I have a G19 and a G43. I shoot both well but I'm amazed at how well I shoot the G43. I got a G48 because I had a hunch that I shoot a slim line Glock better than a standard Glock. Upon shooting the G48 my hunch was confirmed - I shoot bullet after bullet into a single hole. I shoot it markedly better than the G19, so... why not upgrade it with an aftermarket 15 round magazine (with steel mag catch) to achieve the same capacity as my G19?Originally Posted by Navin Johnson
Ditto except G43X.
Why not upgrade it - * if the 15 round mags work.
I'm up to 4 now, 2 first gen 2 new ones, none have ever given me a problem, I consider them a must have.
I bought three Shield 15 rd magazines and the steel mag catch.
I halted function testing after experiencing a failure to feed involving two of the magazines, with Winchester 9mm 115gr FMJ. My function test involves loading the magazine to capacity with one in the chamber, repeated three consecutive times with zero stoppages. Magazine #2 failed during the first repetition, magazine #1 failed during the second rep. Had initial function testing been successful I would have repeated it with my carry ammo, Federal 147gr HST. Instead, I removed the steel mag catch and function tested two Glock 10 rd mags with 147gr HST and called it good. The Glock 10 rounders functioned flawlessly a few weeks before with 150 rds of FMJ. The Glock mags have never failed me, so I'm going to stick with them.
The Shield Arms 15 rd magazines are challenging to load to full capacity. I couldn't picture myself taking a shooting course with them. The sheet metal is so thin I thought I'd sliced my thumb open on the feed lips a couple of times.
I tried them and I'm not satisfied with them. Drive on!
Sorry....a bit cornfused.....This post seems to contradict your last post. I was generally referring to mixed reports on these magazines, any aftermarket Glock magazines, and that most likely don't vet properly so if 15 is the difference maker then one is in most circumstances is better off with a gun designed for such. (not to mention capacity is a dick measuring contest at the expense of or in lieu of skill and effort IMHO)
BTW enjoyed your stuff at FT.com
ETA my high cap G43x is a Smith Shield + (will likely trade for another Shield + when first one is vetted and magazines become available)
Last edited by Navin Johnson; 10-17-2021 at 01:47 PM.
I had the Shield Arms Gen 2 magazines for about a month but I didn't have the opportunity to get out and function test them until yesterday. It would've been nice to have the same capacity of my G19 in a gun I shoot even better but it didn't turn out that way.
What this thread confirms is that regardless of what equipment you use or how well it works for others it is imperative to vet your gear. As TLG made clear even the best manufacturers can put out duds. I remember when I paid $720 in 1990 for a German made Sig P226 and it had a bad magazine right out of the box. The weird and cheaper aftermarket mag worked from the start. This was one of the extra capacity mags that used a clock style spring riveted to the mag body near the feedlip. It wouldn't be my first choice today but it worked and getting a new mag through Bamburg gun club in Germany was almost an hour away from my kasern. That was the first of many bad tastes Sig product left in my mouth but I carry a 365 or XL today I just vet them and don't trust ANY brand OEM or aftermarket.
It is, but I think more than that this thread shows a lot more variability between the actual magazines in circulation. The factory 10-round mags don't have that problem. That kind of implies to me the ones that work may be closer to "they work... until they don't" than it looks like at first blush.
The un-fucked-with OEM 10s seem to have a larger sample size to draw from with more consistent results over a longer period of time. Everyone is an adult that can make their own choices but I'd rather have "10 for sure" than 15 that might be on the raggedy edge of giving me my first malfunction ever.
It appears the slide of my G48 may be faulty, which is possibly causing the failures to feed with the Shield Arms magazines. When racking the slide to clear the chamber I have to use extra force to eject the cartridge from the action. I swapped the slide with a G43 slide and there's zero issues with racking the slide to clear the chamber. A combination of stormy weather and lack of opportunity to go shoot has kept be from running to the range with the Shield Arms 15 round magazines to test them with the G43 slide installed on the G48 frame (creating a G43X) to see if the problem recurs. I'll post results when I'm able to do this.
(I've swapped piece parts (extractor & guts; firing pin & guts; firing pin block & spring) between the G43 and G48 in attempt to isolate the problem to one or more of these parts but the problem persists. I suspect the breech face on the G48 slide is either milled slightly out of spec or right at the limit of the spec (not milled deeply enough for adequate clearance between the extractor and breech face for the extractor rim of the case being fed to smoothly slide up between the breech face and extractor. I've experienced an occasional failure to feed with Glock factory 10 round magazines - same fault signature as with the Shield Arm magazines).).
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