Reliability issues. Magpul 15 round for Glocks

[Alembic]

Looking for help diagnosing failure to feed and bound springs in Magpul mags for Glocks.

I have nine 15 round Magpul magazines I use for the range. 3 have started to show repeated malfunctions. Not more than maybe 7,000 rounds between all 9 magazines. Definitely less than a 1,000 rounds per mag.They had not been cleaned and yes I shoot steel case exclusively. I did disassemble the 3 that misbehave the most often, no major dirt, rust or grim. Quick wipe down, same failures repeated themselves.

Even after the wipe down I noticed rounds rattling around as I loaded magazines. I give them a tap and they would settle in. Still getting repeated failures with carefully loaded mags, down loaded one or two rounds. Failures to feed from the magazine, rounds stuck on feed ramp, and rounds stuck down in the magazine.

Has anyone else experienced issues with their Magpuls? Is it the Steel case? New springs?

Thoughts, ideas and experience please.

I did clean my G17.3 and run a few factory mags with no issues. Went back to my worst offender mag and failures repeated themselves.


503745037550376

[Nephrology]

I had the same exact issues which is why i relegated them to range use only. Is where you shoot fairly dry/dusty? My range east of Denver has lots of chalky dust that gets into my guns, and my theory is teh dust + steel case ammo in the otherwise very tight Magpul mags causes the cases to bind together and impair normal feeding.

[blues]

I have several of the 15 round variety which have been shot out of a Gen 2 / 3 G19 and a Gen 2.5 G26. No issues with carry ammo, or brass case training ammo.

[Alembic]

As a 20 year resident of Frisco I'd like to say yes to the dry, dusty, but these mags have lived their short life in damp and musty Vermont. I thought rust would be the culprit. But as you can see the springs look to be in good shape.

edit to add , yes steel plus dust makes high friction and binding.

[TGS]

None of my 17 or 15 round PMAGs work. 10 and 2 respectively, I think. They all started failing to feed around 600 rounds in. All cleaned, no difference.

No problem with my 12 round and 21 round mags.

[Alembic]

I have several of the 15 round variety which have been shot out of a Gen 2 / 3 G19 and a Gen 2.5 G26. No issues with carry ammo, or brass case training ammo.

I need to run these mags with HST, and AE. but TGS's experiences are not encouraging.

[blues]

I need to run these mags with HST, and AE. but TGS's experiences are not encouraging.

I don't carry these on the street. I do, however, carry my 12 round Magpuls for the G26. (I have five which have been vetted with both training and carry ammo without a failure.)

[TGS]

I need to run these mags with HST, and AE. but TGS's experiences are not encouraging.

Less encouraging is that I've tried contacting Magpul 3 times, including the PMAG Glock PM directly here on the forum.

Radio silence. Face down in the rice paddy. No impact, no idea.

[WobblyPossum]

I’ve had similar experiences with my 17 round PMags. I haven’t shot enough rounds through the 15 round and 12 round ones yet to make a decision. For now, they’re all practice-only magazines as I have enough OEM Glock mags to use for anything serious.

[Greg]

I have 4 Magpul Glock mags and will not buy any more. Every malf I’ve had with my Gen5 17 is with a Magpul mag.

OEM mags can be found in the 20 buck range in non-panic times. The Magpuls just don’t save me enough money to put up with the quirks.

FWIW I don’t shoot steel cased ammo in anything.

[Wake27]

I’ve used a number of 10 round G19 mags, normal G19 and normal G17 mags and have yet to seen an issue, but I only shoot brass and doubt I have as much through any of them as you do. I’d reach out to Magpul though, pretty sure I’ve seen them stand behind these things before.


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[MVS]

I had the same problem some time ago. For me it seemed to be largely an issue of using steel case ammo. I don't use it anymore (though the way things are going I may have to go back to it), and those mags seem to work with real ammo, though they still dont quite have the same feel. Would never carry them.

[blues]

Less encouraging is that I've tried contacting Magpul 3 times, including the PMAG Glock PM directly here on the forum.

Radio silence. Face down in the rice paddy. No impact, no idea.

That alone, despite my good experiences to this point, is enough to have me forswear future purchases.

[GJM]

It seems like every few months we have a thread come up concerning the reliability, or actually lack there of, associated with these magazines. As I regularly say, using non-OEM magazines in a Glock is false economy.

[vcdgrips]

I have 3 17 round mags I bought for proof of concept when they came out. Perhaps 1200 rounds max thru them with no issues. I would carry these three. They are my dedicated outdoor training mags and have excelled in that role. I have not carried them or used them in competition.

As others have said-with OEM Glock mags at 25 max all day long in normal times, the savings on Magpul Glock mags for serious use is not worth the savings.

Edge of my lane

If Magpuls are all that is all that is available, and I could not test fire, I would very carefully cycle live rounds thru a very clean and well lubricated gun. Perhaps 3 15 round cycles each.

