Tell me if I’m wrong to test my mags this way. Rather than run through a whole magazine of ammo to test each magazine, I load three rounds and shoot them. My logic is that most common magazine failures are stripping the first round and bolt hold open. Three rounds test for this and one additional to test feeding. I realize putting a few full mags of ammo through each mag is better, but it gets pricey when you have around 75 mags. Do you think my three round test is reasonable? BTW all my mags are Magpul, NHMTG, D&H, or Okay.

Only if you load them full.

Many mags do not function when loaded fully.

Then the next most common problem is not locking back the bolt.

Where are you? I’m Mt. Horeb.

Not wrong, nor foolish. To be a bit more thorough, fully load them. Fire two-three rounds. This is to test the feed lips for spread (double feed) or excess friction.

Then manually empty the mag leaving three rounds, test again to assess for weak spring tension (failure to strip, or follower fails to hold bolt back). Probably should do a couple times/mag (= 12 rds/mag).

Also, before doing any live fire, use a pencil to very slowly depress the follower looking for rough spots or unseen dents in the mag body. Why waste ammo when a pencil will give you info?

I consider NHMTG/OK to be the very best. Will be hanged before I spend for those HK mags. D&H are good, but sometimes need to dress feed lips with a file. Especially if you shoot steel-case......which happens to be a good provocative test for feed lip roughness.

Also, D&H welds are not as "attractive" as NHMTG, but have not had any fail me. Yet.

To be honest cannot see the appeal of P-mags. They are no more reliable than new-ish Orlites IME. It's enough just to know they include mag covers to keep the rounds contained. And I have no intention of running tanks over my mags, or dropping them from planes, so to demonstrate the "superiority" of polymer.

Would love to own a tank tho.

I was getting ready to type it, but +10 on what Samuel Hoggson said.