Glock 10 round Mag issues

[prreed10]

I was using 17 round mags for my G34, loading 11 to get the 10 +1 so I didn't have to carry a "barney mag." At a sanctioned match, I accidentally loaded 12 instead of 11 and was hit with a penalty. I did not want that to happen again, so I pulled a bunch of my 10 round mags out and started using them. Well, since then, I have had issues with first shot FTE with some of the mags. I read how Glock made these mags "tight" so you could not get 11 in during the ban. I did not have this problem when I was using the 17 round magazines. I believe it is the pressure from a fully loaded mag pushing up on the slide, slowing it down and causing the FTE. It does it with the factory glock recoil spring and the 15lb spring.

Here is what I am using:

Glock 34 with 3.5 connector, 15lb recoil spring.

147gr bullet in front of 3.2 of Titegroup (avg just under 900 fps)

I have considered going back to the 17 round mags or cutting some coils off of the 10 round mag springs. Does anyone have any suggestions?

[lugnut]

I use the 10 round mags in my G34- no problem at all. I've used 124gr and 147gr bullets with 135PF. I use W231 for all my loads- 4.4-4.5g for 124gr bullet and 3.7-3.8g for the 147gr. 15 and stock 17lb recoil both work with these loads.

[dnuke146]

I did the same thing, went to 10 round mags, from 17 rounders, because I didnt want to load the 11th round. Had problems with the 10 rounders immediately. Went back to the 17's and now load out of 100 round box, one row one mag. After a stage, unload shot magazines completely and load back up, one row one mag, maybe a little anal and time consuming, but hey it works.

Doug

[Dan Hefta]

Use the 17 rounders just be careful when loading, part of my pre-shoot routine is to look at the mags to make sure they are at the right capacitiy. My 11 round mag I installed a orange mag plate so that there is no confusion about which mag to use. One more thing that I like about the high cap mags is they reload easier (less spring pressure). I hope that you get it figured out, FTE's are very frustrating. Dan

[Micah]

2 thoughts:

1) Don't cut coils. Seriously. Load up those 10 rounders and leave them loaded for a week or two. That will loosen up the springs.

2) Having more than 10 rounds in the mag in Prod and L10 shouldn't be a penalty...you should have been bumped into Open.

D) Only put ten rounds in your mag. Keep an extra bullet in your pocket, and when you're up, put it in your starter mag. If you never put more than 10 rounds in a mag, you will never run the risk of breaking the rules

[RePete]

10 rd'ers are all I use, anytime.

Higher than that and it's jail time in Canada.

I've never had a problem with them.

[Greg Bell]

Use the 17 rounders just be careful when loading, part of my pre-shoot routine is to look at the mags to make sure they are at the right capacitiy. My 11 round mag I installed a orange mag plate so that there is no confusion about which mag to use. One more thing that I like about the high cap mags is they reload easier (less spring pressure). I hope that you get it figured out, FTE's are very frustrating. Dan

+1 !!

I have an orange base plate on my Barney mag to keep me from getting confused and blue plates on the others so they stand out on the ground.

My thumbs get sore loading Clinton mags, not the case with standard mags.

[Nik Habicht]

I have used the ten round mags in 9mm Glocks for years without issues. The ten rounders in .40 are a different story....

[Brian Gonsalves]

I had the same problem with the pressure on the top round of 10 rounders slowing down the slide in my 35. I took apart the mags and sanded down the "legs" on the bottom of the followers. They are now 10.5 rounders, it took just enough pressure off.

[dirty whiteboy]

10 rounders are bastard magazines for a Glock 17. Use the 17 rd mags, just count carefully and use the witness holes in the mag.

[prreed10]

Thanks guys. It makes me feel better that I am not the only one that has had this problem. I will put the 10's aside and go with my 17's. I just need to pay attention more when shooting. I was talking while loading my mags. I keep and transport my reloads in the reusable/cheap tupperware type containers (200 rounds fit in one). A friend suggested to just take 10 out at a time or load from a 100 round ammo box.

[SDM]

...Load up those 10 rounders and leave them loaded for a week or two. That will loosen up the springs...

Do this. I’ve used 10-rounders almost exclusively for the last couple of years with no issues. I’m not going to destroy my 17-rounders playing games when I can only load 10 rounds anyway. I found the 10-rounders for $5-$10 so I don’t have much in them. If they get lost or destroyed, it's not too big of a deal. I do have one that doesn’t drop reliably so it has become my Barney mag.

Edited October 27, 2008 by SDM

[Chris Keen]

Count ... count ... count

Just like you should be counting while shooting ..... count out 10 rounds from your bag/box/container of ammo, then count to 10 again while loading the mag. If you get distracted while loading ... unload and start over. Its alot easier than counting while shooting but you should be doing that too.