I would also practice my Tap/Rack/Roll/Access drills. (FWIW- I do not use the term BANG because by the time the malfunction is cleared BANG may no longer be an appropriate response.)

[GJM]

Besides my experience with them, the experiences of many other, you can just feel how the rounds go in loading them, and compare that to OEM magazines.

[JSGlock34]

It seems like every few months we have a thread come up concerning the reliability, or actually lack there of, associated with these magazines. As I regularly say, using non-OEM magazines in a Glock is false economy.

Spot on.

When the PMAG was introduced for the AR15 it offered tangible performance benefits over the issue aluminum magazine. Now it is the military issue.

The Glock PMAG offers no such performance benefit over OEM, and even any economic advantage is short lived. And Glock magazines aren't very expensive to begin with. There's no compelling reason to use anything but Glock OEM magazines.

[JonInWA]

While nothing's perfect, and nothing lasts forever (that pesky entropy thing....) OEM Glock magazines are very, very good. Replacement magazine components, when and if needed, are available easily and cheaply directly from Glock. At this point, I simply don't see sufficient cost savings or operational rationales to justify venturing into the non-OEM lane magazine-wise regarding Glocks. While some of my 2002-vintage production magazines have needed the occasional spring replacement, that's pretty much it-and that's only after heavy and continuous use; current price on Glock magazine springs from Glock: $4; floorplates: $2; followers: $2.

Best, Jon

[JonInWA]

With all the thousands of rounds I've put through my Glocks over the years, I literally cannot think of any OEM Glock magazine failures in any of mine. And yes, that includes the 10 rounders (although arguably it takes 2 men, a boy and an arbor press to load a 10 round G21 magazine to 10 round capacity...) (and then don't even think of successfully slamming it into a G21 with the slide in battery without a hydraulic ram for assistance...)

Best, Jon

[blues]

With all the thousands of rounds I've put through my Glocks over the years, I literally cannot think of any OEM Glock magazine failures in any of mine. And yes, that includes the 10 rounders (although arguably it takes 2 men, a boy and an arbor press to load a 10 round G21 magazine to 10 round capacity...) (and then don't even think of successfully slamming it into a G21 with the slide in battery without a hydraulic ram for assistance...)

Best, Jon

The only Glock magazines I have ever had issues with were the ones that came with my Gen2 G19 back in late 1988. They were replaced by Glock a couple years ago when I had to send that firearm back for a new frame under warranty. (Since I still had them, I just stuck them in the tupperware.)

The fact that they took a gun purchased nearly 30 years prior and without blinking replaced the mags and frame made a true believer out of me. (Something that doesn't happen very often.)

[ST911]

I've had good luck with the Magpul mags. I have several early 17rd that are on their second or third spring. They are range/contingency mags, but I'd carry a number of the less abused ones if I needed to. That said, OEM mags are cheap and known-good. The cost:benefit between OEM and others just isn't there for most.

Steel cases have greater friction, I would expect less from that combination in general.

I am still using some a bunch of A through C serial G17 and G19 (2nd gen) magazines as range mags as well. Some are probably still on their original spring. When you crunch the numbers, quality mags might be disposable items but most will last a looooong time.

[reno92]

Mine have been good. So far. Not running steel cases though.

[JonInWA]

While now I'm pretty much standardizing on S&B 124 gr brass-cased ball (or similar American Eagle as my second choice) for matches and practice, previously I've had zero issues with Federal Champion aluminum cased 115 gr in my Glocks.

Best, Jon

[L-2]

Steel-cased ammo in my Glocks tend to bind up even in Glock-brand mags. Steel-cased ammo binding up in the mags was worse in the Magpul mags even if I replaced Magpul's mag springs with OEM Glock mag springs. Brass-cased ammo in a Magpul 15-round mag was generally ok.

Regarding Magpul mags for Glocks, I've used the 17-, 15-, and 12- round versions. While the 15-round versions generally worked fine in my Gen3 & Gen4 G19 guns, I had failures to lock back in my G19Gen5. I traded these mags off to a friend who was OK for using these just for the range. He's more likely to carrying an HK anyway, while I'm usually carrying a Glock (I've got various models from which I choose).

For the G19Gen5, I'm only using Glock OEM mags and no longer own any 15-round Magpul mags. I think I've only got one or two 12- & 17- round Magpul mags left for range use.

(For AR-15, Magpul gen2 and gen3 20- and 30-round mags are my main magazines; off topic.)

My diagnosis/suspicions are the Magpul mags don't slide steel-cased ammo in the all-polymer mag bodies as well as Glock-OEM steel-lined mag bodies, coupled with Magpul mag springs seemingly weaker than OEM mag springs. For the failures to lock back in my G19Gen5, I didn't care to experiment any further with the 15-round G19 Magpul mags and traded them away. There must have been something different with Magpul mags' geometry coupled with the G19Gen5's ambi slide stop geometry. It'd be Magpul's job to figure out the inconsistent slide-lock-back issue. (When the G19Gen5 first came out, I remember seeing a MrGunsNGear video where he had the same problem, btw.)

