Glock 43x Magazine 30 Round - Tyrant Designs is an American manufacturer of high quality CNC machined AR-15's and gun upgrades and accessories. They recently sent me a pair of their Glock 43X with 48 +4 magazine extensions. When it comes to magazine extensions, the deciding vote on whether they are quality extensions usually comes down to how effective they are with the gun. In addition to this benchmark, I will also discuss how they change the carry experience compared to standard capacity magazines.
My initial impression of the magazine's expansion can be summed up in one word - accurate. As a former machinist, I can see the quality CNC machining of these parts. Although the magazine wells seem to have a lot of sharp edges, they are notched to a comfortable angle to prevent any kind of probing or scratching when handling or holstering.
Glock 43x Magazine 30 Round
The aluminum is well made and resistant to general abrasion and scratching, but will come off if you try hard enough - by no means invulnerable, but good enough that you won't wear down the surface with normal use.
Comparing The Glock 43 Vs. 43x
For looks, I'd give them a solid 9/10 - they look great paired with the original two-tone finish on the Glock 43X and Glock 48 I own. The magazine is flush with the size of the grip and only extends downward, adding to the overall height of the firearm in this configuration. As for the other colors, I wish it looked a little more quirky, but the black and silver tyrant gave me a great looking gun.
This is the most frustrating part of giving a magazine extension to a Glock pistol. With most pistol magazines, all you have to do is press a button on the bottom of the magazine and slide the bottom plate. For Glock magazines, there are two small tabs on the left and right sides of the magazine body that retract into the bedplate, and in addition to the button on the bottom that pushes the spring seat up, the bedplate must be pressed down.
There are tools to do this, but I resorted to using a pair of channel locks to hold the sides. Even with a channel lock, it takes a lot of force to overcome engaging the tiny locking tab to remove the original bottom plate.
With the original bottom plate removed, installing the Tyrant Designs extensions was easy: just slide the follower from the old spring onto the extension, insert the spring and follower, and cap it with the magazine extension.
How Many Rounds Does A Glock Hold?
The Tyrant makes removal easy, with a small, permanent stop at the back of the extension that can be pressed in by pressing down firmly on an empty housing or other solid object - no chute lock required.
The magazine extension works as advertised. I had a little trouble loading these up to round 14. With a little practice, it's not a problem, but the last round definitely takes a lot of pressure to get in there. Even with added pressure, the magazine can be inserted with the slide closed, but the magazine will not fall freely when filled.
I did some testing to see how the magazine would perform with the gun in working order. When fully loaded, the magazine is difficult to seat and does not fall freely. However, it seems you can keep the magazine full for up to 12 rounds and still have it fall out of the gun. If there are more magazines than that, the magazines tend to jam in the magazine. This seems to be a Glock mag issue, combined with the extra spring pressure causing a bulge near the bottom of the OEM Glock mag.
When fully loaded, the sides of the magazine protrude enough to secure the magazine in the gun. This may be a problem for some, but to me it seems like a minor inconvenience as I don't see myself dropping a fully loaded magazine. In normal use, the spring provides enough pressure to properly feed the gun and lock the slide on the last round. Once the magazine is empty, the magazine will drop normally - maybe even a bit faster than the original magazine due to the added weight of the insert.
Glock Glock 17 Refurbished For Sale 9mm Pr17509 764503175091 4.5 17 Round Black
One thing I noticed is that the extension on the firearm prevents you from getting your palm caught between the magazine hole and the magazine bed when reloading. Overall, I find it easier to handle magazines with extensions attached to them.
The biggest damage to magazine extensions is in the stealth department. When loaded into the Glock 48, the overall height of the gun increases by nearly 2 inches. Gun height is often the hardest part to hide because it contrasts with your naturally oval waist. When hidden under the regular shirts I wear, they create a more prominent print, which is not ideal.
Just recently, TFBTV's James Reeves gave us a scientific ranking of the effectiveness of concealed carry handguns. The efficiency score works as follows:
Calculated from the product of the number of revolutions per square inch and the number of revolutions per ounce. It doesn't take into account the overall length of the gun, but it does its effectiveness. A lighter gun with a thin/short frame and higher capacity will do well here. The higher the score the better.
Round Mag For My Baby 43x. Or As I Like To Call It: 43x Tendo.
The Glock 48 typically has an efficiency rating of 0.79 and has a 10-round magazine capacity. As the magazine expands, the efficiency score drops to 0.76, which doesn't drop much. This puts the Glock 48 in line with firearms such as the SIG Sauer P228, Glock 26 Gen 3 and the compact SIG Sauer P320. The main factor that contributed to the drop in score was the increase in altitude.
Subjectively, I think if I were to carry these mag inserts, I would put them in a pocket or mag holster, as this would reduce the negative effect they would have on concealment when inserted into the firearm. Of course, you can beat that efficiency score by adding massive magazine extensions, but ultimately that defeats the purpose of a concealed carry handgun—basically cheating the system.
I think the Tyrant Designs +4 mag extender is a great addition to your Glock 43X or Glock 48 for everyday shooting or as a spare mag extender. They don't add much weight, and they do provide extra grip space for those with extra large hands.
I probably don't carry these as part of my EDC kit, but I do take them to the range and pack them at home. The method I use for carry doesn't lend itself to a larger grip than the Glock 48 already has. It's always a good idea to have extra larger capacity magazines on hand, and I think keeping them at home or as extra magazines in the car or with you is the best way to carry them.
Glock 43x 10 Rd Pistol Romeo Zero Pmm Barrel / Compensator Tlr 7
If you would like to choose your own Tyrant Designs +4 magazine extension for your Glock 43X or Glock 48, you can visit their website. Each magazine extension costs $39.95, is available in 6 different colors, and comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee and a lifetime warranty.
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