Recently I had to make use of mine for my Shield Arms magazines for my Glock 43x. Here’s my experience.
Why I Picked Shield Arms
When I was looking for something to meet in the middle with my two carry options of my full sized Smith and Wesson M&P9 or pocket carry SCCY CPX-2, The Sig P365 was just coming out. It was obviously a big contender. However, the 10+1 capacity of the original one was the same as my SCCY, which didn’t really do it for me.
Some more time went by, and Glock was coming out with a new, single stack 9mm called the Glock 43x. 10 rounds? Again? I then heard about this company called Shield Arms making flush fitting 15 round mags for the 43x. That was easy… I was sold.
The Problem
When I got my Glock 43x MOS, I also ended up getting two Shield Arms mags, and a +5 extension. I figured it would be a good backup mag, or at least a fun range addition. I also installed the metal mag release as “required.”
While most of my shooting went well, I instantly noticed that in most cases, the slide failed to lock back when empty. To me, this was not the end of the world. I don’t carry a reload, so if I’m out, I’m out. This happened with both magazines.
After more years of shooting, I noticed more problems, including some failures to feed. My personal favorite was the baseplate of the +5 extension flying off during shooting, which caused the baseplate, spring, and follower to reverse M1 Garand clip itself onto the range table, and all the ammo left to do their best impersonation of Niagara Falls right out the the grip of the 43x.
While I never intended to use this magazine for self defense, and some Loctite during installation could have prevented it, that was the last straw for me.
If you’ve seen my video of why I stopped carrying my SCCY CPX-2 and switched to the Glock 43x, you’ll realize that I’m over saying, “ehh… It probably won’t happen again” when it comes to something I hope I never have to use to protect my life.
The Warranty
What I didn’t realize was that the first couple generations of Shield Arms magazines were known to have these problems. Whoops. I looked at their site and noticed the Shield Arms lifetime warranty!
Ironically the next day, Glock dropped the news… They were making their own flush fitting 15 round magazine. I decided to contact Shield Arms and make a warranty claim, and if that went south, I’d buy the Glock ones.
The next day they got back to me and said that they were likely out of spec and that I would have to send in the magazines. They asked exactly what I would be sending, and told me the warranty department would get back to me.
I said I was sending one 15 round magazine, and one 15 round magazine with the +5 extension installed. They sent me a shipping label, I packed them well as they required (remember that part), and sent them off.
I reluctantly loaded up one of the factory 10 round magazines, carefully slid it in with the metal release still installed, and internally cried my Millennial tears as my 15 rounders left me.
In just a few days, their warranty department sent me a simple email:
Thank you for sending in your mags for review, after inspection we will swap out the items under warranty. See tracking below for your items.
Well, gosh darn. Give me a Staples button, because that was easy!
What I Got Back
About a week after that email, I got a bubble envelope in the mail with the magazines rattling around in a plastic bag. So, I had to pack them well, but they can ship 15 round maracas? Either way, they were not scratched, so I was happy.
In the bag were two 15 round magazines, one with the +5 extension. Stamped on each magazine body was “S15 Gen3.” BAM! They legitimately swapped them out at no charge.
The finish is not as slick as the original ones (who cares), and they seem far more rigid. Yes… I’ll be completely honest and say that I have not shot them yet, but the internet says the Gen 3 mags are good, and the internet never lies, right? Hey… This article is about the warranty anyway.
The Conclusion
When it comes to warranties, I never want to have to use them, because that means something went wrong. Especially on something that your life might need to depend on. However, I am grateful they exist, and really admire when companies stand behind their products.
At no cost to me, Shield Arms swapped out my defective magazines with their current generation ones. No stupid questions, no trying to get me on something, and no time wasted.
For that reason I will say that if you ever have a problem with your Shield Arms magazines, do not hesitate to reach out to them. They will take care of you at no cost! Just make sure you still have your factory 10 rounders laying around somewhere…
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