Let’s play a game.
Name a brand that the firearms accessory industry supports more than Glock. I’ll wait.
Naming another company as prolific in its aftermarket as Glock isn’t easy, is it?
In fact, it’s damn near impossible to find a gun that comes even close to competing with Gaston Glock’s plastic fantastic when it comes to upgrades and customization.
You can buy sights, grips, barrels, slides, triggers, and on and on to turn your Glock into something barely recognizable as a Glock.
Here at Pew Pew Tactical, we’ve talked about aftermarket slide stops, aftermarket Glock triggers, and aftermarket Glock slides that completely change the look, and in some cases performance, of the gun.
But what about one of the most important parts of a handgun…the magazines?
Are there any magazines out there that can improve on Glock OEM Mags or at least match OEM performance?
In this post, we’ll talk about high-quality aftermarket Glock magazines as well as affordable, budget-friendly options.
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Prices accurate at time of writing
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Now before we dive into aftermarket magazines I do want to go ahead and say Glock itself manufactures high quality and dependable magazines.
They can on occasions dry up in terms of supply, and like many OEM magazines tend to be a little pricier than aftermarket. However, they are rock solid magazines.
With that said, let’s dive into the best mags for Glock.
Best Glock Magazines
This first group of Glock aftermarket magazines is the best of the best. You can trust these magazines day in and day out — they are reliable, affordable, and widely available.
These magazines that are worthy of both defensive use and competition use.
1. Elite Tactical Systems
Elite Tactical Systems mags, aka ETS, are some very eye-catching and recognizable magazines for the Glock and AR platforms.
They stand out from other magazines because ETS produces them from a translucent polymer, which gives them a unique appearance.
In addition to looking cool, the clear nature of these mags provides you with a means to instantly check how much ammo you have left in the gun.
Glock OEM mags use witness holes, but ETS magazines use witness everything. You can instantly know exactly which of the magazines in your range bag are loaded and which are not.
ETS magazines are also well known for their durability and reliability. They can be dropped over and over, kicked, thrown and tossed and they just keep working as smoothly as ever.
The same advanced polymer that provides such an unusual appearance is, according to ETS, also resistant to feed lip creep, harsh chemicals, and both high and low temperatures.
One of the best things about the ETS magazines is they make so many different varieties of magazines.
You also get options for the Glock G43 single stack 9mm and the Glock 42 single stack .380 ACP in their standard capacity configurations.
Then the extenders come into play. The increased capacity single stack magazines are my favorite. These mags allow you to carry 7, 9, or 12 rounds of 9mm or .380 ACP, depending on your gun.
These compromise concealed carry by increasing size but can double your capacity.
When we move on to the double stacks we see a pretty big increase as well.
Everyone knows about the Glock 18 33-round magazines, and they’re lots and lots of fun at the range.
Well, ETS produces extended magazines in capacities of 31, 27, and 22 for 9mm and 30, 24, and 19 for the 40 S&W.
The 31 and 30 round magazines are designed for fun, while the other 27, 22 for 9mm and 24 and 19 for .40 S&W are designed for competition and to fit inside various rules.
ETS’ 9mm 22 round and 40 S&W 19 round are 140mm and are legal for USPSA limited division. And the 27 and 24 round magazines are for IPSC and are 170mm.
Speaking of competitions, one final bonus for these magazines is that most Glock base plates will fit on these magazines. This opens you up to base plates from companies like Taran Tactical.
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Prices accurate at time of writing
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If you want to see this in action in a full-auto Glock, check out our Glock G18 review here or watch the video below.
2. Magpul
These days, everyone knows the Magpul PMAG is an amazing magazine, revolutionizing the magazine world.
The Magpul PMAG GL series aims to do the same for the Glock magazine realm.
At this time Magpul has plenty of options for 9mm Glocks.
Magpul just recently released a 140mm, 21 round GL9 magazine, legal for USPSA limited class. They’re also releasing a 170mm, 27 round magazine for IPSC.
The magazines are almost entirely made out of reinforced polymer, which makes them tough and stiff.
The floor plate is interchangeable with most Glock aftermarket plates as well, like these from Taran Tactical ($40).
Magpul magazines drop free without issue, even when empty.