[Wake27]

It seems like every few months we have a thread come up concerning the reliability, or actually lack there of, associated with these magazines. As I regularly say, using non-OEM magazines in a Glock is false economy.

And this is maybe the only topic I see such polarizing opposites. Not disagreeing with you about the small price increase in OEM being worth it, but without actually counting, I really do feel that this topic has a relatively even split.

I started with the PMAGs because I had so many issues with the OEM 10 round G19 mags in Hawaii. Obviously there weren’t many options there so I gave the Magpul ones a go and never had another issue. Once I moved back to a free-er state, I got a good deal on some used ones and broke out some I’d stashed away at my parents house early on. So not even using new Glock PMAGs aside from the three 24 rounders.

I use mine for all training and competing. The only absolute downside I’ve experienced is that they definitely don’t drop free as well, I assume because they don’t have the extra weight from the metal.


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[sandy11B3V5W]

I've had similar experiences with the 17 and 21 round Pmags. Steel and aluminum case ammo doesn't slide up the magazine tube or binds and causes feed issues. I've seen factory Glock mags do the same thing, just not as consistently. Dusty environments make the issue much worse.

I've been running the same four 21 round Pmags for a Carry Optics Glock 17 and I've not had a single issue with brass case ammo. I'm too cheap to buy any of the gucci 5 or 6 round extensions to put on my factory magazines; three 21 round Pmags are equal or less in price to one factory mag plus the aftermarket base pad.

[GJM]

My take is that while individual experience is likely to vary, based on the individual pistol, the tolerance stacking and parts installed, the ammo, the range environment, and the way you grip the pistol, the Magpul magazines may work just fine in your pistol, but the OEM magazines have been tested across the widest range of the variables listed above and are likely to be the most reliable magazines available for the Glock.

[Sanch]

I only own glock factory mags and I own alot of them because I lived through the dark age of the Clintons and now I hoard them. But lately I'm realizing alot of space is being taken up by stuff and money is tied up in things I probably never need.

So this thread got me thinking, what if I sold a bunch of my glock factory mags, bought some magpul mags for range use, and pocketed the cost difference and maybe even downsize in the process because do I really need 80 glock mags? I didn't spend $2k on them, I got them mostly around the $15 to $20 mark but that's still alot of scratch! I only actually use like 5 of those mags anyway, 3 for dedicated range use and 2 for carrying.

If the magpul mags were dedicated for range use then thered never be any ambiguity over which mag is for the range and which isnt. Right now I use glock factory orange baseplates on my range mags but I only have a few, not sure if they still even sell them and I would like to have more than just 3 dedicated range mags I think. I could just paint baseplates or number them yeah but I like the factory orange ones or if I was using magpul ones then I'd know because the whole mag is different.

Also I don't know if this is goofy but I like the idea that magpul mags might not be 100% because then I can do surprise tap rack bang drills as part of my range work whereas I never get to do that by surprise when shooting my factory mags.

I mean I guess if Biden wins I wont feel bad for having 80 glock mags! But between stocking toiletpaper, mountain house meals, ammo, papertowels, the closet space sure does add up and maybe its time to downsize?

[willie]

Keep your Glock mags. There is no need to purposely buy inferior after market items.

[blues]

https://youtu.be/eMr0o4kwlKY

[Nephrology]

Keep your Glock mags. There is no need to purposely buy inferior after market items.

Buy cheap and stack deep. I use them for the range sometimes because I don't care if they don't work and I can throw them on the deck and treat them like crap and not care at all. That said, the vast majority of my Glock mags are OEM. Probably 10:1 ratio.

[EVP]

I am one of those who it is not worth it to buy and use them even for range purposes. I don’t understand why even if they are half the price of OEM mags.

Standard OEM mags are reliable, durable, and inexpensive. Pretty ease choice for me.

[sandy11B3V5W]

I wish Glock would make a 140mm length magazine for competition shooters. If that was an option, I'd buy them instead of the 21 round Pmags. As much as I hate Sig, at least they pay attention to the competition market and make products designed accordingly.

[RJ]

It seems like every few months we have a thread come up concerning the reliability, or actually lack there of, associated with these magazines. As I regularly say, using non-OEM magazines in a Glock is false economy.

I recall buying my G19.5 a couple years ago, and got this advice.

By now I think I have somewhere around 13 or 14 Glock OEM 15 round mags for the 19, and 8 for the G43X. I'm at 7,000+ rounds on the 19, maybe 450 on the G43X. All brass, no steel or aluminum case.

