edc everyday carry extended magazine
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The GLOCK 43 is a fairly popular daily carry option thanks to its slim profile and concealability. In this pocket dump there’s also a spare mag with a Taran Tactical +3 Base Pad. Pros of a mag extension: more ammo. Cons: Extra bulk makes previously small-ish pistols more difficult to conceal.

What do you guys think is easier to carry (or simply more logical) – a magazine extension or a gun that’s a bit bigger to begin with?

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65 COMMENTS

        • The watch on bottom is a GMT Master. It has two hour hands, so there are actually three time settings there. Anyway, a Rolex is an automatic watch. Unless you wear it every day they wind down. Meaning you have to reset the date/time when decide to wear it again. I put mine in the gun safe after I retired for that very reason. To much trouble. Bought a G Shock. My question is, What’s up with the green face on the Submariner? That has got to be the ugliest thing Rolex ever did to a watch.

        • Pmac, you can get an automatic watch winder on Amazon for 50 bucks or less and never have to wind most autos again. I have four autos and the three I wear on a regular basis get rotated thru the winders so I never have to do more than minor adjustments in time (<1 min) once a week or so, and then the date on the first of the month. This Versa model (I own two of this model) lets you set direction of rotation and turns-per-day to match the recommendations for your watch movement:

          https://www.amazon.com/Upgraded-Versa-Automatic-Single-Winder/dp/B005VI37NS

    • I don’t think this pocket dump will get past airport security, but I always carry two watches when traveling internationally. I have not had jet lag since I started doing so. Considering they are set to 10:06 on the 6th and 6:56 on the 21st, I think they are just props, or it is for coordinating secret ops deep inside the Former Soviet Union where the Julian calendar was never replaced by the Gregorian. Naw, still off by about 3 days. But, otherwise close for an operative in California coordinating with one in deep in eastern Russia.

  1. Mag ext, No for me….. Off topic/ what is a.32 cal break open Iver Johnson’s revolver worth. I’m not believe quoted prices on interwebs, it’s 3 digit serial number, decent shape, I’m figuring $150

    • I think possibly even less than that. Those are quite commonplace and not very desirable, a low quality budget revolver even when new. I was told maybe $75 or so if in good working order by a gunsmith once, and I was told that because I foolishly spent twice that amount on a Meridan Arms version without knowing what I was doing… out of timing, worn internals, and basically doesn’t work. I got one shot out of it and then nothing (that one shot was dead center though). The gun has pretty decent bluing and looks pretty to the uninitiated (which I was at the time), but it remains the worst gun purchase I’ve ever made.

      As for mag extenders, I vote no. The point of a small pistol is concealability. Plus it ruins the lines.

      • Out of time is a nasty thing in revolvers, and costs more to fix than a cheap gun is worth. But out of time shouldn’t make it fail to fire, unless it’s a really, really bad case. That seldom happens because before that point the gun usually starts to spit lead shrapnel out of the barrel/cylinder gap so badly that whoever owns it stops shooting it and trades it off.
        If it is out of time, you can still shoot it safely. Just cock the hammer for a single-action pull, but with some gusto. The cylinder should snap over hard enough to lock up then, but to make certain, do this with the revolver empty. Then grasp the cylinder between the thumb and a finger and move it one way and the other. With the hammer back you shouldn’t feel any(or very little) play in the cylinder moving clockwise or anti clockwise. If it will not lock no matter what, it is likely a broken cylinder stop. This is not so expensive to fix, although it could be difficult to find the part. Many of these type firearms ceased parts supply long ago, but there are still some such parts floating around.
        Rotationally, the cylinder should be locked to fire it safely, even if you need to turn the cylinder with a finger tip to help it lock manually. Most revolvers will go out of time on the DA pull well before it does so in SA mode.

  2. Glock 43 as a primary? = WTF?
    Then again, I’m a Glock 34 guy on my hip and a Glock 26 (12 rd mag) in my pocket. 2 spare mags (17 rd) on my other hip. No issues with concealment. If you aren’t counting that’s 64 rounds of 9 mm on my person. I’m all about overkill.

    • The G43 is a step up from what I usually carry, which is generally either a 642 or an LCP, and no spare ammo in either case. I suppose I’m not expecting to need a gun, and figure a pocket gun is better than nothing. The good thing is that I can carry 100% of the time (where legal), including home.

      Also, I say no to the mag extensions. If I want more rounds, I’ll just carry a little bigger gun. My P11 isn’t that much bigger than my 642, and gives me 12+1 rounds of 9mm (and a horrible trigger to boot). My G19 carries more rounds, but doesn’t work for pocket carry.

  3. Absolutely! Everyone who carries should carry a reload (revolvers because 5-6 shots is nothing, automatics because the mag is the most likely point of failure), and if you’re rocking a subcompact, especially of the single stack variety, why NOT carry an extended mag for your spare? You add a few ounces of weight but it’s not like concealment is any harder. Plus if you’re in deep enough shit that you need to reload, the ability to get all 4 fingers in the grip is gonna come in REAL handy, I would think

  4. I don’t like those holsters with a built-in mag carrier. I typically don’t want my spare magazine on my strong side.

  5. When it comes to the extender I’m agnostic in general.

    However, it’s use on a gun like the G43 raises another question for me. When it comes to smaller guns like this I just have to wonder why someone would use a mag extender instead of just carrying a slightly larger gun. Unless you frequent places you’re “not supposed to carry” or where getting caught would be a huge hassle I fail to see the point in carrying a small gun.