They are also pretty dang affordable.
Pro shooters and trainers, as well as yours truly, have given them rave reviews. They are just too affordable and high quality to say no to.
There is one downside, though...
The majority do not have any kind of witness holes, with the 17, 15, and 12 rounders only having a single hole at the bottom indicating the magazine is full.
Magpul’s extended magazines do feature witness holes, which make more sense because these stick outside the magazine well just a bit longer.
Overall, however, these are excellent magazines that are effective, affordable, and dead nuts reliable.
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
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What do you think of Magpul’s PMAG series? Rate it below!
Range Mags
Not every magazine has to be used for life and death scenarios. Sometimes you just want extra magazines for the range.
When I go to the range, I want to dedicate my time to shooting, not loading mags, especially if the range charges by the hour.
At the range, I don’t need magazines designed to go to war, so I’m willing to skimp a little to get more affordable options.
If you want some range mags that are both reliable and affordable there are options.
Some of these magazines are intended to be used for genuine training, while others are just goofy fun.
3. KCI USA
KCI USA is a Korean manufacturer that produces super affordable, all-polymer magazines for a very low price.
Are they reliable? Most of the time they will cycle and feed fine. Will they stay together after they’ve been dropped dozens of times? Maybe not.
KCI also makes your standard 15 & 17 round mags for 9mm, as well as a 33 round magazine. KCI USA makes a 40 rounder for .40 S&W for Glocks too.
One of their cooler, and more interesting, options are the 50 round drum.
It’s completely ridiculous looking, but it holds 50 rounds of 9mm.
It’s also quite heavy, impractical, and a little more expensive, but sometimes ridiculousness is its own reward.
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
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After all, who wouldn’t want a Glock drum?
Just Say No To…
Not all magazines are great, and not all have a price that reflects their quality. These magazines are even unreliable on a static range.
So unless you want to get really good at malfunction drills, you should avoid ProMag.
ProMag produces magazines for almost every gun out there, even more, obscure ones. Unfortunately, ProMag has gained a reputation, and not a good one.
The real shame is with a little quality control they could produce some awesome mags for weird guns.
My experience with ProMag has been with their 1911 mags, their AK mags, and one solitary 10-round Glock mag a guy at the gun store gave me. They were all frustratingly bad.
Many retailers will no longer carry them because of customer complaints, so be wary.
Conclusion
Glock’s Plastic Fantastic has left a mark on the world that many have tried and failed to reach.
Part of that success is due to a massive aftermarket, and the magazine aftermarket has only recently begun to grow.
I love that someone besides Glock is making high-quality magazines for the platform, especially since more and more guns are using Glock mags.
Am I missing any aftermarket magazines makers you’d suggest? Now that you’ve gotten your mags, it’s time to personalize your Glock. These are the Best Glock Mods we can’t go without.
68 Leave a Reply
No SGM Tactical mags?
What's with the hate for the MagPul Glock mags? Never had a problem with them.
Hard to understand the MagPul hate here.. I don't yet have any MP for my Glocks but have them for my out-the-door AR... no issues yet.
Guess we know who the sponsors are. The entire internet hates the Magpul Glock mags, they fail to feed, fail to lock back, and sometimes fail to lock into place! But according to this, they are perfect!
This post was not sponsored. It's based on what our author and staff prefer for their Glocks.
Sure. We know who’s bags are extra heavy in January after all the drinks at Shot Show. It’s okay! No need to be ashamed, I like free stuff too!
I can assure you my bag weighs the same post-SHOT as it does when I arrive there. Lol. But thanks for reading and commenting. :)
I have a Glock 42. I've had major feed issues with the Glock magazines for it. Just bought a Promag, I've had zero issues. All 6 rounds feed perfectly. Now I know, a Glock 42 is not the most popular Glock out there. But I like it as a backup.
Clearly Travis has never held a KCI. I have one in my hand right now as I am commenting and it is not an all polymer magazine. It is a steel mag covered in polymer. Two layers and as far as durability goes I doubt there is one better out there. I use my 33 rounders in my ATI AR rifle and ruger pc carbine and never had a failure with them. ETS on the other hand are pure garbage. I actually got so pissed with the one and only mag I had from them I threw it on the ground and shot the pile of shit up till there was nothing left of it.
