Are magazine extensions worth it?

[bos19]

I recently got a Glock 43 and it came with two magazines-one standard size and one with a pinkie extension, but no extra magazine capacity. The magazine with the pinkie extension fits my hand very well, but the standard size does not, and I want some extra capacity. I was thinking about getting two Taran Tactical +2 extensions for them. Thoughts?

 

[Armored farmer]

Yes, I like them.
I have one for my lcp, and one for my SR9C.
A nice comfortable grip for an otherwise small gun, plus an extra round or five.....win-win.

Here is my extended magazine on the lcp. My original mag is my spare and rides in my pocket.

 

[FL-NC]

Yes, they are def. worth it.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

I recently got a Glock 43 and it came with two magazines-one standard size and one with a pinkie extension, but no extra magazine capacity. The magazine with the pinkie extension fits my hand very well, but the standard size does not, and I want some extra capacity. I was thinking about getting two Taran Tactical +2 extensions for them. Thoughts?

I've never minded wrapping my pinky around the bottom of the grip as the majority of my grip pressure comes from my middle and ring fingers. I have used pinky extensions that worked alright, with my P938 being the best example. However, if you get a reliable and functional extension that adds capacity, that's the way to go.

Honestly though, every capacity enhancing extension I've used on a carry gun made me wonder why I didn't just get a bigger gun, especially given the availability of options. So I don't buy extensions any more, I buy the gun in the size I want and with the capacity I desire in a flush fitting magazine.

 

[bos19]

I've never minded wrapping my pinky around the bottom of the grip as the majority of my grip pressure comes from my middle and ring fingers. I have used pinky extensions that worked alright, with my P938 being the best example. However, if you get a reliable and functional extension that adds capacity, that's the way to go.

Honestly though, every capacity enhancing extension I've used on a carry gun made me wonder why I didn't just get a bigger gun, especially given the availability of options. So I don't buy extensions any more, I buy the gun in the size I want and with the capacity I desire in a flush fitting magazine.

I got a G43 because the size seemed right for me. I have a G19, but the G19 is too big for me to carry during the summer. I’m wondering if the G26 would have been a better choice...

 

[mcb]

I have never bother with them on my carry guns, valuing compact conceal-ability over capacity. Now on my competition guns I run them a lot. Even on my Limited-10 gun not for the capacity increase but for the length increase to get below the mag-well.

 

[IdaD]

I think it depends on your hand, the gun and the situation. I have a pinky extension on the 7 round mag for my Shield. It gives me a full grip and the way it's tapered up towards the rear means it doesn't really print any more than it would with the flat base plate, given how I carry it (AIWB). It does not add any capacity. By contrast I use flat base plates on my LCP. That only gives me a 1.5 finger grip but I find that adequate, and the pinky extensions make the gun print more than I would like in my pocket holster.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

I got a G43 because the size seemed right for me. I have a G19, but the G19 is too big for me to carry during the summer. I’m wondering if the G26 would have been a better choice...

Maybe, but at least with the 43 you have the option of a very small carry gun when concealment is absolutely necessary. I can't make my HK P30 any smaller than it is with a flush magazine. I have to carry a smaller gun.

I don't mind having multiple sized carry guns, but your method can certainly save you some money. And there is the added benefit of consistency of practice.

 

[ATLDave]

I have never bother with them on my carry guns, valuing compact conceal-ability over capacity. Now on my competition guns I run them a lot. Even on my Limited-10 gun not for the capacity increase but for the length increase to get below the mag-well.

Bruh. You shootin' L10 in Alabama? Come on, man.

 

[mcb]

Bruh. You shootin' L10 in Alabama? Come on, man.

Naw, not anymore I am shooting Limited with an R1 Limited but when I first got into USPSA I only had an XD-40. The original XD-40 magazines are not true double stacks being 40S&W stuffed into a 9mm width magazine so I could never get more than 16rds in a 140mm magazine (15rds with Arrendondo extension and 16rds with my homemade extensions). So I just ran in L-10 until I wised up and switched to Revolver.

 

[Trunk Monkey]

I got a G43 because the size seemed right for me.

And yet here you are.

I have a G19, but the G19 is too big for me to carry during the summer.

I never understand this. I carry a 19 year round and I don't have a problem with it.

I’m wondering if the G26 would have been a better choice...

I really like my 26 but in your case I think a 43X would have been a better choice.

 

[1MoreFord]

I carry my guns with a stock flush fitting mag but have and value extended mags for my reloads when there is an extended mag available for the pistol.

 

[bearcreek]

I never understand this. I carry a 19 year round and I don't have a problem with it.

I think a lot of it has to do with posture and mindset. Bos19 has the body type to carry a G19 comfortably but it takes dedication and sometimes a willingness to change wardrobe a little in order to carry a pistol that size. Not everybody is willing to do that.

 

[earlthegoat2]

I like the the pinky extensions that slant downward from the rear to the front of the grip. I have a few +2 extensions for a G19 shaped this way and it maintains concealibility while still giving a few more rounds. Kind of a compromise between a G19 and a G19X.

 

[Skylerbone]

I used to carry a full size spare magazine with an X-Grip for my M&P 9c. It was a simple rubber sleeve that slid over the full size magazine and extended/followed the contour of the smaller pistol. That allowed me to carry small while still having iirc 28+1 capacity between two magazines. I don’t really print much on my frame though and eventually switched to a smaller pistol for summer carry. What I’ve always found to be true is carry method and holster make the real difference in what can be hidden, comfortable, and accessible.

 

[Trunk Monkey]

I use the factory extensions on my 26 and I carry a 19 magazine as a reload.

