Glock magazines and reloading

[GJM]

My wife is shooting a pair of Gen 4 Glock 34 pistols in USPSA competition. She is left handed, but has left the magazine release in the conventional position, for the sake of commonality with her other Glock pistols. She uses her left trigger finger to release the magazine. Intermittently, she has experienced problems cleanly dropping magazines, especially when on the move. After a lot of experimentation, she traced the problem to certain magazines.



It turns out that magazines like the one on the left drop cleanly, and she can have problems with the magazines like the one on the right. The difference is the metal on the left magazine, and the polymer on the right magazine. Close inspection shows some gouging in the polymer, and our theory is that hangs up some, and doesn’t drop as cleanly as the metal. The magazines with metal at the area of the release we believe were early Gen 4, and late Gen 4 and 5 magazines are polymer without the exposed metal. We have sourced a stock of the “metal” magazines for her competition use.

Not sure if this is something specific to her, specific to dropping the magazine with the index finger, or something that also happens intermittently to shooters using their thumb to release the magazine.

[MVS]

I release my mags the same way. Do not have this issue with any of my Glocks or mags. Well except the G43 but that is a different story.

[Clobbersaurus]

That is interesting, I just checked my mags and they all plastic inserts.

I have taken to lubricating the magwell slightly before matches, it really helps getting the mag to drop out smoothly.

[wtturn]

That is interesting, I just checked my mags and they all plastic inserts.

I have taken to lubricating the magwell slightly before matches, it really helps getting the mag to drop out smoothly.

I do the same when I shoot Glocks. Magwell gets rubbed with a silicone cloth and the mags get a light spray of silicone aerosol.

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[JTQ]

My wife is shooting a pair of Gen 4 Glock 34 pistols in USPSA competition. ...she traced the problem to certain magazines.

It turns out that magazines like the one on the left drop cleanly, and she can have problems with the magazines like the one on the right. The difference is the metal on the left magazine, and the polymer on the right magazine.

I'm not that familiar with Glock's, is that a mag generation thing (knowing you have multiple Glock's and mags bought no doubt over many years) or would you expect to find current mags with either feature.

[Norville]

I have noticed the variation in Glock mags as noted, but no functional differences for me. I usually use ETS magazines in Production as it’s easy to verify the 10 round loading. They used to hang up and not drop clean but seem to have self corrected.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

This is a resurrection of a thread. So my Gen 5 17 is in and in the works for permit clearance. I have lots of 10 round (ban state) Glock mags that I bought for my Gen 4 17. Any experience with these mags in a Gen 5? I would not want to buy a new set. I've read that they work if you don't switch the mag release. That's not a problem for me.

[4RNR]

This is a resurrection of a thread. So my Gen 5 17 is in and in the works for permit clearance. I have lots of 10 round (ban state) Glock mags that I bought for my Gen 4 17. Any experience with these mags in a Gen 5? I would not want to buy a new set. I've read that they work if you don't switch the mag release. That's not a problem for me.

I don't have experience with ban mags but I assume the body is the same. With that said I don't really pay attention to mags. 2nd gen, 5th gen whatever. I can tell you that both switching and not switching the mag release all ambi mags have worked normally. And all none ambi mags work normally with the mag release on the left side. Currently my 19.5 has a restricted marked mag from back when that was a thing.

To answer the OP's question, if it still matters. I have switched the mag release to the right side on my 17.5 and use OEM ambi mags without issues

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[1Rangemaster]

Diagnosis over the internet can be tough. To speak to the “generations” of mags, the two notches did indeed begin with the Gen4s(the catch is reversible in 4&5 guns-and is same catch in both generations). I’m a right handed shooter-hit catch with shooting hand thumb, and have not noticed drop problems with any mags of those generations. But, obviously one variable is your wife is left handed. She is in another league as far as her competencies, but I wonder if, on the move she is hitting the release fully with her index finger(?) Another potential issue might be if the polymer has a real high spot, that might drag on the inside of the well. Yet another is the full polymer is the latest generation. You might measure side-to-side to see if they are slightly thicker(?)
@GJM: what happens when you shoot it with mag changes on the move?

[Magsz]

There are too many variables.

Manufacturing variance between lots of guns and mags.

Wear on your mag catch. Wear on the mag. Amount of cycles of the spring in the mag. The amount the mag has swollen.

Shit can the mags that dont work and use the ones that do. Its unfortunate but that's the reality of the plastic wonder pistol that is the Glock.

I add some kind of metal magazine base to all of my magazines to give them a little more heft which aids in dropping free.