I have constant failures to feed and double feeds with my Magpul GL9 21 round mags in my stock Glock 19 and 17. None of them are old and it happens the same with all of them. Seems to be a design flaw.
Same here everybody shills for magpul. "He says that KCI is all polymer design " in this review and they might not hold up overtime. I will chalk it up to he is probably propping up the American brands that have paid him which I understand mans got to make a living....but if you were to objectively review these mags the only magazine that's not absolutely trash is the KCI because it is a identical copy of the Glock magazine which every one that knows is King period nothing is more reliable. But the KCI is FULLY METAL LINED POLYMER BODIED with witness holes
Just want to pop in and say PPT nor its authors are paid by companies for reviews or to prop up products. We give our honest assessment based on our experiences -- which may vary from yours.
My buddy gave me two KCI mags for my Glock. When I opened my safe, one fell, hit the floor, and literally exploded. I had KCI mags for my M1 Carbine, and they were flawless, but they were steel. Since then, I've been leary of them.
What abou SGM Tactical ? I heard good and bad things about it.
I been Looking For a Glock 42 100 Round Drum... I See The 32 Round Drum For Sale Though... I Want More Round's To Hold For My Bucks They Need To Make a Brand For Glock 42 in a 100 Round Drum 380. atm Going to buy the 32 Drum For a backup. Money Talks Show Me the 100 Round Glock 42 380. Drum... and I'll pay The Fidiyo ''
Ets makes .45 Caliber glock mags. Check their website. I have tons of them for my G21. That is the only thing I have found misleading on this article.
Hey Eric, thanks for catching that. This was an update to an older article and we forgot to zap that line out. Appreciate the heads up!
I bought 7 g-21 ets 30 rnd mags from 3 different co. What do they have in common? They were all junk. They work good to throw in garbage can. Do not waste your money. The 9mm mags work excellent. DONE WITH ETS!
Stay away from the KCI mags
Agree with first generation KCI mags. Picked up a few for G19 and G19 range mags and was unimpressed. Picked up a few second gen recently and used them exclusively for a couple of tactical training courses in a couple of third generation G19s with zero issues. They were easy to load to full capacity and worked perfectly. To be fair, haven't dropped them on concrete yet.
The KCI mags got for my g21 are hard to insert and can take 2 people to pull my out. So i got SKM samething to tight. Magpul drops out no problem but it's a drum. I have a FTM ar45 the lower was designed for G21 mags. Not sure which mags to I have 3 different brands that are too tight with only a drum that goes in and falls out properly.
As the happy, contented, satisfied owner of a Gen3 G21 (.45), believe me when I say I’m used to being ignored, shunned, even laughed at when it comes to respect from the firearms community at large. This article is no exception.
That’s okay though. I actually have plenty of OEM Glock mags. My beautiful, deadly lover asks for respect from one person only - me. And she has that.
I bought a Magpul 10 round magazine for a G19 and ultimately returned it. I found that the magazine (spring?) would PING every time I dry fired... I do a lot of dry fire and it was driving me crazy. I was also going to (glue) mount a Mantis X-10 adapter to the bottom and found the Magpul base plate had a 'step' in it that made the gluing problematic. The factory Glock magazines don't seem to ping, and the baseplate is flatter.
As far as pro mags go I picked up an LCP a few years back and got a pro mag 10 rounder with it. I took it to the range and afterwards started using it to scrape mud off my boots. Then I realized I was being disrespectful to mud and gave it to someone I hate. If someone offers you one run away! And for god’s sake don’t buy one whatever you do!
"Name a brand that the firearms accessory industry supports more than Glock" Colt 1911 and AR15 excluded?
I would absolutely say that there is more aftermarket support for Glock than the 1911 platform.
AR-15 isn't a brand ;)
I understand wanting to save money but a reliable functional magazine is obviously important. While I have several ets 40 rd mags that have never malfunctioned im going to use factory glock mags for anything other than fooling about at the range.
I don't know about Y'all when it comes to knowing how many rounds are in the magazine, witness holes or clear I can't see inside the handle of my Glock anyway so unless I'm counting I'm not gonna know how many rounds I have left! LOL
Recommending cheap unreliable magazines for people WILL get someone killed given a big enough audience, all for a few cents of that sweet clicklink/affiliate money.