I have not had a single malfunction. The savings on a few pmags does not seem worth the cost to me in matches, in training time, and certainly not for EDC. YMMV, of course.

[mtnbkr]

When I had a G19.3 I bought a bunch of Magpul mags for range and class use. I never had any issues. I have 3 to go with my P80 faux G19 and they too work fine. The former had hundreds of rounds through them (enough to burn nearly 2 cases of ammo), but the 3 I have for my P80 have only seen about 200 so far.

They worked for me. I never used them for carry because I had plenty of real Glock mags, but the Magpul ones were good to go for range and class and never resulted in a stoppage.

I'd buy again for those use cases because I can buy them all day locally for half the price of equivalent Glock mags.

Chris

[Alembic]

Thanks for the great replies. Two thought came clear.

1. We know steel does not slide well round against round, but the point made by L-2 opened my eyes to the thought that steel cases and steel springs stick to interior PMAG plastic. Failure, rounds sticking down in the mag body.

2. Also in as little as 5-600 rounds PMAG springs just don’t seem to have the strength to over come the friction of steel case on steel case and feed correctly. Failure to feed.

3. Do PMAG spring coils bind on each other? Not sure, but seems likely.

Just returned from aquick trip to the range with my daughter. Between reloading magazines for her, I put 28 rounds of steel, Tula by the way, and 28 rounds of 147g AE down range, using the two offending PMAGs. One failure, rounds sticking in the mag body and one failure to feed with the round jammed b/t the feedlips and the slide. Zero issues with the American Eagle in these same PMAGs.

I’ve used steel case with OEM mags for years with no issues. I can also say when the PMAGs were new they ran steel with no issue. Now I recognize PMAGs have a very limited lifetime. How did I miss past discussions?

Will I buy more PMAGs? Not a chance. But not sure if I will run my next steel shoot with steel case and OEM mags or PMAGs with AE until they fail to feed. Makes more sense to buy OEM for all the reasons we know and shoot more affordable to steel. I will keep the PMAGs for range use and track their decline.

[TGS]

None of my 17 or 15 round PMAGs work. 10 and 2 respectively, I think. They all started failing to feed around 600 rounds in. All cleaned, no difference.

No problem with my 12 round and 21 round mags.

Just to be perfectly clear, my Glock and its mags have never been loaded with steel case ammo, whether regular steel or plated steel. It's only had brass and nickel-plated brass.

[Alembic]

Just to be perfectly clear, my Glock and its mags have never been loaded with steel case ammo, whether regular steel or plated steel. It's only had brass and nickel-plated brass.

Well, that data point kills any plans to buy new PMAG springs or other attempts to run PMAGs at a match or even on a timer. PMAGs relegated to dry fire mag changes, happily dropped on the basement floor.

[msstate56]

It’s the steel cased ammo. I had this exact problem years ago when the magpul Gmags first came out. They absolutely wouldn’t work with the steel cased ammo. Switch back to brass case and the problem went away. But my Glocks will run the steel case out of factory Glock mags without issue. That said, I’ve written off the magpul Gmags. I still have a bunch in a parts box, but I don’t even bother using them as training mags anymore.

[Darth_Uno]

Well, I gotta say the only problem I’ve ever had with 15 or 17 rounders is when my friend brought some steel case Winchester. They’d get stuck inside and you’d have to whack the mag upside down to get the rounds to fall out. But that ammo wouldn’t run through OEM Glock mags either.

Never had a problem with any brass ammo.

I find it hard to believe that Magpul more or less sets the standard for AR mags but cranks out sub-par Glock mags.

[Bergeron]

I remember paying $85 for a used 15 round USP magazine. I'm happy to pay MSRP for Glock OEM mags. I prefer to use brass case instead of steel case, but I want the option to be able to use steel case. Having paid stupid prices for quality mags during the dark AWB years, I value the mag quality way above the mag price.

I'm a magazine snob, and I'm not even sorry about it. If I wander into a gun shop just to look around and want to be a good customer, I just buy one or two OEM Glock mags and toss them into one of the mag caddies once I get home.

I would make an execption to the Magpuls if I was forced to use 10 round mags, but that hasn't come up as an issue yet.

[Spartan1980]

I have 6 of the 17 rounders for my G17.5. Never a single issue. I'd carry with them if I needed to but I don't. I save my OEM mags for carry and have plenty for that role. When I bought the Magpuls it was a matter of availability and they were about $10 less per mag, plus they were just going to be range mags anyway. They've been as good as my rifle Pmags so far. FWIW, I never shoot steel cased ammo in anything.

[ViniVidivici]

Steel case rounds are the problem.

They're not as slick as brass, and can bind up in the mags.

Mine (17, & 21s) have this problem, but all work fine with brass.

[deputyG23]

I have two 15 round G19 Magpul magazines that have roughly a thousand rounds through them with no issues. All brass case factory rounds or my handloads. I only use factory mags for carry. Need to order more factory mags.

