Magpul Glock PMAGs are one of the best-known aftermarket Glock magazines vying for space in your magwell or mag pouch. Below you’ll find information on the various kinds and, perhaps more importantly, a collection of reviews. The first section will be the most recent addition; everything below that begins with our first review and then flows chronologically.
Find your Magpul mags (and for that matter, all manner of Glockazines) at Gunmag Warehouse.
This will be an ongoing work in progress, maintained until they quit making Glock PMAGs or Adrian Veidt buys Breach-Bang-Clear, and we retire. Contributors (so far) include Nate Murr, Dave Merrill, Chris Hernandez, and David Reeder.
PMAG 27 GL9: 27 Round 9mm Glockazine
Not a Glock 27 Magazine
[Update only, not a review] The PMAG 27 GL9 is a 27-round capacity magazine for a Glock handgun. The number of rounds, twenty-seven (27), was chosen to meet the overall shooting competition magazine length restriction – 170mm.
The Magpul PMAG 27 GL9. Note: this is not a Glock 27 magazine.
In addition to standard Magpul Glock mag features like the paint pen dot matrix, ridged floorplate, etc., it offers:
• 27 round capacity 9mm
• High-vis, controlled tilt follower
• Stainless steel spring
• Easily removable floorplate for cleaning
• The PMAG 27 GL9 is compatible with all full-size, compact, and sub-compact double-stack Glock 9mm variants (with protrusion below the lip).
• Available in an astonishing array of colors as long as you like black.
It’s not something you would want to try to conceal (unless your last name is Clegane) but as a spare on hand for when things go badly sideways…when was it ever a bad thing to have too much ammo?
The Magpul PMAG 27 GL9 Glock mag carries 27 rounds of 9mm because that’s the maximum capacity that can be stacked within current (as of this writing) competition regs.
Magpul Glock 17 Mag
PMAG 17 GL9
This is the PMAG 17 GL9 (for Glock 17). Read on; we’ll tell you all about it (and others) in the included reviews.
Magpul Glock PMAG Review
Setting it up – what we did [Original/2015]
Magpul Glock Mags made their first public appearance in early 2015. We grabbed a few and tried them out. Our review to wit:
After checking out the newest platform to receive the silky, patented, sultry “Magpul touch” at SHOT show 2015, we put our paws on the new Glock PMAGs. After one small hiccup (there was an issue with the first production run that caused issues in smaller framed Glocks), Magpul Glock PMAGS has been shipping in quantity across the nation. More on that below.
Not too long after returning from SHOT, we spotted some of the new PMAG 17 GL9 (Glock 17 mags) at a local shop and picked up four at $15.00 each. Two were from the first run of faulty magazines and had been opened by the shop. Magpul squashed the reliability issue these mags suffered by sending out replacement bodies to all that received the first run. The shop had replaced the bodies and put them back on the shelf. With all the keyboard commandos flipping out about this, we figured why not see how the “mixed” mags would do, aside from the second series of corrected bodies.
All of the new bodies are stamped with a date code of 5/15 and later. If you happen to have one of the early mags and it’s giving you issues, check the date before writing ’em all off. We understand how incredibly hard it is to develop new products, even for companies as large, serious, and professional as Magpul, so we weren’t about to zero them out just because of initial fielding issues (especially when so quickly corrected).
A Magpul Glock magazine time stamp – check this first if you’re experiencing issues with a Glock PMAG.
The Magpul PMAG 17 GL9 is a 17-round polymer magazine designed for the 9mm Glock 17 but is compatible with the G19 and G26, arguably the three most popular Glock models out there. Magpul has plans to release a model for the Glock 19 in the fall. Glock factory magazines usually run anywhere from $25.00 to $35.00, depending on where you buy from.
The idea of building up a nice stack of mags, if only for training use, is pretty universally appealing. Being able to do so for almost half the price of OEM mags is even more attractive – which isn’t to say you shouldn’t maintain a good inventory of OEM mags (meaning the original manufacturer, Glock).
The new magazines are 100% polymer, save for the spring inside. A common complaint with the factory mags which come with the gun is how tough it is to remove the floor plate. Magpul has taken the proven dovetail design from their rifle mags and downsized it for the pistol. Using nothing more than a loose 9mm round pen tip or other small “tool” to depress the floor plate insert, one can quickly and easily remove the floor plate. The bottom of the magazine is flared slightly, as well as the floor plate, and easy to pull from a mag pouch. It’s not too large of a flare to impede use with add-on magazine well funnels, so the competition guys will be happy about that.
The mag’s body is designed to work with all current and earlier models of Glock, so that will make Gen 4 left-handed shooters happy as well. It lacks the steel “skeleton’ of the factory magazine, which doesn’t really bother us at all. The feed lips are beefy and reinforced, so it’s going to be harder to crack them than rifle PMAGS. Also subtracted are the witness holes for counting your rounds. Many people don’t like the awkward rear placement of these holes on Glock mags and really only use them to see if they have fully topped a mag off to its max.
