Video Transcript
Why the ZEV PRO Magwell? (00:00)
The ZEV PRO Magwell is one of our favorite magwells out there for handguns, or Glocks specifically. Magwells generally come in two different sizes on the market. You have your large, competition, race-style magwells that just create a massive funnel that the magazine just magically goes into when you go to do a reload. But the problem with a magwell that is this large (this is the ALG) is they're not very easy to conceal, and they also generally weigh something and they can potentially be a little pricey. The ZEV mini magwell on the other hand is much smaller, much easier to conceal, but it still gives you a lot of the benefits of a magwell. Now it's obviously not a massive funnel like these other competition race ones are but it still gives you a lot of the benefit without a lot of the bulk.
The other thing that I like about the ZEV mini magwell, this one in particular, is a lot of these magwells have a separate piece that goes into the bubble gum receptacle, where you put your gum when you're done with it, in a Glock. And so there's a lot of extra parts and extra screws going on to attach the magwell to the gun. Whereas the ZEV magwell has all of that built-in and a single screw.
Magwell Sizes (01:07):
So the magwell comes in two different sizes. There's the compact size (it's also really simple, which is nice). The compact size goes in Glock 19 size pistols, Glock 23 for Gen 3 and Gen 4. Then there's the full-size model, which goes into Gen 3 and Gen 4s, Glock 17, Glock 34, full-size Glocks. Gen 5s, unfortunately have their own. That's just how it is.
Installation (01:28):
So I have this, I believe this is the 17 full size. And as you can see, drops right into a Gen 4 17, not a problem, single screw is gonna go through the back strap. I'm done Gen 3 frame, same thing, insert this into the bubble gum receptacle. That's not what it is, but that's what I call it. Clips right in, screw goes on. Allen key to tighten, which is included in the little package inside. And you're good to go. So then you have that nice little advantage. Cleans up that little edge, gives you a little bit of weight but it's nothing too crazy. And it's only one screw.
Adds an Advantage for Suppressed G19s (02:12):
Now as a funny little advantage and something that I learned a long time ago is if you're shooting a suppressed pistol like this Glock 19, adding a bunch of extra weight to the front typically makes the pistol wanna drop in your hand and slip in the palm. But if you add one of these little magwells or similar (it doesn't have to be a ZEV—it could be from another company, it doesn't matter). But particularly on a Glock 19, unless you have banana fingers and you have giant hands, gorilla hands what's going to happen here… Is the magwell actually gives a ledge for your hand to be a little more stable on, and actually keep the weight of the pistol from dropping in your hand. So shooting a suppressed pistol one-handed once you have this ledge in place is actually a lot more effective. And I've shot suppressed Glock 19s a little bit and I definitely prefer having a magwell for that for extra leverage on the pistol and to have more control. So if you are running a suppressed pistol or you're building out a 19 for that, a magwell gives some advantages there outside of just the reload.
To demonstrate a Glock 19 magazine in a suppressed Glock 19 like this, or Glock 19 in general, it is going to be sitting flush. It is a little tricky to go in there and pry the magazine out if it is stuck because of dirt or mud. So if you want to leave an easy way to pull magazines out of the gun that become stuck, you may not want a magwell to begin with. You may just wanna keep, you know, the gun slick.
Base Pad Compatibility (03:41):
But another important note of the magwell itself is there's a lot of magwells out there that—due to their geometry, and what's going on inside of the gun—aftermarket base pads and extensions don't always seat in the gun. They will get hung up and they will get stuck as you're proceeding to actually seat the magazine into the gun. But this little ZEV magwell doesn't have those problems, at least not with the magazines that we've tested. So this is the Arredondo that we offer, not a problem at all. It can seat just fine. If you have a traditional OEM plus two same thing, seats just fine. Not gonna be a problem. There's a lot of people out there that make really cool base pads, but they don't always work with all the magwells out there. So definitely take that into consideration. It may require some testing on your end or some research, or you can email us at [email protected], and the guys will help you out.