(Question) ProMag 9rnd Shield40 & 10rnd Shield9 mags

[zunami]

Hi,

I'm seeking honest reviews on the mags listed in the title from someone with first-hand experience.

I'm looking to obtain some higher capacity magazines for the shield than the stock magazines, but I've read terrible reviews of the ProMag magazines.

However, ProMag does seem to have a lifetime warranty, so I'm wanting to hear if anyone has gone through the experience of sending them back to the factory and how they worked after.

Does anyone know of any good alternative options for high-capacity magazines for the Shield?

I heard that there were others, but I haven't tracked down a vendor yet.

Note: I'm not super interested in 2nd hand experiences or what people have "heard" because that's pretty much the state I'm already at myself, but you're welcome to chip in your 2 cents if you want to regardless.

 

[OKFC05]

Having tried all of the above, and shooting the Shield in competition, I have settled on using only 7-round stock magazines. The 8 round stock work well enough, but are a PIA to speed reload the gun under pressure.
I have put longer magazines into a shield and don't value them for either carry or competition. An M&P compact is much more practical for higher capacity mags. YMMV

 

[zunami]

Having tried all of the above, and shooting the Shield in competition, I have settled on using only 7-round stock magazines. The 8 round stock work well enough, but are a PIA to speed reload the gun under pressure.
I have put longer magazines into a shield and don't value them for either carry or competition. An M&P compact is much more practical for higher capacity mags. YMMV

I'll clarify that my shield is for EDC and I don't usually carry a spare magazine at all, so reload time etc. is not really a concern for me.

But thanks for your input regardless.

I don't really do many competitions anymore, and when I do I shoot revolvers exclusively - the shield I own is exclusively for EDC.

How come you don't find the longer magazines good for carry? I'd much rather hear more about your experiences using the magazines for that, than for competitions (no offense - just not my focus with this thread).

 

[OKFC05]

I'll clarify that my shield is for EDC and I don't usually carry a spare magazine at all, so reload time etc. is not really a concern for me.

But thanks for your input regardless.

I don't really do many competitions anymore, and when I do I shoot revolvers exclusively - the shield I own is exclusively for EDC.

How come you don't find the longer magazines good for carry? I'd much rather hear more about your experiences using the magazines for that, than for competitions (no offense - just not my focus with this thread).

In my experience carrying for several decades, the most challenging part of the gun in routine all-day carry is the grip, and having a long "handle" on a small gun makes for an ill-handling, awkward protrusion that catches on cars and doors about as much as a much larger gun. I often get students who haven't carried that want to put long magazines into small guns for carry, but most change their mind after trying it. YMMV.
As to getting a huge magazine as a substitute for learning to change magazines, you might want to try IDPA and see how that works for you. A little practice under simulated pressure can be educational.

 

[zunami]

In my experience carrying for several decades, the most challenging part of the gun in routine all-day carry is the grip, and having a long "handle" on a small gun makes for an ill-handling, awkward protrusion that catches on cars and doors about as much as a much larger gun. I often get students who haven't carried that want to put long magazines into small guns for carry, but most change their mind after trying it. YMMV.
As to getting a huge magazine as a substitute for learning to change magazines, you might want to try IDPA and see how that works for you. A little practice under simulated pressure can be educational.

Thanks for the tip, but I'm not really a novice to shooting or switching mags to be honest.

I practiced shooting in the same style as IDPA (or similar) for a while through my occupation with a service pistol, but I just don't find myself in a position to carry a spare magazine most of the time (I do on occasion if I can/remember) because of the way I dress, and I'm one of those who would rather change my gun than my wardrobe - because to me, carrying isn't supposed to affect your every-day life (I fully respect and understand that others have a different level of commitment to it).

Frankly, I also have quite big hands, so I find myself almost running out of grip on the shield even with the slightly longer stock magazine, and I do prefer having a full-grip, otherwise I'd have gone with a Bodyguard.

I don't really have any issues with my gun hitting anything, as I'm used to carrying a sidearm and the way I move, regardless of whether I have a pistol on my hip or not, already accommodates this - and normally I'd be open-carrying a full-sized pistol in that manner, so I don't think I'll run into any issues there.

I appreciate the concern and advice though.