The idea of "training" or "range" mags is equally braindead - WHY would you spend the ONLY time you have to train/practice with your gun using magazines that make the gun less reliable?
I bought a KCI 33 round magazine for my Glock 26 and the performance has been terrible. The rounds ALWAYS jam. I just use it as a bullet holder now. It's totally worthless as a magazine. Better to spend a bit more money and buy a magazine made by Glock for your Glock gun.
Bought a couple of G17/G19 31-round RWB magazines from keepshooting.com (They currently ship to California as of August/Sept 2020 - Woo hoo!) Outstanding value at less than half the price of factory Glock magazines. They load a full 31 rounds and drop free just like factory Glock mags, and the polymer construction with steel reinforcement seems very sturdy. But the feed lips are really rough out-of-the-box, and need some polishing to guarantee smooth loading and feeding. I do that anyway with most new magazines, so it's a small gripe considering the great price and otherwise good functionality.
I have a ETS .40 extended mag i think its 31 rounds its junk all it does is jam I dont recommend ETS at all
Do not buy magazines from gunmagwarehouse! The 31 round 9 mm magazines are actually 20 bucks each and then they tack on shipping and handling. Almost $48 for two magazines. I stumbled across another site call classic firearms and they have the exact same magazines for under 15 bucks. That's a $10 difference. I notified gunmagwarehouse after ordering there's an almost 50 bucks and said you match prices. They said no absolutely not. I said then refund the $14 difference they said no. I said well then I'll return these and buy from the other guys no response. I look at their return policy and it's a total rip-off. they don't refund their shipping cost and you have to pay to ship it back to them. I don't know of any other online store that does that. I may just return these anyway and pocket the three or four dollar difference just on principal sake. Let them keep their shipping cost the cheap bastards.
Wished I had read your comment earlier this month. I just bought 4 SGM 31rd stick mags from them and all 4 were failures pending return for refund.
I have been seeking information on a company called SGM Tactical. Their Glock mags appear to be nearly exact copies of Glock FML magazines, but I'm wondering if this is somehow deceiving? The prices for their HC mags is only slightly lower than OEM factory mags... but are they worth it? I discovered them on the Recoil Gunworks website.
I have not encountered them before, sorry.
My FX-9 came with an SGM double-stacked 17rd mag (pinned to 10 because Canada). No issues so far, seems to perform just like my OEM G17/G19 mags. Spring doesn’t feel as strong when loading last round, but it functions perfectly.
Sgm tactical magazines 33rd, got several for my AR9. Love them. Drop free, reliably feed. Stay away from the south Korean 33rd, they fit too tight and you have to sand them down for drop free, plus they don't load easy. Just stick to the sgm tactical mags. 5stars from me.
I agree got two of them and they fit too tight.
The link to Rainier Arms for the Taran Tactical baseplates in the section about Magpul Glock mags says in big red letters: This product will ONLY work on the Compact 9mm and .40 cal Glock OEM magazines! This verbiage is also found if you visit TTI's page for the baseplates.
I have the magpul mags and these don’t work with the Taran base pad as claimed in here.
I have been doing some long term testing of 3 Magpul G19 mags. I got them on sale for $11 each right after they were released. They have been left loaded in between range trips. They have been dropped repeatedly on a multitude of different surfaces. Thrown around, dropped in muddy puddles, and stomped on. They ran fine up to around the 1100 round mark. At this point, the feed lips were starting to spread. Currently they have around 1300 rounds through each of them and all three create stovepipe malfunctions. Due to this, Magpul is on my range only mag list.
I also tested KCI glock mags several years ago. I bought them because they were $4 each. They have ran reliably. The problem with the KCI mags is their baseplates are brittle. A few drops on a hard surface were all it took to crack or break the baseplates. I havent had any problems since replacing the baseplates with Glock plates. The KCI Glock mags also require a good cleaning every 700 to 800 rounds, otherwise the fouling causes rounds in the mag to jam up and get lodged inside the mag. A good scrubbing in some hot dish water resolved this problem. Glock factory mags can go a bit longer before they have to be cleaned.