The Magpul magazine only has one small witness hole on the left- and right-hand sides of the mag, respectfully. This hole will show you your 17th round and are a little easier to look at compared to the factory ones. Lastly, the PMAG has a bright orange follower, which contrasts with the magazine’s black body. The color is easy to see and (from our perspective at least) a welcome addition to a range outing. The PMAG also has a stainless steel spring that is every bit as stiff as a new factory Glock mag. As of this writing, we’ve experienced zero issues with any of these design points throughout the testing.
We started out using the new mags with a filthy Glock 19 and a selection of other Glock 19s owned by other shooters. Over the course of a month, the four magazines were used for two pistol classes, with over 2,000 rounds loaded into them. We experienced zero malfunctions or issues with these new mags.
In utter candor, this surprised the hell out of us!
We did not clean the mags at all during the test, and aside from some carbon on the followers, they show little sign of wear. The pistol’s slide carved a very faint line onto each feed lip, so faint it’s hard to notice.
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They never failed to fully eject, nor to lock in properly, regardless if the mags were full, partially full, or completely empty. The 2K challenge proved firsthand the reliability and durability of these new mags, which have now gained our seal of approval.
Two Tarans, a Falkor, and a MAGPUL walk into a bar. The bartender says, “Waddaya want?” They all reply, “Who cares, we just wanna get loaded.” Firelance Media
Magpul Glock Magazine Review
Wrapping it up – what we think
In our reckoning, the new aftermarket magazines are definitely worth the money. For the price of one factory mag, you can have two of the Magpul PMAGS, and we really liked the orange follower. It really grabs your attention when going to slide the lock. It would be really cool if Magpul came out with a blaze orange body or floor plate for use as “training” only mags (though of course, you can mark your magazines yourself in “field expedient fashion” instead). This would make finding your dropped magazines easier to find on the range, particularly in high grass. We also think a “halfway” round window would be welcomed, though maybe not something everyone would use or appreciate.
Regardless, you are going to be pleased with the price and the quality. We are. Many of our crew are comfortable enough to carry this as their primary magazine(s), which means they’d stake their lives on them, the same as they have with the Glock factory units. Some of the others are more circumspect and (thus far, at least) use the Magpul Glock PMAGs for training purposes.
Glock PMAGs: Magpul Glock mags of different sizes. These are the PMAG 21, 15, and 12 GL9. This lineup provides a PMAG option for all doublestack Glock 9mm.
Magpul Glock Mag Extension?
Some of you may be thinking about mag extensions since you can’t use traditional Glock ones with these. As of this writing [Jan/2015], we’re not aware of any yet, but we have been told that more than one company is making plans to make some. If we had to guess about future developments, Speed Plates, and sand color would be on the shortlist. We’ll have to see.
Until the next update, get on the range and train.
Sidebar(-ish): Magpul Enhanced GL Magazine Well
Magpul also makes upgrades for the Glock itself – this is their inexpensive, easily attached GL Enhanced Magazine Well.
The Magpul GL Enhanced Magazine Well is available at:
- Brownells http://bit.ly/Magpul-magwell1
- Rainier Arms http://bit.ly/Magpul-magwell2
- Optics Planet http://bit.ly/Magpul-magwell3
- Amazon Prime http://bit.ly/Magpul-magwell4
Magpul Glock Mag Review Incidental to Gen4 G19 Article
View from the Porch/Tamara Keel
[added 1.30.19]
[Excerpt] …That makes 2,000 rounds through the Gen4 19 since it was cleaned or lubricated with two failures-to-fire (#205, #1,290), two failures-to-extract (#1,367, #1,447), one failure-to-eject (#1,505), and four failures-to-feed (#814, #864*, #1,681, #1,741). 0 rounds to go.
I’ll note that not one of those malfunctions was brass-cased ammo in a Glock magazine. In fact, none of them, except #814 and #1,681, involved brass-cased ammo at all, and both those were in the ETS mags.
This image and attendant commentary is not a review of the Magpul Glock magazine but rather the Gen4 Glock. From a series of articles on View from the Porch by Tamara Keel.
Personally, I’d have to say that my own jury is still out on the ETS 30-round stick as anything but a range toy. I could see using the 20-round one in a class-type environment or any game that allowed it, but I think I’d stick with factory mags or maybe the Magpul for carry. (I haven’t had any failures with the Magpul mags yet with anything but steel-cased ammo, but factory is obviously the safer bet.)
See the final entry or navigate the series: https://booksbikesboomsticks.blogspot.com/2017/01/and-done.html
Magpul Glock Mags at work during evaluation and comparison to another aftermarket Glock 17 and Glock 19 mags.
MagPul Glock Magazine Reviews (II)
RECOILweb.com/Sean Murphy
[added 3.10.19]
[Excerpt] …My first range session burned through 250+ rounds from a Gen5 Glock 34 shooting at steel plates. The results were simple…the magazines functioned without issue
From a Magpul Glock mag review on RECOILweb by Sean Murphy.