However, I am interested in hearing how the magazines performed. Did they fail-to-feed more or less frequently than stock magazines etc.?

 

[Execpro]

I have tried ProMag magazines in a three different pistols and they all failed (failure to feed on some round in mag).They all ended up in the trash. I WOULD NOT bet my life on them!!!! If you carry a pistol,you need to carry a spare mag period. If you have a mag failure in a gun fight you are DEAD without a backup. As for capacity,you have 9 rounds with the 8 round mag(1 in the chamber). If you want more rounds get a Glock 19. I have one but not for concealed carry,it is to big and bulky for aiwb carry. It does hold 18 rounds. Long clips print more. P.S. A lifetime warranty won't help you if the mag fails and your dead. (In the last 4 years of 2 fed fire and 1 state requal per year, I had 2 failure to feed,2 failure to go into battery,and 1 double feed that required the mag be stripped from gun and a new one inserted ( I had 2 spare mags on duty rig).
Just saying. Just one man's opinion. Hope this helps!

 

[mlk18]

I have Taylor Freelance +1's base plates on 1/2 of my shield mags, making them 9 rounders. The TF extensions are the most solid mounting and reliable ones I have found for the Shield. I tried Hyve but it was HUGE and Magguts, but it was iffy.

 

[pupulepeter]

I have large hands and often wear shorts and a tee. I'm lean to boot, so an extended magazine is not an option. I use the pierce grip extentions for a better grip. I found the 8-rounder shifted to much from draw to draw and value the consistency and reliability of the standard mag.

 

[Raisin]

You may be limited to Hyve +2 mag extensions ( https://hyvetechnologiesbuilder.com/index.php/product/shield-9mm-2/ ) or MagGuts +2 extensions ( Smith & Wesson Shield | MagGuts ) or the Taylor Freelance +1 extension (TF Shield +1 Tail Hold Magazine Extension Black Aluminum [2190] - $19.95 : Welcome to Speed Shooter Specialties ). Good luck.

I do have 17 round ProMags for my M&P Compact and never had a problem with either of them in over 100 rounds.

 

[Old and Grumpy]

I have 4 Pro Mags for my 40 Shield and like you have larger hands. I have noticed that if I tap them on a hard surface before loading they function ok. Other wise I seem to get failure to load half way through 3 of the 4. I use them only when burning up White Box ammo for killing cans as I would never trust my life to them. Never tried any other brand. I do like the grip I get with them though.


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[dmar]

Early in my gun owning life, I tried Pro Mags in a few different guns. I had poor results/FTF issues with all of them. They were a good price, made in USA, and I didn't know any better... In my opinion, Pro Mag has no place in a carry gun discussion. I would not do that!

Maybe Pro Mag has gotten better, but based on your comments about reading so many bad reviews, it doesn't seem to be the case. I like how they make so many mags for so many models of guns. I hate that they make them poorly. Low cost junk mags that may, or may not be suitable for range use, but not a carry gun.

I would consider Pro Mag only for an old gun that I couldn't source an original factory mag, or when original factory mags are super high priced, and just need an extra range mag. YMMV.

 

[kmanick]

I have a Promag 10 round mag for my shield 9 and have never had a problem with it.
Now having said that it really adds quite a bit of lenght to the grip so I only use it at the range.
I actually carry with the Magguts+2 kit, and +1 in the flush so my main mag is short *8+1) and
I have a 10 round on my belt. the magguts +2 only adds a 1/4" to the length of the grip.
I've probably put 500 rounds through each mag so far with zero issues.
I'm in Mass so 10 rounds is the legal limit here. M 9C only has 10 round mags

 

[CB3]

ProMag's reputation is well earned. I've never known anyone, including myself, who bought them and sent them back under warranty. The failures are so widespread and the price so low (cheap) that the common option is to throw them away and chalk up the expense to "stupid tax".

I have used MagGuts and their extensions for many hundreds of rounds in my 9mm Shield (AIWB) without a problem. I carry the +2 extension on an 8 round magazine regularly and it does not make the grip too long (1/4" additional length over the OEM 8-round mag).

If you want a longer mag with greater capacity (more than 10+1) for your Shield, I don't know what to recommend.

