Glock handguns are probably the most popular handguns on the planet and with good reason.
They’re a bit bare-bones by some standards, and perhaps a little bit of an ugly duckling in the aesthetics department, but there’s absolutely no question they are some of the most rugged and reliable handguns money can buy.
And of course, when you have a product sold on every continent, used by every military, and wielded by legions of law enforcement officers, not to mention the millions of civilian shooters that swear by them, it makes sense that there’s a huge aftermarket for upgrades and new parts.
Barrels, slides, triggers, guide rods, mag releases, slide releases; you can literally build a “Glock” without using a single factory Glock part if you want.
And of course, with such a big following around the world, there are about a million aftermarket magazine manufacturers. Like anything else, aftermarket mags are some of the most common upgrades people go in for, and its no exception with Glock products.
You also have AR’s, pistol-caliber carbines, and SMGs that accept Glock mags due to their general ubiquity, so there’s a lot of demand for these aftermarket mags.
With all the mags out there though, it can be difficult to choose a mag. And magazines are incredibly important to the safe and reliable function of your gun, so you really shouldn’t skimp on quality there, especially not with a defensive firearm.
So which mags should you choose?
Well, it should come as no surprise that there is a whole host of great aftermarket mags out there, as well as some you should avoid at all costs.
And here they are.
Best Glock Magazines for Carry and Duty Use
These are the Glock mags that won’t let you down ever. They’re as tough (or even tougher) than factory options, and should always feed properly, provided you take care of them. These are the ones I’d trust my life too.
The Case For Factory Standards
First of all, it has to be said that factory Glock mags are perfectly fine, and are in fact of extremely high quality. If you’ve already got a good number of OEM mags laying around, you might very well be good to go.
In fact, I’d say that factory Glock mags are going to be better than a lot of aftermarket mags, and are actually better than a lot of OEM mags from other brands as well. There’s nothing inherently wrong with stock Glock mags at all, and don’t believe anyone who tells you otherwise.
If you want something different, however, here are the ones we recommend.
Magpul PMAG Glock Mags
Most people probably know Magpul from their AR parts, especially their PMAG magazines that have become the industry standard for the AR-15.
Now, they also make Glock PMAGS that are just as good, if not better, than the factory versions they’re emulating.
While the Glock PMAGS had a rough start, all the production issues have since been ironed out, and more and more pro shooters are turning to PMAGS for their Glocks, as are law enforcement officers.
Magpul PMAG for Glock
Pros
- Decent Price
- Ultra Reliable
- Easy to Clean
Cons
- Not Crush Proof
They are also included as standard with many non-Glock products that accept Glock mags, and they are sold in a wide variety of form factors: pretty much everything you could possibly want, save a 100-round Beta Mag, and there are rumors that those are coming too.
The only downside is that they’re only available in 9mm right now, but I strongly suspect there are more coming. Also, the only witness hole is at the bottom, so you can see if the mag is full, but you have no way of knowing exactly how many rounds are in the mag otherwise.
The best part is the price. You can regularly get standard 17 rounders for only $12 or $15, and I’ve seen them on sale as low as $10. Not too bad, especially when you consider that OEM mags will cost at least twice that.
Elite Tactical Systems Glock Mags
Elite Tactical Systems are one of the most popular aftermarket mag makers on the market. They make some of the most rugged and dependable mags out there for a variety of weapons, and their Glock offerings are no exception.
They are some of the most impact-resistant mags out there, and I’ve yet to find any complaints of rolled feed lips, cracks, warping, or any other issues.
Elite Tactical Systems Glock Mags
Pros
- Clear! See your ammo at all times
- Able to spot problems
Cons
- Shiney
Oh, they’re also completely clear, which aside from being a very bold aesthetic, is an incredibly practical choice.
At a glance, you can see exactly how many rounds you have left, which is convenient at the range, useful on the field of competition, and potentially life-saving in a defensive situation.
