Glock 17 magazines: 17, 19, 24 and 33-round options explained

The Glock 17 magazine is the most produced pistol magazine in the world, and the one part of the pistol that has barely changed in forty years. Every 17 magazine fits every 17, and most fit half a dozen other Glocks too. This guide covers the factory versions, what changed at Gen 4 and Gen 5, the extended options, the aftermarket, and the state laws that decide which ones ship where.

The factory 17-round magazine

The standard magazine is a polymer body over a steel liner, with a polymer follower, a steel spring and a removable floorplate with an insert. It holds 17 rounds of 9mm and is marked with witness holes on the back. Early Gen 1 magazines were non-drop-free, with a liner that did not wrap the full body, and they stick in the well when released; every magazine since the early 1990s is fully lined and drops free. A 17 magazine also fits and functions in the Glock 19, 26, 34, 17L, 19X, 45 and 47, protruding below the grip on the smaller frames, which is why a 17 magazine is the standard spare for a 26.

Gen 4 and Gen 5 changes

Gen 4 introduced the reversible magazine catch, so Gen 4 magazines have a catch notch on both sides of the body. They work in every earlier pistol. Older single-notch magazines work in a Gen 4 or Gen 5 only if the catch is in the standard right-handed position; reverse the catch for a left-handed shooter and you need the double-notch magazines. Gen 5 magazines added an orange follower, an extended front lip on the floorplate to give a purchase for ripping a stuck magazine from the flared well, and they also work in every earlier 17. A Gen 5 magazine in a Gen 3 pistol simply has a floorplate that sticks out a little in front.

Restricted 10-round magazines

Glock makes a 10-round 17 magazine for states that cap capacity. It uses the same body with an internal block so it cannot be loaded past ten; it is not a shortened magazine, and it is the one we ship to buyers in those states.

Extended factory magazines

Glock's 19-round magazine is the 17X body shipped with the 19X and 45, effectively a 17 with a taller floorplate. The 24-round magazine is a longer body that protrudes well below a 17 grip and is popular for competition where allowed and for pistol-caliber carbines that take Glock magazines. The 33-round magazine, made for the Glock 18 and sold in the US as a 9mm long magazine, fits any 9mm Glock and is mostly used in carbines and for range fun. All of these are subject to state capacity limits and ship only where legal.

Aftermarket magazines

The Magpul PMAG 17 GL9 is the most common aftermarket 17 magazine and has a good record; Magpul also makes 21 and 27-round versions. ETS makes translucent magazines that let you count rounds. Older KCI and other import magazines vary in quality and are the most common source of feed problems we hear about. For a defensive pistol, factory or Magpul; for the range, anything that runs in your gun.

Baseplates and extensions

Aluminum or polymer baseplates replace the factory floorplate to add rounds, usually plus two or plus five for a 17, with a longer spring included. They also add grip length, which some shooters like on a 26 and no one likes on a 17 that must fit a holster or a division box. Extensions count toward state capacity limits. A plus-two baseplate on a 17 magazine in a 15-round state is over the limit even if you never load it full.

Springs, followers and care

Magazine springs are the part that wears. Replace them when the last round fails to feed or the slide stops locking back, roughly every few thousand rounds of use or several years of loaded storage. Followers crack rarely and are cheap to swap. Take magazines apart by pressing the floorplate insert through the hole and sliding the plate forward, wipe the inside dry, and do not oil them; oil holds grit. Numbering your magazines with a paint pen tells you which one is failing.

Loading and the magazine loader

A new 17 magazine is stiff for the last three rounds, and the plastic loader in the box is there for a reason. Load with the loader or a thumb saver, seat the magazine with a firm push and a tug, and do not download it by a round; the spring is designed for 17. Magazines loaded and left for years lose little strength, since springs wear from cycling rather than compression, but a magazine that has been loaded and unloaded thousands of times on a range gun should have its spring replaced on a schedule.

State limits

Several states cap handgun magazine capacity at 10 rounds and a few at 15, and some cities add their own rules. The 17-round factory magazine is over the limit in all of them. We ship compliant magazines to those states, and the checkout tells you before payment which version you are getting. Check the summary for your state on our city pages.

What to buy

• Carry or duty: factory Gen 5 17-round magazines, three or more.
• Range and matches: Magpul 17 or 21, factory 24 where legal.
• Carbines: factory 33 or Magpul 27.
• Capacity-limited states: factory 10-round or 15-round.

Browse Glock 17 magazines and baseplates, and see which magazines fit which generation in parts compatibility.

General information, not legal advice. Current as of September 2026. Laws change; check the official source before you act.