1911 magazine questions.

[mozeppa]

I have 2 .45 a.c.p. 1911 auto's one is a relatively new colt stainless...the other is a rock island parkerized model... less than 50 rounds thru it.

i have 21 magazines made by colt....all stainless and look to be new. no dents, dirt, scratches, or wear in the catch hole.


my issue is that 4 of the whole lot will NOT catch the slide open after the last shot....in either gun.

upon closer inspection i noted that if i hold the foot plate up in the mag well a little further up into the gun...then it WILL catch the slide
and hold it open. on one magazine if i pull down on the mag foot plate, it will release the slide to its closed position.

can this be repaired?

question number 2...
is there any info or videos that you can point me to "tuning" magazines so that they operate more efficiently and most importantly...
more reliably?

[GBertolet]

I suspect that the magazine that you pull down, and it releases the slidestop, is the follower overiding the slidestop. Pulling the magazine down, hooks on the slidestop, releasing the slide. The width of the follower, and or slidestop shelf is undersized, causing a stacking of tolerances. If diagnosed as so, replacing the magazine follower should fix it. An oversized slidestop, with extra material on the shelf might help also. Your other issue of failure to lock back, might be caused by the magazine feed lips being bent inwards slightly. Not enough to cause feeding issues, but enough to prevent the follower from rising up enough to engage the slidestop. Careful use of pliers, bending out the feed lips, ever so slightly, may fix this issue. I have experienced all of these magazine problems myself, and these fixes worked.

[Bazoo]

It could be all 4 of your mags have narrow doglegs on the followers allowing them to slip past the slide lock nub. You can see this with the mag in the gun and the slide back. Or perhaps bent down legs not allowing them to come up far enough. If they are narrow they can be widened by prying them open with a screwdriver. And if they are bent down, bend them up with pliers. Disassemble a mag that works and measure it's follower and compare it to the ones that don't work. It's also possible the springs are inserted upside down or otherwise wrong. There is supposed to be a crook in the end of the spring that gives up pressure on the front of the follower.

[Petrol & Powder]

Or the locking notch on the side of the mag isn't quite in the correct location in reference to the feed lips and/or the floor plate.

And once again we see that these days Colt banks more on their name than their quality.

[mozeppa]

well ...after a few hours working on them and dozens of tests i have concluded that colt gov't issue mags ....are junk.

bend too much and a loaded mag won't lock in....minus one cartridge and it will ....not enough bend and it won't lock the slide open after the last round.

too finicky.

somebody recommend a good after market magazine!

[Texas by God]

I have never had a problem with a Chip McCormick magazine. Or a MecGar. My 80ish year old Argentine ballester Molina mag is flawless as well except it has no finish left. I had a couple of magazines that would not lock the gun open so I modified them to work in my Ruger p97. One was a Colt, the other was a ProMag LOL.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[FLINTNFIRE]

I bought some of the so called 45 colt magazines from sarco all junk not original at all buyer beware I buy the rock island and the mec gar magazines shop around you can find them cheap , I have chip mccormick shooting stars they are good also .

[Burnt Fingers]

I've got at least 7 different 1911 mag companies represented in my collection. I honestly don't have a bad magazine.

There's a guy on the auction side named Joe that sells some really nice 1911 mags. I've bought them from him in 9mm, 10mm, and .45 ACP.

CDNN can also be a good source.

[Petrol & Powder]

Wilson Combat - Done !

[knifemaker]

Wilson does make very good reliable mags. For a slightly lower price get the Chip McCormack shooting star 8 round mags. I used shooting star mags in my duty 1911 for about 10 years and never had a mag failure of any kind. During those ten years I put thousands of rounds though those mags and left them loaded for long periods and no problems with the springs taking a set causing a failure to feed.

[nicholst55]

Wilson does make very good reliable mags. For a slightly lower price get the Chip McCormack shooting star 8 round mags. I used shooting star mags in my duty 1911 for about 10 years and never had a mag failure of any kind. During those ten years I put thousands of rounds though those mags and left them loaded for long periods and no problems with the springs taking a set causing a failure to feed.

