[GlockyQ]

I own 3 Glock 43s. All 3 have the following problem:
If I insert a full magazine with 6 cartridges, I can not cycle the slide to chamber a cartridge.
I can only cycle the slide if I insert a magazine with 5 or less cartridges.
This is very disappointing.
The Glock 26s do not have this problem.
Has anyone else experienced this?
Is there a correction?
I called and spoke with a Glock technician.
He said this is "normal" due to the single stack magazine.
JI

Welcome to GT!
I also own three active G43s and one in its parts form.:ROFLMA:
It is a very well known and documented issue with the new Glock OEM mag spring specifically for the G43....

When GLOCK updated the G43 magazine from the old "01" magazine to the new "02" magazine, they updated the following two components:
1) The magazine follower with a slightly steeper loading angle to help prevent feeding issue and to ensure positive actuation of the new updated Slide Stop Lever (Part # 33731) with a stronger spring.
2) The magazine spring to a super strong spring made of a thicker wire and has one more coil than the old "01" mag spring.

The new mag follower is a great update, but the new mag spring is not. Because the new "02" mag spring will give little "wiggle room" when it is fully compressed, 1) it is hard to load all 6 rounds in the mag and 2) when properly seated in the gun, a fully loaded "02" magazine will put too much upward pressure on the slide, which in turn can cause malfunction....

There are several well vetted solutions to these issues cause by the new "02" mag spring in the "02" mag. You can search for threads in which those solutions are discussed. You will find many.

My personal favorite solution is to simply discard the bloody "02" mag spring and use a popular +1 (or +2) mag extension that comes with an appropriate mag spring to go with it. For example Taran Tactical Innovation +1 baseplate comes with an appropriate mag spring to go with it. Because it is only about 1/8" thicker than the OEM polymer baseplate it hardly makes mag or the grip longer. TTI+1 also utilize the OEM updated follower, it can take advantage of the benefit of the new follower. If you want +2 base plate, Vickers +2 baseplate is inexpensive and comes with an appropriate mag spring, too. Of course, MagGuts+1 and +2 are also good options that I personally trust my life with. However, they utilize the proprietary metal followers and probably more expensive than other options....

With your favorite +1 baseplate, you can easily solve the issue and gain one additional round for your G43. Without the 02 mag spring issue, the G43 is actually a wonderful sub-compact Glock pistol that is very concealable and shares all virtues of the GLOCK platform such as simplicity, reliability, durability, and ease of maintenance.
Good luck and enjoy your G43s!

 

[ak103k]

Does it cycle when you shoot it? Hand cycling really doesn't mean whole lot most of the time.

 

[eternaloptomist]

My thought is to take a wood dowel of appropriate diameter and shove it into the magazine, forcing the spring to compress to the bottom. Release. Repeat about 100-200 times. The magazine spring will then work correctly. The spring needs to be worked to lose it's over stiffness. I've never worried about it, just loaded down one round. Then again the only single stack Glocks I own never had that problem, and double stacks have enough capacity that loading down one wasn't a problem for me.

 

[jarhead80]

Does it cycle when you shoot it? Hand cycling really doesn't mean whole lot most of the time.

This sums it up. Shoot the pistol and then shoot it some more. Hand cycling tells you nothing. If things start acting up with live firing then you might have something to talk about. Put 200-300 rounds through it and reassess.

 

[ScottMn]

It's the spring. It's both thicker wire and has more coils. It will loosen up some but not significantly. Why they changed the magazine spring I'll never know, the original worked just fine and was easy to load. Just load a single round, insert and rack it, then finish loading the mag. It will cycle even though the last round is hard to get in.

The Pearce +1 mag extension has been modified to work with the heavier spring. Before the modification it wouldn't allow you to load the extra round.

 

[yep380]

As many noted, it’s the spring in the -2 mag; it’s way too much pressure.

As far as loading, use a Barney mag (mag with one round). Load the single round Barney mag, drop the slide, remove now empty Barney mag and insert the full mag.

Now, if the gun doesn’t cycle on the first round UNDER LIVE FIRE, then you have a problem. Exercising the mag spring as mentioned above is probably the best strategy.

Do not HAND CYCLE live ammo and expect to learn anything useful about how the gun will function under live fire. It does not replicate the recoil impulse and doesn’t tell you anything useful. It’s also dangerous.

