Magazine Bumpers

Is the only reason some magazines have "bumpers" that the bumper prevents our skin being caught between the magazine and the frame, which hurts?
Are there other reasons for them?

I guess this is a big deal in "action shooting", but I suspect it doesn't make much difference in bullseye.

Just curious - I guess I'll spend the additional $$ to get the bumpers.

To hopefully not damage the magazine when it hits the ground doing fast magazine changes like in action pistol where you just let them drop.

Also adds a bit of weight so they hit on that end.

And they ensure the mag is fully seated, especially if changed with the slide forward,

I have mine because anatomic grips protrude over the magwell.  Bumpers allow me to seat magazines without digging into the crevice.  I also have few magazines with brass bumpers that help with above, plus the weight distribution on front heavier pistols.

And they give you something to grab onto if you need to yank a magazine out to quickly clear a jam.

Jim

I'm convinced - that last response happened to me, and with nothing to grab onto, I thought I was stuck.  Lots of good reasons.  The magazines that came stock with my new (to me) Springfield Range Officer 9mm Target don't have bumpers - seems like a nice addition.

Springfield's pricing seems unusual - with the bumper, the price is lower?

Before I finish, is Springfield a good source, or is it better to buy from a better source?

mikemyers wrote:Springfield's pricing seems unusual - with the bumper, the price is lower?

Before I finish, is Springfield a good source, or is it better to buy from a better source?

My Springfield 9mm came with Checkmate magazines, which function well but no bumpers. It's super-cheap to add them, but I discovered the threaded holes in the base were not actually 4-40, and the screws wouldn't hold. I called Checkmate and they told me 4-40 was correct. I had the idea to try 5-40, but I bought Wilson mags instead.

mikemyers wrote:
Before I finish, is Springfield a good source, or is it better to buy from a better source?

I've had problems with the Springfield magazines but none with the Wilson Combat replacements that I bought.

I use these in different colors. They provide all the above benefits and the different colors allow me to easily separate out and remember if I have a problem magazine. They are slightly wider than the magazine body which allows you to grab them more easily if stuck but if you have a grip that extends below the frame they may not fit.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/225013284491?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=7hMZVf_hQqW&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=oXrcNVRZQJa&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

spursnguns wrote:And they give you something to grab onto if you need to yank a magazine out to quickly clear a jam.

Without bumpers, how does one yank a magazine out of the gun at all?