I have heard several glowing reports of these particular mags over the years. Unfortunately, my results were the polar opposite of yours and many others. I bought 3 of them many years ago, and they turned my dead-nuts reliable 1911 into a jam-o-matic! My inclination was to smash them with a hammer and trash them, but I decided to take a chance. I replaced the hinky Shooting Star follower with Wilson followers, and darned if those mags don't work a treat now! Kind of soured me on CMC mags, though.

[Bazoo]

Is it possible you got hold of some fake colt mags? They are out there.

Good mags cheap? Ammodepot.com had ed brown 7 rounders for 17.00 last I checked.

Springfield mags I've seen for 15 here and there.

[45workhorse]

Wilson Combat - Done !
Four ten rounders.
Four eight rounders.
Best mags ever....my opinion. YMMV

[Reverend Recoil]

I have six Springfield Armory M1911 45 Auto magazines. They are all good for FMJ ball, JHP, and cast SWC ammo.

[TheGrimReaper]

Yes sir, everything from Colt in at least the past 10 years in JUNK.

[samari46]

I have about 12 CMC 8 round mags that have never given me a bit of trouble. Some stamped Colt 45 that work. One undentifed 10 rounder that works but have a baggie of military mags that only half of them work. Had problems with my slide stop not working. Bought an oversized one from Brownells (Ed Brown) and with the knuhausen book on 45's fitted it and still working. Frank

[Butler Ford]

Wilson Combat - Done !

All of my 1911 magazines were taken apart, cleaned, lubed, bagged and taken to a pawn shop and sold. Fake Colt, Colt, Magpul, Chip McCormick, government surplus and some others and have been replaced with Wilson 47Ds. So far, I haven't been able to make them malfunction. 25 so far, more on the way, and more when the budget allows.

[nicholst55]

Is it possible you got hold of some fake colt mags? They are out there.

Good mags cheap? Ammodepot.com had ed brown 7 rounders for 17.00 last I checked.

Springfield mags I've seen for 15 here and there.

If this is in reference to my post, these were Chip McCormick Shooting Star mags, in the original packaging, ordered from Brownells. I expect they were originals. That 'Devel' split follower was the problem. Once I replaced them with Wilson followers, the mags worked perfectly.

[Bazoo]

No sir, It was directed at the OP.

[9.3X62AL]

Some months back, a member here posted a pretty comprehensive text concerning John Browning's OEM 1911-series pistol magazines for the 45 ACP, and the several features of those magazines. IIRC, the poster's name was 35 Remington--but don't hold me to that. You might try a site search to locate that post. The conclusion part I still recall--best to use were by Metalform, Colt OEM or hybrid-OEM design that featured a tapered feed lip profile. These are what I use in my Series 80 Gold Cup, and they run flawlessly--SWC, RN, HP makes no difference--cast or jacketed. One little secret to Glock reliability is the almost sole-source supplier for that pistol's magazines in all its ideations and calibers.

[Petrol & Powder]

I was a 1911 user years ago and found the Wilson Combat mags to be the best. I drifted away from the 1911 platform and then came back years later (like 20 years later)
I asked members on this forum for recommendations for 1911 mags and the response was that Wilson Combat was still the best.
I acquired several and I concur that they are top notch.

Are there other magazine that are acceptable? I'm sure there are. But the Wilson's are a known item.

[PbHurler]

I've never had ANY hiccups with Ed Brown 7 rounders

[Groo]

Groo here
Never had much luck with wilsons [plastic followers].
Did you check the springs??? might be light /worn ,or in wrong...
Best mags metalform followed by Met-gar.
Ps there are 3 types of feed lips, ball [millspec] target[for short nose swc] and modern[for hp]
PPS JMB designed the 1911 mag for 7 shots, when you put in 8 without increasing length , strange things "CAN" happen......