 

[Night Train]

Welcome to GT!
I also own three active G43s and one in its parts form.:ROFLMA:
It is a very well known and documented issue with the new Glock OEM mag spring specifically for the G43....

When GLOCK updated the G43 magazine from the old "01" magazine to the new "02" magazine, they updated the following two components:
1) The magazine follower with a slightly steeper loading angle to help prevent feeding issue and to ensure positive actuation of the new updated Slide Stop Lever (Part # 33731) with a stronger spring.
2) The magazine spring to a super strong spring made of a thicker wire and has one more coil than the old "01" mag spring.

The new mag follower is a great update, but the new mag spring is not. Because the new "02" mag spring will give little "wiggle room" when it is fully compressed, 1) it is hard to load all 6 rounds in the mag and 2) when properly seated in the gun, a fully loaded "02" magazine will put too much upward pressure on the slide, which in turn can cause malfunction....

There are several well vetted solutions to these issues cause by the new "02" mag spring in the "02" mag. You can search for threads in which those solutions are discussed. You will find many.

My personal favorite solution is to simply discard the bloody "02" mag spring and use a popular +1 (or +2) mag extension that comes with an appropriate mag spring to go with it. For example Taran Tactical Innovation +1 baseplate comes with an appropriate mag spring to go with it. Because it is only about 1/8" thicker than the OEM polymer baseplate it hardly makes mag or the grip longer. TTI+1 also utilize the OEM updated follower, it can take advantage of the benefit of the new follower. If you want +2 base plate, Vickers +2 baseplate is inexpensive and comes with an appropriate mag spring, too. Of course, MagGuts+1 and +2 are also good options that I personally trust my life with. However, they utilize the proprietary metal followers and probably more expensive than other options....

With your favorite +1 baseplate, you can easily solve the issue and gain one additional round for your G43. Without the 02 mag spring issue, the G43 is actually a wonderful sub-compact Glock pistol that is very concealable and shares all virtues of the GLOCK platform such as simplicity, reliability, durability, and ease of maintenance.
Good luck and enjoy your G43s!

GlockyQ to the rescue.

 

[cciman]

If after shooting enough, and mashing on the spring with a dowel, or just getting impatient.... and you don't think it's getting any better:

Take the spring out and cut one loop off the bottom of the wire. Problem solved. OR just run 5+1, problem solved.

Everyone thinks this will get better with time. Sometimes it won't. I had a 30SF that never got better (same problem), so I applied the above fix. Beats adding a bunch of other unknown variables or needing to buy extra stuff.

New springs are considerably longer before they are installed, and you have plenty of range to work with-- so the cut spring will self regulate to the correct length over time.

 

[Jim Watson]

Geez. I have one G43 magazine with noticeably stiffer spring. It was my last purchase to give me six clips so I could shoot GSSF Indoor without having to unload hollowpoints from the carry magazine.
Now I have to see if it will seat with six since it has heretofore been used only for 5 shot strings.

It is now common across the industry to use a stiff spring to lift the absolute maximum number of rounds you can cram into the tube. Which leads to
1. Recommendations to pre-squash the magazine spring by leaving loaded or hand cycling.
2. Making magazine springs wear items, unlike the days of 7x45 and 9x38.

Chuck Taylor, who got up to 365000 rounds through a G17 said that magazines lasted longer with 15 than 17.

 

[ak103k]

I would just make sure that, if they are that tight, you get them seated properly, each and every time. If you have to do a tactical reload, on a closed slide, you better be damn sure its seated and locked when you're done, or things could get ugly.

Now you have something else to practice.

 

[GlockyQ]

Everyone thinks this will get better with time. Sometimes it won't. ...

No..., I for one tend to think that it will NOT get significantly better for a long time....
That is why I do NOT use the bloody 02 mag spring in any of my G43s that I trust my life with.

If after shooting enough, and mashing on the spring with a dowel, or just getting impatient.... and you don't think it's getting any better:

Take the spring out and cut one loop off the bottom of the wire. Problem solved. OR just run 5+1, problem solved.
... .
New springs are considerably longer before they are installed, and you have plenty of range to work with-- so the cut spring will self regulate to the correct length over time.

About cutting a coil off of the 02 mag, I have actually cut one coil off of a new 02 mag spring and range tested one of my G43s using a 02 mag with this shortened 02 spring in. It worked just fine. Easy enough to load 6 rounds and easy enough to rack the slide and no feeding issue whatsoever.

