Magpul D60 Review – 2022 Buyer’s Guide

| Last Updated:
August 27, 2023


The Magpul D60 is a drum magazine by Magpul. It is unknown when exactly these hit the market, but the Magpul brand has been manufacturing accessories for firearms since 1999. The D60 is a round-shaped magazine that is intended to contain up to 60 rounds. 

IMAGEPRODUCT
  • Contains up to 60 rounds
  • Made from high-quality polymer
  • Accepts .223 and 5.56 NATO rounds
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More specifically, this magazine is designed to work with AR-15 rifles. It’s a versatile magazine that will be able to handle both the .223 caliber and the 5.56 NATO rounds. The magazine is made from a high-quality polymer which ensures the magazine will be hard, if not impossible, to damage. One of the things that might be of interest is the small window that lets you know how much ammo is loaded in the magazine itself. 

If you are looking for a perfect magazine for whatever purpose or intent you use your AR-15 for, then you will have some serious firing power at your disposal with a magazine like this. Yes, it’s not like the others that are considered normal (i.e.--30 rounds). Once you know a bit more about this magazine, it will be hard not to pass up the chance to give this a spin.

Best Overall:
Magpul D60

Pros

  • Excellent durability
  • Versatile with shots
  • Reliable, smooth cycling
  • Lightweight, even when loaded

Cons

Pros

Here are some pros to the Magpul D60:

Versatile With Shots

To better translate, this magazine is quite versatile in the kind of rounds it accepts. If you have .223 rounds or 5.56 NATO rounds, you just can’t lose. These rounds will fit perfectly in your magazine and feed smooth, reliable shooting. So if you have a set of .223 rounds, let ‘er rip. Then you can make the switch to 5.56 NATO rounds once you are ready for another go around. It’s a lot better than having a magazine that will accept one type of AR-15 bullets. 

Excellent Durability

If we said it once, we’ll say it again, the durability is ridiculous (in a good way). You might as well call it indestructible. You can throw this on a hard surface as many times as you want. This thing will not scuff up, break, or malfunction. So it’s basically like any other AR-15 magazine on the market when it comes to quality. However, it’s not your standard AR-15 mag. However, it’ still has the toughness, just like the rest of them.

Reliable, Smooth Cycling

Nothing is more satisfying than being able to go through so many rounds without a single jam or malfunction. That’s exactly what you are going to get with this magazine. Whether you fire 60, 600, or even 1000 + rounds, you can expect this magazine to stay smooth and reliable for as long as possible. This product will definitely make the difference when you are firing off shots during competition. A single jam or malfunction can throw you off your entire game. Have you ever missed your chance at knocking down a whitetail deer because of a malfunctioning magazine? Yeah, it happens. And that’s a kick in the gut, to say the least. 

Lightweight, Even When Loaded

The last thing you want is a rifle that is heavier than usual when it’s fully loaded. The good news is that you’ll be able to carry your rifle without seeing a drastic change in weight. You can fully load this sucker and attach your rifle to a bipod. It won’t be so heavy that the bipod will become unstable and lose support. With the capacity of two regular AR-15 magazines, you can expect it to be just about the same weight as if you were carrying them in your pocket at the same time. 

Cons

Here are some of the downsides of this product:

Difficult to Load With Weak Hands

Loading this magazine is enough of a chore if you can even handle the manual loading. But it can be hell on the hands if you have arthritis or any kind of mobility issue. If you are dealing with such problems, the only possible solution is to utilize a speedloader. It’s important to find one that will fit a magazine like this. Taking it a step further, consider a speedloader that is able to accept both the .223 caliber and 5.56 NATO rounds. A speedloader will load a magazine in a matter of seconds, as opposed to manual loading, which will take minutes. 

