Thinking Man's Corner

Article by: William G. 

Sometimes I reflect on my past. Some good, some bad. One of the good things, that was my great fortune, was that I was mentored by Jeff Cooper. I learned a lot from him over the years. One of the first things I noticed about the Colonel was that if he was awake, he was armed. Even at 86 with a twice broken back, and in his home, he walked out of the bedroom armed. It was a mindset he taught, and a mindset he lived – preparedness, not paranoia. 

He was always wearing a 1911 Government Model in a Yaqui Slide, a spare magazine, and a pouch for his Swiss Army knife, on a sturdy leather belt; all made by Milt Sparks. Somewhere along the way, he switched to a Light Weight Commander; but he was always armed. One thing that did not change was that he religiously wore a spare magazine. That was where I first picked it up, was in his class. It made sense to me then, and to me now. 

He use to say, half jokingly, that he wore a spare magazine not because he planned on reloading during the fight, but so that he could go home with a full gun. There is some truth behind that. He espoused other virtues of the spare magazine, which is what this article is about. 

The magazine is the heart of the pistol. It is needed for continued operation as it was designed. All of the things that follow, in relation to magazine problems, have occurred to me personally. 

I have, on at least a dozen occasions, have had the base plate pop off, dumping the rounds and spring. This has occurred with various makes of 1911 magazines, and Glock magazines. 

I have had sand and silt work its way into the magazine, binding the follower and removing tension from the rounds, rendering the gun into a single shot tool. I’ve had that occur with 1911, Glock, and Sig magazines. 

I have drawn the gun, and ejected the magazine on the presentation to the target. Sometimes it was due to a holster. Sometimes it was due to an extended magazine release. Sometimes it was due to an improper grip of the gun. One of the only guns I have not had this happen with are HK variants with the paddle magazine release. 

I have had magazines auto eject while in the middle of firing. This has only occurred to me with Glock’s. That is due to the plastic magazine release, and plastic shelves on the magazines. It is worse if you are using a metal magazine, while retaining the factory plastic magazine release. Such as the Shield Arms magazines for the G43x/48. 

Any of these things can be deadly in the wrong circumstance. For me, a spare magazine is part of the system (belt, holster, gun, spare magazine). I prefer a belt mounted magazine holder, but do have some pocket magazine holders as well. That keeps the magazine oriented in a consistent direction, breaks up the outline in the pocket, and also helps keep foreign objects and debris out of it. It is the sign of either a serious professional, or someone imitating one at the very least. For the little space it takes up, and the very slight weight it adds; it is, to me, an invaluable asset. 

Magazines are designed as replaceable, and will wear out when used a lot. This is one reason why I prefer a set of duty magazines, and a set of practice magazines. I inspect the duty magazines, shoot 1-2 full loads out of them, clean them, inspect them, then load them with duty ammo. They get inspected when I clean the gun, and they are shot once or twice a year with the ammo that is in them. They are replaced every year or two with brand new magazines. The old ones become spares, or training magazines. 

I also like to download double stack magazines by one round. So in a 365 21rd magazine, I load 20. In a 17rd magazine, I load 16. If I add a magazine extension (like a Glock factory +2), I put an extra power magazine spring in it. Taran Tactical and other after market manufactures often offer a longer, stringer spring with their extended base plates. If they offer it, get it. The springs need that extra tension when the tubes are elongated so they can push the rounds up at a rate that clocks with the reciprocation of the slide under recoil. 

Training magazines are used, abused, and not cleaned until a stoppage occurs. Then they are cleaned or thrown away. All magazines are marked. Training magazines with a number and a letter. Duty magazines with dots of a different color than the training magazines. 

One thing to consider is that magazine holders are like holsters. You may have to try a few different models until you find one that is comfortable, secure, and usable. So, don’t get frustrated it the one you bought doesn’t work out. Try some more, and you will settle on one that works for you.

Tango Down makes an excellent magazine pouch for Glock magazines. Larry Vickers had them make based off an old Milt Sparks design. For 1911 magazines, I like the old Milt Sparks or the old school (90’s) Bladetech models. Not being able to readily source either, I would check out the leather models from Palmetto Leather Works, Milt Sparks, and Kramer. For Sig magazines, I like a custom carrier designed by Dennis Martin that was originally made by PWL, and I had Palmetto Leather Works produce a similar design for me. For pocket mag pouches, DeSantis makes an easy and affordable one that is serviceable – and the custom leather makers can do those as well. 

This article was primarily geared toward off duty/plain clothes. On duty 2-3 more spares in uniform are appropriate. For certain special missions, I took a cue from my old friend Super Dave Harrington, and set up a special rig that held 5 spare pistol mags. So, it all varies due to the individual and the mission. In my case with at least one spare magazine, like an American Express, I don’t leave home without it.