Maker: G&P Laser Products
Model:
- GP094 (M16 130 round)
- GP128 (MP5 100 round)
- GP171 (M16 thermold 130 round)
- GP213 (M16 110 round)
- GP214 (AK-47 150 round)
Item weight:
- 240g (M16 300 round)
- 195g (MP5 100 round)
- 195g (M16 thermold 130 round)
- 180g (M16 110 round)
- 315g (AK-47 150 round)
Calibre: 6mm BBs
Magazine capacity: standard
- M16: 100 or 130 rounds
- MP5: 100 rounds
- AK-47: 150 rounds
Price: ? yen
Manufacturer: various
Calibre:
- M16: 5.56x45mm
- MP5: 9x19mm
- AK-47: 5.45x39mm
Magazine capacity:
- 20 round (M16 short)
- 30 rounds (M16 long, MP5 and AK-47)
G&P standard magazines, commonly referred to as "mid-caps" are somewhat of an in-between Tokyo Marui standard magazines and Tokyo Marui high capacity magazines. The technology is standard mag technology, but rather than stacking BBs in a straight line (single stacked), G&P staggers the BBs (double stacked), to effectively double the overall BB capacity of each magazine. Instead of a 50 round MP5 magazine, you have 100 rounds. Instead of 68 rounds in a M16 standard, G&P offers 130 rounds. And the AK-47 mag is upped to 150 rounds from 70. Tokyo Marui has only recently released a 20 round-style M16 magazine (the Vietnam type), and it holds 80 BBs, twelve more than the much longer 30 round-style magazine. This is obviously a sure sign of the advance of standard magazine technology. The G&P 20 round-style M16 mag holds 110 BBs, probably a mere cut-down version of the long M16 mag, rather than a double-stack copy of Marui's offering, since it is older than Marui's.
I refer to these magazines as "G&P standards," never "mid-caps." Other than the increase in BB capacity, there is no difference between these magazines and Tokyo Marui standard magazines. There is no winding wheel, no pouring of BBs into a reservoir. It's hardly midway between anything, only a simple solution to increase the BB capacity of your regular standard mag. That's not to say anything negative about standards, in fact, standard magazines have always been the superior magazine for feeding your airsoft model. You load it up, insert it into the magazine well, and fire. There is no winding, no rattling, no spring to suddenly come unwound just as you insert it into the model. Just stick it in and it will feed, ignoring any possible malfunctions however. The only problem with standard magazines was the small BB count per mag. Why use a 68 round M16 mag when you can use a 300 round hi-cap? 70 rounds in an AK mag, compared to a massive 600 round hi-cap? The time and trouble of winding is made up for when you can carry that much more ammunition per magazine.
Enter G&P Laser Products. The MP5 standard magazine really is a "mid-cap" in terms of BB capacity. Twice the Marui standard, half the Marui hi-cap. At 100 rounds, it will provide decent firepower for some time, not just a few quick bursts and you're empty. Where G&P standards show their true worth is in cost. They cost less than half a hi-cap magazine. They even cost less than a Tokyo Marui standard. Why would you ever want a TM standard when you can own a G&P standard that holds more ammo for less cost per mag? The choice is clear, G&P standard mags are the superior option. Now, BB to price comparison, they're superior for the MP5, and about equal with the M16, but the AK-47 hi-cap is just huge. It would take four G&P AK mags to equal one TM AK hi-cap. But there are times you don't need 600 rounds. Most half-hour airsoft games will see less firing than 600 rounds. If you never want to change your mag, then a single hi-cap is fine. But there are some skills to be gained from learning rapid magazine reloading. Not to mention that load bearing gear is going to look awful empty unless you fill it up with some magazines.