[Bazoo]

Of the six mags I have,

1 checkmate Vietnam era GI, tapered feed lips
1 checkmate SS GI style, tapered feed lips
1 Wilson 8 round with metal base
1 Colt 8 round, hybrid feed lips
1 Ruger 7 round, hybrid feed lips
1 Springfield 7 round, wadcutters feed lips

Two will not reliably feed the Lee 452-230-TC, those are the Wilson, and the checkmate stainless tapered feed lips. The Wilson you can feel the slide sort of bumping as it hits the feed ramp. It has jammed with that bullet, but very occasionally. I carry this mag as my reload with ball ammo. For the checkmate stainless modern GI style with tapered feed lips, It jams every mag with that bullet. It's stone reliable however with ball ammo or any hollow points I've tried.

All the other mags have fed the TC bullet without hiccup and what ball I've used.

The Wilson mag is harder to seat with 8 rounds but does seat and function on a closed slide. The colt 8 round seats easier than the Wilson, but it has a shorter spring and while reliable, I don't expect it to last as long as the Wilson fully loaded.

I'm happy with all of them and I trust them all. I carried the checkmate that jams with the TC bullet for years and it's never failed with ball or hp ammo. Right now the mag in my gun is the Vietnam checkmate. Been thinking on switching to the colt 8 rounder.

All of these mags were made by either checkmate industries or metalform, except for the Wilson. Springfield mags are metalform, The Ruger looks to be checkmate. The colt looks to be metalform, I believe they have used both however. Kimber mags are checkmate, atleast their 7 rounders.

[35remington]

Ahem.

Colt does NOT make magazines. Period. They just have their name stamped on them. Wilson does not make magazines, nor does Chip McCormick or Virgil Tripp. Vendors that specialize in sheet metal bending make them.... Checkmate, Okay Industries, Metalform.

So the Colt bashing is misplaced based on what is now known.

If you have a gun that does not work properly with multiple magazines, perhaps you should look at the gun. Examine the engagement of the slide stop protrusion in the magwell with the follower. There may be inadequate surface to engage the magazine follower’s shelf correctly.

DO NOT start bending the magazines! First rule of problem diagnosis is alter nothing. Examine all possible areas first. Do not start with a preconceived notion fault lies with certainty with one thing and not something else.

And yes, 1911 magazines are supposed to have tapered feed lips. There is a reason why. This has zero to do with the problem at hand.

[35remington]

If the Colt mag has a C on the bottom it is a Checkmate. These are excellent magazines.

A 1911 runs best with bullet profiles that have a rounded ogive.

[Bazoo]

I've not heard Okay makes 1911 mags, who's do they make?

[Petrol & Powder]

I don't care who makes the magazines for Colt. The magazines with Colt stamped on them are not good quality.

I don't know if Wilson Combat magazines are made by outside suppliers but wherever they are made, they are good quality.

A manufacturer will make whatever the customer wants. If the customer desires an inexpensive, low quality item - someone will be happy to make that.
If a customer specifies a high quality item and is willing to pay for it, that can be made as well.

As for metal verses plastic magazine followers, the plastic ones can be very high quality and can be MORE reliable than metal ones.
So a plastic follower is not always the sign of low quality. In fact, I would prefer a plastic follower in some designs.

[35remington]

The magazines I have with Colt stamped on them are excellent quality, so we know the comment above is not true. These have the Checkmate C.

Said by a guy that knows way more about 1911 magazines and how they work that the average commentator.

[35remington]

Okay has made runs of magazines in the past but not recently have I seen their names stamped on any floor plates.

The Checkmate magazine is standard with the Ruger 1911 but they have the Checkmate proprietary follower they term their “bull nose” with somewhat higher spring rating. The magazine is otherwise the same as a standard 1911 hybrid design with tapered feed lips and a controlled release point flare around mid body on the magazine. This is not to be confused with a McCormick type feed lip configuration. They are not the same.

The latest examples have a D shaped rather than round dimple on the follower.

[Bazoo]

I wonder how many folks with junk colt mags have fake colt mags.

[Petrol & Powder]

The magazines I have with Colt stamped on them are excellent quality, so we know the comment above is not true. These have the Checkmate C.

Said by a guy that knows way more about 1911 magazines and how they work that the average commentator.

Thank you for your opinion. I will give it the appropriate amount of consideration. Said by the guy that has had several factory Colt magazines fail.

