What base pads do I need?

foghorn918 · Oct 12, 2014

David Marlow said:
.......For you folks that use Glock mags with aftermarket pads in competition, do they make the factory mags less reliable?

Mine have been 100% reliable with the Dawson base pads.

Wall · Oct 12, 2014

No less reliable. The dropping them in the dirt makes them less reliable. The tooless base pads just make them easier to get the dirt out of.

runawaygun762 · Oct 13, 2014

Very nice. Thanks for the input. Unless I find used TT pads for good price, I'll start trying to set money aside for some Dawsons.

jtischauser · Oct 13, 2014

David Marlow said:
With this discussion about having mags that come apart easily and all, I'm starting to think I have the most amazing magazoines in the history of magazines, because I have been using the same Glock mags for six years now, and I just bought the GTUL set to take them apart. I have never cleaned them before this weekend, and I have had maybe a handful of magazine-related malfunctions in thousands of rounds. Of course, now that I have the ability to take them apart easily, I'll do so, because it seems to be the cool thing to do between stages, brush out mags and talk about how finicky your gear is. If my 7 mags can't make it through a 300-round match while being rotated, there's an issue.

I have listened to people talk about how finicky their 2011 mags can be and how finely tuned they get them, but I'll be using my Combat Tupperware for the foreseeable future, as those 2011s are so very spendy. For you folks that use Glock mags with aftermarket pads in competition, do they make the factory mags less reliable?

Glock maps need less cleaning them 1911/2011 style mags but both are equally reliable. Only time I've had malfs from mags was when I let them get dirty or let the springs get weak.

I waited 2-3 years to switch to a 2011 because of the dreaded reliability issues I always heard. I have had the same reliability with my STI and Infinity guns as I had with my Glocks. Only difference is I'm more accurate and faster with a 2011.

drmitchgibson · Oct 13, 2014

I bought some TTI pads for my 2011 mags that were on sale at a DEEP discount, and they have a pro and a con. The big pro is that they are much more ergonomic than the Dawson pads. Slim profile makes the mag-grab for a reload feel very good and natural, versus the big blocky Dawson basepads. The big con is that the TTI are NOT toolless basepads. You need a slim prying tool to push the spring out of the way to get them off. It is not fast. I really think that's a huge step backward, and am actually disgusted by it.

Burk Cornelius · Oct 13, 2014

Mitch Gibson said:
I bought some TTI pads for my 2011 mags that were on sale at a DEEP discount, and they have a pro and a con. The big pro is that they are much more ergonomic than the Dawson pads. Slim profile makes the mag-grab for a reload feel very good and natural, versus the big blocky Dawson basepads. The big con is that the TTI are NOT toolless basepads. You need a slim prying tool to push the spring out of the way to get them off. It is not fast. I really think that's a huge step backward, and am actually disgusted by it.

Maybe I'm doing it wrong but I just press the pin down and rip the basepad off

Wall · Oct 13, 2014

Burk Cornelius said:
Maybe I'm doing it wrong but I just press the pin down and rip the basepad off

Me too.

I have a mix of both, for different guns.
I don't have the issues mitch mentioned.

I actually think the Dawson pads are better for grabbing from my belt, but that's just me. For a glock, it makes no difference they're pretty similar in shape.

Mitch, holler at me next match & we can look at the problems your having with removing your bases.

Matt1911 · Oct 13, 2014

Sounds like the set screw is too tight.

Burk Cornelius · Oct 13, 2014

I think I know what Mitch is talking about. The spring kind of hangs a little on the basepad when trying to slide it off. I just press on the basepad and the spring eventually "lets loose". It might be putting a little lateral stress on the spring but I don't think it hurts anything

Matt1911 · Oct 13, 2014

Oh, I see. I do the same as you Burk. Never had a tweak in the coil from it.

jtischauser · Oct 13, 2014

Mitch Gibson said:
I bought some TTI pads for my 2011 mags that were on sale at a DEEP discount, and they have a pro and a con. The big pro is that they are much more ergonomic than the Dawson pads. Slim profile makes the mag-grab for a reload feel very good and natural, versus the big blocky Dawson basepads. The big con is that the TTI are NOT toolless basepads. You need a slim prying tool to push the spring out of the way to get them off. It is not fast. I really think that's a huge step backward, and am actually disgusted by it.

Just push the pad up against the mag and it should catch.

Post a video of what's going on please. I'm really curios.

drmitchgibson · Oct 13, 2014

Ok, I'll do it after 6PM

RigPig · Oct 13, 2014

David Marlow said:
With this discussion about having mags that come apart easily and all, I'm starting to think I have the most amazing magazoines in the history of magazines, because I have been using the same Glock mags for six years now, and I just bought the GTUL set to take them apart. I have never cleaned them before this weekend, and I have had maybe a handful of magazine-related malfunctions in thousands of rounds. Of course, now that I have the ability to take them apart easily, I'll do so, because it seems to be the cool thing to do between stages, brush out mags and talk about how finicky your gear is. If my 7 mags can't make it through a 300-round match while being rotated, there's an issue.

I have listened to people talk about how finicky their 2011 mags can be and how finely tuned they get them, but I'll be using my Combat Tupperware for the foreseeable future, as those 2011s are so very spendy. For you folks that use Glock mags with aftermarket pads in competition, do they make the factory mags less reliable?

I used Glock mags with Dawson basepads for 2 seasons and never had any problems. That being said, my 2011 mags aren't all that finicky either with Gram guts and TTI pads. All mags get dirt in them if used like we d tend to and there's nothing magical about Glock mags that keeps dirt from binding up the spring or follower. An aftermarket base pad will allow you to strip it down wherever, so you don't have to carry around the factory mag tool.

theKenny · Oct 13, 2014

Jesse Tischauser said:
I have dropped a pin on my TTI too. It just slides in and out. If you push too far it's all the way out. I get 24 rounds of 9mm in my mags with the TTI spring and follower kit. The Dawson's with grams only got me 23 rounds.

Jesse are you using the 4g or 4g2 for 24 rounds? I've got the 4G with still follower and spring Nd there is no way I can get 24 in those mags.

jtischauser · Oct 13, 2014

I believe the 4G2 with the TTI spring and TTI follower is what I use. If I just add the TTI pad with my grams spring and follower it only yields 23.

theKenny · Oct 13, 2014

Jesse Tischauser said:
I believe the 4G2 with the TTI spring and TTI follower is what I use. If I just add the TTI pad with my grams spring and follower it only yields 23.

Thanks for confirming. I meant to order the 4G2s but goofed. I'll get some at some point.

drmitchgibson · Oct 15, 2014

Here's my basepad video:
http://youtu.be/esEEKv5mbMo

Wall · Oct 15, 2014

Mitch Gibson said:
Here's my basepad video:
http://youtu.be/esEEKv5mbMo

First off, what's with the damn exam gloves? It's a magazine, you're not giving it a rectal exam.

Second, I don't have that problem with my tti bases. If you'd have said something when you picked up your barrell, I'd have shown you.