At the time I write this, I own three AK-47 mags, eight M16 110 round mags, a single M16 130 round mag (won it in a contest), and none of the MP5 and M16 thermold mags; but with the MP5K-PDW being mag-less except for the one that came included, I will be buying eight to sixteen MP5 mags sometime soon. All these mags have never failed me in the field. They've always feed completely and without issue, and work well with the airsoft model they're designed for. I've noticed only a single error. One of the eight M16 100 round mags was manufacturered slightly wider than the rest. It fits into the magazine well alright, but will not drop out when I press the magazine catch. It must be manually pulled out, not requiring much effort. Now, if you order eight of these magazines, will you receive one similar to mine? I doubt it, it's probably a small mistake in the mass production process. I may order some more 130 round type M16 mags in the future, so we will see if it is a limited occurance.
Now for aethetics. One thing I can say about G&P standards, is that they do look better than their Tokyo Marui counterparts. First of all, at least with the AK mags, they're not painted. It's more like some kind of anodizing process. That means they won't chip paint at the first bump against a hard object. Oh sure, players say they like chipped-up magazines, stating they add to the realism. Fine, but that only works when the chipping remains mostly minor. Get some real use out of those magazines, and you'll find that a mostly metal-colored magazine isn't as attractive as a mostly black magazine. To state an example, I placed two AK mags in a single pouch without a divider. One was a Marui hi-cap, the other was a G&P standard. At the end of the day, the Marui hi-cap was almost completely devoid of paint near the end of the mag where the G&P's baseplate had rubbed against it. The G&P? Not so much as a stratch. Where they do show some wear is the tab at the top where the mag is seated then rotated back to lock into place.
The G&P M16 mags look as though they'e been painted, but the paint is much better than TM's. The 130 round mag has a flat, smooth feel to it. I've not seen any defects on its surface yet, only a little wear near the corners. By contrast, the 110 round mag has a slightly rougher texture. Not like sandpaper, but only a tad bit more than the Marui standard mag that came with my M733. They too have corner wear.
Do I recommend these magazines? You bet I do. I've seen the MP5 and M16 mags for as little as $18 apiece, $20 for the M16 themold and $25 for the AK mag. That's a great deal, and at that price, you can afford to buy a lot of them. Do I recommend them at the complete expense of hi-caps? No, I like to carry one or two hi-caps for those situations when I really need that extra ammunition for sustained fire in a short period of time. The more I play however, the less I feel the need for that extra ammo, preferring to actually reload while under fire from the enemy. Try it, it's fun, and nothing is more nerve-wracking than trying to get a spare mag into your airsoft model when the enemy is shooting at you--even if it is all fake and there's no chance of dying in the field. Remember those good reloading skills I talked about earlier? Yeah, they do come in handy and have their place in airsoft. So try yourself some G&P standard magazines, and I bet you'll be using them more often than either your Tokyo Marui standard or hi-cap magazines.
Update (2005/04/09): Just thought I'd update with the MP5 mags I received. I've had them for some time, and like the other G&P standards, they feed well and are reliable. I ordered a dozen from Prodigy Airsoft, and out of them, two had problems. Not feed problems, external problems. Remember how one 110 round M16 mag was a little thicker than the others? Same thing here. They will go into the MP5 mag well, but the metal was protruding from the plastic top, and was scrapping the inside of the mag well. Two of these I set aside, not wanting to damage the mag well. The others were pretty much OK. One had a seam split along the back, which I fixed with black electrical tape. Some of the others I made more uniform by hitting them a bit with a hammer so they would fit into the mag well easier. I told Prodigy Airsoft about the two mis-produced mags, and they sent me two more, free of charge. Good service from Prodigy Airsoft, I can say that. The two new ones I received we perfect. Out of twenty six various G&P standards, three had problems. One in eight; you may be luckier, and I don't own enough Tokyo Marui or Classic Army standards to make the same judgement about them.
Also, I've noticed through the cold New England winter that the 110 round M16 mags do jam more than the longer 130 round M16 mags. I figure this is due to so many BBs being squeezed in such a small space. With some breaking in, it will go away, but it does happen initially. Nothing's perfect, but I still like and recommend G&P standard magazines over Tokyo Marui standards. However, if you want the M16 Vietnam-style mags, go with the Marui 80 round standards, they're nearly guaranteed not to jam at all being a single-stack kind.