    I’m not a huge guy and I can conceal a full sized USP .45 on myself pretty easily. If that’s too big there’s always something like a G19 sized gun. If you can’t conceal that on your person you’re stupid, lazy or both.

  6. BMW, 2 Rolex’s? This dude just wanted to show off his money. That Benchmade isn’t exactly cheap either. If I’m not mistaking, that green Rolex is a “hulk” and they run about $10k used. So, dude is showing off quite a bit of flash of cash.

  7. I try to keep it simple because I can’t even stand change in my pocket. So I’ve got a .357 sig Steyr on my hip with a mag in it and all I need to do is get back to the van with 4 more mags, the AR, and a battlepack under the seat.

  8. I don’t carry a spare mag unless I’m having to go into a high crime area. Otherwise the spare mags stay in the vehicle.

  9. Yeah. I love the +1 extension that Glock makes for the 43……oh thats right….those jackasses dont make one.

    I have a +1 Taran on my 43. Over priced bit what you gonna do?

    It needed a piece of grip tape cause it is slickery.

    Anything over +1 in the 43 makes it too long for me and I would just carry a bigger gun.

    Eyeballing a P365 which would make these questions moot.

  10. In the holster: XD-S with factory 7-round (flush) mag, with Pierce pinky extension baseplate. Gives me a 3 finger grip, but doesn’t extend the back corner of the grip, which is what prints.

    In a weak-side pocket: factory 9-round magazine in an Ammo Armor condom. Yes, it takes longer to deploy, but it won’t arrive at the party dented and packed with lint.

  11. Mag extension??? YOU BET! But only on your extra mag. Hell, by the time I run through a gun full, no one will be concerned about concealment. Likely no one will even notice the extension.

  12. Y’all are neglecting the fact that base plates can and do help as far as dropping magazines. Not that magazine errors normally occur, but you don’t want them to happen at the wrong time.

    Regardless, I carry a G19 gen 5 with no base plates because that firearm feels like my right hand at this point. Can’t really criticize pocket dumps — you do you; what’s comfortable for one person, might be a pain in the arse for the next.

  13. Sorta, I use to carry a Shield with the 8 round mag in the gun and an 8 round spare. Have moved over to the Sig P365 with 12 round mags. Maybe a character flaw, but I like my strong hand pinkie finger to have something to hang on to.

  14. I carry a Shield 2.0 in .40S&W with the standard flush mount 6rd mag +1 in the chamber. On my weak side, I carry an extra 7rd mag. As someone else said above, I don’t necessarily carry an extra mag because I think I’ll ever need 14 rounds of .40S&W HP’s (although it’s there if I do need it), but because of the possibility of mag failure. Not extremely likely that a mag will fail to function properly, but if it were to, I want that extra mag to keep me in the fight and out of the morgue.

    • I suspect mag failure is an over-used reason. If you think about it, mags are very simple machines relative to the core pistol, not highly stressed and fail due to gross neglect or rough handling. People drop them intentionally on the ground and don’t care or clean for them nearly as much as their pistol. They actually are pretty reliable for something neglected so often. I number my mags, the newest, best factory mags with good springs are kept clean and I avoid ejecting onto the ground. They become carry mags, the rest, the promags, the one that give me an issue or worn ones are in a pool used for practice.

      • I have never had a mag failure. In fact I have 2 9mm mags for a ruger P89 that are 25 years old that are always loaded unless being used at the range. From what I’ve read mag failure is a much talked about/rare as hens teeth subject.

        • Mag *failure* is quite a different thing from just having an ammo-related or shooter-induced malfunction. In a civilian context, carrying a spare mag is really about being able to get the gun back in action quick…

          Mags should, of course, be vetted before carry and inspected and maintained regularly like the rest of one’s carry gear.

      • All very good points, however, I always default to “Murphy’s Law”. Whatever can happen, will happen. Usually at the most inopportune time.

  15. I carry a Shield 9 with the 7 round mag and a 2 round extension. Use the 8 round as a back up. The 2 round extension doesn’t add that much length to the grip so it is still easy to conceal at the 2:30 position. Which is wear it fits best for me.

  16. That’s a good idea—carrying a reload with a mag extension makes sense. It’s not compromising the concealability of the firearm.

    What I don’t understand is when people carry a +4 on the mag in the pistol. That turns a small G43 into a pistol that’s more difficult to conceal than a G43. At that point, you should just carry a G26.

    When I carry my Kahr CM9, I carry a Kahr P9 mag as a spare.

  17. Spare mag? In county-never, in state- maybe, where I’m going is a consideration. Out of state ALWAYS. I guess I must be slow witted. 2 very high $$$ watches I would carry a full size, double stack, 6.5 CM Glock or a body guard. A bigger gun is easier to carry than a body guard.

  18. The two Rolex’s he rotates between . The GMT model keeps time in two zones, ( originally made for Pan Am pilots) anyway .

  19. I’ve always used the flush bottom mag- makes it easier for me to carry and that’s my first priority after being able to grip, draw, clear, bring to bear and shoot accurately. For the situation I’m primarily prepared/preparing for, it’s personal protection, not storming the Bastille. If that happens I’m hoping for friends…

  20. I have a fairly older Taurus 9mm that’s not my carry gun, but it came with 15 rd. mags. Some time back, I found a found a compatible mag that held 18 rds. in the same size. It used side-mounted flat springs, that eliminated the bulk of the coil spring in a ‘normal’ mag. Forgot the brand, but it might be worthwhile doing a search.

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