IME, I stick with factory Glock mags for serious purposes. They can be had for as little as $20 each and are the most reliable option available. They still arent perfect. Still need to keep them clean, change the springs when needed, and keep an eye on the baseplates for splits and cracks.
I bought a CMMG Banshee 300 in 5.7x28, which came with a ProMag magazine. The magazine began to spontaneously release simply by pushing it against a sandbag rest or my body after less than 50 rounds had been fired. The Banshee is a fine rifle, but only genuine FN magazines solved the unintended magazine release problem. Bottom line--don't buy ProMag magazines.
I understand that the KRISS Vector in .45acp will take Glock 21 mags. This has me thinking about buying both weapons, as I value swap-ability in both ammo and magazines between platforms.
And I’m fixed on .45’s, so that’s not negotiable.
Are there any other guns out there that would be mag swappable with the Glock 21? Are there any 1911 platforms that might take the G21 mag?
I have exactly one ProMag, for my P.38 pistol.
I wish all mags were made like this one - it appears to be an extrusion rather than folded sheet metal, is blued and looks real classy! I've had zero problems with it to date - BUT - I replaced the stock spring with an extra Wolff mag spring I had on hand before I ever took it to the range. The stock spring felt like it was twice as strong as any other P.38 mag spring I'd ever seen - since I had a replacement on hand, I didn't fool with it.
I cannot speak about ProMag otherwise, no other experience here.
ProMag = NoMag.
AINT that the TRUTH!
I own a dozen ETS mags (ranging from 10-33 rounds). Initially loved them, but quickly realized that their springs are garbage!! If you leave any of my mags fully loaded they will quickly lose their integrity and reliability. Each one has proven Tubidy unreliable and I wouldn't trust them for defense. Lately I stopped bringing them to the range all together because they are just toys and novelties at best. Don't know why the editors here think they are good? They must not have enough experience or I put them through real work before posting these Stellar reviews
I agree! I bought three 12 round ETS mags for my G43 and none will hold 12 rounds! Not to mention repeated jams on 2 of the 3!
Why don’t you replace the springs? That’s a super cheap solution to make an otherwise great mag even better.
Because they are using weak springs on purpose in a attempt to keep the lips of the magazine from spreading while under load with bullets in the magazine because they are not metal lined and polymer flexes that's why pmags have those magazine covers that cover the top of their magazines it simulates being in the gun when you insert a mag into a gun you will notice that when its loaded there is a stiff moment right before the mag latches and locks that you have to firmly push to get past when that happens it is pushing the stack of loaded ammo against the bottom of the slide and when it fully seats the feedlips are no longer under load since the bullet stack is forced down just enough. which is feed lips only spread in mags that are not in the gun or not capped off with a cover ,that relieves the pressure to the lips when speaking of all polymer designed magazine's. KCI gen 2 or OEM is the only way
Lots of oem glock mags of all round counts in 9mm and 45 acp, the gold standard! why glock doesn't make an extended 45acp mag is beyond me. I have two magpul glock 9mm mags, a 17 and a 21, they are great, I also have 1 glock 9mm Ets 33 round mag, so far so good. I have two kci 50 round glock 9mm drums, have been totally reliable and awesome, just got an rwb glock 45acp drum, the excitement has quickly died, won't feed.
.FTF FTF FTF!!!!
PROMAG stands for "Please Remember, Our Magazines Are Garbage"
I've got 6 of the KCI 2nd generation mags and while they look well made they were a real mixed bag out of the box. I shoot a Glock 21 and a 30 so I was looking for big sticks for .45 and this was what I found. A little research on the internet led me to some basic rules regarding their products. First off stay away from the older first generation mags. They're the ones that have that stippled texture halfway down the sides. They are supposedly bad mojo. Second go out and put Wilson springs in them. While the sticks are dead-ringers for the factor Glock magazines the weakness with these things is the garbage springs. Once you remove those and replace them with the Wilson springs for 9mm/40 big sticks you go from 26 rounds of .45 that may or may not all come out of the magazine to 25 rounds of .45 that are pretty darn reliable.
They went wrong saving money on the springs and its fixable. They're not going to be as cheap as you hoped though once you have to put new springs in them so unless you're like me and stuck without options in .45 I'd say talk to Magpul first or just buy the Glock factory mags.
