Reliability issues. Magpul 15 round for Glocks

[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]