Triangle Tactical Podcast and Blog on Guns, Gear, and Competition Shooting
A few months back I picked up a Gen4 Glock 34 to use as my main competition pistol. After countless hours of dry fire, and a bunch of matches with the pistol I’ve come to the conclusion that I want some sort of extended magazine release for the pistol.
The trouble is that with the Gen4 pistols, Glock doesn’t offer an extended mag release from the factory. With the Gen3 line, the Glock 34 and Glock 35 ship (in most circumstances) with an extended magazine release. As it happens, the Gen3 extended release is also the same part as the standard magazine release on the Glock 20 and 21, and since these pistols are all legal for Production, it’s perfectly legal to swap the Gen3 magazine release into any other Gen3 Glock that is also Production legal.
This left me with two options:
- Gen 4 Glock 21 magazine release
-
Gen 4 Glock 23 “FBI” magazine release
Center: Glock 23 FBI Release
Bottom: Standard Gen 4 Release
USPSA Production Rules on swapping the magazine release:
Can I use a Gen4 Glock 21 Mag Release?
With the Gen4 pistols, the obvious solution would be to just swap in a mag release from a Gen4 Glock 20 or 21, so I went ahead and ordered one.
Unfortunately, the design of the Gen4 magazine release doesn’t lend itself to scaling up like the Gen3 mag release, and I wound up with a magazine release that worked (albeit poorly), and would wiggle in the pistol when there wasn’t a magazine in the mag well.
Glock FBI Magazine Release
The next option on the list is the Glock Gen4 “FBI” magazine release, which is a factory extended mag release that also has the front edge beveled off. It’s not much longer than the standard mag release, but does seem to make a small difference in it’s ease of use.
This magazine release is an OFM part, and it is shipped on the Glock 23 pistols purchased by FBI, and the Glock 23 is on the USPSA Production approved handgun list.
So it’s Production legal then?
I’m a little conflicted about this. Yes, the FBI magazine release is a factory part, and yes the Glock 23 is on the Production list, but that particular combo isn’t available for purchase by the general public, so I’m not really sure.
As for me, the FBI magazine release isn’t that much longer or easier to use that I’m willing to risk getting bumped to Open. Hopefully in the future we’ll see a factory extended mag release for the Gen4 Glock 34/35 pistols. In the mean time, I’m back to the standard Gen 4 magazine release that came on my pistol from the factory.
Why not just use a mag release from a CZ Accu-Shadow?
well played.
It’s a web I know how to weave.
I’m not familiar enough with USPSA and IDPA rules, but are you allowed to put grip tape on the mag release? Would raise it some until something better came along.
The rulebook dosent mention anything about the part being offered on guns that are available to the public. The G23 is a approved gun. The FBI release is a OFM part that ships from the factory on a approved list gun. That’s really all that is needed to satisfy the production requirements. If you could somehow buy the infamous “minus dot” connector that certain cool guys with JSOC get in their G22’s, that part would be legal also.
That’s an interesting way to look at it. You’re probably right, and if the FBI release was just a hair longer I’d leave it in the pistol.
Yeah, It’s not too much of a extension I’ll agree. You could also try stippling it to “fluff” it up a bit IDK
Use the plastic from another release to melt onto the lower side of the 21 release with a solder gun so that it has an area to ride against the frame cut and hold it taught. Stippling is legal and generally that’s all you’d be doing…
Use the plastic from another release to melt onto the lower side of the 21 release with a solder gun so that it has an area to ride against the frame cut and hold it taught. Stippling is legal and generally that’s all you’d be doing…
No, there’s no way that’s legal.
Aren’t you just reshaping the factory part?
If not… +1 for Accu-Shadow. Haha