Having swapped out a few G26, G36, and G43 Glock magazine floorplates for Pierce extenders, I do have experience with Glock magazine floorplates.
When I saw an advertisement for the TangoDown Magazine Floorplate Removal Tool for Glock®, I knew that I had to have one, to see if it worked as advertised, if for nothing else. And secondly, I still have plenty of Glock magazines that will require maintenance at some point, and I would like to remove and install a floorplate without the use of the Glock Tool as I have been doing. It is always better to use a tool that is designed for an intended purpose.
“Glock® factory magazines are pretty much the Gold Standard for strength and reliability. They are proven through decades of serious abuse by Law Enforcement and Military units, and contribute to Glock®’s legendary reputation for fail-safe function.
However, they are not maintenance-free. Extreme environmental conditions such as mud, dust and excessive carbon from suppressor use, can affect the overall performance of the pistol. To keep your magazines functioning as they should in these extremes, they require periodic inspection and cleaning.
But Glock® floorplate removal can be difficult at best, without the proper tool. Our GFRT-01 makes that job easy! Designed to remove floorplates of all Gen 1 through Gen 5 OE magazines, the GFRT-01 uses just the right amount of leverage to draw the floorplate off the magazine body without damage. Injection molded of tough Nylon, keep a few around- in your toolbox, range bag or pistol case.
(Will NOT work on Glock® G42/43 OE Finger Rest -style floorplates)” – Source: Tango Down, Inc.
At $15.16 USD (shipping included) for a 7.25-inch tool that can make removing floor plates on a Glock magazine easier, this is a bargain.
As stated, the TangoDown Magazine Floorplate Removal Tool for Glock® is a PIM (Polyamide (Nylon) Injection Molding) tool. It resembles a Spanner Wrench somewhat, but obviously is quite different. The angle head of the tool has a punch that is used to push down the magazine floor plate retention pin below the magazine’s floorplate. The handle of the tool has a fulcrum that is placed against the magazine housing. The handle is pressed inward at the bottom, which forces the floorplate to release its grip on the magazine. The fulcrum height is such that the movement of the floorplate is minimal, thus preventing the magazine base from escaping, as the internals are under spring pressure.
SAFETY ALWAYS
The contents of the magazine is under spring pressure. Use caution when removing magazine components.
Failure to follow this caution can result in serious injury.
The TangoDown Magazine Floorplate Removal Tool for Glock® is then removed. At this point, I place the magazine and floorplate in my right hand while pressing my thumb against the edge of the magazine. My left hand grips the floorplate as my right thumb pushes the floorplate off the magazine while securing the magazine insert, magazine spring, and follower at the same time. Once the floorplate is off the magazine, I let my thumb relax and allow the magazine spring to slowly expand until no pressure is felt. The contents of the magazine can then be removed safely.
The TangoDown Magazine Floorplate Removal Tool for Glock® is used to loosen the floorplate from the magazine, it is not used to install the floorplate, or a different floorplate (for example, a Pierce Extender) on the magazine. Installation still takes inserting all the inner components in the right order and orientation, compressing the assembly with your thumb, and sliding the floorplate into place until it is locked by the floorplate retaining pin on the magazine insert.
Glock G19 and G17 size magazines posed no problem for the tool, as did G21, G41, and G30 magazine. I don’t have a .40 Smith & Wesson or 10mm Glock pistol, but I am sure that the tool will effectively work on those magazines. Would the real challenge be the G26, G27, and G36 magazines due to their short nature? Would there be enough room for gripping the tool against the body of the magazine. I did not have a G27 magazine, but I did have G26 and G36 magazines. And yes, the tool works with them as well. I had six pierce magazine extenders that I needed to add to some GEN3 G26 magazines. The TangoDown Magazine Floorplate Removal Tool for Glock® helped me get the base plate broke loose from all the magazines in a very short time and was a breeze to use. For the longer magazines where an extension is not needed, this tool will be a definite help when it comes time to clean or repair them.
NOTE
Some hand gripping strength is required.
An alternate method is that the magazine can be laid on a flat surface, as shown below with a G48 magazine. The tool’s removal pin is inserted into the baseplate, as before. Then the handle is pushed downward until the baseplate pops free. While you can slap the handle with the palm of your hand to release the baseplate, a steady pressure places less stress on the removal pin and the magazine.
What the tool won’t work with is Pierce magazine extensions, not will it work with the Glock magazine extensions, or Glock® G42/43 OE Finger Rest -style floorplates. For those extensions, you will still have to resort to the more manual method using a punch (or similar) tool to press the locking pin free of the base plate, squeezing the sides of the magazine, and then popping the base plate free of the magazine body.
Summary
The TangoDown Magazine Floorplate Removal Tool for Glock® really makes it simple to pop the magazine baseplate loose from most every Glock magazine.
Tango Down, Inc. also carries other things besides the TangoDown Magazine Floorplate Removal Tool for Glock®. Things, such as the following, may interest you:
- Apparel
- ARC Magazine
- Bipods
- Grips
- Handguns Other
- Items for Glock®
- Mounts
- Optic Items
- SCAR Items
- Tango Stuff
- Tools
I invite you to visit them at: https://tangodown.com/
