Are KCI Glock mags a good alternative to Glock OEM?

In my experience, the saying “you get what you pay for” is generally true. I have always heard people say it, but it has only been in the last few years that I have escaped from the “just as good” mindset and have started purchasing higher-quality gear.  My knockoff eBay red dots have been replaced by more durable options. I have learned to make rifle slings to replace the twelve-dollar one I got from amazon. This process of systematic upgrades has gone on for so long that there are few remnants of the days when I valued cheap over quality.  However, there are a few pieces of budget gear that I still recommend. KCI Glock mags are one of them.

I bought my first three KCI G17 mags in 2018 when I started shooting with my university’s practical shooting team. At the time, my primary motivation for the purchase was still, of course, price. The KCI mags were on sale for $8 each, which was a lot more appealing than the $25 OEM. I didn’t expect them to be as durable as the name-brand mags that came with my pistol, but I didn’t care. I just needed something to get me through team practice. To my surprise, the original three are still running reliably and they are still my first choice for Glock mags.

Unlike many other off-brand Glock mags, KCI uses a similar construction to the OEM. The polymer-covered steel design looks almost identical to Glock’s mags. I believe this design is superior to fully polymer mags because it seems to reduce how much the mag swells when fully loaded.

Of the dozen or so that I regularly use, I have not had any reliability issues. I have yet to completely wear one out so I cannot say for certain how long they last compared to factory mags but they have a similar spring tension to OEM mags of the same age.

KCI makes mags other than those for Glock but I do not have nearly as much experience with them. I have been using some of their rifle mags for the last few months with mixed results. Their aluminum AR mags have functioned well. Conversely, I have had consistent issues with their polymer AR mags. The springs in the polymer AR mags seem to be too weak to reliably hold the bolt open after the last round is fired. Due to this issue, I cannot recommend the polymer rifle mag at this time.

Overall, I have had nothing but good experiences with my KCI Glock mags. The price has gone up to an average of $13 each but I can often find them on sale through Arms Unlimited. Links to all their dealers can be found on KCI’s website along with details on their variety of products. 

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