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Tried a couple of Glock ETS magazines


Bryan 45

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I'll preface this by telling a little about my usage of Glocks. I've been shooting a G34 in 3 gun for the past 3 years or so because it's proven to be a reliable, accurate, and economical platform.

I bought a couple of the 22 round 9mm ETS magazines from Brownells last week for under $20 each. Opening the packaging, the first impression due to the feel of the plastic is these are cheap magazines. Yes, it's for a Glock, which doesn't exactly feel like a high quality firearm anyway, but these mags don't feel as quality as Glock factory mags.

Loading the magazines, it's easy to get round 1 through 21 into the mag. Round 22 is a tight fit. I will say what I don't like about the translucent body is seeing the rounds in the mag. The transition from the double column to single has the round sitting funny against each other. This is just a perception thing to me, completely mental. I know it has to be that way for the mag to function properly, I'd rather just not be seeing it.

In a G17 with unmodified fame, the fully loaded magazine take a bit of pressure to seat, but is doable. Downloading to 21 rounds makes it easy to seat. The fully loaded magazine also drops free. In my G34 with JP magwell, the fully loaded magazine has a lot of drag to insert, and will not drop free. I'm guessing the frame is pinched a little at the magwell, but factory Glock mags go in without effort and also loaded factory mags drop free. Empty mags drop free in the stock G17, but do not drop in my G34.

For function testing, I used these two mags at a local 3 gun match. Function through about 100 rounds was 100%.

Short version- $20 ETS 22 round magazine is a much better value than a $20 factory mag + $42 extension and so far has run as it should. But if using 17 round magazines, I'd stick with Glock.

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I also did the magpul g17 with the new zev base plate. I don't have a picture of it yet. I lent it to a friend for him to try out. There are so many different options with Glock mags. Find what u like and go with it. It is hard to get the zev magpul mag extensions but to me they are the coolest. Also having some added weight makes them fall out easier. That is why I don't just buy the 22 rounders.

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After I started shooting my Glock 19 carry gun in IDPA, I realized I didn't want to crunch my stock carry mags into the mud and gravel. Bought three of the California-legal 10-round ETS mags for compeitition.

At first they wouldn't fall free easily, but after leaving them loaded for a couple days, that went away. Now they work fine, and because of the 8-round limit in CCP, the see-through plastic is nice to verify round count at a glance.

I've been toying with the idea of building The Ultimate Budget Limited Gun That's Still Competitive using a G35, and a few of the ETS 140mm .40S&W magazines are a lot cheap than stock and baseplates.

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I'll preface this by telling a little about my usage of Glocks. I've been shooting a G34 in 3 gun for the past 3 years or so because it's proven to be a reliable, accurate, and economical platform.

I bought a couple of the 22 round 9mm ETS magazines from Brownells last week for under $20 each. Opening the packaging, the first impression due to the feel of the plastic is these are cheap magazines. Yes, it's for a Glock, which doesn't exactly feel like a high quality firearm anyway, but these mags don't feel as quality as Glock factory mags.

Loading the magazines, it's easy to get round 1 through 21 into the mag. Round 22 is a tight fit. I will say what I don't like about the translucent body is seeing the rounds in the mag. The transition from the double column to single has the round sitting funny against each other. This is just a perception thing to me, completely mental. I know it has to be that way for the mag to function properly, I'd rather just not be seeing it.

In a G17 with unmodified fame, the fully loaded magazine take a bit of pressure to seat, but is doable. Downloading to 21 rounds makes it easy to seat. The fully loaded magazine also drops free. In my G34 with JP magwell, the fully loaded magazine has a lot of drag to insert, and will not drop free. I'm guessing the frame is pinched a little at the magwell, but factory Glock mags go in without effort and also loaded factory mags drop free. Empty mags drop free in the stock G17, but do not drop in my G34.

For function testing, I used these two mags at a local 3 gun match. Function through about 100 rounds was 100%.

Short version- $20 ETS 22 round magazine is a much better value than a $20 factory mag + $42 extension and so far has run as it should. But if using 17 round magazines, I'd stick with Glock.

My experiences with the 22 rounders are very similar and my Glock 34 is completely stock. It's such a tight fit that anything more than 16 rounds will not drop free. The good news is that they are 100% reliable. They fit in my g19 just fine. I suppose my 34 has a narrow magwell which is a bummer.
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I bought a couple in 9mm 15 rounds (G19 magazine) to try them out on my JP GMR-13. They won't feed the 15 rounds without swelling and getting cought in the magwell also is impossible to get them to lock on a bolt closed. I give them a try loading them with 14 rounds and after shooting the last round the bolt hit the follower and took it out of the magazine. So, bottom line... This are absolute garbage and a waste of your money.

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I don't think using them in a carbine and then calling them crap is really fair. They were designed for pistols, not rifles. I just shot my first few rounds through them. So far they functioned fine.

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They wouldn't lock on my Glock 19 loaded to capacity on a closed slide and they didn't drop free from the swelling of the body. So it is are really a bad product Edited by HuntingPaper
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I just watched the g17 version loaded to 23 with tt extensions work just fine in a Glock 34 gen 3 and a gen 4 and a 17L. So to me the 17 works. Maybe the 19 is different in design. I wouldn't buy them because I am going to do the magpul with Zev extensions but for the cheap they seem great.

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OK that is certainly fair enough. I'm curious if they worked when loaded down by one, and how they work once the springs are broken in.

The biggest sell for me is the 22nd capacity mags and the clear bodies for dry fire. (No primers in dummy rounds)

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OK that is certainly fair enough. I'm curious if they worked when loaded down by one, and how they work once the springs are broken in.