[Bazoo]

I've had several checkmate mags fail. Two had cracked feed lips and several had springs fail. When replaced with Wolff springs they resumed proper functioning.

[PowPow]

Wilson Combat - Done !

^ This !

[Alstep]

Wilson Combat - Done !

Wilson ETM mags work in all my 1911's. GI, Colt, Kimber. I don't care who makes them for Wilson, they just work!

Brownells has them on sale every once in a while.

[35remington]

There are a lot of fake Colt magazines out there. If they do not have the proper stamps on the bottom, Colt never supplied them with their guns.

I find the straight feed lip variant supplied by the vendor that makes Colt magazines to be less desirable than the tapered lip variety because it does not feed the gun the way it was meant to be fed and it has design features more likely to make the gun jam.

But that is due to design. The quality is good, but features like eight shots in a flush fitting magazine and a Devel follower make the gun more likely to malfunction. Straight feed lips cause crooked feeding and also up the likelihood of jams.

This is a perfect example of giving people who want bad design features what they want. The trouble is recognizing what the cause of the problem is.

[35remington]

248875

Fake Colt
Checkmate with C and S on baseplate denoting Checkmate and Stainless
Government contract genuine GI magazine with CAGE code. These were made in the seventies and Checkmate was a vendor to the government contract.

[35remington]

Colt generally supplies two types of magazines with their guns, what you get depending upon what you buy.

First is the seven shot tapered lip controlled release point variant. These are highly desirable. Apparently Ruger agrees as they are supplied with their pistols. The followers differ but the magazine bodies are the same.

The other is an eight shot flush fit less true to the designer’s intent. Problems with these as noted boil down to a less stable follower prone to nosediving and damaging aluminum frames and more angular kachunky feeding. It is not impossible to get these to feed in most 1911’s, just that the odds of correct function go down. These magazines work better with lighter loads, guns having deeper frame ramps and nonstandard short ammo but the feed angularity and smaller window for the rim to get under the extractor are major design impediments.

It is often said that the 1911 “works the round hard in feeding” and the 1911 has a “too angled” feed path. John Browning specified a magazine design that makes those beliefs untrue.

The crying shame is that too few know that. Run ball ammo or rounded ogive ammo through the gun using GI magazines and the gun feeds and goes into battery far more smoothly than a newer design. Simply a matter of using the correct ammo in the intended magazine.

[bluelund79]

Wilson 47D, Tripp Cobra, and Checkmate are my favorites. I do have some 8rd CMC’s that have been flawless in no less than 5 1911’s. I also have 10rd mags from Wilson and CMC. Of the ones listed, I have a dozen and a half of the 47D’s, and those are my carry mags.

[Petrol & Powder]

I had new magazines marked Colt that came in the new box with the NEW Colt pistol. I don't know if those magazines were made by Checkmate, Colt, or by the Acme company that sold products to Wiley E. Coyote - Nor do I care.

What I do know is those magazines - SUCKED.

So something made by Checkmate and sold under the Colt banner can still SUCK!

There was a time when Colt made quality products (including their subcontractors) but just because something has "Colt" stamped on it doesn't mean it is good.

I've owned some excellent Colt products and some Colt junk. The name "Colt" by itself means nothing to me now. The name is no longer a guarantee of quality.

[35remington]

Not knowing who made the magazines or the design features of the magazine is a pretty major impediment to determining what the cause of “suck” is. Most start there.

So stating this or that unknown magazine sucked while not recalling whether what particular make or design was represented or not seems a rather invalid way to make a point or solve a problem.

What exactly was the problem? “Sucks” is rather nonspecific.

For example, I can tell you McCormick Shooting Stars produce a bolt over base misfeed or live round stovepipe on the last shot on every other magazine with standard power ammo in most of my 1911s. Light loaded ammo works much better. That is not a quality issue, it is a too weak spring issue.

That is much better information that helps the user decide whether design as well as execution play a role.

See the fake Colt pictured above? Weak springs, poor dimple protrusion, thinner body. Jams like mad despite having a similar appearance to much better made examples of the same design.
Here the execution of a good design is extremely poor.

