[vindibona1]

I will say my experience with the shield mags has been overwhelmingly positive. Shield is replacing my 1 mag that had an issue and they are about to release there gen 2 ambi mags that have some other nice upgrades from the original. Most of the issues people had early on where related to the springs not being strong enough. For the past few months they have been including the +10% springs in all their mags. They aren't for everyone but they are a reputable product that do exactly what they advertise.

Since you popped the cherry on this one, I can chime in. I was sworn to secrecy on the gen 2 mags. There are some minor geometric changes coming on the gen 2's as well as ambi capability.

I think I have unfortunately discovered my issue. I don't think it's the shield mag at all. I think something with my 43x is out of spec because my stripper protrudes a bit with the slide locked back and the first round is getting caught underneath it. The slide stop lever is oem so it isn't cause from an aftermarket stop.

Wait... But aren't Glocks supposed to be perfect out of the box?

It's not just the 1 mag, it happened on 1 of my other s15s today at the range. I am starting to think it was actually a me issue the whole time and not an issue with the s15s or at least not completely. Because they are so thin, if you press them in slowly the first round can get hung up under the stripper, if you palm them in nice and hard it won't happen. At the range I don't always slam it home because of the reports of sharp edges and you can even see some cosmetic scratches in my magwell in the pic I posted above. I believe me babying the mags in at the range is what was allowing the round to get caught under the stripper which 3cplains why it never happens when I practice reloads with snap caps at home.

Since I changed to the SA metal mag catch the S15's have functioned flawlessly. And to be fair, the OEM mags, prior to totally switching the the S15's had just as many failures to feed, although different circumstances. With the first 300 rounds or so, still with the plastic OEM mag catch, I suffered 3 failures, one being my fault, being limp wristed and using the slide stop to release the slide. The other two were rounds with the shoulder of thick and protruding brass shells that got hung up. My defensive ammo's shell casings are much sleeker and less likely to catch on anything. The S15's did wear down the plastic catch quickly, but until that time there were very few issues. I have since replaced the plastic catch with the SA catch and haven't had a single feed or function issue with a few hundred more rounds of the same practice ammo.

I know some folks are going to slam me for what I did upon observing the beginning of some scratching in the magwell but I'm going to share it anyway. For observational purposes only. Any modifications you make is solely at your own risk. I recognized that two things were going on: 1) I don't tend to put the mags straight into the well, but with the nose touching first ,then bringing the back portion of the mag into the well before slamming home. Perhaps I need to work on my reload technique, and will try to be aware of what I was doing. 2) The corresponding area of the magwell that started to scratch were fairly definitive in showing that the two upper corners of the mag were the culprits.

If I have any general criticism of these mags and Shield Arms is that the manufacture lacks the refinement of addressing the corners and edges of these mags. I have one friend that cut his finger on one of the sharp front corners of a S15 while loading rounds before doing what I did with my mags. I took note of the front corners and "dehorned" them almost immediately after getting them. FWIW I set up and refine guitars as part of a hobby, and doing something like this is not a whole lot different than addressing "fret sprout" on a guitar. It is about just smoothing things out so they don't catch on things. I did not address the rear of the mags which is where the magwell scratching is occurring.

Before doing so I noticed that as I ran my hand over that area with rounds in the mag, I could feel the corners, but didn't see that the external areas contributed to round retention in any way. So I simply dehorned those corners as well. Now when I run my finger over that areas I feel nothing sharp or jagged. While I may not have corrected 100% of the scratching problem I would like to believe that I got 90%. I didn't touch the area down by where the primer sits, but may after once again studying where the scratching is occuring in the magwell. I've polished out the area with 500 up to 1200 grit sand paper so I will be able to identify future scratching damage. I cycled rounds through both mags manually and found no issues in chambering, even when once or twice I didn't fully rack the slide back or let it slam forward without impeding it a bit.

The one thing, besides round capacity, that I like about the S15's vs the OEM's is the smoothness which with they eject from the magwell upon reloads. It stands to reason as the OEM's plastic casing is textured a bit and while minimial does have some drag. Certainly S15's aren't for everyone. I'm anxious to see what Shield Arms comes up with in their gen 2 revisions.

Edit: I want to share a photo of the practice rounds that I've been using that depicts the brass shoulder that caused all three of the S15 failures to feed over hundreds of rounds noting ZERO FAILURES AFTER INSTALLING THE METAL CATCH. My Federal HST defensive ammo's shoulder protrudes much less and while I've shot fewer of those (@ $2/rd) there have been no issues with those either.

 

[John Ward]

Oh Yeah....my Dad can beat up your dad....gee kids, how long can you keep poking each other?


Sent from my iPad using Glock Talk mobile app

 

[Villuj_idiot]

Oh Yeah....my Dad can beat up your dad....gee kids, how long can you keep poking each other?

