something a little more ‘outside the box’ in the form of a magazine modifi cation. Of course, every potential equipment decision has its drawbacks and advantages.
Cons T e magazine is the cause of most stoppages in semi-auto pistols. One thing I’ve learned over the years while dealing with cop equip- ment is to test it mercilessly before adding it to the trusted duty rotation. It seems that some of us believe just having an item on the belt or in the bag will somehow ward off evil like a modern-day Talisman. In truth, we need well-tested emergency equipment that will perform when we most need it to ward off the tangible evil intending to mean us harm.
Personally, I have had some bad experi- ences with aftermarket standard and ex- tended capacity magazines. Before getting into law enforcement as a profession, a friend and I bought some 19-round magazines for our Beretta 92s that looked solid on the out- side, but did not work reliably with any of the ammunition we tried. We disassembled them to fi nd the strangest clock-type spring we’d ever seen where the familiar rectangu- lar helix compression spring should have been. T ose magazines really tainted my opinion for any kind of aftermarket feeding device. T ey were cheap too and that was yet another red fl ag we ignored. I swore off aftermarket mags for years after that. In fact, the only aftermarket magazines I’d ever had success with at that point were for the 1911 and the AR15 platforms. Otherwise, it was factory or nothing.
Another consideration is the addition of magazine length. Whether using a factory extended magazine or an aftermarket fl oor plate, these magazines are about an inch longer than standard. T at makes most duty carry and concealed carry impractical. I do not encourage extended mags for primary carry in the duty pistol’s magwell. Where they really belong is in the backup or emer- gency role.
Another potential negative to be consid- ered are local/state laws and departmental policies regarding extended-capacity maga- zines and aftermarket accessories that in- crease your magazine’s capacity. Of course, many of these restrictive state laws off er law enforcement exemptions, but some local laws may grant exceptions only for police
7 The Police Marksman Jan-Feb 2014
The Arredondo Accessories base pad and 10 percent + spring allows a standard Glock Model 20 magazine to hold a full 20-round box of 10mm; instead of the standard 15.
The author’s S&W M&P duty/SWAT pistol pictured with Arredondo Accessories base pad and spring kit.
www.policemarksman.com
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