Smith-Sights Review: The New Chip McCormick RPM 10-round 1911 Magazine!

[Josh Smith]

05/31/2017 Update:

Hello,

Chip McCormick called me today. We talked. He is a very nice, very likeable guy. He has my respect.

It turns out that the follower is supposed to be offset like that. I was wrong in straightening it. It enhances performance, allowing maximum slide lock lobe engagement while at the same time maintaining minimum tolerances. The non-skirted follower allows for the absolute largest spring to be used, providing better function. I've personally experienced fail to lock on empty with Shooting Star magazines, and I'm very glad Mr. McCormick addressed this issue in his line!

*However, the magazine is tested in the real world to function under harsh conditions, having been tested in the Desert Wars among other areas.* It was specifically designed to get at least as dirty as I got it and continue to work.

So, I'm sending this mag back for Mr. McCormick to study. It shouldn't have failed and he needs to know why. I'm not so much concerned about Mr. McCormick "making it right" since the mag functions just fine now. Being in the industry, I do understand how manufacturing mistakes can happen, and how there is a constant effort to keep these to an absolute minimum. I want to see these refined and improved even further. I believe in this design more than ever: Chip McCormick is an extremely knowledgeable individual, and I know he can do even greater things with 1911 magazine design than he's done thus far. He cares about his products in the same I way I care about mine. Excellent guy.

I'll update this thread periodically. I'm extremely impressed with Mr. McCormick and his company.


The new Chip McCormick Railed Power Mag is an excellent design, addressing several key issues which have plagued greater-than-seven-round 1911 magazines since they were first tried.

Among the most significant changes, the feed lips are folded. McCormick chooses to call these "rails". Whatever the name, they provide unparalleled toughness and the ability to slam the full magazine home on an open slide without the fear of spreading the feed lips.

This allows the other two other innovations, those being the full-power mag spring and full-length follower leg.

As you may know, most extended magazines do not use full-power springs as found in standard seven-round magazines. McCormick does on the RPM magazines. When eight-round magazines were introduced, they were generally seven-round mag tubes modified with a Devel follower and smaller diameter (weaker) magazine spring. These were compromises which allowed an eighth round to be squeezed in. These magazines still did not seat well on a closed slide, at least in my experience, due to that eighth round allowing absolutely no more room.


I found out about the full-length follower when I was troubleshooting (more on that later). Though a modified Devel design, a standard GI dimpled follower fit and functioned fine in the 10-round magazine I tested:

http://i1147.photobucket.com/albums/o560/Smith-Sights/Private/1911/RPM/rpm%20with%20dimpled%20gi%20follower.jpg


The length of the RPM tube allowed a full compliment of 10 rounds even with the dimpled follower. The only caveat was that, like the old seven-round magazines with increased capacity to eight rounds, it was difficult to seat on a closed slide.

It's interesting in that the modified Devel follower that is the RPM seems to exist only to provide easy seating of a full mag on a closed slide.

Shooting with this magazine was interesting. I started off with 11 230grn Hornady +P XTP defensive loads. These ran fine.

I moved on to a couple-few mags full of 230grn handloads. These were comprised of Lee Truncated Cone 0.452" traditional lube boolits over 4.5 grains of 700x. Again, these ran fine.


Then I grabbed a box of these:

http://i1147.photobucket.com/albums/o560/Smith-Sights/Private/1911/RPM/45%20Xtreme%20SWC%20Plated.jpg

There were over 200, 200grn Xtreme Plated SWC handloads in that box. The first few mags ran fine, and then I began experiencing malfunctions, two per magazine, at predictable points. The malfunctions were partial feeds. A firm slap on the magazine (first part of the tap-rack-assess-bang drill) allowed the slide to return to battery under spring power.

I could have crimped those handloads a bit more. However, since they're plated and not jacketed, I like to just kiss the bell off the case mouth and nothing more. I'm sure gunk in the chamber contributed to the stoppages, but it wasn't completely at fault.


Both gun and magazine were filthy when I was done:

http://i1147.photobucket.com/albums/o560/Smith-Sights/Private/1911/RPM/about%20500%20rounds%20dirty%20gun%202.jpg

http://i1147.photobucket.com/albums/o560/Smith-Sights/Private/1911/RPM/dirty%20magazine%20top.jpg

http://i1147.photobucket.com/albums/o560/Smith-Sights/Private/1911/RPM/dirty%20magazine%201.jpg

http://i1147.photobucket.com/albums/o560/Smith-Sights/Private/1911/RPM/dirty%20magazine%20top%20front.jpg


I took the opportunity to detail strip my 1911, and then moved on to the magazine:

http://i1147.photobucket.com/albums/o560/Smith-Sights/Private/1911/RPM/torn%20down%202.jpg


I noticed uneven contact of the follower with the mag tube:

http://i1147.photobucket.com/albums/o560/Smith-Sights/Private/1911/RPM/dirty%20follower%201.jpg
http://i1147.photobucket.com/albums/o560/Smith-Sights/Private/1911/RPM/dirty%20follower%202.jpg


Upon cleaning, the issue became obvious:

http://i1147.photobucket.com/albums/o560/Smith-Sights/Private/1911/RPM/new%20rpm%20follower%20bent.jpg
The follower was bent!

I tested the tube with a known-good GI follower, pictured above. It ran just fine.