BTW, I always carry a spare mag on the offside in an IWB mag carrier. The most common stoppages with pistols are ammo/mag related, including running out of ammo. When I was skydiving, I always wore a reserve chute. No different. Life or death. Be Prepared.

 

[Dad_Roman]

I run Promag10's in my 9mm without any hitches BUT.....

...when I received them I disassembled, cleaned and greased them. (yes, they had a touch of debris in them)

...as stated, they poke out a LOT so they dont really lend themselves to carry. Great for the range and plinkin. I would carry them for spares. Its Mommas. She sleeps well with 21 by her head

...I loved on the sleeves just a tad to insure tight but positive lock in.

...nice extension of the grip area.

....always "set" the rounds against the back of the mag (as stated)

I also went with the Pearce base plates on the 7 and 8. (big hands) Love em but I feel it would be more beneficial to get a +1 extension kit.

 

[zunami]

I as beginning to fear that my thread had died - glad to come back after a few days to find many great replies.

Thanks all around.

___

I see a lot of people commenting on my usual choice of not carrying a spare magazine. To this, I can only say that I think it's better to carry a loaded gun and no spare magazine, than not to carry at all - and my lifestyle doesn't permit me to carry a spare most of the time.

Note that I am currently looking for a revolver to use for when I can't carry a spare magazine (which is most of the time).

In most of my career, I've never carried more than a single pistol magazine inside of my actual pistol (because it wasn't my primary firearm), and despite using it on practically every drill etc. I've never experienced a magazine failure.

Apart from breaking it in, I don't really use my EDC magazine for anything else - it's exclusively devoted to carrying my self-defense rounds and sitting in my pistol when I go about my business.

As such, I think I can avoid most wear-and-tear.

I could also get unfortunate and have a round explode in my chamber and blow the pistol to pieces and discover that a rattle-snake lived inside the barrel - but I'm choosing to trust my gear.

I'm still alive, and my methods have not failed me so far.

Though that said, if I did find an affordable IWB holster that had a smart pocket/holster for a spare magazine for the Shield, I might be tempted to acquire said holster, but it wouldn't really change my situation much as I can't even carry IWB many days, and I'm forced to utilize other options.

At any rate, there's no further need to really comment on this in particular, it's just how it is and isn't up for debate in this thread.
______

Thanks to everyone for posting some of the different options; it is particularly interesting to see that the diverse reputation of the promag shield mags is alive and well on here.

I should probably have specified that it specifically are the .40 mags that seem to have a terrible reputation.

I'm still on the fence about them, but seeing as they're fairly cheap I might order one and see how it does on the range.

Regarding the Hyve-tech, I have to say - that REALLY extends the grip-size, and for only 1-2 extra rounds? That seems almost ridiculously long for just 2 rounds. Almost unbelievably so.

I'd have guessed at least 3-4 round extension with that size increase.

I found this picture that shows it: http://cdn1.bigcommerce.com/n-ww20x.../uploaded_images/shield-9mm-hyve-plus-2-1.jpg

The Taylor Freelance is perhaps the option that suits me best out of the ones I've seen - unfortunately, I don't think I have the tools to get it working (I moved recently and sold most of my stuff - currently don't really have room for it either).

The MagGuts is probably one of the better looking options - I like how it is very compact. Unfortunately, I think I would hate it how doesn't create a back-surface like the original stock high-cap mag does.

@Dad_Roman: I assume the last picture is of the ProMag? That is also a very considerable grip-extension.

I won't know if I can conceal it until I try it - frankly the width of the gun seems to be my biggest issue when trying to avoid printing.

Might have to look into a M&P Compact though.

 

[Dad_Roman]

@Dad_Roman: I assume the last picture is of the ProMag? That is also a very considerable grip-extension.

Yes it is...and yes it is.

Doesn't particularly lend itself to a carry position. Large frame man might get away with it but in this particular case it is obviously the wife's and theres no way a woman could hide that.

Great for the range, nightstand, console.

 

[zunami]

I sometimes have no other option than to carry in a pit holster, which I hate - but it's still better than not carrying at all.

It might work fine when I do that, as that's when I have the most issues carrying a spare magazine in general, in which case it'd be a nice way to make up for it.

Again, I suppose I'll just have to take a chance and try and order one and see how it does.