[deputyG23]

I remember paying $85 for a used 15 round USP magazine. I'm happy to pay MSRP for Glock OEM mags. I prefer to use brass case instead of steel case, but I want the option to be able to use steel case. Having paid stupid prices for quality mags during the dark AWB years, I value the mag quality way above the mag price.

I'm a magazine snob, and I'm not even sorry about it. If I wander into a gun shop just to look around and want to be a good customer, I just buy one or two OEM Glock mags and toss them into one of the mag caddies once I get home.

I would make an execption to the Magpuls if I was forced to use 10 round mags, but that hasn't come up as an issue yet.

Have the Magpul 10 rounders proven themselves to be better than the OEM 9mm Glock ten rounders? I have no experience with the 9mm ones, but three .40 G23 10 rounders worked without issues for me for several years.

[Bergeron]

Glock 10-rounders are single stack, while the Magpul 10-rounders are double stack. The Glock 10-rounders are less satisfactory from a reliablity standpoint, and some members forced to use 10 rounders have chopped G19 grips to fit G26 mags. I don't know how much it changes things to go from 9mm to .40, my only Glock experience is with the 9mm.

[sqeeler]

I have a G19.5 that I acquired in oct 2017, I also acquired 1 magpul 15rd magazine for testing at the same time. Over the time I have had that magazine I have only cleaned it once and that was last month as the orange follower was pretty much black. I have shot nearly 17,000 rds on that particular magazine to include brass, steel, and aluminum ammunition with zero issues.

Approx. a year ago I also acquired a magpul 12rd mag for my G26.5 and did start having issues with it after approx. 7,000. YMMV, but I have had pretty good luck with them so far and continue to use them. I do agree ALL firearms are prone to a degree of tolerance stacking with certain variables, I would test your personal equipment and loads to see how different combos work, if your setup doesn't like the Magpuls try another brand or just run OEM.

[flux]

I have had almost identical feed malfunctions in the 12 round G26 mag. Both with factory and reload brass ammo. I eventually tossed them some where, I stick to the OEM mags for carry and range, was a bit disappointed as I like their AR mags.

[M2CattleCo]

My experiencia showed that were fine with brass cased round nose, but steel, aluminum, and hollowpoints were not real reliable.

Fine for training or even match mags, but I wouldn't want 'em for carry.

[edison]

Are you using the stock recoil spring with those target ammo? What if you tried hotter ammo?
I'm wondering if the slide isn't reciprocating all the way back or if there isn't enough dwell time.
Compounding with a worn mag spring to cause this issue.

Here's a video from ShadowSystems. They ship their guns with magpul mag.
I guess it's such a common issue that they have a video on the problem.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQbyRa_-pgc

[Chuck Haggard]

I only use the Mag Pul Glock mags for training, they haven't proven to be as reliable as the OEM mags, or reliable enough to trust for carry.

Sad, I had high hopes, because the Mag Pul AR mags are no go-to.

[Doc_Glock]

I used Magpul mags for training, but found that with the rare and random malfunctions, I was losing trust in the gun itself. Subjectively, since I culled the Magpul mags from the training pile, it seems those malfunctions are much fewer.

[GJM]

I used Magpul mags for training, but found that with the rare and random malfunctions, I was losing trust in the gun itself. Subjectively, since I culled the Magpul mags from the training pile, it seems those malfunctions are much fewer.

Which is the problem with less reliable training magazines — how do you know what malfunction is caused by the training mag, and what is a pistol problem. Shooting nearly every day, I typically go for months without a malfunction, and like it that way. OEM mags are the least costly part of being a Glock shooter.

[mtnbkr]

the Mag Pul AR mags are no go-to.

Why is that? My ARs, past and present, are mainly rolling experiments and range toys, so they don't get used hard (at least not in PF's understanding of "hard use"). I've used nothing but PMags since they came out and have never had a malfunction that wasn't directly related to my fiddle-fuckery.

I mainly use the 30 rounders, but have owned a couple 10 round mags as well.

Is there a long-term issue with them? What sort of failures are being seen?

Chris

[Chuck Haggard]

Why is that? My ARs, past and present, are mainly rolling experiments and range toys, so they don't get used hard (at least not in PF's understanding of "hard use"). I've used nothing but PMags since they came out and have never had a malfunction that wasn't directly related to my fiddle-fuckery.

I mainly use the 30 rounders, but have owned a couple 10 round mags as well.

Is there a long-term issue with them? What sort of failures are being seen?

Chris

Typo, tired, in a hurry.

The MagPul AR mags are my go to. I dumped metals mags completely once those were proven.

[donsjgj15]

Have the Magpul 10 rounders proven themselves to be better than the OEM 9mm Glock ten rounders? I have no experience with the 9mm ones, but three .40 G23 10 rounders worked without issues for me for several years.

