Top Glock Magazine Base Plates and More

Glocks have been the top-selling pistol brand for decades now, and for good reason. Not only are they reliable and durable but they’re affordably priced and highly customizable. There are practically endless options for aftermarket modifications to your Glock meaning you can change everything from color to triggers to springs.

If you’re like a lot of shooters you’re probably considering some aftermarket base plates. Swapping out the flush factory base plates on your gun for something that gives you greater capacity, a better grip, or impact resistance simply makes sense. Read on to find out some of our top picks for aftermarket Glock magazine base plates.

Why would you want new base plates?

Before we dive into the various brands and designs available let’s stop and consider why a base plate change might be right for you. It’s important to understand that changing base plates isn’t only for competitors, it’s for concealed carriers and home defense gun owners, too.

Base plates—also marketed as base pads and magazine extensions, depending on their purpose—can do one or several things including increasing magazine capacity, protecting magazines from destruction if they hit the ground, and facilitating an improved grip. Before choosing a design make sure you know exactly what you need from your aftermarket base plate and look at different options to figure out what will fulfill those needs most precisely.

Magpul Speed Plate

Magpul Speed Plates for Glock magazines.
Magpul Speed Plates for Glocks. (Photo credit: Magpul)

The Magpul Speed Plate for Glocks is not an extension or pad but is instead a base plate meant to facilitate faster reloads. It’s made from polymer and fits Glocks chambered in 9mm and 40 Smith and Wesson.

The Speed Plate’s benefits are two-fold: it gives you, the shooter, extra space for a finger rest and features an open loop for hooking your finger during reloads. Your reload time does matter and using an aftermarket product such as this to give you an edge is an excellent idea.

This base plate will replace the fully metal-lined factory Glock floorplates. It’s designed to be impact-resistant and tough while withstanding heavy, dedicated use. The Magpul Speed Plate is made for use by both competition shooters and shooters whose focus is self-defense. Yes, your reloads matter when defending your life. If you can shave off a few seconds—or even tenths of a second—it is well worth swapping your Glock base plates for these Magpul Speed Plates.

Tyrant Designs Magazine Extension

Tyrant Designs Glock Magazine Extensions.
Tyrant Designs Glock Magazine Extensions. (Photo credit: Tyrant Designs)

Interested in adding as many as 5 rounds of ammunition to your Glock magazine’s capacity? Now you can, thanks to the Tyrant Designs Magazine Extension. This extension adds 5 rounds to 9mm Glock capacities and 4 rounds to 40 Smith and Wesson Glocks.

These aren’t single-purpose magazine extensions, though; Tyrant Designs created these extensions to be multi-purpose, useful aftermarket additions to your Glocks, and they succeeded.

The Tyrant Designs G19/23 Magazine Extension features the manufacturer’s own retention plunger technology to make installation fast and tool-free. According to their advertising, the change can be made in under ten seconds. They’re made using CNC machining from aerospace-grade aluminum and offered in a variety of colors including aluminum, black, blue, red, and gold. In addition to increasing capacity, they also give shooters a sure hold on magazines when drawing from magazine holsters and a greater surface area for a better grip. They also ship with enhanced magazine springs.

ETS Rapid Recognition System Follower and Base Plate Kit

ETS Rapid Recognition System Follower and Base Plate Kit.
ETS Rapid Recognition System Follower and Base Plate Kit. (Photo credit: ETS)

For gun owners who are fans of Elite Tactical Systems’ clear magazines (and those who are about to be fans), there’s the ETS Rapid Recognition System Follower and Base Plate Kit. This kit allows 9mm Glock owners to customize their translucent ETS magazine followers and base plates as needed for specific-gun use, color coordinating, and faster methods of distinguishing among various loads for different uses.

These parts are made from advanced polymers and designed to resist wear and tear from hard use and drops on surfaces during magazine changes. In addition, when your ETS magazines have been upgraded with these followers and base plates they can be stored loaded. They’re offered in a range of colors including red, blue, yellow, green, and orange. Using this kit is a good way to distinguish your magazines from others at competitions but also useful at the range or for self-defense purposes.

X-Grip Magazine Grip Adapter

X-Grip ETS Magazine Grip Adapter. 
X-Grip ETS Magazine Grip Adapter.

The X-Grip Magazine Adapter is offered to fit a number of Glock magazines from factory magazines to aftermarket designs. It’s advertised by the manufacturer as being specifically designed to work with the anthropometrics of the shooter’s hands for greater comfort during lengthy range time, better overall control, and improved accuracy. The adapter is not made to increase capacity but instead to help the shooter with grip and performance. Its curved shape and molded front-strap area fit the shooter’s hands naturally and the black color blends in with the factory black of your Glock.

This product is made from polymer and created for durability. No tools are necessary for installation; the adapter fits over your existing magazine and locks in place over the magazine’s floorplate. There are models available to fit different magazines including those made by ETS and Glock. Glock models the X-Grip Magazine Adapter is made for include but are not limited to the Glock 26, 27, 33, 43, 29, 19, and 23.

Recover Tactical Magazine Clip

Recover Tactical Magazine Clip
Recover Tactical Magazine Clip. (Photo credit: Recover Tactical)

You may be doing a double-take at the name of this particular product but rest assured it truly is what it says: a clip for your magazine.

The Recover Tactical Magazine Clip is a two-piece aftermarket addition for your Glock that allows you to clip your Glock 19 magazine to your pockets or belt so it doesn’t slip or fall. It’s made from polymer and black in color to match your factory Glock grip and the manufacturer states it will not interfere with loading magazines.

Installing the Recover Tactical Magazine Clip is straightforward and involves placing the product on the base of your Glock 19 magazine in place of the factory base plate. This can be done in a matter of moments, but do take care to watch for flying springs.

Reloads are faster with this clip because it stops you from digging in pockets and pouches for the magazine. It also helps hold them in place on a chest rig. This is an easy way to upgrade your factory magazines and improve loading time by keeping the magazines readily accessible.

Bonus Round: RockYourGlock Custom Logo Precision Magazine Floor Plate

RockYourGlock Custom Logo Precision Magazine Floor Plate.
RockYourGlock Custom Logo Precision Magazine Floor Plate. (Photo credit: RockYourGlock)

Our bonus product shows you just how customizable Glocks can be because this is an aftermarket floor plate that can be engraved with your own words or logo.

The RockYourGlock Custom Logo Precision Magazine Floor Plate is made from black aluminum and engraved in silver. This plate isn’t just a pretty or cool part, though; RockYourGlock machines these floor plates in a way that gives shooters a better grasp on their magazines even while wearing gloves and adds weight to make magazine changes smoother.

As for the engraving, the sky is the limit with this floor plate. You can have RockYourGlock engrave it with numbers for competition use, your name for identification and ownership purposes, or whatever catchphrase comes to mind. Logos can be used, too; simply upload the graphic you want to be engraved when purchasing the floor plate, being careful to avoid potential copyright issues. They’re useful, too, making them a legit aftermarket addition to your Glock.

Kat Ainsworth Stevens is a long-time outdoor writer, official OGC (Original Gun Cognoscenti), and author of Handgun Hunting: a Comprehensive Guide to Choosing and Using the Right Firearms for Big and Small Game. Der Teufel Katze has written for a number of industry publications (print and online) and edited some of the others, so chances are you've seen or read her work before, somewhere. A woman of eclectic background and habits, Kat has been carrying concealed for over two decades, used to be a farrier, and worked for a long time in emergency veterinary medicine. She prefers big bores, enjoys K9 Search & Rescue, and has a Master's Degree in Pitiless Snarkastic Delivery.

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