I have a Colt 1991 A1, but I only have the two factory mags, and one Shooting Star 8 rd. mag that doesn't work very well. What is a good reliable magazine? Prefer it to have bumpers already installed, but not a deal breaker.
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Sidearms & Scatterguns Good Brand of 1911 magazine?
- Thread starter 101stinfantry
- Start date
The Wilson Combat magazines have been my favorite to date, I have a few of the older Chip McCormick magazines that are fine with ball ammo but have been finicky with 185speer flat point semi wad cutter bullets.
I think Wilson Combat now owns CMC.
These are the ones and they are currently on sale.
I think Wilson Combat now owns CMC.
These are the ones and they are currently on sale.
Wilson Combat 47D 1911 45 ACP Magazine - Full-Size - 8 Round
Our legendary magazines are so inherently reliable they'll make virtually ANY 1911 pistol function EVERYTIME, including YOURS!
shopwilsoncombat.com
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I second that. The wilson mags are the best. Nothing else is even close. Spend a few bucks more and will probably never have an issue .
Thanks guys, I found a 3-pack of the Wilson Combat mags for $77 is that a decent deal?
Mec Gar makes fantastic magazines. My Springfield Pro came with them and they have been flawless.
Wilson Combat and Chip McCormick
Wilson, CMC, Mec-Gar should all be good. With a little Google-fu, you might even find bulk sales of USGI 1911 mags if that's your thing; they'll probably cost about the same as a bulk purchase of modern ones.
The ETM is our best 8-rd magazine. It does everything the 47D does except with a stiffer tube and stronger, stainless steel spring that will last quite a bit longer as well. The magazine does look best inserted in a gun with a magwell.
If you want the "ultimate" 8rd magazine, the ETM is the way to go. If you want a lower profile 8-round magazine, try a 47D-just keep in mind you may have to replace the springs on the 47D a bit more frequently over the years and they will be tougher to seat fully loaded.
Thanks,
WCR
^ Wilson Combat representative post on the 1911 Forum.
Personally if I was gonna get Wilsons, I'd go for the 920-45FS8B or 920-45FS7B, but that's because I like basic USGI flush-fit mags.
Thanks for the info. The reason I prefer bumpers on them is when I smack a mag in I sometimes get a bit of skin between the mag, and magwell, and end up with little blood blisters on the palm of my hand.
I was unaware of how many different brands of magazines there were, things have apparently changed since I last looked!
I was unaware of how many different brands of magazines there were, things have apparently changed since I last looked!
Ouch! Way back when, 1911 mags had a little loop on the floorplate for lanyards; the idea was that you were expected to hold onto your spent ones and that cavalry troops would be less likely to lose the mags if they fumbled while riding. But smacking it into the gun was a little painful, as you can imagine.
Wilson Combat 45 ETM.
I have used them to run a 40 S&W 1911 in competition reliably as well as 45 ACP.
I have used them to run a 40 S&W 1911 in competition reliably as well as 45 ACP.
I’ve had good success with the Wilson Combats and Chip McCormick.
Unless they’ve improved them, I would stay away from Kimber mags. I’ve got a Kimber from about 20 years ago and wanted more magazines, so I thought I would stick with Kimber (this was in the early 2000’s). The Kimber mags wouldn’t reliably hold the slide back when empty, and now and then had feeding issues. I switched to Wilson Combat magazines and have not experienced any issues with them.
Got the wife to get me some of the Wilson Elite mags as a Christmas present.
Coffee, a friend of mine just bought a new Kimber, it came with a CM magazine.
Coffee, a friend of mine just bought a new Kimber, it came with a CM magazine.
Wilson Combat and CMC have both been very good for me. Wilson is a bit more expensive. My CMCs are my to for range use.
Virgil Tripp.
Cobra mags are nice - I've still got 6 10mm/.40 mags, and those tubes are stout. Wilsons work nice. CMCs are good. MecGar makes nice mags, too. We live in a good time
The thing is, there are tolerances in play, and there's not a "one size is best in all" option, overall. Also, not every magazine is perfect from the factory, and may need the lip spacing tweaked, or have them polished, or whatever. Some mag catches will hold the magazine higher than others, and that can have an effect on feeding - and the exact height of the magazine catch window in the magazine interacts with that.
So, pick a quality mag and buy one - and see how it interacts with your pistol. If it works great, buy more. If not, try one of the others. The better ones are all listed in this thread ??
Check-Mates have been perfect, no really, for me. Not one single issue from any of the three Dan Wesson's I use them in. But I also insist on flat plates in my CCW.
