feature
duty use and not for competition. Either way, do your research to make sure you’re legal.
Pros
Many owners of Glocks and Smith & Wes- son M&Ps have discovered the advantage of having a larger capacity magazine as a backup or spare. When carrying a compact or subcompact of these iterations, using a full-size backup magazine as a supplement is both acceptable and advisable. When a full- size pistol isn’t carried off duty, due to ex- treme weather or clothing restrictions, why not enhance the round count with 15 or 17 rounds of quality duty ammunition on your weak side hip?
For example, those who carry a Glock 17 on duty and a Glock 19 or 27 (the compact and subcompact 9mm versions) off duty are well served by their full-size gun’s 17-round magazine as a spare. T e full-size magazines have been found to work just as well in the subcompact and compact pistols, with the unvarying reliability that one would expect from their full-size brethren. T e same can be said for the M&P models from Smith & Wesson. I carried an M&P 40 on duty/ SWAT for several years and an M&P40c as an off -duty/backup pistol. When carried off duty, that M&P 40c (compact) was always supplemented by a 15-round full-size maga- zine in an off -side pouch. T ose who carry 1911s have the option of quality 10-round off erings from Wilson Combat or Chip McCormick. My person- ally owned Smith & Wesson 1911sc Com- mander sized pistol functions very well with the McCormick10-round magazines. Any of these combinations must, of course, be properly vetted with the exact pistol, maga- zines and ammunition that will be carried in social situations. If they work, why not have them available? If they don’t, abandon all folly and go with what you’ve proven to yourself does actually work.
Advantage: Modify T ere are also some aftermarket modifi ca- tions that open up exciting possibilities for increasing your round count. Years after cursing the bad magazine investment for my Beretta, I discovered a company called Arredondo Accessories. T ey sell a base pad and spring, which increases magazine ca-
8 The Police Marksman Jan-Feb 2014
The Arredondo Accessories enhanced magazine functioned well in the author’s S&W M&Pc compact pistol.
A 34-round group from the 7-yard line rapid fi re with a Glock M34.
pacity for Smith & Wesson M&P, Glock and Springfi eld XD full-size magazines. T e company’s products seem to be geared toward the competitive shooter. I was not confi dent there would be any practical use for these devices, but I bought one for my
M&P 40 duty pistol, mostly as a novelty. T e M&P’s standard 15-round magazine was transformed into a 19-rounder. I in- stalled and used the unit during my next few SWAT practices, exercises and quali- fi cations. After several hundred rounds, I
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