When shooting a pistol, 27 rounds takes a fair amount of time to get through. When practicing reloads (1-2 rounds in the pistol, then a slide-lock reload) the extra length did slow my reload times slightly. I found that my hand was indexing differently on the mag body. I found I would either grab the bottom of the magazine like a normal magazine reload, but it affected my index and getting the magazine into the gun, or I was grabbing further up on the mag and not getting the baseplate into my hand which affected seating. I believe it is a training issue more than an equipment problem to solve.
After several range dates and over 700 rounds between three magazines, these new PMAGs have proved to be like every other Magpul product I’ve used, well designed and manufactured. Due to the length, I wouldn’t want to carry it on a belt, but having one of these magazines as a starter magazine or as a spare stashed in a vehicle or go-bag makes a lot of sense.
Read the review in its entirety: http://www.recoilweb.com/hands-on-with-magpuls-big-glock-stick-pmag-27-gl9-147696.html
Magpul Glock PMAG Review (III)
Justified Defensive Concepts
[added 3.23.19]
[Excerpt] …Magpul Glock magazines are lighter than Glock factory magazines, if only by a small margin. If you are trying to save every ounce, maybe that matters to you. They are cheaper than factory magazines, usually to the tune of $5-$15 per magazine. In the grand scheme of things, that price savings may or may not matter to you. They don’t have witness holes for every round like the factory magazines do, but as anybody with any experience knows, the witness holes on factory magazines aren’t always perfect either, and it behooves you to count the number of rounds you put in a magazine if you need to load to an amount less than the full capacity. This is especially important if you’re shooting a production or stock service pistol class where you must load to 10 and no more. The baseplates stick out further than factory magazines. If you’re trying to create the smallest concealment package, this is a detriment. If you’re using a magazine well, I’ve found that to be a good thing.
Magpul Glock Mag Review – on Justified Defensive (q.v.).
The big problem I have found with Magpul magazines is their inability to feed steel-cased ammunition. I tried it out, and initially, it worked, but once I started getting closer to the bottom of the magazine, things started choking up. The steel casings just aren’t quite as slick as brass, and coupled with no metal insert, the Magpul magazines just simply do not like steel-cased ammunition. Now, if you don’t run steel-cased ammunition and don’t believe that steel-cased ammo is in your future, that isn’t really a concern.
Every time I mention these magazines online, people come out of the woodwork and tell me that they are garbage, don’t work, fail, etc. I can’t discount what they say, but that is completely foreign to my experience. I continue to shoot with and train with those Magpul magazines every time I go to the range, looking for said failure. If it happens, I’ll come back and report it, but I have yet to see it. I am sure that some of the failure modes I mentioned with factory magazines are also quite possible with Magpul Glock magazines.
I still carry with Glock factory magazines, but my nightstand gun has one of the Magpul 21-round magazines in it. I believe in it enough to trust my home defense to it. If you have any doubts, then stick with the factory magazines…
Read the review in its entirety: https://www.justifieddefensiveconcepts.com/blog/2019/3/21/magpul-glock-magazines.
A Magpul Glock magazine in the wild.
Other Aftermarket Glock Magazines
We haven’t gotten that far yet. Until we do, check out the Aftermarket Glock Mag article Travis Pike penned for Pew Pew Tactical.
Be sure to check back periodically. There is still…
That’s what she said.
This article may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase using such a link, we will earn a small commission from that sale at no additional cost to you. 
We buy ours at Gunmag Warehouse.
They even have those really scary magazines the press is always talking about.
Other places to purchase Magpul products:
Magpul Products are available at these and other locations.
→ Amazon Prime
→ Big Daddy Unlimited
→ Brownells
→ Cabela’s
→ eBay
→ Midway USA
→ Optics Planet
→ Palmetto State Armory
→ Rainier Arms
→ Sportsmans Guide
→ Tactical Distributors Inc.
→ US Elite Gear
→ Weapon Outfitters
Check out more Magpul articles on Breach-Bang-Clear.
Great post overall, The PMAG 27 GL9 is my favourite.
Being an avid shooter & signed up with nearly every supplier in the gun world for accessories & blogs, I have never paid more then $20 for a glock standard capacity mag or $30 for a 33 rd mag. Carrying my G19 G3 for over 11 yrs never an issue, however for a reasonably discount to OEM mags for range use maybe OK, but then I was never really a penny pincher more into reliability. With that said I have total faith in their AR mags, they are all I own.
Will mags be available for other models in the near future. I have a .40 and it would be nice since they’re less expensive than factory.
Bought four as soon as they were on sale @ Midway. Totally fucked up the floor plate on one of them – tried to use the Glock way on them. Bad idea.
But Magpul doesn’t sell the floor plates along, so now I’m short a magazine. Sucks.
Are they heavy enough to drop free without getting hung up in the magwell?
Absolutely. Zero drop free issues. Their matte in texture on the sides, and I’ll go so far as to say these drop free EASIER and even faster than the factory mags I have.