Announced in January, MagPul’s new D60 drum magazine has the potential to be quite the hit. However, I feel there is some reserve to the magazine, as its just starting to be seen in the wild. Historically, drums have been quite bulky which offsets their utility, especially when constructed of metal.

However, the D60 continues Magpul’s history of innovation with polymers and is quite the compact package. To showcase this, Soldier Systems (which is lucky to have their hands on one already though they are shipping) was able to put the polymer drum next to a few of its competitors its brethren magazines.

Vs a 30 round sand PMAG. Click here to be taken to Soldier Systems.

Turns out the bulk on this one is quite manageable. The D-60 looks to be slightly shorter than common 30 round PMAGs and only about twice as wide as the SureFire coffin magazines. Nice.

But, “bulk” is not just limited to physical size, there is also a weight component. In this case, the D60 is quite the portly offering, coming in at 20 ounces, empty. For comparison, the SureFire is 7.7 ounces. Extrapolating to a loaded magazine, the D-60 is roughly 44 ounces to SureFire’s 32. By comparison, the original X-Products loaded at 50 rounds is 3 lbs or 48 ounces and holds 10 less rounds.

For the complete run-down, including extra pictures, hit the link here to visit Soldier Systems.