Magazines

Your pistol probably came with only one or two magazines. So you'll probably want at least one extra. And, while often overlooked, you should also maintain your magazines. If you watch the “News”, you may have noticed that they use the words “magazine” and “clip” interchangeably… which is incorrect. This is explained in the National Association for Gun Rights (NAGR) video, “Minute of Answers - Clip vs. Magazine: What's the difference?”. Spoiler Alert - this isn't the only thing that the “News” gets wrong on a regular basis.

Before buying extra magazines, make sure that you're purchasing magazines designed for your specific pistol. And, as mentioned earlier, “extended” magazines are available for most pistols. HOWEVER, avoid the large drum magazines - which are available for some pistols - because they are notoriously unreliable.

You can buy additional magazines from most gun stores or online for:

• Glocks at The Glock Store or “Glock Parts”.
• the Smith & Wesson M&P® Shield™ at MANY web sites, but most specifically the Smith & Wesson M&P® Shield™ magazine page.

The 1911 magazines can be problematic (especially for the .45 ACP). Many misfeeds occur when using magazines with a metal follower. To mitigate this issue, Wilson Combat magazines have a fiber-fill nylon self-lubricating follower - which greatly improves reliability. This has garnered them the reputation of having the BEST 1911 magazines available.

And finally, cleaning and maintaining your handgun magazines. While an often overlooked part of a pistol, without regular cleaning and maintenance, residue from firing your pistol can work its way into your magazines and prevent them from properly feeding rounds into your pistol (a VERY BAD situation if you are forced to use your pistol defensively). Also, over time, the more that the spring in your magazines are exercised (emptied and reloaded), the quicker the spring will lose its compressive force (preventing them from feeding rounds into your pistol). While some regular shooters replace their magazine springs every year, most people can go longer.