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Posted: 10/20/2017 2:20:18 AM EDT
So I have a two Glock 19's and a lot of magazines for them and I've been considering getting a Gen 5.  One of my 19's has a light on it and is my go to handgun for home defense.  I've often thought a 17 would be better for this but I've always had this worry in the back of my head that maybe in the heat of the moment I'd accidentally grab a 19 magazine for back up and be fucked if I had to reload.

Any of you guys that have both, do you find yourself getting them confused, the magazines seem pretty close in size?  Anyone else avoid the 17 because of this or am I the only strange one?
Link Posted: 10/20/2017 2:25:16 AM EDT
[#1]
I run 17 mags as my backups.....so I never need to worry about it.....just keep em separate
Link Posted: 10/20/2017 2:29:34 AM EDT
[#2]
You could get different base plates (vickers or others) between your Glock 19 & 17 mags.

That way, you can tell instantly, and in total darkness or without looking which magazine you have in hand...

You are Welcome!

BIGGER_HAMMER
Link Posted: 10/20/2017 2:53:15 AM EDT
[#3]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
I run 17 mags as my backups.....so I never need to worry abouit it.....just keep em separate
View Quote
Same here. I keep a flush 19 mag in my 19.3 EDC and a 17+2 addtional mag. Only other 19 mags I have are the ones that came with the gun and they stay in my backpack I carry daily. Only time I ever use my 17 or 34 is at the range or during matches so, never really have to worry about grabbing the wrong mag if the a situation were ever to arise.

Also, whenever I buy additional mags, I typically just always grab G17 mags anyways. That way, I know they'll be appropriate for any gun I want to use.
Link Posted: 10/20/2017 4:26:55 AM EDT
[#4]
Link Posted: 10/20/2017 4:33:43 AM EDT
[#5]
G26 takes ALL 9mm mags.

Or so I was told.
Link Posted: 10/20/2017 7:30:40 AM EDT
[#6]
I would write on the back of the magazine with a yellow or white paint marker (17) or (19).  I've done this when I had a M&P 9 and 40.  Not for me so much, but for my wife if she ever needed to reload when I wasn't around.
Link Posted: 10/20/2017 9:09:25 AM EDT
[#7]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
I run 17 mags as my backups.....so I never need to worry about it.....just keep em separate
View Quote
Pretty much this... my daily carry is a 19 my backup mags are G17 mags.  I have a total of 6 G19 mags and ~20+ G17 mags.  All my range mags are G17 mags that I use for my G34s/G17s and my G19.
Link Posted: 10/20/2017 9:20:29 AM EDT
[#8]
For quick visual differentiation, took off the G19 mag floor plates and spray painted them.
Link Posted: 10/20/2017 10:42:24 AM EDT
[#9]
Carry a g18 mag for back up in home or just start with it, because you can never have enough ammo.
Link Posted: 10/20/2017 2:40:10 PM EDT
[#10]
I only carry a G17 mag for a reload whether I carry a G17 or G19.

I keep G18 mags in the vehicles.
Link Posted: 10/20/2017 3:05:42 PM EDT
[#11]
Solution is to only have 17 mags or big sticks.

Glock 19 mags are low capacity and could get you killed!

Link Posted: 10/20/2017 3:35:04 PM EDT
[#12]
I only use the g19 mag that is in the gun,all my backups are g17 or g18 mags.
Link Posted: 10/20/2017 5:41:19 PM EDT
[#13]
I don't feel so bad, sounds like most of you guys have had the same thought and come up with good ways to avoid issues.
Link Posted: 10/20/2017 7:02:05 PM EDT
[#14]
Nope i have gotten the feel of them
Over the years.

Ok.... maybe sometimes i fuck up
Link Posted: 10/20/2017 7:53:19 PM EDT
[#15]
The 17 is not necessarily better.  I look at the 19 and 17 as different guns, not just bigger and smaller.  

I, and plenty others, can shoot a 19 better than a 17 in every aspect.  I tried a pair of 34s for the past year, thought I was doing well, went back to a 19, immediate improvement in everything.  So test drive a 17 before you get one.   A 19 does everything I want a handgun to do except be tiny.  The 43 does that.

My carry is a 19 with 17 mags for reloads.    I keep 8 19 and 8 17 mags in my range bag so I can practice with a 15 in the gun and a 17 on the belt.  

I use Magpul 21s for USPSA.
Link Posted: 10/20/2017 9:02:39 PM EDT
[#16]
In the distant past I accidentally tried a 19 mag in a 17 training at the range. It made me think. I saw another shooter do the same on a different occasion.

