The quest for high capacity

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Morne
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The quest for high capacity

Post by Morne »

***THIS APPLIES TO SELF-DEFENSE CARRY, NOT COMPETITION***

So I was recently talking to a friend who is a committed 9mm fanboy. While having the endless 9 vs 45 debate he sprung the argument of, "It's not just having more onboard the gun as you carry it - you can have magazines with extended base-plates as your spare(s) and have a whole pile of rounds for when things get serious!" Of course, this logic applies to both 9 & 45 - there are extended base-plates/magazines for all kinds of makes/calibers.

What I am wondering is twofold:

1 - Does anyone actually do this? Do you carry a compact/subcompact double-stack gun with a flush fit magazine and then have your spare mag be some +5 or more extended base-plate monstrosity? Anybody actually toting a 33-round magazine to shove into their Glock 26? Or one of these ProMag 32-rounders to swap into their SA XDM?

2 - Are these even vaguely reliable when discussing SD ammo? Again, I don't care about the shooting sports here. The ability to feed a bunch of FMJ mouse-fart loads is irrelevant. Is there a difference between brands? For instance, if you didn't like the ProMag linked above then maybe a Springer Precision 29-rounder is of higher quality?
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Re: The quest for high capacity

Post by revred »

When I very briefly owned a Glock 26, I carried it with a +2 baseplate on a normally flush fit mag. For extras, I carried two Glock 19 mags on my belt. I think I might have even put +1 bases on those. Didn't take long to trade that gun away. :roll:
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Re: The quest for high capacity

Post by DontTreadOnMe »

Not as extreme as your example but right now I've got a Glock 26 with a 17rd mag (w/ xgrip sleeve to allow for a full hand grip). I do often carry it IWB with the 17rd mag and it conceals fine. That's one thing I like about the G26 is the ability to pocket carry w/ flush 10rd mag or accept a larger mag for significantly increased capacity.
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Re: The quest for high capacity

Post by ArmedAviator »

I carry one of the following setups:

1) 1911 full-size with 8-round Kim Pro Tac Mag with the small extension plate, plus one spare of the same.

2) XDs-9 with the extended 8-round magazine, plus one spare of the same.
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Re: The quest for high capacity

Post by TSiWRX »

I've thought about going with an extended base to increase my reload firepower - since I started carrying, I always carried a "full-size" 19-round spare for my XDm9 3.8 Compact, which holds 13 rounds in its "flush" magazine (with which I use a Pearce +0 "pinky rest" extension), plus one in the pipe.

The durability of the extensions is a concern, as is long-term carry considerations in terms of spring compression. I suppose I could replace the springs on a yearly or even twice-yearly basis, and the ones with competition pedigree should make my durability worries of the base-plate (i.e. that it stays where it's supposed to be and not fly off for virtually no reason...which I've seen happen in classes, with a variety of different guns and base-plates) all but nil.

My main issue would actually be concealment to the degree that I want to conceal. I currently use a Comp-Tac IWB Single Magazine Concealment Pouch, carried at my ~9-o'clock. It buries the majority of the magazine well below the belt-line. As with my carry pistol and setup, it's a concession towards giving me the concealment that I need for my lifestyle. It takes me an eternal 4.2 to 4.5 seconds to effect a slide-lock reload (playing it real: a truly reactionary one, not one that I know is coming by a 1-reload-1 drill). Although accessibility would likely be enhanced with more mag to grab on to above the waistline with an extended magazine and I would have some badly needed additional firepower, I really just don't know that I can pull off concealment of a "happy stick."
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Re: The quest for high capacity

Post by 3FULLMAGS+1 »

I'm not carrying some gun with a high cap. mag , just a single stacker, (XDs 45 w/ 5rd mag and usually two spares), but the issue of cap. has always been in the back of my mind.
But going with about any double stack is going to increase the weight of the gun and weight is a major issue w/ me.
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Re: The quest for high capacity

Post by Brian D. »

For self defense I don't carry any spare that could, under stress, be inserted too far and stop the locked back slide from going forward.

As to reliability in feeding hollow points, there are some aftermarket magazines and extenders I wouldn't take for free.
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Re: The quest for high capacity

Post by someguy »

I use to keep one of the 33 round pro mags in my truck for my m&p. Carried it in my sock and in my pocket each for one day. It was ridiculous to say the least. Made sense in the truck but not on body without a leg splint type mag holder.
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Re: The quest for high capacity

Post by Brian D. »

someguy wrote:I use to keep one of the 33 round pro mags in my truck for my m&p. Carried it in my sock and in my pocket each for one day. It was ridiculous to say the least. Made sense in the truck but not on body without a leg splint type mag holder.
How much have you used that 33 rounder? Assuming you carryout hollow points in it, how is functioning? Pro Mags have a well deserved lousy reputation. If you have one that works, good, but realize that's like getting a winning lottery ticket. Plus, while a Pro Mag might be fine initially, don't count on longevity from the spring. Part of their cost cutting just has to be going lowest bid on the springs, from my experience and observation.
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Re: The quest for high capacity

