Concealed Carry Corner: The Importance Of Magazines

Welcome back to another edition of Concealed Carry Corner. Last week, we looked at various products that help carry concealed and some items to avoid entirely. If you happened to miss that article, be sure to check it out by clicking the link here. This week, I want to discuss a topic that not many consider in the overall concealed carry world which is magazine selection. With countless options and manufacturers of magazines, it can be tough to know exactly which one is best for you and your carry needs. Let’s take a closer look at what options are on the market and the importance of magazines.

Concealed Carry Corner @ TFB:

• Concealed Carry Corner: What And What Not To Carry
• Concealed Carry Corner: Carry Gun Size Guide
• Concealed Carry Corner: Levels Of Carry Guns
• Concealed Carry Corner: Self-Taught vs Professional Training

When it comes to magazines for your semi-auto, there are really two options which are either purchasing OEM magazines from the manufacturer or picking up an aftermarket magazine company that makes a product for your specific carry gun. Revolver guys, you are safe this week and can go check out one of our reviews, but for semi-auto carriers, it’s important to think about magazine choice. This is the beating heart of any semi-auto pistol and can cause several serious malfunctions if it’s working improperly. Not many things about magazine choice, but when you’re relying on something to potentially save your life, it’s important to at least give it some consideration.

Factory magazines are certainly the safe choice. Manufacturers spend a massive amount of money when developing a new magazine for their pistol. Some companies like SIG even start with the magazine and build a gun around it like they did with the P365. In most cases, the factory magazine will be the most reliable feeding device available for your carry gun. Various companies offer their magazines for a competitive price so there’s really no reason to go with an aftermarket magazine. Companies like Glock will have a relatively low cost for their magazines which makes life easier when you want to buy 8-10 magazines for training at the range. Other companies like SIG will charge more for their magazines, but the level of reliability warrants a higher price for some.

When it comes to aftermarket magazines though, you can have a really wide spectrum of products. There are some definite bad options on the market for magazines but buying an aftermarket magazine for your gun can really transform the overall capabilities of your firearm. The perfect example of transforming has to be the case of Shield Arms with the Glock 43X and Glock 48. The standard factory magazines hold 10 rounds, but when switching over to shield arms magazines, you now have the capability of carrying 15+1 instead of 10. This allows you to carry a relatively small pistol with the same capacity as a midsize or even some duty-size pistols.

Typically when it comes to replacing magazines, I will go 2-3 rounds of changing out my self-defense ammo before switching out my main carry magazine for a fresh new one. Depending on your schedule, this can be every one and a half years to every 2 years. One common mistake I see people make is using their self-defense magazine as a regular range magazine. Don’t get me wrong, it’s important to make sure your magazine is functioning correctly which means trying it at the range is acceptable, but putting 200 rounds through it every time isn’t a good idea.

Another question I get is if I carry a backup magazine daily or when it’s appropriate to carry a backup magazine. This is a personal choice and I can talk about my thoughts on carrying a backup magazine, but at the end of the day, it’s a choice for you to make based on your needs. When it comes to carrying a spare magazine daily, I typically will just carry my carry gun with a full magazine plus one in the chamber. I don’t feel the need to carry extra magazines and a wide variety of weapons. Keeping it simple is typically good enough for me and I feel adequately armed.

If I’m going on a trip, I will typically take a spare magazine or two just since I’m further away from home but again it’s nothing crazy like some of you guys will do. Everyone is different and that’s perfectly fine. Now one thing I do that I haven’t heard other people do is cycle my magazine. Once my main carry magazine hits that 1.5-2-year-old mark, I will usually swap it out for a fresh magazine and then take the old one with the same carry ammo and use it as a backup magazine. Once that carry cycle is up again, I will make my backup magazine a regular range magazine and shoot the self-defense ammo inside it. This has worked really well for me in the past and ensures I have a backup magazine that’s still relatively fresh with good self-defense ammo.

I know magazines aren’t sexy like talking about the latest and greatest carry guns out there, but it’s truly a vital part of your system and deserves at least some consideration. Just like you swap out carry ammo, it’s never a bad decision to purchase a new magazine every couple of years at a minimum to keep your carry gun in tip-top shape. In the big picture, magazines don’t cost a huge amount every couple of years to swap out and it gives you the peace of mind knowing you have a reliable part in your self-defense gun.

What do you guys think about swapping out magazines? Do you prefer factory or aftermarket magazines? Let me know your thoughts in the comment section below. If you have questions about carrying concealed or firearms in general, don’t hesitate to reach out on my Instagram @fridgeoperator. Stay safe out there and we will see you next week for another edition of Concealed Carry Corner.