[LPatterson]

G17's aren't the only one's with problems, I took the G30 and to get the 10th round in it requires really standing on the mag loader. I took some old G21 10 rd mags along for the increased grip length and they didn't load any easier. There was no way to get the slide back on a fully loaded mag, so do a slide lock then insert mag. I think it is time for new floorplates for the G30 mags.

Is there any market for old 10rd G21 mags?

[Micah]

G30 mags were definitely the worst. Keeping the mags loaded for a while helped to loosen them up.

[prreed10]

Now that I think about it, I had similar problems with 10 round mags for my G35 as well.

[Graham Smith]

The other problem with 10 rounders is that they can be a tight fit when there is already a round in the chamber. Doesn't do to have your mag drop out when it hasn't been fully seated.

I also learned the hard way to unload any mags I have shot and reload them from a 50 or 100 round box, only it wasn't because I loaded too many rounds...

I also marked the base of one mag that is my starting mag and it gets 11 bullets.

[vluc]

I must be lucky. My 10 rounders have never had any problems, in fact, I just decided to change the springs on them after 6 years.

You say you got hit with a penalty, what penalty were you given considering that shooting production and having more than 11 gets you bumped to Open?

[prreed10]

When I get home, I will load all of my mags and leave them there until the next match - then try them again.

I was shooting IDPA, and I was hit with a procedural, but it could/should have been an FTDR.

Edited October 27, 2008 by prreed10

[RePete]

When I get home, I will load all of my mags and leave them there until the next match - then try them again.

I was shooting IDPA, and I was hit with a procedural, but it should have been an FTDR.

Not necessarily, it's at the discretion of the SO.

You tend to know when someone has a brain fart.

FWIW I haven't had any problems with my 10 rd'ers for my G35 either.

[BayouSlide]

I use nearly the same load and setup as you...but with a 13# spring and stainless rod. I use 17 rd 9mm mags with an orange baseplate to indicate my 11-round-loaded "make ready" mags. I only use downloaded 17 rounders for matches.

I use 6 10 rd. mags (that I bought a couple of years back from Pharoah Bender) for practice. I ended up mixing and matching different generations of followers and changing the springs out annually to ensure they run at near 100 percent reliability.

Curtis

[kevin c]

My 10 round G34/17 mags run fine with factory and with equivalent reloads (about 130-135 PF). That's with both the factory recoil spring assembly and with a lighter ISMI 13# cut down 4 coils.

My 10 round G35/22 mags will run factory 40 and equivalent PF's, but, depending on the style of magazine, will gag with with minor PF loads. The failures are always on the first round stripped from a full magazine starting 10+1, and when using the lighter recoil spring set up above. The mags that gag are the new version with the tapered end. They are harder to load to capacity and have much less "give" when pressing down on the loaded tenth round, compared to the older magazines that have a distinct shelf on both sides just below the feed lips. I figure that the light spring/light load doesn't have enough oomph to cycle the slide properly against the top round bearing against the stripper rail. The older mags have more give/less pressure against the rail, and better feeding.

I tried cutting one coil off the ten round mag spring - instant jam-o-matic magazine.

When I have time, I'll try to modify the follower. Until then, it's std caps or the older 10 rounders...

[Micah]

I use 6 10 rd. mags (that I bought a couple of years back from Pharoah Bender) for practice. I ended up mixing and matching different generations of followers and changing the springs out annually to ensure they run at near 100 percent reliability.

Glad to hear that you are putting them to good use Curtis

[VegasOPM]

I quit with 10 rounders all together- even for practice. I had 2 that wouldn't drop free, 1 that couldn't be loaded into the gun unless the slide was back and 2 that had fte on the first round. They just live in a box, ready to sweeten a trade or be scavenged for parts. Here in Vegas, 10 rounders are still going for $15 ( cheaper for the Cali tourists than buying mags at home for $30) or so while full caps can be found for $25. I'll pay the extra $10- thanks. I swap the stock Glock springs with Wolf +10%, so I have over a dozen new stock Glock springs and bunches of followers. I use the 6 "old style" full caps that I have for practice. I do the "load ten and unload any partials" dance after every stage. The 11 round mag is marked "#1" and always goes into the pocket before a stage- the other 5 go in the mag holders.

The way I see it, I'd rather have 20, full cap bodies with spare parts, than 10 full caps and 16- 10 rounders for the same money.

[CDPMatt]

Like we talked about today Ryan just keep them loaded for a while, my G22 10 rounders don't have this problem. Then again though, they've been loaded pretty regular for 10+ years and will now fit 11 in them hence no pressure on the slide. Also, count like crazy.... I did that Sat at the match because I was nervous as hell shooting SSP. After shooting CDP for 1 1/2 years I forgot how to count to 10