Army Clarifies Misunderstood PMAG Ban: Actually, They Don't Mind If Troops Use Them

The Army has decided to rescind its ban on the high-performance (and highly popular) commercial PMAG, Military.com reports.

A few months ago, the Army released a statement explaining that government-issued aluminum magazines were the only magazines authorized for use in the M4 and M16. This didn’t sit particularly well with troops, as we explained in an article at the time. Well, as it turns out, the government wasn’t just adding necessary bureaucracy and banning a good magazine just to ban a good magazine. Instead, they just obfuscated their intent behind a poorly worded message. That’s not quite as bad (we think).

Army officials admitted last week that TACOM’s message implied a ban on the PMAG because it was poorly worded. They explained that it wasn’t intended as a directive on the use of PMAGs. Army spokesman Matthew Bourke clarified that the original TACOM message should have spelled out that the final decision on which magazine to use should rest with commanders in the field.

Bourke said, “At best, the message is incomplete; at worst the message allows soldiers to jump to the wrong conclusions. Maintenance Information Messages [from TACOM] are permissive. They are not an order. They are not a directive. All content and direction in those messages are optional for the recipient.”

That’s good news for PMAG-loving troops, and that’s even better news for Magpul, the company that manufactures these oh-so-loved magazines.