ETS Glock mags ... what is the real story?

mostly22lately

mostly22lately

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I read lots of reviews and some of them seem ... mixed.

Was looking at this deal:

gunmagwarehouse.com

ETS 9mm 15-Round Magazine for Glock 19 Pistols

Get ready for your next range day with the ETS® 9mm 15-Round Magazine for Glock® 19 Pistols. Constructed with an advanced, impact-, chemical-, and UV-resistant, translucent polymer, this aftermarket magazine delivers superior reliability in har
gunmagwarehouse.com gunmagwarehouse.com

Wanted a couple for defensive loading to be used in a PCC.

The idea is they'd look obviously different than other mags here used with FMJ, the rounds loaded would be plainly visible, and that they were JHP type.
Mag would stay loaded for use when ... needed ... and maybe tested 1x-2x a year.

But, if these are not going to be 150% reliable ... not interested.

Not a Glock guy, so, experience level here with ETS is zero. Looking for sage advice.
 
I’ve got a handful of 30 round Glock mags and I’ve shot the hell out of them. Never had a jam or failure with any of them. You can’t beat the price
 
Burt Gummer said:
I’ve got a handful of 30 round Glock mags and I’ve shot the hell out of them. Never had a jam or failure with any of them. You can’t beat the price
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To be clear (ha), you use 30 round ETS made magazines for Glock 19 and are happy with them, right?
Your advice is always sound and is appreciated.
 
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For $15 why just why? OEM Glock mags can be had for like $20. For me to even consider a non OEM mag the savings has to be enormous. I picked up a pile of amend2 mags for like $6 each from botach. At that price I’ll consider it. Mine have been 100% but have never been run with carry ammo just FMJs. I much prefer the amend2 over ETS. They’re all trash compared to OEM so might as well pay less.

botach.com

Amend2 Magazines for Glock® Pistols

Shop Amend2 Magazines for Glock® Pistols at Botach. Made of advanced polymer, this sturdy and reliable 9mm magazine is a great alternative to the standard Glock OEM.
botach.com botach.com
 
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If I got OEM mags, I'd want to swap out the base plate for some color (red?) that let me know I am (or the wife is) grabbing the right mags.

This would add only a nominal additional cost ...

I'm currently using Magpul 15 round mags.
 
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I have several ETS magazines for Glock 9mm in 30 round, 17 round and ,15 round. All have worked just fine without any problems. When it comes to carry, I use OEM Glock magazines.
 
mostly22lately said:
If I got OEM mags, I'd want to swap put the base plate for some color (red?) that let me know I am (or the wife is) grabbing the right mags.

This would add only a nominal additional cost ...

I'm currently using Magpul 15 round mags.
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I hit my competition mags with red spray paint that has held up for years now.

They also get reflective stickers so I can find them at night!
 
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mostly22lately said:
To be clear (ha), you use 30 round ETS made magazines for Glock 19 and are happy with them, right?
Your advice is always sound and is appreciated.
Click to expand...
Mine are ETS made magazines, I have them in 9mm and .40. Last ones I bought I found on sale at botach for around $5 each
 
I had the 30 and it was garbage with all the ammo I tried. This was probably 6 years ago. Just paint your OEM base plate or get a different color OEM mag green or tan if it’s for serious use. I don’t even trust the magpul outside the range (100% for me except with steel case but still don’t trust them over OEM)
 
I’ve used ETS mags in my M&P (31rd) and Shield (12rd), and only because of the capacity offered. I’m not a fan of the flimsy feel although I recognize that they re not likely to actually break.

As others have said, for the small cost difference, I’d rather have OEM Glock mags. I also have some Magpul glock mags because they were half the price of OEM and available when OEM were scarce. No issues with the Magpul though except that they don’t drop free in Daggers.

As for identification, colored baseplates aren’t a bad idea but I would consider spray painting them. You could also use a paint pen to mark them. For rifle mags I use different colored electrical tape for HD rounds so I’m used to looking for the colors.
 
I’ve got some 30 round 9mm and .45 ACP. Never had a moments trouble with the 9mm. I used them in a PCC shooting some steel matches.

The .45 ACP mags, not so much. Unsuppressed, no issues. Have not been able to get them to run reliably suppressed. Changed buffer weights, springs, loads and nope nada. The follower is shaped different and I’ve thought trying to take a Glock OEM follower and put in the ETS just to see what happens.
 
I have an extended ets magazine for my Glock 43x.

It ran fine the few times I used it. I left it loaded for a few weeks and at the next range trip I found that the sides had swelled from leaving it loaded. It would not fit into the mag well far enough to lock in or chamber a round. After unloading it and letting it sit for a while it would fit in the gun again.

