Practicality of Glock 18 (33rd) 9mm magazines

The standard-capacity Glock 18 magazine (plus one chambered) holds twice the number of rounds as your standard Glock 17 17rd magazine. Recently made a trip to our nearest Cabelas (about an hour and a half drive, but it is worth it) and picked up a bunch of Glock mags to try out.

In addition to a dozen mixed OEM/Pmag 17rd G17 magazines, I grabbed 4 of the PMag21 21rd G17 mags, and 4 more of the "happy stick" OEM 33rd G18 mags. I have so far found that standard G17 17rd mags work the best for a semblance of concealability, while the extended PMag21 are also viable for every day carry/concealment (with a coat of course). Where I run into issues of practicality is the 33rd magazines. Sure, they are excellent and offer a good counter-weight if you have a can on your G17. However, since this is my EDC it is not suppressed. I've found myself carrying it with the G17 17rd+1, and two of the PMag21's in a double mag pouch as spares. I had been keeping the "happy stick" in my truck's console, but after a recent training session I've started doubting its uses during an emergency.

On my "personal shooting range" (the woods behind the house), I will sometimes practice climbing over an obstacle before firing, shooting from prone or otherwise unusual stances and basically anything that replicates unpredictable circumstances. The standard G17 mags work flawlessly (as expected) and the PMag21s work great too. They do stick out past the mag-well an inch or so, but nowhere near as bad as the G18 33rd mag. It banged into the fence I was climbing over, limited my shooting positions while prone and made the weapon slightly awkward to hold without any sort of a counter-balance (like a can or compensator)

Just wondering if anyone here has found practical SHTF/emergency uses for the 33rd G18 magazines (when combined with a S/A G17). For the price (compared to PMags), I could grab two of the 21 rounders and still have 10 bucks left over for ammo.

I suppose I am trying to justify keeping all 5 of these large stick mags (already had one to begin with) instead of returning them and grabbing about 20 of the PMags21/17s

There are two reasons to have 33 round mags:

1) less time spent reloading at the range, more time shooting

2) triggering anti-gunners because they look scary.

Other than that, no. Let's face it, if you've run dry on your carry ammo and are having to get to a 33 rounder in your truck, something has gone horribly awry and you should probably be trying to vacate the area anyway.

a reply to: JBurns

I'm really good at counterstrike / Battlefield 2 & 3 & 4 / Call of Duty (all of them), Halo, Duke Nukem etc... Would that make me a good gunman in real life? ( Keep in mind I once did a tripple headshot on Call of Duty MW2 )

originally posted by: IncessantOptimist
a reply to: JBurns

I'm really good at counterstrike / Battlefield 2 & 3 & 4 / Call of Duty (all of them), Halo, Duke Nukem etc... Would that make me a good gunman in real life? ( Keep in mind I once did a tripple headshot on Call of Duty MW2 )

The only practical use they have is in a 9mm ar platform or something similar that uses glock based mags (kris vectors, etc).

a reply to: IncessantOptimist

Would that make me a good gunman in real life?

No. In real life you only get one life. You would be dead.

Yes, dead!

Life is not a video game.

Life actually has real consequences ... such as death.

P

I suppose I am trying to justify keeping all 5 of these large stick mags (already had one to begin with) instead of returning them and grabbing about 20 of the PMags21/17s

I'd keep them just to snip off the anti gunners.

I'm cheeky like that.

a reply to: Shamrock6

1) less time spent reloading at the range, more time shooting

2) triggering anti-gunners because they look scary.

No doubt about it Shamrock

Worst part is similar thoughts crossed my mind when I picked these ones up and I ended up justifying the purchase with mostly curiosity. The weight especially seemed awkward to me and holstering had a completely different feel to it

Let's face it, if you've run dry on your carry ammo and are having to get to a 33 rounder in your truck, something has gone horribly awry and you should probably be trying to vacate the area anyway.

That is for certain. Of course CCW is a good bit different than duty carry, but a story on police one Why one cop carries 145 rounds of ammo on the job made me start grabbing a spare 17rd or two (and consequently led to the testing of these 33rd'ers)

Thanks for the reply

a reply to: JBurns

They are useless for cleaning your teeth.

Floss and a tooth brush, with a nice minty tooth paste - waaay more effective!

a reply to: neo96

That is at least one good thing these have going for them

I did not think they were very practical for EDC myself, but as Shamrock and a few others pointed out I could see them being good for range use or in a carbine

Now the PMag21s.... those things are perfect size for me

My 500 mag only holds 5 rounds.
I just need one round

a reply to: JBurns

I had a 17L I played with. The 33 round sticks were great for target practice, like another poster less reloading. If you accidentally went auto you can send a lot of shots down range quickly though that is a good way to overheat and damage that model.

I sold that one some time ago but I'm thinking of looking for another. I kept my +2 mags and the 33 sticks in anticipation.

I have carried Glocks for well over 20 years now, and put some honest thought into goyr post re: the practicality of a 33 rd mag.
I am truly struggling to come up w/ a good reason.
Please understand that I am 100% 2nd Amendment, so that’s not the direction I’m going.
But I can’t come up w/ a good tactical reason to carry it.

How about home defense?
My house is where I'm most likely the have to deal with multiple threats and 9mm isn't known for being a great stopper.
If you have a pistol caliber carbine such as Sub 2000 that takes Glock mags then they make even more sense.

I use a G26 gen 3 as my carry. The mag I use is the standard 10 round Glock mags. My pinky floats, but I don't mind. Some people cry about it. I don't know why, since true grip is positioned at the slide, not the mag well. My backup mags are two 21 round mags placed on my left hip. They look huge in the 26. I've wanted 33 round mags, but have decided it would be range/BOB mags. So what I'm saying is that when it comes to the 33 round mags, it's all about preference. I can't conceal them, so there's no practical use for me other than range and shtf.

originally posted by: visitedbythem
My 500 mag only holds 5 rounds.
I just need one round

Please tell me that is you in your avatar...lol

I have 22 round mags for my Glock 22. It works extremely well and if anything less kick.

My thought is that the only time one would need more than the standard clip capacity plus one backup clip is if and only if the SHTF. In that case forget the 9mil and pick up the AR.

You could always use them as bait in shtf situation.

A dozen or so doctored rounds should be enough to distract and disarm a potential bad guy while you slip out the back..

a reply to: JBurns

I would have thought the only benefit to a 33rd mag, would be if you were thinking of running your corresponding Glock in a carbine conversion format, or something of that nature, where the object you are carrying is automatically less wieldy than a basic pistol, meaning that you expect to have to be more deliberate while moving around.

That is the only thing, as a totally uninitiated person, that I could think of, which might make some kind of sense. I cannot see it working particularly well if you are just using the pistol, with no suppression or other gear up front. The weight (until the magazine has already been partially emptied) would probably mess with the balance quite a bit, alter the way recoil feels in unhelpful ways, probably throw the muzzle around a bit more when firing.

All in all, seems a bad business unless there is a specific purpose in mind for it. Again, I am an edged weapons guy myself, but like I said, I cannot see how having that thing sticking way out the bottom of your fists makes a great deal of sense, unless its part of a carbine conversion set up.