You have to actually show a dick to see whose is longest.

 

[Bunnies4r5]

Since you popped the cherry on this one, I can chime in. I was sworn to secrecy on the gen 2 mags. There are some minor geometric changes coming on the gen 2's as well as ambi capability.


Wait... But aren't Glocks supposed to be perfect out of the box?



Since I changed to the SA metal mag catch the S15's have functioned flawlessly. And to be fair, the OEM mags, prior to totally switching the the S15's had just as many failures to feed, although different circumstances. With the first 300 rounds or so, still with the plastic OEM mag catch, I suffered 3 failures, one being my fault, being limp wristed and using the slide stop to release the slide. The other two were rounds with the shoulder of thick and protruding brass shells that got hung up. My defensive ammo's shell casings are much sleeker and less likely to catch on anything. The S15's did wear down the plastic catch quickly, but until that time there were very few issues. I have since replaced the plastic catch with the SA catch and haven't had a single feed or function issue with a few hundred more rounds of the same practice ammo.

I know some folks are going to slam me for what I did upon observing the beginning of some scratching in the magwell but I'm going to share it anyway. For observational purposes only. Any modifications you make is solely at your own risk. I recognized that two things were going on: 1) I don't tend to put the mags straight into the well, but with the nose touching first ,then bringing the back portion of the mag into the well before slamming home. Perhaps I need to work on my reload technique, and will try to be aware of what I was doing. 2) The corresponding area of the magwell that started to scratch were fairly definitive in showing that the two upper corners of the mag were the culprits.

If I have any general criticism of these mags and Shield Arms is that the manufacture lacks the refinement of addressing the corners and edges of these mags. I have one friend that cut his finger on one of the sharp front corners of a S15 while loading rounds before doing what I did with my mags. I took note of the front corners and "dehorned" them almost immediately after getting them. FWIW I set up and refine guitars as part of a hobby, and doing something like this is not a whole lot different than addressing "fret sprout" on a guitar. It is about just smoothing things out so they don't catch on things. I did not address the rear of the mags which is where the magwell scratching is occurring.

Before doing so I noticed that as I ran my hand over that area with rounds in the mag, I could feel the corners, but didn't see that the external areas contributed to round retention in any way. So I simply dehorned those corners as well. Now when I run my finger over that areas I feel nothing sharp or jagged. While I may not have corrected 100% of the scratching problem I would like to believe that I got 90%. I didn't touch the area down by where the primer sits, but may after once again studying where the scratching is occuring in the magwell. I've polished out the area with 500 up to 1200 grit sand paper so I will be able to identify future scratching damage. I cycled rounds through both mags manually and found no issues in chambering, even when once or twice I didn't fully rack the slide back or let it slam forward without impeding it a bit.

The one thing, besides round capacity, that I like about the S15's vs the OEM's is the smoothness which with they eject from the magwell upon reloads. It stands to reason as the OEM's plastic casing is textured a bit and while minimial does have some drag. Certainly S15's aren't for everyone. I'm anxious to see what Shield Arms comes up with in their gen 2 revisions.

Edit: I want to share a photo of the practice rounds that I've been using that depicts the brass shoulder that caused all three of the S15 failures to feed over hundreds of rounds noting ZERO FAILURES AFTER INSTALLING THE METAL CATCH. My Federal HST defensive ammo's shoulder protrudes much less and while I've shot fewer of those (@ $2/rd) there have been no issues with those either.
View attachment 928682

View attachment 928666 View attachment 928676

Yea there wasn't actually something wrong with my 43x, just a different design then the 19 which had me questioning if it was suppose to be like that but all glock 43x look exactly the same as mine.

I also filed the sharp corners of my s15 mags probably even less then in your pictures. I had this issue before then so that made bo difference other then stopping the scratching in the mag well. I am already using the shield arms mag catch. I don't think their is anything wrong with the gun or the mags just the way I was inserting them and possibly tolerance stacking. Since discovering the issue cause and change how I insert them I have not had any issue.

 

[vindibona1]

Yea there wasn't actually something wrong with my 43x, just a different design then the 19 which had me questioning if it was suppose to be like that but all glock 43x look exactly the same as mine.

I also filed the sharp corners of my s15 mags probably even less then in your pictures. I had this issue before then so that made bo difference other then stopping the scratching in the mag well. I am already using the shield arms mag catch. I don't think their is anything wrong with the gun or the mags just the way I was inserting them and possibly tolerance stacking. Since discovering the issue cause and change how I insert them I have not had any issue.

The photos make the work look more than it actually is. I was very careful only to take down the sharp corners and went by feel. I will be more cognizant of how I insert these mags. Upon further inspection I found that the scratching was pretty much only on one side of the rear wall but I made sure that I hit everything that felt sharp. Since I've pretty much committed to the S15 mags and not unhappy in doing so, I will buy two more when the gen 2's are available.