Edit: only use 8 rounders. Can't speak to the others.
www.checkmatemagazines.com
Edit: only use 8 rounders. Can't speak to the others.
Check Mate - Blue Carbon 8 Round Magazine
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My Detonics .45, from '90s, seems to work fine with any brand. Mostly. Every brand of magazines that I have used seems to cause some trouble at some point. Apparently, the top part of the magazine widens enough to cause sticky magazine dropping. Squeezing the top part with a clamp seems to fix it - but I need to keep an eye on my magazines.
Not sure if the change is mag dimensions is just from shooting, or from dropping the mags to the ground during practice and matches.
Interesting... Does that phenomenon change between full/empty mags? I would bet that a skilled smith could figure that out for you, actually. There might be some dimension inside the frame that needs a tweak, or some grinding on the mag catch, or a tweak you can make to the mags. You might be able to figure it out with a sharpie and some time.
Well, fact is, the magazines are just another mechanical device. And, they're not exactly made with precision, either (maybe relative precision, but not precise like machining them from bar stock or something) - so every magazine is a bit different from others. I've not personally encountered 1911 mags that changed that much - but early XD magazines were total ass like that in some/many cases. I found some that I could bend the feed lips by hand, and dropping them a few times would warp the lips and deform the tubes.
So, it's likely wise to pay attention to your mags over time. Even super well built tubes can change with abuse, and that includes a lot of training volume. I would check my competition 2011 mags once a year, and generally would have to squeeze a new tube in a vice to get it into spec so it would drop free reliably. And... if a plastic 2011 frame were thinned too much, I can grip it in such a way that it'll bind a mag, too!
Wilson Combat
Tripp Research
Mec Gar
Chip McCormic
I ran all those mags on/off duty carry, 3-4 competitions a year, and practice for 8 years. If you shoot a lot you'll need to replace springs every 6-8 months to maintain 100% reliability. No biggie.
Tripp Research
Mec Gar
Chip McCormic
I ran all those mags on/off duty carry, 3-4 competitions a year, and practice for 8 years. If you shoot a lot you'll need to replace springs every 6-8 months to maintain 100% reliability. No biggie.
If you want cheap say $20 a piece go mecgar. Have 6 that have all been perfect in my SA loaded operator. Don't care for the kimber tac pro mags, they seem to swell and hang up in pistol when loaded. Wilson mags work great too but cost more. I also have 1 armscor mag that is made by mecgar that works great in my kimber but won't lock into my SA.
Have been running the Wilson etm-v mags since 2016ish, and love them. They aren’t cheap, but they’re worth every penny. I dont run anything else.
Eventually, it comes down to a mag that works for a gun. Wilson mags are great, but I have 1911s that will not feed from them and run perfectly from a Tripp, and vice versa. I think Wilson, the RPM from McCormick (now part of WIlson,) Tripp and Metalform Elite are all great. With the Wilsons, get the ETM with the square wire spring. They are tough mothers.
HAVE 8 CHIP MCCORMICK stainless 8 round magazines and 3 of their 10 round Magazines.
There from the mid to late 90's. Run them in Kimber Gold Match and Colt 1911.
No issues. Sure it's the magazines and not the gun or your ammo?
I shot mostly all reloads , 230 g hollow points, 230g ball, 215g SWC lead bullets with a flat nose.
Some bullets you need to adjust the length for reliable feeding. If running factory ammo try different manufactures.
What's not work very well mean? Feeding issue or slide not locking back on last round ?
There from the mid to late 90's. Run them in Kimber Gold Match and Colt 1911.
No issues. Sure it's the magazines and not the gun or your ammo?
I shot mostly all reloads , 230 g hollow points, 230g ball, 215g SWC lead bullets with a flat nose.
Some bullets you need to adjust the length for reliable feeding. If running factory ammo try different manufactures.
What's not work very well mean? Feeding issue or slide not locking back on last round ?
Chip McCormick, Wilson Combat. Not necessarily in that order. But, I'll take either.
To add to that proper crimp is a game changer too. I've seen crimp fuck a 1911 and stop it in its tracks. The crimp hanging if not enough can catch just enough and not let the slide go into battery. Drop tests are real important with 1911s
You are correct . I use these Lee Factory crimp dies with carbide bushing on 45ACP and 10mm/40S&W.
Especially important when loading lead bullets but use always use with plated/Jacketed as well.
I have loaded thousands of rounds using these style crimp dies / would not load without these.
Just my opinion/experience.
But if the op is using factory ammo it's a mute point.
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