In the recent panic buying spree, one of the things people were snatching up left and right were s0-called “high capacity” magazines. The fear was that these mags would be banned in the near future, and people naturally wanted to stock up. What this meant, especially for Glock handguns, was that there were no longer any factory magazines to be had. Enter the aftermarket magazine manufacturers, looking to capitalize on the demand. But are they any good? . . .
ProMag makes aftermarket magazines for just about every firearm out there, from the Sig P226 to the Glock 19. In some cases, their magazines are indistinguishable, or actually better than the factory magazines. But in this case, there are some noticeable differences.
On the outside, and in the packaging, the magazine looks like just any other Glock magazine. But on the inside, where it counts, there are some issues. Original Glock mags have a metal insert that keeps them from breaking or bursting. Only the outside is plastic. The ProMag magazine, on the other hand, is 100% plastic. And not the nice, sturdy plastic that Glock uses. Instead, they went with something that’s just south of Lego standards.
That lack of quality shows through, especially around the feed lips. Where Glock magazines would have been clean and precise, the ProMag lips have residual flaps where the two halves of the injection molding machine came together. Not only are these flaps annoying visually, they could potentially lead to an issue with feeding ammo into the gun.
So, the magazine is cheaply made and feels like it contains less plastic than a Barbie doll. The real test, though, is how it works.
Well, you can actually load all 31 rounds into the magazine without excessive force. Which is already a step up over the Korean PW Arms Glock magazines, which I was unable to load to capacity. That’s an interesting quirk, though: these magazines are clearly marked on the packaging as “32 round” magazines, but the mag itself is only labeled for 31 (and holds exactly 31). False advertising? Or perhaps someone just mixed up in the labeling department.
Once the magazine is in the gun, though, you won’t notice a difference. It works exactly as advertised, and I couldn’t get it to malfunction.
In the end, this isn’t something that I would trust my life to. This is a range toy that keeps me from having to reload so often. And on that level, it works great. But if you’re looking for something to stick in your bug-out bag, you’ll want to wait until the legitimate Glock magazines are back in stock.
Specifications: ProMag 31 Round Glock Magazine
MSRP: $30
Ratings (out of five stars)
Overall Rating * * *
It’s cheap, in all senses of the word. But it works.