The new 02 overkill mag spring is made of a thicker wire and has one more coil than the old "01" mag spring, which worked fine. Even cutting off one coil, the new 02 mag spring still has the same number of coils that old 01 mag spring had, and the 02 spring wire is thicker. So, it was not at all surprising to see it work.

Because I have live-fire tested the shortened 02 mag spring only once, I do not know the long-term reliability of the shortened 02 mag spring, though....

 

[Doc Holliday]

Overtensioned recoil springs
Overtensioned mag springs.

WTH.

 

[cciman]

No..., I for one tend to think that it will NOT get significantly better for a long time....
That is why I do NOT use the bloody 02 mag spring in any of my G43s that I trust my life with.



About cutting a coil off of the 02 mag, I have actually cut one coil off of a new 02 mag spring and range tested one of my G43s using a 02 mag with this shortened 02 spring in. It worked just fine. Easy enough to load 6 rounds and easy enough to rack the slide and no feeding issue whatsoever.

The new 02 overkill mag spring is made of a thicker wire and has one more coil than the old "01" mag spring, which worked fine. Even cutting off one coil, the new 02 mag spring still has the same number of coils that old 01 mag spring had, and the 02 spring wire is thicker. So, it was not at all surprising to see it work.

Because I have live-fire tested the shortened 02 mag spring only once, I do not know the long-term reliability of the shortened 02 mag spring, though....

It would seem to me that cutting a coil is a simpler approach than experimenting with changing out springs, baseplates, floorplates, followers... which is achieving the same ultimate goal in the first place: creating more space in the mag so there is less upward pressure to the bottom of the slide.

Shooting the gun vs. hand cycling and having problems racking the slide on a full mag are 2 separate realities. If the gun shoots fine, this is not truly a problem.
If the gun malfunctions on the first round with a fully loaded mag, because of the mag being too tight, then that's a true problem.

 

[2740dmx]

Lock slide to rear.
Insert 6 round mag.
Slingshot slide into locked position.
Holster your weapon and move on with your day.

 

[cciman]

"....but none of my other Glocks or any other guns I own do that, and none of my friends..."

Welcome to reality. You found one that does.

 

[Schrag4]

Hand grip strength and PROPER rack technique also have effect. If you are pinching the slide and doing the slingshot pull, your strength is less than the overhand slide grip and primary hand push.

I agree. This technique also lets you pull the gun into your chest and push the frame out with your strong hand to get some more leverage vs trying to do it out in front of you a foot or two. It’s what I have people try if they can’t pull the slide back, usually works.

 

[Jarhead Al]

My 43X acted similar when new, but after about 1000 rounds, it will load eleven in a ten round magazine.

Find a.way to exercise the magazine springs. I'd bet you have an Uplula loader.
Load 4, then shove in two more, over and over again untill you feel changes in pressure.

It wouldn't hurt to smoothen the pushramp on the underside of the slide where the rounds make contact under pressure by cycling rounds. The breechface and the back of the extractor would smoothen a bit too by cycling some rounds.

Also, make sure your ejector is not scraping the bottom of the slide. Check for a line in the finish of the slide where the ejector would be. I had to polish my ejector bc it was rubbing the belly of the slide.

Somebody in one of the prior G43 threads, somebody took a paint stick and worked the mag spring 100+ times and that lessened the stiffness.

 

[GlockyQ]

It would seem to me that cutting a coil is a simpler approach than experimenting with changing out springs, baseplates, floorplates, followers... which is achieving the same ultimate goal in the first place: creating more space in the mag so there is less upward pressure to the bottom of the slide.
... .

I agree that IF you are happy with the default capacity of 6 rounds, cutting a coil off of a 02 mag spring would be the simplest and easiest approach that will work (at least for a while). I actually tend to think a shortened 02 mag spring can keep working like the old 01 mag spring because 1) it still has the same number of coils as the old 01 mag spring had AND 2) the wire of the 02 mag spring is thicker than that of the old 01 mag spring. This approach does not incur any additional cost, either. So, it is indeed a no-brainer solution, IF you are happy with the default capacity of 6 rounds....

One small concern I have with this no-brainer approach, however, is the new Slide Stop Lever w/ spring (Part # 33731, marked "33730-1"), which comes with a noticeably stronger spring than the old Part 33730 Slide Stop Lever w/ spring came with. Just like the 02 mag follower, the stronger slide stop spring is a great update that prevents the A/U AOSSL (or "Accidental/Unintentional Actuation of the Slide Stop Lever") commonly observed with this and other small pistols. I wonder how long a shortened 02 mag spring will maintain strong enough spring tension to effectively and positively actuate new the Slide Stop Lever.... For that I do not have longitudinal data...

