First Impressions: CruxOrd Extended Magazine Release for the Glock Gen 4

CruxOrd Extended Magazine Release installed and the factory magazine release below.

Back in September, I saw a review of the CruxOrd Extended Magazine Release at The Truth About Guns. The CruxOrd product intrigued me because it was curved, whereas the factory release button is flat. Because of the curve, the CruxOrd release extends out further toward the back of button, where the factory button is pretty much flush; but doesn't extend any further on the front of the button. The problem with the factor release, at least for me, is that absent shifting my grip on the weapon, I did not always have a positive release of the magazine. Just playing around it with it in preparation for this article, I had about a third of the time that I didn't get the magazine release pressed in far enough on my first try to drop the magazine.

The CruxOrd magazine retails for $24.99. Ordering from CruxOrd, shipping was another $6.99. Shipping was prompt, and I received the package in less than a week.

Close Up -- Front

Close Up -- Back

 Vickers Tactical makes a model that is very similar for only $16 or $17 dollars depending on the retailer. However, the Vickers model is polymer, while the CruxOrd is machined from aluminum. To me it was worth the extra $8 or $9.

In any event, looking over the CruxOrd, the machining and finish looked pretty good. Installation was pretty easy. Although CruxOrd does not include any instructions, the Glock manual describes how to switch out the magazine release so you can reverse it. I took a photograph of the instructions, just in case you don't have a copy of the manual handy.

Instruction from the Glock manual.

Comparing the two releases, you can see how the CruxOrd compares to the factory release.

Side by side comparison, with the factory release on the bottom.

Although the dimensions are only slightly different from the factory model, small dimensional differences can be significant for ergonomics. And such is the case here. The CruxOrd is really no more intrusive than the factory original, but because the rear of the CruxOrd release extends above the surface of the grip, it is much easier to get a positive magazine drop without having to shift your grip on the weapon.

Is this a life-or-death, must-have modification? Probably not. For most people, unless you are competing or regularly clearing buildings full of bad guys, where rapid magazine changes are necessary, the improvement in speed will probably be small enough to be insignificant. But if you have smaller hands and/or a shorter thumb, I believe this release can make a significant difference. And even if that is not an issue, the CruxOrd simply feels better.

I haven't had the opportunity to take it to the range, but just playing around with it at home, inserting and dropping empty magazines, it was a definite improvement. I give it two thumbs up.