I have about 5k (all brass) rounds through 8 Magpul 10-rounders that are G17 size, and have had no issues with them. Haven't cleaned them since I got them about 2.5 years ago but the worst treatment they see is being dropped in Hawaii's red earth and the occasional showers that roll through at matches. The only other 10-rd magazine I have to compare to is a single ETS 10-rd G19 mag, which was quickly relegated to holding dummy rounds and dry fire.

[texasaggie2005]

I have a handful of the 17rd mags, that I keep for training only. They have been 100% reliable with brass & nickel plated ammo so far, and guaranteed failures with all steel case ammo.

[Glockman9mm]

I’ve had the same issue with both Pmag and ets mags with brass case ammo. Not sticking way down in the mag, but they don’t feed the next round up to the feed lips quite fast enough on occasion and cause a fail to feed jam. I really liked the ETS 15 rounders till this started happening. I got them for about $12 a piece but now they just sit around while I run factory mags. Last time I paid $18 a piece for a ten pack of OEM mags.

[TGS]

None of my 17 or 15 round PMAGs work. 10 and 2 respectively, I think. They all started failing to feed around 600 rounds in. All cleaned, no difference.

No problem with my 12 round and 21 round mags.

I'd like to necro this thread to update this.

My 12 round still has no problems, but is very rarely shot.

My 21 round PMAGs from 2018 started failing last month. I had to throw away one because the follower and spring popped out from the feed lips on an emergency reload, and I also had one suffer a failure-to-chamber just like the 17 and 15 round mags suffered. Today, I had two mags suffer 3 failure-to-chamber.

Of note? All of these mags are 600-800 rounds per mag, same as the 15 and 17 round PMAGs I had fail 2 years ago. Those had rapidly failed to function at all once they started exhibiting issues, so I imagine I'll need to replace these by the end of the year. I will likely replace the 12 roung PMAG for my Glock 26 with some Glock +2 baseplates on the standard 10 round Glock mags.

[BWT]

I thought I’d replied earlier in this thread years ago, but didn’t see it.

I’m with you on - honestly Glock OEM magazines are reliable, plentiful, and pretty affordable (assuming non-ban state).

I like lots of Magpul products, but Magpul magazines are something I own a few of (AK and AR), but generally only swear by OEM magazines.

The AR mags are highly regarded, and I swear by their anti tilt followers. But, I feel like magazines need metal in them to be honest in the feedlips and other higher wear areas.

YMMV.

Thanks for sharing this data.

[Andy T]

In my B&T APC9pro with Glock lower, the bolt does NOT lock open on an empty Magpul Glock magazine. It works 100% with Glock OEM mags.

[LockedBreech]

I used Magpul mags for training, but found that with the rare and random malfunctions, I was losing trust in the gun itself. Subjectively, since I culled the Magpul mags from the training pile, it seems those malfunctions are much fewer.

I accept that I'm a minority in the shooting community for this, but that's why generally I don't keep unreliable magazines at all and don't shoot steel-case / corrosive / low quality ammunition at all. If I have a stoppage, I want to be able to eliminate as many factors as possible as the likely culprit, and there's some real value in trusting your gun because you know it runs.

[willie]

Your method is the recommended best procedure. Factory Beretta and Glock magazines perform to such high standard that there is little reason to buy non-orem. I admit to owning other than oem but bought them to play with.

[JonInWA]

Realizing that this thread is primarily discussing the Magpul 15/15+ round magazines, and I concur that the OEM Glock ones are the best to go with, and are relatively inexpensive.

However, for 10 rounders, (specifically for G17/G19/G45/G19X, etc.) the Magpul 10 rounders are less expensive and superior-particularly with hollowpoint cartridges. Glock specifically enjoins against using their 10 rounders for these platforms as a duty magazine in several back-to-back Armorers courses, and as we've seen in a previous p-f thread, the Magpul 10 rounders have been found to be effective and reliable.

Since my state (WA) now has a ban of purchasing magazines whose capacity is greater than 10 rounds, I'm using my OEM hi-caps for duty/EDC, and using the Magpuls in competitions (IDPA/ASI). I do use an OEM Glock 10 rounder in these competitions, but only as my "Barney" magazine I've had 100% reliability with the 10 round Magpuls to date; we'll see how they hold up durability-wise.

Best, Jon

[oldtexan]

Realizing that this thread is primarily discussing the Magpul 15/15+ round magazines, and I concur that the OEM Glock ones are the best to go with, and are relatively inexpensive.

However, for 10 rounders, (specifically for G17/G19/G45/G19X, etc.) the Magpul 10 rounders are less expensive and superior-particularly with hollowpoint cartridges. Glock specifically enjoins against using their 10 rounders for these platforms as a duty magazine in several back-to-back Armorers courses, and as we've seen in a previous p-f thread, the Magpul 10 rounders have been found to be effective and reliable.

