You ever get angry where you can’t seem to find an actual review of a product you really want? That was me trying to find out if the KCI Glock drum was a reliable magazine. I could find some YouTube videos, but nothing that answered the questions I had, and I prefer to read than watch. Then it dawned on me, “Hey don’t you write reviews for gun products?” So I ordered one, and here we are.
The KCI Glock Drum
Drum magazines can be hit or miss in terms of reliability and the KCI Glock drum is relatively affordable for what it is. This had me nervous, but I hit purchase anyway. KCI is a Korean company that produces a ton of different Glock, AK, and AR magazines. They are also extremely affordable, which again can be a sign of poor quality. I purchased both a drum and a 33 happy stick, and the happy stick will have its own review soon.
The KCI Drum holds 50 rounds of 9mm, and they make a 40 S&W model as well. Out of the box, it felt very sturdy and quite robust. It’s certainly a drum, but it’s not massive or obnoxious. It does make your Glock look obnoxious. Let’s be honest, with all the rifles taking Glock magazines out there it’ll be used for a wider variety of guns than just a Glock 17. From AR9s, to the Kel-Tech SUB 2K the Glock magazine is used in everything from handguns to 80% lower receivers.
Drum Details
The drum is made from DuPont Glass-filled nylon according to KCI and it weighs two pounds. It does have the Gen 4 magazine cuts for an ambi release. The drum will fit in any 9mm, double-stack Glock, and I bet looks amazing in a G26.
Loading
Loading is actually really easy. You see those wings on the side? Pull those down and the built-in follower falls. Insert cartridges, release the wings and pull again. It cranks them downwards and allows you to continue to load the magazine. Fitting that very last round in is a little tough, but do-able.
You really feel the weight of this thing once it’s loaded. It’s a hefty girl, but fat bottom girls run the world.
Reliability and Live Fire
I waited with baited breath after loading the mag. Drums can be notoriously picky. The KCI Drum isn’t Austrian or American made, so it doesn’t have a well-known reputation, in fact, it simply doesn’t have a reputation at all. I loaded 50 rounds of Winchester Forged ammo, the worst ammo I have, and hit the range.
If should be said the drum won’t load on a closed slide or bolt with a Glock 17 or Kel Tec Sub 2k Gen 2. I had to open the action of both to load the magazine into the gun while testing. Make sure you give the drum a nice tap on the bottom to make sure it’s sitting pretty.
I will say I put 150 rounds of Winchester steel through the drum and I had zero issues. It wasn’t til the fourth full drum did I run into a single fail to eject in the Kel Tec Sub 2k. Oddly enough this was with brass cased ammo. 200 rounds in one day and I experienced one malfunction.
How It Feels
In the Kel Tec the drum was perfect. With the magazine location, it’s well balanced and feels good. Obviously in the Glock it is a little heavier and changes how the gun handles. With the weight of the drum in the bottom, it almost feels like it has more muzzle flip, but less muzzle rise if that makes sense.
As the gun recoils the entire thing shifts backward, and as your wrist goes rearward with the recoil it feels like the weight of the drum pulls the gun forward at the bottom of the mag well. It’s interesting, but I guess if I ever needed to break contact with a handgun I could lay down a massive amount of fire for a short period of time.
What’s the Point?
This is America.
Final Thoughts
The KCI Glock Drum works wonderfully well and is a ton of fun. It’s affordable, easy to load and does give you 50 rounds of firepower. Magazines like this just make me smile. In a rifle, it makes more sense, in a handgun it’s just fun. Sometimes fun is all you need.