[Josh Smith]

I reinstalled the RPM follower and took a picture so that I could easily see where it was dragging:

http://i1147.photobucket.com/albums/o560/Smith-Sights/Private/1911/RPM/follower%20dragging%202.jpg


Here I should note that McCormick would have made this right. However, this was a new toy and besides, I like fixing things myself. I bent it to where it should have been:

http://i1147.photobucket.com/albums/o560/Smith-Sights/Private/1911/RPM/rpm%20follower%20straightened%20top.jpg

http://i1147.photobucket.com/albums/o560/Smith-Sights/Private/1911/RPM/RPM%20follower%20straightened.jpg

I also put a mirror finish on all follower-to-mag tube contact points, but neglected to snap pictures.


Today a grabbed a box of these from the shelf:

http://i1147.photobucket.com/albums/o560/Smith-Sights/Private/1911/RPM/200grn%20swc-hc%2045grns%20700x.jpg

Lee 200grn SWC, hard cast, tumble lube, over 4.5 grains of 700x.

I ran 50 or 60 of these through the magazine along with a few of the aforementioned truncated cone loads. All functioned fine over a wide range of stances, including modified Weaver and Isosceles and single hand target hold. I tried limpwristing, shooting the gun upside down for a couple magazines, ghetto style... I couldn't get it to choke.


Overall, I think we have a winner. I like it. McCormick needs to watch the QC on the followers a bit more carefully as not all folks are willing to get in there and fix it, but beyond that, I like the mag.

If I had my 'druthers, I'd choose a metal plate reinforcing the plastic base plate. There is a metal plate there (which, incidentally, interchanges with Wilson), but it's only retained by the plastic baseplate and not the magazine itself.


Also, a dirty gun is a happy gun:

http://i1147.photobucket.com/albums/o560/Smith-Sights/Private/1911/RPM/about%20500%20rounds%20dirty%20gun%20right%20side% 202.jpg


I'm sure I left something out, so if you have questions, please ask.

Regards,

Josh

[M-Tecs]

Nice write-up thanks

[35remington]

One of the things extended magazines of any type that approach this capacity cannot address is the first few rounds out of the magazine striking exceptionally low on the frame ramp due to the gap twixt the top round and the ones below. Follower shape or type cannot address it because it comes about due to stacking tolerances.....the more rounds, the more the top rounds strike low.

Whether it matters or not depends on the pistol, but it is best if the gun has a deep frame ramp cut in the magwell. In theory it makes the gun somewhat more prone to jam due to increased feed path angularity.

These are really "gamer" magazines as the length makes the butt of the pistol excessively long and harder to conceal for CC use. But that is of course already obvious.

[Josh Smith]

I'm able to CCW it. I'm also a big guy and conceal with a vest or similar year-round.

I'm not finding that the rounds impact excessively lower that a GI 7rnd. So far I cannot explain why.

Regards,

Josh

[contender1]

I own a lot of the McCormick 10 round Shooting Star mags. I don't have any of these mags yet,, but I'd not hesitate to buy any.
I've use my mags a LOT in USPSA competition. When I get new mags,,, I function test them before I use them in a match. I've never had any mag issues with any of mine,, slamming them home in a loaded gun "at speed" & mine get used a LOT. I also use plated Xtreme bullets,, and I taper crimp them.

The write up above is an EXCELLENT one,, and shows that Chip is a shooter first & foremost. (I know as I've met his several times.)

[35remington]

Mark the feed ramp with carbon and note the first rounds impact location. They absolutely will dive somewhat more than a smaller capacity magazine. They have to. Thus is a function of capacity and no other factor applies to make it occur.

Moderate to hot spring and summer days make tail out t shirts the only possible wear choice here, and I am rather large myself. Extended mags of this length carried in the waistband make it look like someone is poking a stick out from inside your t shirt.

[Josh Smith]

Mark the feed ramp with carbon and note the first rounds impact location. They absolutely will dive somewhat more than a smaller capacity magazine. They have to. Thus is a function of capacity and no other factor applies to make it occur.

Moderate to hot spring and summer days make tail out t shirts the only possible wear choice here, and I am rather large myself. Extended mags of this length carried in the waistband make it look like someone is poking a stick out from inside your t shirt.

Hello,

I do have such pics. I'll get one posted.

Regards,

Josh

[Josh Smith]

Hello,

Photobucket unexpectedly decided that hotlinking may only be done for paid accounts now.

I have no problem with this. I generally pay for Photobucket, but had not renewed yet this year. However, Photobucket caused a lot of problems by not warning its users in an effective manner. I personally saw no warning.

I'm moving hosting to smith-sights.com until I decide on another dedicated picture host. I've not disappeared. Please bear with me. I'm not the only one effected by this.

However, this illustrates why centralized storage is a problem. This Photobucket trick is reminiscent of ransomware ("Pay us money and you can again access your files".) It's not exactly the same because I can still access my files. I just cannot give remote access to these files without paying.

This effects everything I've done article-wise back to about 2011. I believe Photobucket is counting on this, and figures I'll cave and pay money.

Nope. I'm moving everything. I'll pay another company to host my stuff. Idiots running Photobucket.

Regards,

Josh

[reddog81]

I picked one up a couple of weeks ago and like it. It is my first 10 round 1911 mag and I find no noticeable difference in the functioning but I haven't done a detailed examination of how each round feeds. I've only got 100+ rounds though it but wouldn't hesitant to recommend one. It definitely feels like a quality product and works well too.

Going from 7 rounds to 10 rounds seems weak this day in age but of 17 to 20 round mags but it still is an increase of 42% over the standard 1911 magazine.