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The MagPod is a simple, durable replacement floorplate for the PMAG that turns a mag into a stable shooting support. It's made by the same folks that make the Multitasker. There's nothing tricky about it, no buttons, no adjustments, just a tweak to the floorplate geometry that squares your rifle up and offers always-on stability that's a surrogate for a light bipod or a Grippod. It's made of sturdy glass reinforced nylon and has an overmolded Santoprene insert up front for added grip on slick surfaces. Installation is easy; just pop the floorplate off your PMAG and slide the MagPod on it its place.
How well does it work? I had an opportunity to run hundreds of rounds through a MagPod equipped PMAG over the course of a few weeks. In short, it works. I was surprised that shooting from the mag had no effect on feeding/cycling on either AR used during the evaluation. The first rifle was a Smith & Wesson M&P15 VTAC and the second, a Mega Arms lower with a Daniel Defense 16" upper. Both cycled flawlessly with the MagPod. I was so determined to cause a malf, that I sat on the range dumping rounds 'till my right thumb was sore from loading and my left hand was sweating from the smoking barrels.
morePredictably, my accuracy improved using the MagPod. I was less fatigued and could hold tighter groups than shooting unsupported. I also found shooting with the fulcrum further to the rear made swinging the muzzle from target to target a little faster since smaller movements on the buttstock end move the muzzle end further. This translates into slight speed gains tracking from target to target both horizontally and vertically.
Given the choice, it's probably a more sound tactic to rest a freefloated handguard on a support so you can get lower behind the gun for better cover. But, if you're proned out on the deck, a support device is your only option. Sure, shooting from a regular mag works just fine. But, I did realize a few small efficiencies shooting with the MagPod that added up to a bit of an advantage. For starters, it takes slightly less effort to keep the rifle on target when it doesn't want to tip forward. Then, I realized rifle stays upright during admin movements making it faster to get back on target after going to a pocket or grabbing my hydration tube.
I tried the MagPod on a variety of surfaces. Table tops, fence crossbars, car hoods, concrete, grass, hard earth, gravel and atop large rocks. I found the device worked well on regularly shaped or conformable surfaces. The only surface it had a little trouble adapting to was large rocks. The device wants to be flat, so it was a little wobbly on the uneven surface of large rocks. I think rounding and/or softening the material of the MagPod's legs would help.
There were somethings I didn't like about the device, though. I found the front legs were a little sharp and tended to dig in and catch the rifle when hitting the deck and proning out. It also adds some height to mags that can prevent some mag carriers, especially double stack pouches, from closing. The sides stick out a little further than stock floorplates, again causing a tight fit in double mag pouches.
Granted, the MagPod isn't a sexy upgrade, but compared to the weight and price of other support devices, the MagPod offers modest increases in operational efficiency for a modest price with minimal impact on the form factor of your rifle. Adding a MagPod to a few mags will approxmate the advantages of a GripPod without taking up room on a rail. For those of you that like to run slick rails, this alone is worth the price of admission.
The MagPod is still in development, the dimensiona and the geometry may get tweaked. Some aesthetic changes may be made to account for the updated PMAG M3. It will take it's final form this spring with deliveries beginning in June, 2012 with an estimated $22 MSRP for a 3-pack. OneUp is also working on a version that works with USGI mags. More information is available at mag-pod.com
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