About "experimenting," IF you try specifically Ghost+1 or TTI+1 baseplate that actually comes with an appropriate mag spring, there is nothing to bend, cut, trim, etc. Those products have already been experimented and tested by the respective manufacturer as well as many G43 owners that are using them. No need to do any "experiment" other than just trying it to see if it work.

In my own tests and experience with both 1) Ghost+1 baseplate with the mag spring that comes with it, and 2) TTI+1 baseplate with the mag spring that comes with it, they both work completely reliably with not only RN/FMJ ammo but also JHPs I have tested. (And I test my gear HARD for safety and reliability.) The mag springs that come with Ghost+1 and with TTI+1 have worked reliably with the new Slide Stop Lever spring reliably for many rounds. (I already very positive longitudinal data with Ghost mag spring.) Also by using Ghost+1 or TTI+1 baseplate that actually comes with an appropriate mag spring you will also gain additional one round! So, it is also a no-brainer solution that actually "kills two birds".

Now, if any G43 owner would really like to "kill three birds with a stone," s/her will have to do some "experiments," of course.....

 

[JO ILL]

I own 3 Glock 43s. All 3 have the following problem:
If I insert a full magazine with 6 cartridges, I can not cycle the slide to chamber a cartridge.
I can only cycle the slide if I insert a magazine with 5 or less cartridges.
This is very disappointing.
The Glock 26s do not have this problem.
Has anyone else experienced this?
Is there a correction?
I called and spoke with a Glock technician.
He said this is "normal" due to the single stack magazine.
JI

Thanks to all for your input. I am happy to learn that the problem is the new Glock 43-02 magazine (versus the original Glock 43-01 magazine). But I am very unhappy, I own 18 Glock 43-02 magazines for my 3 Glock 43s.
For now, I loaded all my Glock43-02 magazines with 6 cartridges each. So all the springs are compressed to maximum. In a month I will unload a magazine and reload with 6 and see if the spring stiffness was reduced.
So much for Glock Perfection. Why did the Glock technician not tell me this 01 versus 02 magazine difference?
I will try to buy Glock 43-01 magazines if possible.
Unfortunately, Mec-Gar does not make magazines for Glock. I will not touch Pro nor ETS magazines. KCI magazines are available, but the review of these is "only for range use, not for defensive use".
Based on a recommendation below, an option is the Taran Tactical Innovation +2 or +3 baseplate for Glock 43, these come with their own 10% stronger spring; the +1 baseplate uses the magazine's stock spring, which is the problem.
I will try a Taran +2 baseplate, I can not wait a month to see if the Glock 43-02 mags improve.
Thanks again.
JI

 

[JO ILL]

I own 3 Glock 43s. All 3 have the following problem:
If I insert a full magazine with 6 cartridges, I can not cycle the slide to chamber a cartridge.
I can only cycle the slide if I insert a magazine with 5 or less cartridges.
This is very disappointing.
The Glock 26s do not have this problem.
Has anyone else experienced this?
Is there a correction?
I called and spoke with a Glock technician.
He said this is "normal" due to the single stack magazine.
JI

Thanks to all for your input. I am happy to learn that the problem is the new Glock 43-02 magazine (versus the original Glock 43-01 magazine). But I am very unhappy, I own 18 Glock 43-02 magazines for my 3 Glock 43s.
For now, I loaded all my Glock43-02 magazines with 6 cartridges each. So all the springs are compressed to maximum. In a month I will unload a magazine and reload with 6 and see if the spring stiffness was reduced.
So much for Glock Perfection. Why did the Glock technician not tell me this 01 versus 02 magazine difference?
I will try to buy Glock 43-01 magazines if possible.
Unfortunately, Mec-Gar does not make magazines for Glock. I will not touch Pro nor ETS magazines. KCI magazines are available, but the review of these is "only for range use, not for defensive use".
Based on a recommendation below, an option is the Taran Tactical Innovation +2 or +3 baseplate for Glock 43, these come with their own 10% stronger spring; the +1 baseplate uses the magazine's stock spring, which is the problem.
I will try a Taran +2 baseplate, I can not wait a month to see if the Glock 43-02 mags improve.
Thanks again.
JI