ETS OMEGA GLOCK

MAGAZINE REVIEW

As you can tell this review is about the Elite Tactical Systems (ETS) Omega Glock magazines. Last summer, at the GOA convention, I ran into a gentleman there and he invited me over to his booth. I didn’t know at the time he worked for ETS. I wish I could remember his name but I have sadly forgotten it. After talking for a while about boats, horses, and motorcycles, he started explaining to me about the new Omega mags. I told him that I had a stack of their older mags and I hated them. With the new magazines, he assured me that they fixed all the issues people had with them. I had my doubts, but as a good reviewer, I wanted to try them out.

So after about three weeks I received a decent size box from ETS, it had clear translucent magazines in it. In the box there were numerous G17 style mags, G19 style mags, and then the nice lovely G18 “Big Stick”. On first inspection the mags seemed very well made and had a different style spring than normal magazines.

The spring, from what I can remember him telling me and what I have read, is a music wire spring that has a high tensile strength. It is wound for equalized upward force, to push the round up to the feed lips consistently. The mag is made of an advanced translucent polymer body with an integrated hardened steel frame and feed lips. The mag is coated with a military grade Teflon coating inside and out. This helps the magazine to drop free. Most of all, it lets the spring travel easily inside the magazine body. This makes it not squeak like the old mags did.

So the biggest issue with all polymer mags and translucent magazines is that they swell after you load the mag. Then they do not drop free. If you did drop the mags, you had the potential for them to crack. The old mags all had plastic feed lips. These feedlips always seemed to wear and the mag ended up useless. UPDATE, the new mags have hardened feed lips. This solves the extraction and wear issue. They changed the follower and spring locking plate, so you can see how many rounds that are left in the mag.

With the new polymer, the hardened metal feedlips, Teflon coating, and the Omega joint at the upper rear of the mag, it solves all the issues we had with all old polymer mags. It eliminates friction in the mag well, friction on the spring moving in the body of the mag, and most of all the swelling.

I ran these Omega mags in numerous Glock clones, and a PCC that takes Glock mags. I had no issue with any of the pistols, but I did in the PCC. The mag did not want to lock into place. It would lock in if I down loaded the mag. I even tried it with the bolt open and it did the same thing. The functions of the mags were exceptional. I had no malfunctions and ran the cheapest steel cased junk ammo I had. The mags seat really close to the original mags when inserted. If you remember some older mags stuck out the bottom and did not make for a good look or for concealed carry. I did drop the mags a few times on concrete while at the range. I had one take a swim with me in muddy water. I just wiped them down and loaded it back up. I did notice the mags are a hair thicker than standard Glock magazines. I don’t know if this will cause an issue with 80% builds or other Glock clones. They just worked for me.

So in closing, I do believe the ETS Omega magazines are a massive leap better than any other polymer magazine on the market, or at least that I have tested. I have carried these mags as a backup when I carry a Glock pattern handgun. I use them at the range all the time with my PCC. Can I tell you that they are duty rated? I am absolutely not going to tell you that. I am going to say that they are fine mags and ETS did a great job making them. The advancements that were made fixed a lot of issues that other magazines had. ETS is also making Omega magazines for S&W M&P 9mm, Sig Sauer P320, if you dare, and of course Glock.

Firearms Insider Reviews - Key Points

Claim to Fame:

Mags that bridge the gap between original OEM mags and older polymer magazines

Target Market:

Range trips

Competition shooters

High volume training

Features, Benefits, and Specifications of this product:

Hardened steel feedlips and frame
Patent pending Omega Joint™ and frame wraps 360 degrees for maximum strength and 100% drop-free reliability
Factory reliability
Military-grade Teflon-infused coating meets all military standards for corrosion and friction resistance
Extreme impact resistance with our patent pending fusion of polymer and hardened steel
Ergonomic floorplate design allows for an easy grip to pull from pouches
Weighs 50% less than an all-steel magazine
Compatible with Gen 1 through Gen 5 Glocks
Red follower and locking plate
Base plates interchangeable with ETS line of 9mm double stack magazines.
Due to the wide variety of extensions for Glock, our mag base is designed to be compatible with Glock extensions
Easy disassembly with our specially designed base plate
Lifetime Warranty

What other aesthetic options or finishes are available?

15, 17, and 30 round magazines as well as M&P, and P320

What others are saying?:

From ETS’ website:

Not my first magazine from here and won’t be my last. The 40 round mag looks good in my PCC.

I’m pleased with the quality and like being able to tell at a glance how many rounds are left.

Link to other reviews:

Gun Mag Warehouse

The Mag Shack

Price point:

MSRP = $25.99 to $29.99 for Glock

Retail = Same

I need it now! Availability:

Elite Tactical Systems

Midway USA

PSA

Our Rating:

Pros:

Drop free
Tough and dependable
Better feed lips
Teflon coated

Cons:

Price versus OEM
Closed slide seating the magazine
Possible tolerance difference with clones or 80% firearms.

Score: 8.00 Great

I am giving them a solid 8. The only reason that I’m not going higher is because they are not duty proven. Or at least I can not find if they are.

As a shooter, we all sometimes want easier magazine loading. Welcome to The Mag Feeder. I am not one to typically use magazine loaders, so there is that. But with lots of them on the market, this AR15 magazine loader is a little different. Manufactured by Six Axis Development. I can’t remember if I contacted them, or the other way around. Either way, the sent me one for review.

The Mag Feeder is very well thought out. The first notable feature is the USGI magazine catch. Yes, the same one as on an AR15. This keeps your magazine locked in place while using the loader. Now, as with everything now days, it is made from a chemical resistant polymer. So you don’t have to worry about destroying it from gun lube or cleaners. It also folds up for storage and ease of transportation. Last up is the neat little slider that does the actual work.

Loading the Mag Feeder is pretty self explanatory. First unfold it so that it lays flat. There is a magnet that holds it in the folded position. Lay it on a flat surface. Slide a magazine on until the mag catch latches. Throw some 223/556 or 300 Blackout rounds in the loader. Or put them in the little load slot toward the top. Organize the shells so they all point the correct direction, they will not go in the wrong way. You can also take out the pusher block and load them in from the top. Once all the rounds are in the loader, slide the “pusher block” down and the magazine is now loaded. Then, of course, push the mag button and pull the loaded magazine out. Now go shoot.

Now we know how The Mag Feeder is suppose to be used, I’ll tell you how I use it. I basically just pour a bunch of rounds into the body of the Mag Feeder. Then I straighten them out. I only need to use the “loading port” for the last few rounds. So it is pretty quick, and really easy to use. I tried it on a bunch of different magazine styles, from USGI to Pmags and they all worked fine. The pusher block is also held at the top of the loader with a magnet, actually one of the same ones that keeps the loader folded. This is nice because it doesn’t fall out. But if it does, it will only go back in one direction.

There are lots of things to like about The Mag Feeder. Ease of use, of course. It also has marks for how many rounds are in the loader, well at least by 5’s and up to 30. This is nice if you want to load a 20 round magazine for example. I have one dislike about the Mag Feeder. It doesn’t stay open. I would have some sort of catch made to hold it open. When you pick the loader up off of a table, it just folds partway. I also like how it will fit in a double magazine pouch. Because it folds, you can stick it in an ammo box, or most soft case side pouches.

The Mag Feeder is staying in my range bag. I am very pleased with how it works, and it can save your thumbs. If you need an easy way to load AR15 magazines, this might be a good option. Six Axis was also kind enough to send a .30 cal ammo can and some .223 ammo. That was a plus that I didn’t expect. Go check out The Mag Feeder and maybe some of their other products while you’re there.