I’ll keep this almost too short…like the grip used to be on my Glock 43 without the pinky extension mag inserted. The Glock 43 is what I carry most of the year because of how easy it is to hide and how well it shoots for a subcompact 9mm. The obvious trade-off is that when the grip is short enough to hide exceptionally well even under a t-shirt, the pinky finger doesn’t have any room to get in on the pewpew shenanigans at the range. And although the one that came on one mag from the factory remedied the pinky issue, there wasn’t any other functional reason (i.e. more pew) for making the grip longer with those options. I shot the gun fine without the pinky extensions, so I typically just carried flat bottomed stock mags.
The thought I had about +1 extensions for the 43 was similar to my complaint of flush-fitting 8-round 1911 magazines…if you’re just cramming more rounds in there with a spring and mag tube that was designed for a certain number of rounds, you are making a sacrifice—even if you don’t know it. In the case of the 1911, it was a weaker spring in the same mag tube. Here, it was the same spring in what amounted to a longer mag tube…but the issue is similar. Less spring pushing up on the rounds in the mag. I didn’t want to sacrifice reliability in any way to get another round or two in the gun, so I held off.
The Pearce and Strike Industries options that added 1 or 2 rounds but used the factory spring concerned me for that reason. And as cool as they looked, my concern persisted with the Taran Tatical +1 basepads for the Glock 43 as well because they also use the factory spring and I had heard of too many people having last round issues with similar setups.
Eventually (so what if it was because I saw a John Wick 2 trailer?), I decided I did want to find a way to get a little more firepower out of the 43, so I went for the +2 and +3 extensions from Taran Tactical because they come with a stronger spring. I know this is coming, so I’ll just go ahead and say it: the Ghost and Tangodown +2 offerings also include stronger springs and are about $20-30 less expensive. It’s true. And I imagine they work just fine, but I wanted to get one that allowed as many extra rounds as possible to test reliability (at the time +3 was only offered by TTI that I saw—not 100% sure if that’s still true). Additionally, I like the added peace of mind of a basepad that I plan to drop when I practice with the carry gun being metal and the extra weight for ensuring that the mags drop free even though I might still have some skin on the basepad when I hit the mag release. I also know a fair number of really good shooters who have run Taran’s basepads in everything from 3-Gun to USPSA Limited divisions to woods carry. No one had any complaints.
Installation was easy…or…as easy as things get with factory Glock mags. You just remove the factory basepad, remove the spring and the insert that fits into the original basepad, and swap the new spring in with the TTI basepad. Be sure not to allow the spring to do anything funky as you slide the TTI basepad onto the bottom, and push the retainer pin up on the back of the magazine to keep the basepad in place as a fallback. Note, though, that these fit so tight I don’t think they’re going anywhere regardless.
After getting some time in with the Taran extensions I ordered, I don’t have any complaints either. The first +2 I ordered had a machining related issue in the set screw area, but Brownells stands behind everything they sell and they swapped it out and sent me a new one that has been great. Bottom line, the +3 TTI basepad has not posed any sort of reliability issues on the last round of the mag so far whatsoever, and I have used it a lot over the past couple of months (then carried it as well after getting some rounds through it). Feeding reliability has been 100% with various bullet weights, cartridge lengths, and power factors (yes, that makes a difference…increased slide speed can show you a problem with the strength of your mag springs). The +2 is slightly shorter (as shown in the photos), so if I am really concerned about concealability that day I usually just pack it as a spare and keep the factory mag or the slightly shorter +2 mag in the holstered pistol. Keep your eyes peeled on the @handgunplanet Instagram in the next couple of weeks, too…the +3 has gotten all of the love in photos but we’ll start throwing up some all black pics with the +2 for anyone who wants to see how it looks in the gun. HP
-Colt Driver
These basepads are available directly from Taran Tactical, or at major industry retailers like Brownells. I opted for the latter, and in light of Brownells’ quick shipping and great customer service, I am glad I did. And if you still don’t know what to think of the GLOCK 43, check out our initial review HERE!
Taran Tactical Innovations +3 Firepower Basepad; MSRP $41.99; Available HERE.
Taran Tactical Innovations +2 Firepower Basepad; MSRP $34.99-35.99; Available HERE.
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