Since my state (WA) now has a ban of purchasing magazines whose capacity is greater than 10 rounds, I'm using my OEM hi-caps for duty/EDC, and using the Magpuls in competitions (IDPA/ASI). I do use an OEM Glock 10 rounder in these competitions, but only as my "Barney" magazine I've had 100% reliability with the 10 round Magpuls to date; we'll see how they hold up durability-wise.

Best, JonJon, in your opinion is the Magpul 10rd mag as reliable as a Glock full capacity mag if modern JHPs are used in a G17 or G19?

[JonInWA]

Jon, in your opinion is the Magpul 10rd mag as reliable as a Glock full capacity mag if modern JHPs are used in a G17 or G19?

Yes, at least so far in my experience, and I haven't come across any contrary reports anecdotally so far. They are all polymer, without any metal lining, so long-term durability will be interesting to see, but these days technology has come up with some excellent polymer formulations. I trust them, but will be monitoring the feed lips in particular carefully. The polymer is interesting, looks like something akin to fiberglass or carbon fiber, but I'm guessing, and no industrial chemist.

I'm not abusing, but not babying mine; they're getting normal use-dumped in the dirt/mud/hard surfaces. They seem pretty well sealed against foreign media intrusion, the most cleaning I've had to so so far is toothbrush off dirt/dust/GSR from the followers and inner feed lips.

Would I use them for EDC/duty? Yes, but I haven't, at least so far-that's what my OEM Glock high caps get used for.

Best, Jon

[HCM]

Looking for help diagnosing failure to feed and bound springs in Magpul mags for Glocks.

I have nine 15 round Magpul magazines I use for the range. 3 have started to show repeated malfunctions. Not more than maybe 7,000 rounds between all 9 magazines. Definitely less than a 1,000 rounds per mag.They had not been cleaned and yes I shoot steel case exclusively. I did disassemble the 3 that misbehave the most often, no major dirt, rust or grim. Quick wipe down, same failures repeated themselves.

Even after the wipe down I noticed rounds rattling around as I loaded magazines. I give them a tap and they would settle in. Still getting repeated failures with carefully loaded mags, down loaded one or two rounds. Failures to feed from the magazine, rounds stuck on feed ramp, and rounds stuck down in the magazine.

Has anyone else experienced issues with their Magpuls? Is it the Steel case? New springs?

Thoughts, ideas and experience please.

I did clean my G17.3 and run a few factory mags with no issues. Went back to my worst offender mag and failures repeated themselves.


503745037550376

Magpul Glock mags are an all polymer mag which must mimic the external dimensions of factory metal lined mags. That requires a thicker mag body with reduced internal dimensions.

As a result, they are more sensitive to friction or dirt / crud. Steel and aluminum cases have more friction inside the mag body and don’t ply well with Magpul Glock mags. The Magpul Glock mags are also less tolerant of dirt / crud for the sane reason.

For the above reasons so reserve Magpul mags for training and use with brass cased ammo.

IME the longer (21 and 27 round) mags seem to run a little better. than the shorter mags but not enough for me to recommend them for serious use.

[Joe Mac]

The 12, 15, and 17-round Magpuls have been completely reliable for me through tens of thousands of rounds; perhaps this is due to my manner of use. I do the vast majority of my training with Magpuls, and I have a lot of them. I don't reload them on the range, so each mag only gets used once per outing. They don't stay loaded for long (I load my bagful-o-mags the night before), so there isn't continued stress on the polymer feed lips. I've been very happy with them as training mags; they're cheap, plentiful, and I don't care if I drop them in mud puddles or the ubiquitous range bunny poop.

I only carry Glock mags, though, because I don't feel lucky.

[TGS]

I do the vast majority of my training with Magpuls, and I have a lot of them. I don't reload them on the range, so each mag only gets used once per outing.

My doppelganger.

Loading mags at the range is lame.

95285

[Wake27]

The 12, 15, and 17-round Magpuls have been completely reliable for me through tens of thousands of rounds; perhaps this is due to my manner of use. I do the vast majority of my training with Magpuls, and I have a lot of them. I don't reload them on the range, so each mag only gets used once per outing. They don't stay loaded for long (I load my bagful-o-mags the night before), so there isn't continued stress on the polymer feed lips. I've been very happy with them as training mags; they're cheap, plentiful, and I don't care if I drop them in mud puddles or the ubiquitous range bunny poop.

I only carry Glock mags, though, because I don't feel lucky.

I’m the same way with everything except them not staying loaded. As soon as I get home, every mag I have gets reloaded.