Both magazines mentioned suck, but for different reasons.

[9.3X62AL]

The 1911A1-series magazines I have are all Colt-marked, blue steel, and have the "C" stamp on the base plate. They are 7-shot capacity. They all run flawlessly in both my pistol and a Series 70 Gold Cup belonging to a relative. Checkmate, I presume.

[charlie b]

I used to have more GI mags than anything else since I could get them cheap. I'd run one and see if it worked with semiwadcutter ammo. If it did, I kept it. If not I got rid of it. If one merely did not hold slide open I'd bend the 'L' leg a bit and usually that worked. If not it went away.

Over time they wore out or were stepped on. I replaced with Chip McCormick Shooting Stars. They have all been reliable for me in all three of the 1911's I have had (all Colts) including my wife's light Commander. I've had a few Wilson and never had a problem with them either.

FWIW, had a gunsmith at one time who became an expert at refurbishing 1911 mags. He made up some special tools to reshape the lips and follower as well as being able to work out dents in the sides of the mags. He also would work on the springs as the end had to have the proper bend in it to work right. But, it cost as much in time as it was to buy new mags so he did the work mostly for himself and a few friends.

[35remington]

GI magazines are allergic to SWC ammo particularly short SWC ammo. Not a problem with real GI magazines, just a matter of wrong ammo in an otherwise correct design. The release point is too late. That is why the abrupt release point tapered variant was developed.

Brownell’s sells a yoke and mandrel to reshape GI magazines but if the GI magazines are sound it is a crime to reshape them. Existing magazines with a release point bend cannot be fixed or corrected with this tool.

[35remington]

C is indeed Checkmate.

[9.3X62AL]

C is indeed Checkmate.

At the time of your original posting on this matter, I got into the safe and confirmed the info.

My old shop converted to autopistols from the wheelguns in mid-1987. One tenet of the instruction we insisted upon with the policies put in place at that time was OEM magazines ONLY. Aftermarket mags vary considerably in quality and adherence to design specs, and the 1911-series pistol mags are among the worst in this respect. We did not authorize 1911-series pistols originally, but those have been approved since my retirement for use by some personnel. Same rules--OEM mags only. Nicely enough, both my Series 80 GC and bro-in-law's Series 70 feed my shop's carry rounds reliably--the 230 grain JHP WWB load. 875-900 FPS from 5" barrels--I like it a lot. It is the old Ranger SXT load, in plain white wrapper. Having seen its effects in trauma rooms and autopsy suites during my working years, I can recommend its use without reservation. The expanded bullets all look like ad copy for Winchester ammunition. That's from recipients, not just Jello.

[Bula]

No mention of Metalform mags. One of my favorites. I run Wilson and Metalform only. Both have been flawless for 15 years or so. I've not even replaced springs in that time.

[Petrol & Powder]

248875

Fake Colt
Checkmate with C and S on baseplate denoting Checkmate and Stainless
Government contract genuine GI magazine with CAGE code. These were made in the seventies and Checkmate was a vendor to the government contract.

So to define "sucky", I'll give an example.
I had a stainless Colt Commander that came in the factory box and included 2 stainless magazines that were marked identically to the stainless Checkmate magazine in the picture.

One of the magazines failed when the floor plate separated from the magazine body while I was shooting the pistol. The floor plate detached, the spring, follower and several live rounds just fell out of the bottom of the pistol. The magazine tube remained locked in the gun.
I found all of the parts in the tall grass and a friend tacked the floor plate back on with a MIG welder. I spent some time with a file dressing the welds flat and re-assembled the magazine. It was as ugly as it could be but that mag actually functioned well after that.

So, that was a Colt marked, Checkmate magazine and I think the floor plate separating from the magazine tube is a good example of "Sucks"!

That pistol and magazine were made Circa 1990 and I purchased it new.

I've owned older Colt products that were great but somewhere along the line, Colt products (and apparently some of Colt's suppliers) became less than great.

[35remington]

9.3, all of that ammo and magazine spec caters to the 1911’s preferences.