 

[PilatusTurbo]

You have to actually show a dick to see whose is longest.

Real gangstas ain't gotta show they nuts to know they got 'em. 😂

 

[JimBianchi]

Shield is a good company, they will make it right.

 

[fasteddie565]

Never had this problem with any of my SA clipazines for my 48, and I have several. I think Shield Arms is now using a new +10% extra power spring to address this issue.

I called last Wednesday and got 7 x eight-coil replacement springs for the older weaker seven-coil springs, free of charge. Seems to have solved the problem. I will post a pic later today.

 

[Bunnies4r5]

So just an update for anyone following this. There was nothing wrong with the mag I sent in or any other of my mags. The problem was the way I was inserting the mags. Before I softened the back edges of my mags I got into the habit of slowly pressing the mags in at the range to avoid magwell scratches. If I put pressure on the front of the mag while doing this it cause the casing to slip under the stripper rail and get caught there. At this point if I where to slingshot it wouldn't have happened but since I use the slide release it would cause the failure. This is why I could never replicate it at home because at home while practicing reloads I was never slowly pressing it in.

So for anyone using this thread to say there is an issue with the s15 mag, you are mistaken. They have been working great for me and since figuring out how I was causing this failure to occur it has not happened once. Shield is sending my mag back with a new spring and some swag even though there wasn't any issue. So they paid for shipping both ways and a spring and swag for no reason. They are a stellar company who communicated with me the entire time and where super receptive to all the info I sent them on my testing. I am 100% satisfied with these mags and this company. You can buy with confidence.

 

[CanyonMan]

Good word... ^^^^^^^

Yes, SA is a very "stellar" company.
I have still not had one single issue of any kind, and no scratches with any shield mags, and YES, folks need to run the Steel mag catch from Shield, and dedicate the weapon to run the catch and the SA mags....! This, is where any freaky issues "Cease.." Run as "designed.."

I helped develop the 'steel catch' now on their web site. They work ! Period! Have more real estate on them than OEM mags, on the inside, to securely hold the mag under fire, and 5 pounds pressure to release, and catch goes all the way even with frame when pushed, before dropping mag, (empty or full) and will not accidentally "bump and drop.."

Glad it's going well with you amigo! Love this set up. Almost a year and a half or so I have run it all, and a loooot of shooting and mag presentations, and NO problemsof any kind, anywhere...

These have proven 100% all this time... and 'not one' scratch or wear on frame, mag well, gun, anywhere. No failure to feed, and all drop free, and NO NO NO hair dryers used.. Ha. Not needed, and not a good Idea. If it ain't doin anything to harm, after all this time and shooting, it never will...

Stay safe amigo
Enjoy man!
Good write ups on your post, and honest!


CM
🐴

 

[vindibona1]

Shield Arms has been very responsive.
I found that what I was doing that caused scratches on the back of the magwell was the aim the nose in first at a bit of an angle, then push the mag in while still at a bit of an angle, causing the "horns" on the rear of the mag to scratch as it went in. My correction is two pronged, "dehorn" all the sharp points on the mags and then correct my loading technique. I'm not sure what the "stripper rail" is exactly, but I've never had an issue with the any rounds getting caught anywhere except on rare occasion, only once or twice (with the plastic catch only) the shoulder of a practice round would get hung on the feed ramp. Securing the mag in with the SA metal catch insures that everything is in the correct position for reliable function.

I always felt that the S15's dropped more cleanly than the OEM mags, but after reading the @CanyonMan comments I wanted to see what it took to get the mags to drop. In terms of his comment [the] "catch goes all the way even with frame when pushed, before dropping mag " I wanted to see how far I needed to push the button in to get the mag to drop. The catch does go flush with the frame at the rear. I then tried to push my support hand into the button as hard as I could to see if I could get a (loaded) mag to drop and could not. I don't know about 5 pounds, but it takes a fair amount of pressure to get the mag to drop. But in terms of how much pressure is needed, that is a function of the strength of the retention spring in the 43x, not a function of the catch itself.

I'm anxious to see what improvements they make on the Gen 2's other than making them ambi.

 

[CanyonMan]

Shield Arms has been very responsive.
I found that what I was doing that caused scratches on the back of the magwell was the aim the nose in first at a bit of an angle, then push the mag in while still at a bit of an angle, causing the "horns" on the rear of the mag to scratch as it went in. My correction is two pronged, "dehorn" all the sharp points on the mags and then correct my loading technique. I'm not sure what the "stripper rail" is exactly, but I've never had an issue with the any rounds getting caught anywhere except on rare occasion, only once or twice (with the plastic catch only) the shoulder of a practice round would get hung on the feed ramp. Securing the mag in with the SA metal catch insures that everything is in the correct position for reliable function.

