Oem vs aftermarket. Pistol mags

Guns & Gear
21

Awesome!! Thank you!!

1 Like
22

factory mags for me. Some Aftermarket mags just sort of sucks and the good companies charge almost the same as the Factory so why go somewhere else.

2 Likes
23

I have purchased both for my pistols as 2 of them I bought second hand, and only had 1 magazine with them. I ran into a deal for my CZ mags from CZ USA. I have both for my shield. The 7 round is OEM, and I have 2 aftermarket 8 round magazines. One of the 8 round magazines stopped feeding after something like 75 rounds. Now Iā€™m a little leery about using its twin. My 1911 came with a Mec Gar magazine, and I purchased an aftermarket one. I havenā€™t put a lot of rounds through them yet, but I can feel a difference when Iā€™m loading the magazines. The ears on the aftermarket one are a little rough, where the Mec Gar loads as smooth as butter

1 Like
24

This has been a good discussion thus far but there seems to be more opinion that is offered, i.e. personal preference, etc. than facts and figures. This is typical in our industry and frankly, important to include if coming from a knowledgeable source that has been training and shooting regularly. Unfortunately, many forums include folks that donā€™t have much in the way of real-world training or experience so a word of caution when searching the various internet forums offered on the web. I am not saying this is the case with the USCCA Community so please donā€™t mistake that.

As for what magazine you should use in your carry pistol, OEM or Aftermarket. The answer generally will be OEM with few exceptions. The reason for this is that many pistols are actually designed around the magazine first and have tons of research and development dollars that go into that before even making the pistol that will use it. To expand on this point, you need to consider what you are using and if you have shot several hundred rounds through them without fail, this is where training and using your equipment comes in. You absolutely need to train and use your equipment, this will create confidence in your gear. I am not suggesting that all aftermarket magazines are of lower quality, what I am suggesting is that whatever you choose to carry, you need to run it through classes, through practice at the range, and put it through the paces so that you will have confidence that when you need it most, it will be reliable. I would also suggest that you always carry at least one extra magazine with you as a part of your everyday carry gear.

Hope this helps.

4 Likes
25

Thank you for posting and and you have summed it up very well

1 Like
26

AAAAckk!

1 Like
27

For my two EDC guns, OEM when carrying. I do use aftermarket mags at the range, and have never had issues with them, but if poo impacts the impeller, I want to have OEM stuff.

1 Like
28

OE mags for me.

1 Like
29

Depends on the brand of firearm, and your tolerance for failures. Firearms you depend on for HD/SD should be zero tolerance, but firearms for just range/fun maybe an occasional flub is OK. No one wants constant jams :stuck_out_tongue:

Glock OEMs are reasonably priced and 100% reliable in my experience. ETS and Magpul (I may be forgetting another brand) make Glock compatible mags as well (aftermarket). Magpul have been 100% reliable in my experience and many folks use them in competition and they have been rock solid. While I havenā€™t had any failures myself, Iā€™ve seen enough stories on the internet that I do not trust ETS in the same way, those are for range use only.

1 Like
30

Interesting

I have some Triple K MADE IN USA and look and function well.

1 Like
31

Folks lets not get wrapped around the axle of OEM and aftermarket. I have a dozen no kidding for real two tone colt 1911 mags, all of them jam. they are worth about $100 per mag to collectors. They are worthless tin a carry gun. You want to talk about shop class rejects, I have 3 LAR Grizzly 45 Win Mag Magā€™s that are worth over $200 each, they work but are absolute abominations of fit and finish. I am actually considering making jugs and building my own as I think I can do better. I LOVE SA (Springfield Armory) pistol mags and will only buy OEM, rumor has it C-Products makes them and for all of my off caliber AR platforms I will only go with C-Products, stainless steel and good craftsmanship are winners for me. The RIA mag that came in my pistol was a target on the first range day. No kidding P.Beretta magazines from Italy have gone down range in favor of ASSY 9346413-65490.made by Checkmate.

Mags are mags, they work or they donā€™t and no magical OEM sprinkle dust makes one better than another. The question is can they handle the abuse of being dropped, stepped on banged off a wall and keep functioning? Run what you brung, replace what you break and test EVERYTHING.

Cheers,

Craig6

1 Like
32

I think thatā€™s why itā€™s important to function check everything youā€™re going to bet your life on.

3 Likes