The clear polymer ETS makes their mags out of is tough, and can stand up to anything including impacts, scratches, and even caustic chemicals.
They also make mags for more than just 9mm guns. You can get .40 and .380 as well, and there are .45 ACP ones coming.
They also have everything from stock mag sizes to 33 round “stick mags” that are just for fun, and even competition specific mags like their twenty-two round, 140mm-long 9mm mags for USPSA Limited Division.
Finally, and this isn’t something you should ignore, they just look damn cool.
Best Range-Toy Glock Mags
Now, if you just want some Glock mags to take to the range, whether for casual competition, practice, or just plinking, there are some cheaper, mid-range offerings you can look at.
These are the Glock mags that are certainly good, but they’re also not quite as rugged or reliable as the ones above. In a pinch, they’re certainly better than nothing for defensive use, but so is a rock.
In other words, if you’ve got the money, and you’re looking for something that will hold up to hard use, and won’t let you down when it really counts, go for one of the options in the previous section.
If you’re just feeding a range toy, or simply don’t want to spend all your range time loading mags, these options are perfectly fine.
Jagemann Glock Mags
Jagemann Sporting Group makes a number of ammo-related products, from cartridge cases to mags, and they do a pretty good job.
The company’s background is in metal stamping and resin-casting for the automotive market, so they’ve certainly got the experience in manufacturing, and the mags themselves are solid, and will hold up to moderately rough treatment.
The only real issues I’ve heard with these are regarding the springs, which may cause some wonky tension issues which can lead to feeding problems. You can get aftermarket springs to fix all those issues, but by then you’d be better off buying better mags in the first place.
For plinking or just some light use in a low-risk situation, they’re perfectly serviceable, and in fact will probably be just fine for most folks. I wouldn’t quite trust them when life is on the line, however.
KCI USA Glock Mags
KCI is sort of the opposite of the Jagemann mags, while still being in the same category. They feed and cycle just fine, but aren’t exactly the most robust things in the world.
They’re super cheap, which is good, but also cheaply made, which isn’t. Drop these a few times on the hard ground and you’re almost certainly going to get cracks, or maybe even an exciting fountain of live rounds launching all over the place as the mag fails completely.
KCI Glock Magazines
Pros
- Decently reliable
- Less cost than most
Cons
- Out of stock very often
They make a 50 round drum that’s alright. Nobody is going to carry one of these into combat on a handgun, and almost definitely not on a rifle either, so this is strictly a “toy”, and a fun one at that.
Take care of it, don’t beat it up too much, and you’ll have a nice option for some serious fun at the range.
Overall, I’d be slightly more open to carrying KCI mags than Jagemann mags in a defensive gun, but only slightly.
Glock Mags to Avoid
Some mags aren’t even worth it as a range toy. Some mags aren’t a bargain even when they’re being given away. Some mags aren’t worth the plastic or metal they’re made from and would have been better off as almost anything else.
The only thing these mags are good for is maybe a job as a movie prop, but some sharp-eyed viewer is going to spot them and mercilessly mock you for using them even for that because no self-respecting gun guy or gal would use them.
ProMag Dumpster Fires
I’m talking of course about ProMag magazines. I know you’ll see these for sale at bargain-basement-bottom-of-the-barrel prices but they still aren’t worth it.
They’re cheaply made, won’t feed, break easily, and if anything could kill a Glock, these would be the things to do it.
The depressing thing is that ProMag makes mags for everything under the sun, but none of their mags, in my experience or the experience of anyone I talked to, are worth using.
Make a mag yourself, have one made, whittle one out of a 2×4, whatever you have to do, just don’t use these.
Certainly not in the rugged, bomb-proof, utterly-reliable Glock. That kinda defeats the whole purpose of the thing.
That does it for aftermarket Glock mags! Which one is your favorite? Do you own any of these? Are you planning on buying any? Let me know in the comments!