ETA I don't mind curling my pinky under the grip but the extension makes the grip just that right size without sacrificing any noticeable concealability.

I actually have to remind myself which gun I'm shooting when I'm shooting the 26 and the 19 at the range

 

[rskent]

Thoughts?

For me, the Pierce +1’s fit the best. The Taran +1, +2 and +3’s all ran fine. But the Pierce +1’s just fit my hand the best.
They add just enough length to help my grip, without being to long. I dumped the Taran’s. Same with my G42.

 

[Tallball]

I have a couple of handguns that I have some trouble gripping properly with the flat factory mag.

IIRC, it was my G43 that I slid a little mag extension onto to let me get my pinky on it. It doesn't add extra rounds, just room for my pinky. It cost $5 or less.

My small Kahr 40 caliber (PM40) was hard for me to grip securely and shoot well with the flat factory mag. I got a slightly extended magazine that maybe added a round, and now I can grip/control it just fine.

 

[jmr40]

It depends. I have a G43 and for carrying most of the time prefer the standard flush fit magazine. It is a small gun, if I wanted to carry a bigger gun I'd have bought a bigger gun. I carry IWB most of the time and find the extended mags harder to conceal. If concealment is less important, then I do have one +2 Vickers Tactical mag extension for the gun. And that is the one that I tend to carry as a spare.

I never understand this. I carry a 19 year round and I don't have a problem with it.

If I lived in Colorado I could probably pull that off too. But in the heat and humidity of GA it ain't happening.

 

[bearcreek]

If I lived in Colorado I could probably pull that off too. But in the heat and humidity of GA it ain't happening.

Unless you're walking around shirtless, there's no difference.

Like many here, I carry a flush fit mag in the gun and a higher capacity mag as a backup. Is it worth it? Impossible to say till the time comes to use those last two rounds.

 

[Trunk Monkey]

If I lived in Colorado I could probably pull that off too. But in the heat and humidity of GA it ain't happening.

I'd be willing to bet that quite a few people in Georgia carry a Glock 19 all year long

 

[Styx]

I think a lot of it has to do with posture and mindset. Bos19 has the body type to carry a G19 comfortably but it takes dedication and sometimes a willingness to change wardrobe a little in order to carry a pistol that size. Not everybody is willing to do that.

Yea, unless I put on a huge oversized baggy shirt and look like an idiot, I can not conceal a G19. There will be an imprint of what's clearly a gun, and the butt of the grip will poke the shirt out. A G19 sized pistol in the spring/summer is a nonstarter for me, and many people.

Like Bearcreek meantioned, I typically will carry a single stack with the flush mag and Pearce pinky extension. I'll also will carry one or two extra full size single stack mags on my weak side. That'll generally give me 7 or 8 rounds in the gun and 8-16 or so extra rounds respectively depending on the caliber I'm carrying... It makes zero sense to me to EDC a G43 or the like with an attachment that basically gives it a full sized grip length. That defeats the entire purpose of buying a G43 in the first place... To each their own though.

 

[Trunk Monkey]

Yea, unless I put on a huge oversized baggy shirt and look like an idiot, I can not conceal a G19. There will be an imprint of what's clearly a gun, and the butt of the grip will poke the shirt out. A G19 sized pistol in the spring/summer is a nonstarter for me, and many people.

I think it's a matter of priorities. My life experience has shown me that there really is a non-zero chance that I may actually have to defend myself with a handgun. As a result I'm willing to make accommodation to conceal a duty sized gun and reloads.

I've been dressing around my gun long enough that I suspect people would notice a change if I didn't. Generally speaking I only have to go up a size in my shirts to conceal my Glock 19 and I tend to do that for comfort anyway. I don't see that I'm all that noticeable or that the way that I dress makes me stand out.

 

[JohnKSa]

I know that some people swear by magazine extensions--I'm not one of them.

1. If I want a long grip on a gun I will buy a gun with a long grip. The guns I have that might "benefit" from magazine extensions were purchased specifically because I wanted a gun with small dimensions, including a short grip. It just doesn't make sense to me to undo that purchase decision by extending the grip with a magazine extension.

2. My pinky finger is tremendously weaker than any other fingers on my hands. I can easily overpower the pinky of my strong hand with the ring finger of my weak hand by hooking them together and pulling until one fails. It's not even a close contest. I don't dispute that getting the pinky on the gun does provide some stabilization, but if I can get my middle and ring finger on the grip, my guess is that I'm providing something like 90% of the stabilization that I would get with all three fingers on it--maybe more. I'm willing to lose that little bit of grip stabilization in the interest of having a smaller gun that's easier to conceal.

That's not to say that I don't appreciate the benefits of a longer grip. That's why, when I can manage to conceal one, I carry a larger gun. But then I get the benefit of not just an extended grip, but also a softer shooting gun, a longer sight radius, often a better trigger, and a lot more capacity.

In other words, if I can carry a bigger gun, I do. When I have to carry a small gun, I have to carry a small gun. Making it bigger doesn't make sense because if I could manage to carry a gun with a longer grip then I would just carry an overall bigger gun and get lots of benefits, not just the benefit of getting my pinky on the grip.

 

[MedWheeler]

I like the 10-round Kel-Tec P32 magazine in the gun for pocket-carry in anything but jeans, but I'm only not in jeans when at work (and when traveling to and from work.) So, it doesn't get used when I'm at home; the gun is a pocket-carried backup with its stock magazine in place.

I have a pinky extension on my Taurus PT738, but it does not add capacity. It does make a difference in handling, but also causes the gun to print slightly more in a jeans front pocket (not that anyone would notice.)