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Magpul D-60 Drum Magazine Review: The Best Drum Mag On The Market?
Drum magazines are often misunderstood. Many times, they are used to mag dump 50 to 100 rounds of your chosen caliber as fast as possible. While that is all fine, fun, and dandy, drum magazines can be used in other applications that can help justify their price tags.
Not your average AR-15 magazine.
While they do get rather hefty once loaded, they provide an incredible amount of increased capacity all within a compact footprint. Whether you’re heading to the range, defending your home, or preparing for the zombie apocalypse, having double or triple the rounds in a manueverable package can be a game changer.
Would you choose two of these standard mags or one drum mag?
However, drum magazines have been known to have their fair share of issues. I’ve ran several different drum magazines over the years, some with AR-15s and some with Glock-compatible PCCs, and let’s just say I haven’t had the best experiences.
When I first picked up a Magpul D-60, I had low expectations compared to my previous drum mag issues, but I’m glad I still gave it a shot…literally.
SALE 
Magpul PMAG D-60 GEN M3 AR-15 .223/5.56 60 Round Drum Magazine
98 reviews
Original price was: $134.99.$119.99Current price is: $119.99.
A Closer Look At The D-60
If you’re familiar with Magpul’s infamous PMAGs, you’re going to notice a few similarities that were carried over to the D-60.
Right off the bat, you’ll find a paint pen dot matrix and witness window on the back of the drum housing. While the window won’t provide you with an exact round count, you’ll at least be able to see when you’re starting to run low. Regardless of how small the window is, it’s still more helpful than not having one.
A window and paint pen dot matrix help the D-60 stand out from some of the competition.
The other most notable feature is the front-facing ratcheting lever. Not only does this make the loading process easier by removing tension off of the spring, it speeds it up too. And thanks to that lever, those last few rounds are able to squeeze in, albeit still difficult.
Note the handy loading lever.
A little fact I found out about the D-60 after having owned it for a while is that it’s designed to be left loaded for long term storage. That to me, is a huge benefit, as not all are and what good is an empty magazine in a time of need?!
Fully loaded and ready to go.
As for not so noticeable but not worthy items, you’ll find that the D-60 has a bolt hold open feature that locks the bolt back on the last round, and it’s extremely easy to disassemble and clean. It requires no special tools, simply a flat head screwdriver or other similar flat item.
Taking into account the polymer construction and ease of maintenance, it’s a drum magazine that you should be able to keep running for a very long time.
Range Performance
I’ve had this drum magazine for over a year and it has proven to be exceptionally reliable. Feeding has been smooth and consistent, even when rapid firing, and it’s worked well with several different rifles.
The D-60 doesn’t just run well, it looks good too.
Without keeping track of how many rounds have been through it, I’d estimate about 600-750 with less malfunctions than fingers on one hand. I’d like to mention that during many of those range sessions, the D-60 has been dropped, tossed around, and gotten wet, but still keeps on kicking.
My D-60 has been dropped more times than I can remember.
The bolt hold open has worked as intended each time I’ve emptied the magazine, and overall, compared to other drum magazines I’ve used, the D-60 has performed much better.
Pros & Cons
As with any magazine, the D-60 has both pros and cons, some of which are applicable to drum mags in general, and some specific to this one.
To start on a positive note, the D-60 as mentioned above, has proven exceptionally reliable. It has the features we’ve come to love from Magpul such as the paint pen dot matrix and witness window, in addition to the durable polymer construction. It also provides 60 rounds of freedom when your standard AR-15 magazine only holds 30 rounds.
However, the D-60 is not cheap, but you get what you pay for. And just like other drum magazines, it does get heavy when loaded, which let’s be honest, should be expected!
Final Thoughts
I can’t say that I’ve tested every drum magazine on the market, but if I had to choose just one, it would be the Magpul D-60 as of right now.
Not only has it been reliable, but it’s been very useful when testing out new guns by saving me some time of reloading at the range. Would it be my choice for home defense? No, because I feel that my standard PMAGs are more reliable. Will I keep bringing this drum mag to the range? You bet.
Since nothing else matches here, might as well throw the D-60 in the mix!
If you’re looking for a drum magazine for your AR-15, I highly suggest you give the D-60 a try. There are definitely more affordable options out there, but I have a feeling you’ll quickly find like I did, you get what you pay for.
As always, stay safe, train hard, and have fun!
