My Opinion of KCI’s 100-Round AR-15 Drum Magazine

As with you, I like to shoot. To be able to shoot 100 rounds without reloading is extremely useful. So, I thought I would test one out. 

Here is what I found:

• It came with a bag to hold the magazine and speed loader. 
• The speed loader can load 5 rounds at a time with minimal effort. But I found that it was easier to load without the speed loader. 
• I decided to fill it in increments of 50 so I could test different types of ammo. 
  • For the first test, I used Winchester USA .223 Rem Ammo (55 gr FMJ). All rounds cycled through my AR-15 without jamming or having to pull the charging handle back again. 
  • After the magazine had a chance to cool down, I loaded it with PMC .223 Rem Ammo (55 gr FMJ-BT). I had basically the same result. 
  • I let the magazine cool down and loaded it with Red Army .223 Rem Ammo (55 gr FMJ). I found that my AR-15 has a few cycling issues (It does with steel ammo) but I only had to pull the charging handle back once to empty the magazine. 
  • And for the last time, I let the magazine cool down. I loaded it with TulAmmo .223 REM Ammo (55 gr FMJ). It performed just as I expected. As the magazine heated up the lacquer on the steel casing began to get hot and jammed the magazine after 19 rounds. I decided to pull the charging handle back again and I was able to shoot 7 more rounds before it jammed. I cleared the jam and fired off the rest of the magazine. 

My conclusion is that if you use brass ammo, as is recommended for the AR platform, you will have more success with running the full 100 rounds through it. If you choose to use steel ammo, you will probably have a few cycling issues.  I would stay completely away from steel ammo that is heavily lacquered. With everything considered, I was impressed with the magazine.