The biggest sell for me is the 22nd capacity mags and the clear bodies for dry fire. (No primers in dummy rounds)

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I let the springs loaded at max for over a week and it make no difference. I guess if you use + capacity pads it will relief pressure on the body. But if I have to invest on other parts to make them work correctly that makes them more expensive than ultra reliable factory mags. It is nice looking though... But looks only take you so far.

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I use the extensions for the 23 round capacity on the 17 round mags. Plus it gives them drop free weight for competition. The 22 rounders seem too light to use for competition. But hey each their own. If you go stock Glock 17 mag ur in it 30ish dollars, then the taran extensions are 36. So with tax and shipping ur near 70. This mag can be bought for 14 bucks. So with the taran extension you are at 55 with tax and shipping. Seems worth it to me for my uses.

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I shot a steel challenge match yesterday and used the ETS 22 round mags for most of it, probably about 175 rounds total. No failure to function. They're still a little tight in the mag well, but no reloads on the clock so it wasn't an issue.

I also used one of them in a TNW 9mm carbine. It also functioned as expected.

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I've been using 5 of the 22 round 9mm magazines for general use. A few would only load 21 and thank to the clear bodies I noticed the rounds were not stacking properly in the magazine body occasionally. Now that the springs are worn in I haven't had that issue. Yes, the magazines bodies are lighter, but for a 140mm magazine, they are significantly cheaper than anything 17 rounds with an add on extension. I also use them to train new shooters. Allowing them to visualize what is going on inside the magazine is beneficial imo. Overall I cannot complain. They have worked well and mine mostly get dropped onto concrete as that is where I practice mostly.

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I put Dawson Extensions on the 31+ round ETS mags and they are awesome in my JP-GMR. They look cool and have run great as well. No issues inserting them with 35rds loaded. I realize this information is no good for standard pistol competition, but they are a nice alternative to the factory G18 mags for PCC. Also, I like being able to glance at the mag and see about how many rounds are in it. The springs look tragic when loaded up, but they still run.

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  • 9 months later...

There is probably some sort of tolerance stack up issues going on with all the reports of "works 100% in this gun, but not in that gun." 

I tried 2 different .40 mags for a G35 and couldn't even get them in the gun without almost pounding them in. This was with the mags unloaded. But I also have 3 of their G17 mags for the same G35 with KKM 9mm barrel and these worked perfectly.  

I will say that ETS was great to deal with when I had issues with the .40 mags.  Sent me a prepaid label to print and return the mags, and when one went missing in the mail they just said, "No problem". 

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Follower catching mid-mag was my problem with them. I'd load to 10 or 10+1 for IDPA and I'd have the follower hang up in the magazine and stop feeding the gun. And I was shooting Indoor only matches so they weren't exposed to a lot of dirt.

I guessing you're having good success since you're using aftermarket up-power springs for the 22rds but I never really explored why they weren't working. I just went back to using my Glock brand mags.

 

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I bought three 15 rd mags for MY G19/4 last week. I had read the posts where after they were loaded for a few days they ejected fine. So I loaded them and left them loaded for about four days. I went to a GADPA match last night and a friend said I'd better check them again and when I did they wouldn't drop out even with  they weight of 15 rounds in them! I did use them for my reload (2nd) mag and they fed fine. 

I called ETS first thing this morning and they said they never head of this (really?) in a G19 and would research and call me back. No call yet... Let's see what they say --- pretty disappointed...

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  • 2 weeks later...

I only have experience with the G17 ETS mags w/ Dawson extensions and the G18/31rd mags in 2 PCC's.

 

I have been very pleased with the performance so far. Obviously, the ETS mags are not metal-lined. They are fairly lightweight. you can flex the walls by squeezing them in your hands. I do NOT leave mine loaded for any period of time. I do make a point to squeeze the sides together after I get them fully loaded. I have run 3 of the 17rd mags with Dawson extensions and 6-8 of the 31rd mags with Dawson extensions and haven't had any issues. I do notice that when I load any of them to max capacity, I can feel the extra resistance when seating them in either of my PCC's [JP GMR(tighter magwell) and home-built(more forgiving magwell)], but they will always seat. I would not try to reload on the clock with any of the fully loaded mags.

 

I know that we are talking about a number of different things, but I don't think that it's fair to call the magazines junk either. ETS has been very helpful when folk have reported issues with their products.

 

 

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22 hours ago, wgj3 said:

I only have experience with the G17 ETS mags w/ Dawson extensions and the G18/31rd mags in 2 PCC's.

 

I have been very pleased with the performance so far. Obviously, the ETS mags are not metal-lined. They are fairly lightweight. you can flex the walls by squeezing them in your hands. I do NOT leave mine loaded for any period of time. I do make a point to squeeze the sides together after I get them fully loaded. I have run 3 of the 17rd mags with Dawson extensions and 6-8 of the 31rd mags with Dawson extensions and haven't had any issues. I do notice that when I load any of them to max capacity, I can feel the extra resistance when seating them in either of my PCC's [JP GMR(tighter magwell) and home-built(more forgiving magwell)], but they will always seat. I would not try to reload on the clock with any of the fully loaded mags.

 

I know that we are talking about a number of different things, but I don't think that it's fair to call the magazines junk either. ETS has been very helpful when folk have reported issues with their products.

 

 

Again, I can only share my experience with them. Granted they didn't drop empty at first and somewhat difficult even when at first however I left them all filled for a week and have since competed in several IDPA & GADPA matches with 100% functionality as one would expect. AND they have a LIFETIME GUARANTEE!

I only use original Glock mags in my EDC guns however now all my mags used for competition are ETS...

Cheers!

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Just grabbed four of these for the Carry Optics G17 MOS setup.  Added some grip tape at the bottom between the gap and frame - helps with grip and doesn't "look" strange, comparatively.  Will try them out Saturday in Conroe at a match (and at the range before then as a function check).

 

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