It's been chucked into a bin of junk gun parts that I won't buy more of.
 
I have some and had no issues with my SUB 2000. For carry guns I second OEM mags.
 
I'll add, while the ETS magazines have been trouble free for me, I have had problems with the Magpul magazines for Glocks. I prefer the ETS over Magpul, I've had feeding issues with the Magpul.
 
Geezer said:
I'll add, while the ETS magazines have been trouble free for me, I have had problems with the Magpul magazines for Glocks. I prefer the ETS over Magpul, I've had feeding issues with the Magpul.
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This is what I was about to post. Glad I read to the end first after seeing Magpul mentioned earlier in the thread.

Glock mags are first choice.

But I’d use ETS 10x over Magpul for a Glock.
 
Well, live and learn, I guess.


Story Part 1:

Not doing the research BEFORE buying the five Magpul G19 mags on special at Palmetto State for ~$60 including shipping .... which is REALLy unlike me. I generally research everything I look to buy to the point of pointlessness. But, I have had such good luck with all other Magpul products I own that I presumed the characteristic was universal.

This gap in my awareness and reasoning means that one of the five mags turns out to have a problem with chambering the last round in this Henry PCC. The other four magazines work just fine.

The guessing part is that saving $9 per magazine is not a bad deal IF my otherwise reasonable assumption (?) that once any Magpul mag is running fine it will always run fine.


Story Part 2:

Now I have the one of the five new mags that isn't fully operational. Feeds fine except for the last round. Do I see if I can fix this myself? Send it back, at some cost that likely exceeds the value of the item itself? Toss it? Mark it as funky and use it accordingly? I don't have any other firearms that use Glock magazines, so, I can't tell if it's just this combination of gun-and-mag, or what.
 
mostly22lately said:
Well, live and learn, I guess.


Story Part 1:

Not doing the research BEFORE buying the five Magpul G19 mags on special at Palmetto State for ~$60 including shipping .... which is REALLy unlike me. I generally research everything I look to buy to the point of pointlessness. But, I have had such good luck with all other Magpul products I own that I presumed the characteristic was universal.

This gap in my awareness and reasoning means that one of the five mags turns out to have a problem with chambering the last round in this Henry PCC. The other four magazines work just fine.

The guessing part is that saving $9 per magazine is not a bad deal IF my otherwise reasonable assumption (?) that once any Magpul mag is running fine it will always run fine.


Story Part 2:

Now I have the one of the five new mags that isn't fully operational. Feeds fine except for the last round. Do I see if I can fix this myself? Send it back, at some cost that likely exceeds the value of the item itself? Toss it? Mark it as funky and use it accordingly? I don't have any other firearms that use Glock magazines, so, I can't tell if it's just this combination of gun-and-mag, or what.
Click to expand...
I’d start by contacting Magpul directly. They may offer a solution and make it right without costing you more money. If that fails, I would change the spring with one of the functioning mags to see if that is the problem. If that does not fix the issue, I would change the follower. Finally, if that does not fix the problem I’d throw in the trash.
 
I have thousands of rounds on a handful of 21rnd ETS mags. Problems, they vomit rounds when you drop them loaded. I broke a follower, I don't know when, I was using it without issue when I found it, they sent a replacement. You can stuff 22 rounds in and they won't seat on a closed slide.
I didn't like the magpuls, wouldn't lock the slide on empty, didn't like to drop free.
 
Book of Armaments; Chapter Glock Verses 17-21

And ye, the maker GLOCK did decree, let him not use aftermarket magazines, for my magazines art cheap and plentiful.
Yet man did not listen to the maker GLOCK, and his mind was clouded by "just as good" and Korean kimchee drum magazines.
And man did experience malfunctions in his Glocks. And wise men did only use Glock-brand Glock magazines.
Yet man, ever in his arrogance did continue to fall prey to frugality, the blessed did continue to stack their homes full of Glock 18 magazines as their cups ranneth over with 9mm.
 
Magazine saga ...

Now I have the five Magpul 15 round mags all working terrific. Bolt closes reliably, no misfeeds, they all drop free.
One of them was definitely defective and PSA sent me a replacement one, pronto.

I also have two Glock 15 round factory mags that don't seat properly (bolt won't close reliably), I get occasional stovepipes, and, they don't drop free.

And I have one Glock 33 round factory mag. Bolt closes fine, stovepipes on rounds 6 through 8, and it drops free.

Right now I am looking at the conventional wisdom about 'Glock Perfection' and ... as an objective scientist, I don't have enough data points to warrant that conviction.

But it doesn't appear good. I will ask around locally if I can borrow some more of these to see for sure.
 
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