May Be a Bit Oversized

Of course, this magazine is not like the standard, slim-build magazines that come with an AR-15. Yes, it’s round in size. But it might be a little too large and take up a bit of space in terms of storage. That could also pose a problem in terms of fitting this on your rifle. So it might be wise to consider measuring the rifle’s magwell to ensure this magazine will fit. Fitting might be required. Yet, if it does fit and appears a little bigger than expected, you might get used to it over time and it won’t be so bad shooting it after all. 

Main Features

To begin, this magazine is made from high-quality polymer -- which is undeniably one of the best materials you can find for any firearm or accessory. Why exactly is polymer so awesome? For one, it’s a pretty solid material that is mostly resistant to all kinds of damage and abuse. Furthermore, a polymer magazine will not break. If it falls to the ground, it will hit the hard surface without breaking. It will still function like new. 

The capacity of this magazine is 60 rounds. That’s double the capacity of a regular AR-15 rifle. While 30 is usually enough for most users, there is no such thing as having too many shots on hand. A magazine with a high count like this will probably be best used for hunting, right? Yes, it can. It may feel weird at first, but hey, you have plenty of rounds at your disposal. However, a high-capacity magazine might be ideal for those who enjoy target shooting (casually and competitively). 

This also has a dust cover that will keep dust and debris out of the magazine itself. That way, you are able to keep the magazine clean and prevent it from failing or rendering itself useless. Simply put, the goal of the dust cover is the preserve the reliability of the magazine itself. 

What is the Magpul D60 Best For?

This magazine is designed for multiple purposes. In other words, you’ll be able to use this for applications like hunting and target shooting. Since you will be using an AR-15, you will be able to put this to the test against varmints and big game targets like whitetail deer. Granted, you don’t need to use more than a few shots to knock down your game targets. This magazine will likely excel as a target shooting magazine (both in casual and competitive settings). The more rounds you have at your disposal, the better the chance you’ll have tons of fun firing shot after shot and landing the bullseye or close to it. 

While it is a high-capacity magazine, it might be ideal for applications that allow you to fire off as many shots off as possible without having to constantly change out magazines. So this will save you a whole lot of time in a competition where most of your competitors have to pause and quickly switch an empty magazine with a spare. If you want to save yourself some time and switch out your magazines less, this might be the magazine you can depend on.

What Do I Need to Know Before Buying?

Here's everything you need to know before you buy.

It’s Not Suitable For Self Defense

While this might be an unnecessary thing to mention, a high-capacity magazine won’t always be the answer when it comes to using your AR-15 for self-defense. The reason is because of its size. So you are more apt to utilize a regular magazine, since it will be lighter and will allow you better control over your rifle. Plus, it will probably take a shot or two to ward off any threat to your life or property.

Clean and Maintain This Regularly

Like all other magazines (and your rifle itself), this magazine will need to be cleaned and maintained from time to time. It is recommended that you clean this out at least a couple of times per month if you use it on a regular basis. Or you can clean it after firing off a certain amount of shots (i.e.--north of 1000 rounds). This way, you can preserve the overall reliability of the magazine and ensure that it will be in working order for years and even decades to come. 

Invest in a Speedloader, if Needed

While you can load this magazine manually, you may want to save yourself time in some aspects. For example, a speedloader will come in handy if you are in the middle of a competition. This way, it will save you more time (and frustration) when you are looking to reload your magazine for the next round of shooting. The quicker you reload, the better the chance you will be mentally ready for putting yourself ahead of the competition. 

Bottom Line

If you want a magazine that will provide you plenty of firing power at your disposal, the Magpul D60 is something you’ll want to add to your AR-15 rifle. It’s super-tough, reliable, and will work with any AR-15 rounds you are dying to fire off. It will be a whole lot of fun to fire off this bad boy whether you are at the range or out in the field. In fact, this might be an exciting alternative to your regular 30-round mags, depending on the application. 

Michael Lutes

Michael Lutes is the managing editor and owner at Gun Mann. He is a veteran, gun enthusiast, 3 gun competitor, and 2a advocate. Mike has a passion for innovation and education across the industry to create great content, training, and insights from the best and brightest.

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