lot, but I figured the best way to mix using it with various types of ammo is to do lots of reloads and plenty of shooting. It’s pretty easy to combine the three factors for a good degree of synergy, or whatever the MBAs would call it.
My ammo of choice included some Reman 115-grain FMJs, 115-grain Remington JHPs, 124-grain Winchester White Box, 124-grain Speer Gold Dot JHPs, some 147-grain subsonic ammo, and some Tuls steel-cased 115-grain 9mm ammo. It’s a fun mix of ammo with different projectile designs and cases to test whether the magazine has noticeable weaknesses.
I loaded the magazines up and let them rip. I don’t have much to report other than the magazine worked as it should. The pricier JHPs got less time through the magazine simply due to price, but from the initial exposure, they worked without issue. The remanufactured ammo didn’t create any problems either, and it was the primary ammo I used for testing. The steel-cased crap was dirty but functioned without a problem.
The Kill Card Drill
I’ve been attempting to chase a particular time on the Kill Card Drill. It requires two reloads as part of the drill. This seemed like one of the best ways to let the mags hit the ground and test them by running the drill over and over. I let the magazines fall and hit the deck repeatedly over the last few weeks. I always used the AMAG as the first magazine in the gun to ensure it would hit the deck and take some abuse.
Outside of the Kill Card Drill, I dropped the magazine fully loaded. A round of two popped off the top, but there were no noticeable problems. I slammed the magazine back in the gun and let it rip, emptying the gun. The magazine shook it off without any problems. Even the polymer base plate isn’t an issue.
After all these drops, the magazines have captured a little dirt in the body. You can feel the grit and grind as you load rounds. I thought dirt might be the thing that defeats the AMAG, but I was wrong. It doesn’t really seem to care about a little dirt. I’m sure there is a peak point of dirt entry that will eventually shut the mag down, but it doesn’t seem to come from normal use.
Performance Thoughts On the AMAG
Amongst all this testing, I noted a number of performance factors worth mentioning. The AMAG’s base plate is very easy to remove, and the magazine is easy to clean. The internal stainless design makes it easy to wipe out. The dirt doesn’t stick too much, and carbon comes right off and out.
The base plate is a nice size, and you can easily grip it and get it into the gun. My thumb and middle finger can get a good grip on the magazine, yank it from the pouch, and get it into the gun.
The slick body of the magazine also helps ensure it slides nicely into and out of the gun. It drops free without the need for a heavy baseplate to encourage it to do so. The high-visibility follower is very easy to see through the witness holes so the two work well together. Overall, the AMAGs are a fantastic option for your P320. It’s not a surprise that a Magpul product works, but it’s nice to have confirmation that it will keep your gun fed and topped off when you need it most.
The Future of the AMAG
I’d expect the AMAG to become an entire series. I could see the SG9 family growing, and by growing, I expect them to shrink. By shrinking, I mean they will likely occupy the 15-round compact world and possibly the 21-round and beyond capacities. I’m betting Magpul will extend into the M&P family sooner rather than later. It’s rare to see aftermarket support for magazines outside of Glock, so this is most certainly a welcome addition.