I just use 17 mags anymore.

I put the 19's up and only pull them out for CCW with the G19 on rare occasions.
Link Posted: 10/21/2017 12:03:07 AM EDT
[#17]
I don't keep any "spare" 15rd mags loaded, so no...

All of my reloads are 17rd mags, with the extra 15/17rd empty mags in my safe/range bag.
Link Posted: 10/21/2017 10:13:01 AM EDT
[#18]
Get a paint marker set- Walmart has a 5 color set for not a lot of money. I simply put a single dot on the magazine insert, where it just pokes through at the floor plate hole.

For me:
G17 - red
G19 - blue
G26 - green
G43 - white

Makes for quick ID when pulling spare mags out of the safe or out of a bag. It’s small, easy, not expensive, and simple to remove if desired.
Link Posted: 10/21/2017 9:43:56 PM EDT
[#19]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
Get a paint marker set
View Quote
Yeah, this. Or just a couple cans of spray paint.

I color code more to keep the calibers straight. With the Glock mags, I use stripes for short mags and solids for big mags.

Blue: Glock 9mm / Para .38 Super / Desert Eagle .357 Mag
Red: Glock .40 / Para .40 / Desert Eagle .44 Mag
Black: Para .45 / Desert Eagle .50 AE

Link Posted: 10/21/2017 9:58:11 PM EDT
[#20]
Quoted:
So I have a two Glock 19's and a lot of magazines for them and I've been considering getting a Gen 5.  One of my 19's has a light on it and is my go to handgun for home defense.  I've often thought a 17 would be better for this but I've always had this worry in the back of my head that maybe in the heat of the moment I'd accidentally grab a 19 magazine for back up and be fucked if I had to reload.

Any of you guys that have both, do you find yourself getting them confused, the magazines seem pretty close in size?  Anyone else avoid the 17 because of this or am I the only strange one?
View Quote


Why would it be better?  Not sure what the 17 can do that the 19 can't, unless you have very large hands.  I'd say get a third 19.
Link Posted: 10/21/2017 10:26:39 PM EDT
[#21]
If you like the 19, keep your 19s skip the 17 its not really that better an HD or competition gun.  If you must have a 34 and 19 Id say get the 34 chopped to take 19 mags

If you find our you like a 17 a whole lot more like me, I sold the 19 and have a 26 instead.  Very hard to confuse 26 and 17 mags.

Oh and all these paint/mark ideas work really great in the middle of the night...
Link Posted: 10/21/2017 10:30:03 PM EDT
[#22]
Painted magazines don't work well if it is dark.  (1/2 the time on this planet is darkness.

You need something that you can tell by feel - touch if it is the right or wrong magazine for your gun.

I won't own a .300blk out AR because you could put a 300 loaded mag in a 5.56 gun, or a 5.56 mag in the .300 gun.

my small .30 AR is a 7.62x39 because the magazine is different from a standard AR-15 5.56 mag (that funky curve) so you can tell by touch even if you are at the bottom of a dark coal mine at midnight.  

Rifle has an unusual rail and grip so I can tell by feel instantly that it is not one of my 5.56 ARs.

Again, something simple and cheap like a Vickers floorplate or Glock + extension on those certain mags makes those easy to tell by touch what it is and what it goes too...
Link Posted: 10/21/2017 11:00:10 PM EDT
[#23]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
Painted magazines don't work well if it is dark.
View Quote
Too true.  

But I have to ask: why would a person put a potentially "wrong" mag with their "bump in the night" gun?  I have a bunch of guns in the safe that would not be the first thing I would reach for if something bad were to happen.  I have guns for competition, hunting, and just plinking.  I have some guns from the same manufacturer in different calibers, as evident from my photo above.  But that safe isn't where I keep my "go to" defensive guns.  

I'm not worried about getting the wrong colored mag in the gun if I have to respond to a breaking window in the middle of the night. Or if I have to reload my carry gun on the street.  Why? Because I don't keep the "wrong" mags with those guns.  

Your approach with different base pads is a ligitimate solution, and it sounds like it works well for you.  However, it sounds as though your method would preclude you from owning other sorts of other guns.  Maybe that's okay with you, as that's not what interests you. And that's okay too.  

The answer is to do what you and others have done, which is to think about your individual situation and come up with a solution that fits your needs.  Because your needs might not match up exactly with my needs, so my solution isn't best for you, but yours is.  And that's okay too.
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