Last year I reviewed the first iteration of the TorkMag 50 round stick mag and found it deeply flawed, if you want to check that review out you can click here. The first generation mag worked OK until I attempted to load the mag up to its 50 round capacity for some photos when it spontaneously dissembled spilling most of the ammo all over my living room floor.

THE BELOW PHOTO IS FROM THE FIRST GEN MAG LAST YEAR

When I talked to the owner at SHOT 2016 he indicated that they had completely changed how the magazine body was made and would be shipping the revised mags around summer of 2016. He also offered TFB the chance to give the TorkMag another shot and we graciously agreed.

When the mags showed up I was impressed with how much TorkMag improved the quality. What looked a lot like a prototype before now screams finished product. I wish TorkMag had included some sort of texturing on the magazine bodies, I have a feeling they might get rather slick if your hands are sweaty or wet. The 50 round mag is the same length as the prior version but the smaller 35 round mag is a much more manageable size. 

The mag uses the same dual spring arrangement as before, a traditional wire spring with a coiled bit of spring steel helping keep the nose of the loaded ammo in line with the chamber. 

The biggest change on the new mag bodies is the use of a one piece mold instead of the two piece design that led to the failure on the first gen mag. I left the loaded 50 round mag in my truck to bake in the Texas sun for a few weeks to see if the mag would fail under heat, thankfully the mag remained functional. 

It appears that along with retaining the spring arrangement the second gen TorkMag also uses the same follower and baseplate as the previous version.  

I loaded the 50 round mag to capacity and dumped the mag as fast as my finger would let me shoot. The mag preformed as one might expect and locked the bolt open after I had converted a bunch of ammo into a pile of spent brass.

At about the 5th mag dump I was pretty comfortable that the mag was going to perform as advertised but would definitely like to do further testing before relying on it for anything other than a match or range use.  

The 35 round mag performed just as well as the 50 rounder but in a much less ridiculous looking package. I am really interested in seeing how these mags perform long term, if they continue to work as well as they have so far they will probably become my go to range mag.  

I have to say, nothing has pleased me more to see TorkMag’s approach to the failure that we saw last year. Most people would have packed their bags and given up, Jarrett was convinced that he had a solid idea and pushed forward. I have a ton of respect for the TorkMag team and look forward to see what idea they conquer next.

The TorkMag 50 has an MSRP of $39.95 while the 35 round variant is priced at $21.95. If you want to learn more about the TorkMag 35 and 50 round stick mags you can check out their website: http://www.torkmag.com/