Best Glock Magazines: Feed Perfection

The most saturated ecosystem outside the AR-15, almost everyone makes almost everything for the Glock! But what are the best mags? Are non-factory even worth it?

We’ll break down the what and why and help you find what you need.

BEST GLOCK MAGAZINES

• Editor’s Pick – EDC: Glock
• Best Clear Mag: Elite Tactical Systems 
• Best Value: Magpul
• Editor’s Pick – Competition: TorkMag
• Best G43x Mag: Palmetto State Armory

BEST Vs. GOOD Vs. GOOD-ENOUGH

Guns get all the glory, but historically speaking, the vast majority of malfunctions in a semi-auto firearm are the fault of the magazine. We live in an age of high-speed cameras, CAD software, and outstanding manufacturing, leading to us being a little spoiled.

These days, magazines are normally outstanding. Even bad mags are often far more reliable than the best mags of 50 years ago. But it’s useful to remember that there is a big difference between what is best, what is good, and what is good enough.

Cost, availability, and features are a bit of a balancing act. What is most important to you might not be what is most important to me. Having 3 extra rounds on a competition stage for your PCC might mean more to you, even if it means getting a magazine 1 percent less reliable.

On the other hand, giving up 3 rounds of capacity to carry the most reliable magazine possible for your EDC probably makes a lot of sense.

Keep these in mind when you’re selecting magazines.

BEST GLOCK-PATTERN MAGAZINES

Glock

I don’t think this should be a surprise, but the best magazine for most Glocks and many applications is going to be… Glock. 

Even if you’re kind of a Glock hater, like me, one must admit that Glock is nothing if not reliable. And a big part of what that is comes from the magazine. It’s just a great mag. Period.

Any size Glock, any flavor, Glock makes a great mag for your model.

Prices for Glock mags aren’t bad with most of them being around $30 with some of the more popular options closer to $20.

For EDC or something you want to bet your life on, it’s hard to argue with just a basic Glock mag. If you want more capacity, about two dozen brands offer high-quality base plates for Glock pattern mags — but adding a baseplate doubles your per-mag cost.

That being said, Glock mags aren’t perfect. Glock mags are good, but they are unimaginative. No metal baseplates, not really a lot of options in capacity, and Glock doesn’t offer anything cool like clear mags or big-ass drums.

Also, the Glock G43x magazine is not as good as aftermarket mags. Never accept 10 rounds when other brands make the same flush-fit mag holding 15.

Elite Tactical Systems

ETS mags are clear. That’s the big selling point. They are less durable and less reliable, but still generally okay enough to make it through the day. Really, they are clear and that’s nice to have.

They are also pretty cheap and sometimes cheap is just king. For as low as $6 a mag or just $15 for 40-round big sticks, ETS is cheap cheap.

Maybe my ETS mags were less than perfect batches, but ETS is near the bottom of the rotation for me due to cracking when dropped on concrete too much. But they are cheap and clear. For range mags, they are kind of hard to beat.

Magpul

Nearly equal in durability and reliability to Glock, Magpul mags are much less expensive for an already not-expensive magazine.

For $13 you can buy almost any Magpul mag for Glock patterns and that’s a great deal.

Magpul also has one of the most expensive magazines for Glocks, the D-50. A drum-style 50-rounder, the D-50 is just cool. Not super practical and kind of unwieldy, but very cool. 

Basic GL9 mags for the G19 and G17 mags are highly reliable and easy to acquire. For the price, these are normally what I stack deep and throw in with extra guns that I keep around the house in interesting places.

For value, Magpul is unbeaten in the Glock game.

TorkMag

Not a huge name in the industry like these others, TorkMag offers something a little unique. A G17-pattern 20-round Glock mag. That might not sound very special, but it actually kind of is.

Other Glock mags require you to buy an extended baseplate to take a G17 magazine from 17 rounds to 20. TorkMag just does that from the start.

These are USPSA 141mm legal and very reasonable in price, $20 per mag with a discount on buying 6 at a time. With most baseplates costing at least $20 on their own, this makes for a great deal.

My TorkMags have been run hard in Glocks, PCCs, PSA Daggers, and Shadow Systems XR920P pistols and have worked wonderfully. Well over 2k rounds and zero issues. 

For an out-of-the-box option, these are pretty great.

Palmetto State Armory

A special mention for PSA because of their Micro-Dagger magazines. These are G43x pattern and hold 15 rounds. Standard G43x magazines only hold 10 rounds.

Those 5 more rounds are a big deal, especially when they fit in the same size footprint.

Not super cheap, but they are produced by the truckload, and so far have been very reliable and durable. If you have a G43x pattern gun I highly recommend PSA’s mags. 

LOOSE ROUNDS

If you want the easy answer, get Glock brand mags for your Glock. But if you’re looking for something a little extra, Torkmag is my pick for getting started in competition or just wanting more ammo at the range. While you may not need a D-50 from Magpul, they are pretty fun and are on sale fairly often. 

READ MORE

• Palmetto State Armory Dagger Full Size: Glock 17 Clone Better Than A Glock 17?
• Best 10mm Glocks: Subcompact To Full-Sized
• Off The Shelf: Modernizing The Glock 43
• Shadow Systems XR920P: Polymer Perfect

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