I always felt that the S15's dropped more cleanly than the OEM mags, but after reading the @CanyonMan comments I wanted to see what it took to get the mags to drop. In terms of his comment [the] "catch goes all the way even with frame when pushed, before dropping mag " I wanted to see how far I needed to push the button in to get the mag to drop. The catch does go flush with the frame at the rear. I then tried to push my support hand into the button as hard as I could to see if I could get a (loaded) mag to drop and could not. I don't know about 5 pounds, but it takes a fair amount of pressure to get the mag to drop. But in terms of how much pressure is needed, that is a function of the strength of the retention spring in the 43x, not a function of the catch itself.

I'm anxious to see what improvements they make on the Gen 2's other than making them ambi.

Yes sir...
The Retention pin "notch" position/shape/design, in the catch, can determine the weight needed to slide over the catch retention pin/spring... Design is 5 pounds... YMMV. That's about like a Glock trigger pull...

I wanted to see a catch, that not only had MAX allowed real estate, to engage the steel SA mags, and hold them securely without wobble, and minimum movement under fire, but also, one that 'would not allow' for easy 'accidental ejection' of the mag, dropping from the weapon...' It was accomplished and SA had that cut made, and added real eastate, and I could not be happier with the results.

When folks do this as intended, and as designed, they should have a trouble free combo here to have confidence in, and carry, and rely upon. I do, and have NO fear of this.

I've spent all this time in testing/working with SA, (over now, on to new things) and not one single inccodent of any kind.

Also, those of you who have "switched out the catch" with the 'SA all Steel one,' surely have noticed it is a "much easier" task, than was the OEM catch, and most 3rd party aluminum catches...

Enjoy.
Thanks amigo..

CanyonMan
🐴

 

[Bradd D]

I still can't believe you are blaming this on yourself. Can you replicate the issue by inserting an OEM mag the same way?

 

[gunsmoke92]

Has SA given any indication when the Gen 2's will be released? I'm kind of interested, but I use my mag release on the right side and use my trigger finger to drop the mag, so I'd need that ambi setup.

 

[Bunnies4r5]

I still can't believe you are blaming this on yourself. Can you replicate the issue by inserting an OEM mag the same way?

I am not entirely blaming myself more so that I understand why it happens and don't think there is anything inherently wrong with the S15. It doesn't happen with oem mags because they are thicker in the rear which does not allow the round to get far enough back for this to happen. Because the s15 is so thin this can happen. IMO 5 extra rounds is worth it.

Remember, this is not going to happen under normal circumstances, the only way I can make it happen is by slowly inserting with pressure on the front of the magazine which is what I got into the habit of doing at the range to avoid scratches. I smoothed out the edges on my gen 1 mags so I don't have to do this anymore and the gen 2 mags they are about to release have supposedly fixed the sharp edges issue. This is a non issue if you are inserting the magazine like you normally would during a reload vs pressing it in slowly. Take it for what you will, if this to you is a reason not to use them then I get it but for me it's a non issue as long as they work reliably when being used as intended. I'm good with it.

 

[indivi]

I would think a magwell would stop any damage but I don't know how compatible they would be with S15 magazines. I have some magwells that will not seat aftermarket mags with the thicker baseplate.

 

[Bradd D]

It doesn't happen with oem mags because they are thicker in the rear which does not allow the round to get far enough back for this to happen. Because the s15 is so thin this can happen.

That's my point.

 

[Pontoof]

Read the whole thread. Nothing I read instills a lot of
confidence in the Shield magazines.
Having to have a certain technique of magazine insertion?
In a carry gun? Nope.

Maybe the Gen2 mags will, after time,show all is well.

I'm still on the "no aftermarket magazines in my self-defense,
carry gun" train.

Just from what I have read here there's no way I would depend on
the Shield magazine,
the magazine being one of the most important links in the chain of
dependability/reliability in a pistol.

Anybody have feeding problems or other reoccurring
reliability issues with the G43X
or G48 using oem magazines?

Bunnies last post really does seem to make the point,especially since
he has related his experience with the mag.

 

[vindibona1]

Anybody have feeding problems or other reoccurring
reliability issues with the G43X
or G48 using oem magazines?

Bunnies last post really does seem to make the point,especially since
he has related his experience with the mag.

I actually have had nearly as many failure to feed/stovepipes with my OEM mags as I have the S15's. But in the last 300 round not a single malfunction with the S15's since changing the mag catch out.

 

[indivi]

Anybody have feeding problems or other reoccurring
reliability issues with the G43X
or G48 using oem magazines?

None whatsoever. I bought +2 extra mags with the two that came with the gun, no problems with any of the 4.