I bought two 7rd Promags for a Kahr P9. I thought I was getting a deal, and it was cool to see that they came finished in a dark (almost black) blue color as opposed to the bare metal of all factory Kahr mags. Being relatively new to firearms, I didn't know the rep they had. My two standard round Promag magazines are about a half inch too long and stick out the bottom leaving a healthy gap between the grip and the mag plate. They are so long that I actually squeezed another round in one just to see if it would fit (it did, although it was too tight to trust). They also bulge out a fraction of a mm in the middle of the mag, to the point that I have to pull with a little force just to remove a mag. I'm not even talking about sticky mag drops. These are plain stuck until I pull them out. Considering they are metal mags and my grip is polymer, I'm betting my grip would break in before the mag, and I'm not looking to ruin the tolerances of my pistol. Poor quality control.
Months later, I was looking at the same website where I originally purchased them. The 7rd mags are oddly no longer available, but now an 8rd version is available with an extended baseplate grip. Are you kidding me? I'm betting my 7rd mag is just the 8rd extended mag with a standard baseplate and longer spring. I suppose it is my fault for not seeing the word "flush" with the 7rd purchase, but I would have assumed standard count would have been flush if there was no pinky extender. Now I'm stuck with oddly long 7rd mags. I could attempt to buy the 8rd mag plate for a more flush fit to the grip, but I really don't feel like giving this company any more business.
The only issue I have seen with Ets glock 43 mags is the spring tightness. If I carry with one chambered then it will fail to eject. Will have to test more
I have only heard good things about Amend 2 Mags and the price is appealing. Waiting for the 40s&w to be released.
Me too ! So far no .40 mags...
dont forget theres also SGM tactical, and RWB magazines. ive heard kci had alot of bad reviews and when kci heard about it they sent new upgraded mags to those who made reviews on youtube and it seems like they fixed them. classic firearms also had alot of bad feedback about the rwb mags they sell but later said on their website that they returned them to their supplier due to bad springs and have also received upgraded magazines that should no longer have the issues. seems like alot of companies have issues at first but its important to review how the company handles it as well
Just got a rwb glock 45 acp 40 round drum from classic firearms, it won't feed...no range time yet, not sure it's worth it...
Just one look at that transparent ETS mag, with the rounds tilting nose-down from the 4th round, will tell me enough about how it will function ...
I had nothing but problems with ets mags sticking not letting the rounds come up.l buy pmag or glock mags
Good article. I don't know if others have had this problem but I have found that after market mags that don't have a metal liner will expand at the top if left loaded for along time. This will allow 5 or 6 rounds to fly out of the mag at one time. This might be the elcheapo mags I bought for 10 bucks each lol. I guess you get what you pay for. I only buy genuine Glock mags now, lesson learned I suppose.
Yea...10 buck mags might have been too good to be true!
Love the ETS magazines for my 9 mm Glocks, but their 40 cal 30 round magazines turned my Glock 35 into a single shot. Multiple failures to feed, where the nose of the round nosed down and jammed into the base of the feed ramp. Sometines tap, rack engage worked, other times I had to lock the slide bask and strip the mag. Talked with product development people at ETS and when this problem happens it is with the G35 only. Thye are working the issue and asked if I would be willing to help test for a solution.
Korean KCI 31 round 40 cal mags for Glocks are strictly for range use to practice stoppage clearance.
Well the drum would be nice for the Glock 18 owners. My 33 rd mag makes me have a few fliers.
Now if Only we can find a manufacturer that can do a G20 Mag that hold 10 rounds of .38 super. Then I will be happy. Great article.
Had too many problems with pmag 12 round, g26 Gen 4. Magpul replaced them once, sent two sets of followers. Broke my glock speed loader trying to get 12th round in. Firearm won't cycle for several months with 12 rounds. (You need to JAM 12 rounds in and let sit for weeks at a time). Multiple FTL, FTE at the range, during drills and competitions. Cost me points. Can't rack slide with 12+1, FTL on first shot, and random FTL after. 15 round ok, but not 12. Springs are bad. Need to be re-engineered. Don't use for self-defense, could cost more than points..
if your 12 round mags worked, then they must have finally replaced springs