Posted: 9/10/2025 10:38:11 AM EDT
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I haven't followed this much over the course of the last couple of years... Are these now reliable? Currently on Gen 3 from what I gathered in online searches? Looking at options for dead reliable mags for use in a G43X. I've typically always stuck to OEM for Glock mags in the past and I want to avoid surprises but am looking to gain some reliable capacity. |
"All welchers should be removed from the EE".-Aimless
| Others here will disagree but after changing out the mag release mine have been 100% reliable. I am a pistol instructor, use them on range days without issue, and also carry the 43x when plainclothes at work and off duty. I don’t know if I got a good bunch of mags, a pistol that just reliably uses them, or something else but I’ve probably put 5-7k rounds through them using federal HST without a single malfunction. |
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I’m interested in their Z9 mags for a G43 and have the exact same questions. I’ve got a handful of stock mags with extensions on them and I’m wondering if it’s worth it for one extra round. Especially considering I’d have to swap mag catch and basically stop using my stash of factory mags. |
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I suggest starting a discussion thread related to the Z9 mags specifically as this is intended to address the S15 mags and the mass of reported problems over 3 generations despite several "fixes" by the manufacturer. From some additional reading online, it seems that things are about the same, with a few reporting issue free use and the majority having issues. Appears to be very firearm specific from case to case. |
"All welchers should be removed from the EE".-Aimless
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I haven't read a single other post, but I'd be willing to bet that some of the replies say they're great and others saying they're the worst thing since fumunda cheese. My experience: I have an original silver slide 43x and two original Shield Arms mags. This setup has been put through the ringer in classes with me and both of my boys behind the gun. Mags have been dropped, kicked, and stepped on at an indoor range with concrete floors. They are and always have been reliable. Hundreds of rounds in a single shooting session most times. Every 9mm ammo you can buy over the counter, including commercial reloads and Golt Dot/HSE. Early on, I purchased the +10% springs for them to make sure the slide would lock back after the last round. I also prefer overpowered springs for reliability in general. They ran 100% without the springs, but I would occasionally not get slide lock. I have a steel mag release. I use it all the time with the factory mags. Not only does it work perfectly, but it doesn't eat up my factory mags. That's way overblown nonsense that's mostly people repeating what they heard other people say. |
"Now none of the frightened soldiers moved, for they saw that cowardice and valor purchased equal plots in the sniper's killing field."
"Not interested in a lecture by either side”
- isaidme
"Not interested in a lecture by either side”
- isaidme
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Glock 43X and 48 (MOS) here, both with Shield Arms magazine releases and first and second generation mags. EDC and spare mag has their 5-shot extension… Reader’s Digest version is I would NOT say they exhibit Glock OEM reliability…as in boringly reliable. In my experience they’re about as close to that as you can get without being Glock OEM reliable. When I do encounter malfunctions there almost always a failure to lock back on an empty magazine. With that being said the manner in which I grip ALL my pistols, thumbs forward, tends to apply constant downward pressure on the slide stop lever so I’ve become so used to it over the years it’s a complete non-issue; a tap and rack locks the slide to rear and then I go into a reload. Before all the 45-degree blading, neck beard, mom’s basement dwelling keyboard commandos warn me that I’m a walking dead man, thanks in advance for your concern, it’s duly noted…and it also happened with the Glock OEM mags too, so I’ll take 34-rounds in 2 Shield mags ANY day. I haven’t heard about getting a new recoil spring assembly but that would definitely help on the rare occasion where the slide velocity is slighter lower than it needs to be to strip/feed/chamber a new round off the top of a fresh magazine and it hangs and hesitates going fully into battery, like it’s a two-step process. That was never an issue with the Glock OEM mags and I attributed it to mags being stuffed under higher than stock spring tension, although I do download pistol mags but one less than rated capacity. |
| PSA recently won their lawsuit brought by shield against them for their micro dagger mags. The PSA mags dont need a mag catch change and work great. |
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Proud member of Team Ranstad.
Arfcom St Jude Mafia 3 years
Arfcom callsign: trenchfoot
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I could not get the Shield Arms mags to work reliably in two 43Xs. They did work in a friend's so who knows... Shield Arms was great with trying to fix the issue, sent two different batches, still had failures. They ended up giving me a refund. I just ran factory mags in the two 43Xs and an Alpha Foxtrot S15. I finally got some Palmetto mags, and they have been 100% so far in all the guns. James |
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Originally Posted By TGWLDR: Are these now reliable? Like Joe Biden's underwear, depends. Some have issues, some don't, no rhyme or reason. |
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"KAC drip feeds their stockholm-syndrome-customer-base with bland and old products to keep them going with the Rolex company model of business to keep everything scarce and high priced" the_answer_is_42
"KAC drip feeds their stockholm-syndrome-customer-base with bland and old products to keep them going with the Rolex company model of business to keep everything scarce and high priced" the_answer_is_42
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Originally Posted By Blacktoothgrin: Like Joe Biden's underwear, depends. Some have issues, some don't, no rhyme or reason. Originally Posted By Blacktoothgrin: Originally Posted By TGWLDR: Are these now reliable? Like Joe Biden's underwear, depends. Some have issues, some don't, no rhyme or reason. Yeah, I'll pass on all that. |
"All welchers should be removed from the EE".-Aimless
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Originally Posted By MONGO45: I had a couple S15 mags for a G48 They were reliable feeding but wouldn’t lock the gun open 10-20% of the time. Around 300 rounds through them. Sold them off… OEM mags are flawless and I always carry a spare so … This is me. No lock back. Changed followers, springs. Gen 1 and gen 2. Had metal release. I’ve had a couple ftf in thousands of rounds between my 43x and 48. 48 will not lock back, 43x will half the time. I have 4 of the psa, 50% lock back. But the baseplate bulge made me shelf them. Have 4 of the oem 15 rounded on pre-order. We’ll see. One thing is for sure, the oem 10 rnd 100% lock back. |
