34 mag question

[louu]

Hey guys,

Just got my first Glock, its a gen 4 34.

Do you guys gring the little tabs off of the body so you can get the baseplates off with just the nub on the bottom of the mag brush for claening?

The only way I can figure now how to remove them is to squeeze the body with pliers and poke the follower button.

Hope that makes sense, thanks.

[darkvibe]

I use a glock armorers tool jammed into the hole in the baseplate to pry them off.

This but don't actually squeeze, just pry.

[Marshal82]

GTUL makes a nice tool that allows squeezing of the mag without damaging the tabs. You can just pry them off but you will damage the tabs a little each time, this just causes the base pads to get a little loose but they function fine.

After using both I prefer using the GTUL tool to keep my mags in better shape.

[darkvibe]

I have never cleaned the inside of a glock mag. Ever.

[louu]

Thanks guys, seem like a real pain. I have to clean them because most of the USPSA matches are dirt and sand pits so when you drop them they get dirty. This time of year and in the spring its pretty muddy too.

[polymerfeelsweirdman]

I find them impossible to take apart without pliers or a c clamp so I just simply use pliers or a c clamp. This is not due to lack of strength either... I end up destroying the baseplate and bending or breaking the punch type tool I am using before getting it off when forcing it.

[Sarge]

They get much easier after a few times tearing them apart. Plus it takes a little practice perfecting the technique.

[kevin c]

Any appropriately sized punch pushed through the basepad hole and angled to the front (as shown in darkvibe's video) to tilt the retaining base plate and then levered forward should work. I use a dedicated punch on my bench with the edges rounded off the decrease scratching up the interior. At the range the steel punch on the GTul's brush, also rounded off, does the same (I ended up never using the other part of the tool seet to squeeze the tabs).

And sarge is right: they should loosen up after a few takedowns. If really tight you might elongate the hole a bit by levering, but it never gets to the point for me where it made the pad unusable/unreliable.

There's some slick technique where you can push on the corner of the pad against a hard surface to get the pad over the tabs. I have hardly ever been able to make it work for me.

[darkvibe]

Oh I see you are in jersey. 10 round mags? They are way harder to get off than regular capacity. I use 10 Rd mags too. After you pry them off once or twice they are a lot easier. Get a glock tool. It's like $6.

[45 Raven]

Glock tool and a GTUL and YouTube videos - you are in business.

[tonyxcom]

I've NEVER squeezed Glock mags to take them apart. You can get enough leverage using a Glock tool inserted completely into the hole to pull them off. The baseplate will squeeze the mag for you as you pull it off. This includes factory, Vickers and 10-8 baseplates on new and used mags.

[JoshF]

Honestly if they get dirty I just run mine under water or in a mud puddle and depress the follower a bit to drain everything out. I've done this a LOT and there are no issues. About every 6mo to a year I'll disassemble my glock mags and run a dry rag through the to remove residue. When I do I just use a solid 1/8" punch shoved through the take-down hole and pop the plate off as shown in the video below. I like less tools and do-hickeys to keep track of.

Oh, and yes I have a GTUL somewhere in my parts pile but never use it.

[louu]

Thanks guys I'll work on getting them broken in. They are 17 round mags with a special follower to make them 15 rounnds.

I might grind the tabs off one of the bodies and see what happens to try to make it like a Wilson combat .45 mag.

[Jetskidawg]

Don't grind the tabs, it's not necessary. Use a steel punch that matches the diameter of the hole in the floor plate and pop the plate off. With new mags it takes a LOT of effort, but after a few times, they can be removed pretty easily.