That and my previous posts on this topic said, I recently put a KKM barrel and comp into my G45 and had occasional FTF and FTE issues. The ammo is Speer 124 gr lawman and the gun has just under 1k trouble free rounds before the KKM comp. I’ve used all of the exact same components in my G19.4 RS for many years with great success but my starting point to diagnose is going to be switching from PMAGs in my G45 to Glock Mags. It’d be a shame if I finally run into a combo where my PMAGs don’t work but at least that’s an easy fix if so. I’ve also had most of these for years and they’ve stayed loaded for years but most of them probably haven’t even been through 50 cycles. We’ll see.


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[JonInWA]

I’m the same way with everything except them not staying loaded. As soon as I get home, every mag I have gets reloaded.

That and my previous posts on this topic said, I recently put a KKM barrel and comp into my G45 and had occasional FTF and FTE issues. The ammo is Speer 124 gr lawman and the gun has just under 1k trouble free rounds before the KKM comp. I’ve used all of the exact same components in my G19.4 RS for many years with great success but my starting point to diagnose is going to be switching from PMAGs in my G45 to Glock Mags. It’d be a shame if I finally run into a combo where my PMAGs don’t work but at least that’s an easy fix if so. I’ve also had most of these for years and they’ve stayed loaded for years but most of them probably haven’t even been through 50 cycles. We’ll see.


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Actually, what causes magazine spring wear is cycling through magazines of ammunition, not being stored at capacity. However, it's probably a good practice on long-term loaded magazines to reduce the round count by one, to reduce the pressure on the feed lips.

Best, Jon

[Wake27]

Actually, what causes magazine spring wear is cycling through magazines of ammunition, not being stored at capacity. However, it's probably a good practice on long-term loaded magazines to reduce the round count by one, to reduce the pressure on the feed lips.

Best, Jon

I know, that’s why I mentioned my guess on how many times they’ve been cycled. It’s not many. I may get a chance to shoot more this weekend to check.


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[Flashman]

Concur. My Glock 19 PMAG's do not work with steel cased ammo.

[stomridertx]

A lot of good input here, I'm only adding to confirm a lot of this info as I use PMags for training mags and I pay for my range membership by working as an RSO a couple of times a month. From my experience both as a user and seeing a ton of them in use by other shooters, is that they are generally reliable with factory brass cased ammo. They do not get along at all with steel cased ammo and you'll be lucky to get through one mag using it. I haven't had the same problems with the few boxes of Blazer aluminum cased ammo I came across. I will only use Glock factory mags for carry and keep factory mags loaded full time with Speer Gold Dot 124 gr GDHP ammo. As of right now, I do trust Magpul GL17 mags for range training as I try to stick with Federal or Speer brass cased FMJ ammo. With that ammo I have never had a malfunction. I live in the Texas Panhandle in a semi-arid climate, so we have very little humidity with a lot of blowing dirt.
If I ever do start seeing annoying problems with the Pmags I will start only using factory mags. As it is, I like the easily distinguishable difference between the Pmag and the factory mag along with the paint pen matrix on the baseplates for marking them. The 5 packs you can get at DSG arms is very convenient for keeping a bunch on hand. I stick with the GL17 mags even for use in a Glock 19.

[stomridertx]

A lot of good input here, I'm only adding to confirm a lot of this info as I use PMags for training mags and I pay for my range membership by working as an RSO a couple of times a month. From my experience both as a user and seeing a ton of them in use by other shooters, is that they are generally reliable with factory brass cased ammo. They do not get along at all with steel cased ammo and you'll be lucky to get through one mag using it. I haven't had the same problems with the few boxes of Blazer aluminum cased ammo I came across. I will only use Glock factory mags for carry and keep factory mags loaded full time with Speer Gold Dot 124 gr GDHP ammo. As of right now, I do trust Magpul GL17 mags for range training as I try to stick with Federal or Speer brass cased FMJ ammo. With that ammo I have never had a malfunction. I live in the Texas Panhandle in a semi-arid climate, so we have very little humidity with a lot of blowing dirt.
If I ever do start seeing annoying problems with the Pmags I will start only using factory mags. As it is, I like the easily distinguishable difference between the Pmag and the factory mag along with the paint pen matrix on the baseplates for marking them. The 5 packs you can get at DSG arms is very convenient for keeping a bunch on hand. I stick with the GL17 mags even for use in a Glock 19.
I'm coming back to this because after I wrote it I think I came to the wrong conclusion. If the PMags are reliable with quality ammo and only have issues with steel cased Russian rounds, doesn't that make them better carry magazines than training magazines? Carry ammo is usually cased in the most expensive nickel-plated brass, burns clean, and has a cannelure in the bullet to prevent setback. PMags are lighter weight and easy to label. I'm sitting on a bunch of Hornady Critical Defense 9mm and now I'm thinking it might make sense to store it in 17 round Pmags instead of loose in an ammo can. I have never had a malfunction when a PMag is paired with quality ammo, so I don't know how I would come to the conclusion that they shouldn't be carried.