Post by someguy »

I own two of them. Both feed fine. One tends to drop free without intentional use of the mag release. Truth be told I'm to cheap to practice with self defense ammo at 30 rds per mag!
And on the reliability /quality one mag holds 33 the other only 31 if you really force it. Just no other m&p mags that hold that many I've found.
So to answer your question I just carried fmj in it.
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Re: The quest for high capacity

Post by Mr. Glock »

In Glock-world, it is pretty common to carry a sub-compact with a compact magazine spare (carry a G26 wit a G19 spare) or even one step up (carry a G19 with a G17 spare). Or, even using the + baseplate for 1-2 extra rounds.

But the 33 rounders are pretty big. Good for secret service for submachjne guns, that sort of thing.

For example, carrying a baby Glock with one larger spare is roughly getting to the mid 20s round count and it goes up. I think a J-frame doesn't carry enough ammo. But 20+ rounds? I feel pretty good about that and it is easy to carry all day long.
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Re: The quest for high capacity

Post by pirateguy191 »

My 33 round G-18 mags are loaded with FMJ. If it gets to that point.........
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Re: The quest for high capacity

Post by Mr. Glock »

PS You do hear tbat using a longer magazines can lead to stoppages, but I've never had any issues and I've run that sort of set up hard....speaking of Glocks only here. And I'm not talking about those 33 rounders, I haven't seen the need for them.

And FMJ or SD ammo doesn't make a differene....this is a Glock and it eats pretty much anything. :twisted:
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Re: The quest for high capacity

Post by Morne »

pirateguy191 wrote:My 33 round G-18 mags are loaded with FMJ. If it gets to that point.........
...and now that you say that it is a REALLY GOOD POINT. :idea:

After all, if our SD situation goes so far south that we've exhausted the compact double-stack's first magazine (let's say 13+1 rounds in a SA XDM) and actually have the time for a reload (which should always be done behind cover anyway) then we are in a new phase of the fight. No longer are targets likely to be out in the open to engage. Rather, any surviving belligerents may have taken cover as well thus making the additional penetration capability of simple FMJ a desirable quality. Naturally, having 20+ rounds of highly penetrating stuff would be helpful. So maybe my concern about it feeding JHPs is a non-issue.

This same thinking may not apply to those of us who carry 5-7 rounds in our carry guns - you can burn through that awfully quick and the first reload may still yield available targets.
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Re: The quest for high capacity

Post by TSiWRX »

Mr. Glock wrote:PS You do hear tbat using a longer magazines can lead to stoppages, but I've never had any issues and I've run that sort of set up hard....speaking of Glocks only here. And I'm not talking about those 33 rounders, I haven't seen the need for them.
I've run my two 22-rounders for the G32 pretty hard. Not bashing them over a rock or using them as improvised weapons in combatives classes or anything :lol: :P , but I've definitely gone through them multiple times as fast as I can pull the trigger (somewhere around .17 - I'm not the fastest trigger finger around :oops: ), using Speer's 125 gr. 357-SIG GDHPs (yeah, that's an expensive vetting process!!!), and I haven't been able to make them hickup. A total of maybe 6 cycles on each of the two, but it's been a couple of years since I've had them, and they're always fully loaded.

But my worries on extensions also run along the lines that Mr. Glock noted. It's a bad day to have the mag go down and not feed well in a competition run...in a defensive situation where I'm already on that last mag (feeding into Morne's post, below) - my already worst day would have gotten just that much worse!
Morne wrote:
pirateguy191 wrote:My 33 round G-18 mags are loaded with FMJ. If it gets to that point.........
...and now that you say that it is a REALLY GOOD POINT. :idea:

After all, if our SD situation goes so far south that we've exhausted the compact double-stack's first magazine (let's say 13+1 rounds in a SA XDM) and actually have the time for a reload (which should always be done behind cover anyway) then we are in a new phase of the fight. No longer are targets likely to be out in the open to engage. Rather, any surviving belligerents may have taken cover as well thus making the additional penetration capability of simple FMJ a desirable quality. Naturally, having 20+ rounds of highly penetrating stuff would be helpful. So maybe my concern about it feeding JHPs is a non-issue.

This same thinking may not apply to those of us who carry 5-7 rounds in our carry guns - you can burn through that awfully quick and the first reload may still yield available targets.
One of my past instructors favored carrying ball in his spare mag for just that reason, as well as for the fact that the ball should feed better under adverse conditions.

My spare mag, overall, is less about the magazine capacity rather than the possibility that my resident mag may somehow just decide to give up the ghost: it's more for the possibility of malfunction remediation.

That said, since I can carry the higher capacity magazine while maintaining the concealment I desire, I figured "why not?"
Allen - Shaker Heights, Ohio
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