In late September, Lancer Systems decided that a media event was the best place to showcase its latest inventions—because who wouldn’t want to Bond villain their way through two days of shooting and free ammo? I documented this delightful escapade and dissected what I learned about the company and its various business units. If you happened to miss my recap, I strongly urge you to check it out. Well, unless you prefer holiday shopping ads, in which case, go ahead and ignore it.
This is the first of what will be two posts where I wax poetic about Lancer’s magical magazine tech, which, as it turns out, is not just for holding ammo. They erected a few “competition-style” stages to showcase the superiority of their magazines—think of it like an Olympics for die-hard gun enthusiasts. Spoiler alert: the magazines didn’t even break a sweat.
As I mentioned in my last thrilling installment, Lancer’s L5AWM magazines are essentially the Kardashians of AR mags—everyone loves them, including my buddy Nick. So naturally, I walked into this event prepared to be dazzled. Our first test began with some magazines going on a cutting-edge, bumpy joyride where gravity and concrete met. We strategically dropped the magazines from shoulder height (because why would we use a cushion?).
Our mission—to drop these beauties from various angles and still have them work afterward—was a resounding success for Lancer. After a torturous night in a cooler with dry ice (talk about a chilly reception), they emerged looking better than many of us after a raucous Friday night, with only minor cosmetic damage. Meanwhile, PMAGs and USGI mags went full-on drama queen. They cracked, bowed, and generally threw a tantrum.
Then came the second round. Lancer magazines, having embraced their inner cockroach (you know, the ones who can survive nuclear fallout), faced the drop test again. Miraculously, they survived both the freezing and dropping, proving that they were indeed the Hulk of the magazine world. We tossed them into a timed “run-and-gun” course that required a few magazine changes—because what fun would shooting be without a good ol’ fashion cardio workout?
This course was where Lancer’s Adaptive Magwell emerged like a superhero. Unsurprisingly, shoving magazines in like you’re in the last ten seconds of a game show is far easier with a flared magwell. Every shooter was about nine seconds faster with it, leaving the “no magwell” crowd in the dust. Raise your hand if you thought flared stuff was a gimmick. Go ahead, I see you!
On a completely unrelated note, Lancer showed off its L7AWM magazines, which fit DPMS/SR-25, because why not barrel in on the .308 party? These magazines had a delightful translucence—like that fermented juice your hipster friend swears is good for you—allowing shooters to gauge the contents without needing a psychic. But the real kicker? We had to race through buckets of magazines, only one of which contained live rounds. Picture it: a wild, chaotic scene of shooters literally guessing which shiny tube contained the goods. Cursing and swearing ensued, and I triumphed by employing some low-key detective work. Go, me!
Finally, through random chance (read: my superior observation skills and vague luck), I snagged a prize package to further enhance my collection of Lancer AR-15 magazines. So, what’s the takeaway from this marvelous event? Besides the fact that Lancer has a knack for durable products, it seems we also discovered that a new round, the .510 BECK, is making waves. It’s essentially the holy grail of ammunition—.50 caliber that fits in a .308 mag, ensuring soldiers can pack fierce power into rather compact firepower. Not that anyone in their right mind would do that, of course. Feel free to join me in dreaming about a hog hunt without ear protection, because that sounds like a great idea! Keep your eyes peeled for the next installment where I’ll either impress you with more magazine wizardry or further confuse you. Who knows?