Being stubborn about what ammo and magazines to feed a 1911 rarely works as well as investigating the ammo type and magazine design it was designed to work with. Someone had to whack me upside the head and suggest I pay attention to what was working and not try so hard to use what was not.

Lo and behold....what was working was what JMB intended. Who woulda guessed that? A real “duh” moment.

[charlie b]

GI magazines are allergic to SWC ammo particularly short SWC ammo. Not a problem with real GI magazines, just a matter of wrong ammo in an otherwise correct design. The release point is too late. That is why the abrupt release point tapered variant was developed.

Brownell’s sells a yoke and mandrel to reshape GI magazines but if the GI magazines are sound it is a crime to reshape them. Existing magazines with a release point bend cannot be fixed or corrected with this tool.

I had quite a few GI mags that would feed SWC bullets very well. Not designed for it but they worked.

[35remington]

What is most important is a sampling of their wares now, as they currently exist. Colt has made great strides in build quality of their guns compared to past years, and I presume that applied to all areas including their vendors substantially addressing any old concerns you may have which appear to be about 29 years old as of this date.

Bad experiences often have expiration dates. I am suggesting that applies here.

Besides obtaining samples from in the box Colts over the last 20 years, I have ordered from Checkmate directly since about 2007-2009. They have been quite good. Checkmate offered them for public sale in their catalog since about that time, and it was the clamor for the tapered lip type with flare that adhered to JMB’s design principles that led them to include that item and the original GI all tapered lip design back into their regular production for those members of the public that wanted one without having to buy a gun first.

I participated in a group buy where we purchased over ten thousand of them to get the volume discount. As I recall I paid about 9.00 per magazine shipping included at the time.

None have had any problems with welds. Several Colts have been purchased in that time, including two stainless Series 70 Reproductions and a Gold Cup I was going to have further work on but decided to leave alone. Aside from the 8 shot magazine of good quality that came with the Gold Cup, which I believe due to design deficiencies (shared by other popular magazines) is less desirable, there has been no complaints.

I will note I do like genuine spring steel rather than bar stock extractors as per JMB’s design specs and use the aftermarket Cylinder and Slide offering. The guns are otherwise totally stock.



When ordering the Checkmate magazines, either the seven shot hybrid or GI are the most desirable variants they offer. While not listed explicitly, asking for the “extra power” springs for about 2.50 extra per magazine while on the phone with them is a cheaper way to upgrade without going to a Wolff +5% which runs about 7.50 aftermarket.

[35remington]

Most of my GI mags feed SWC well too, but the ultra short ones producing an OAL cartridge much below 1.150-1.175” or so give them trouble with the three point jam. Short cartridges require an early release.

No matter if the magazines are tuned for them or not, short cartridges increase the odds of 1911 malfunctions due to a steep climb resulting from a late frame ramp strike and deeper nosedive into the frame ramp.

Ideally, OAL’s over 1.200 inches with a rounded ogive and curved edge to the meplat let the cartridge glance off the feedramp and pivot off the roof of the chamber as designed. If you would look at the SXT or WWB 230 JHP mentioned above you would see something that looks like a ball round that had a little of the tip clipped off. The ammo makers got wise and served up what the 1911 wanted rather than something else.

Compatibility with the 1911 rightfully drives factory ammunition design in 45 ACP. This is as it should be, and newer designs digest them as well for a win-win.

[35remington]

Really bad bullet design is almost impossible to overcome.

Some years back we had a Lee group buy here that made a six cavity H and G sorta semi clone. The problem is that most people have not seen the original HG 68 which had a rounded edge on the meplat. This bullet had a very sharp not at all rounded meplat edge.

I cast and ran a bunch thorough the Lyman sizer and had at it. I then was amazed when several otherwise reliable guns had three points with it. Guns that were reliable to the point that I honestly could not remember the last time I had a malfunction with suitable ammo. I then proceeded to make a full size and Commander sized Ruger(s) someone else owned puke in the same way.

When I want to sabotage someone and claim I’ve got a bullet that will make them practice their malfunction clearance drills sooner rather than later I slip this in about a half dozen of their magazines which my past shooting has indicated will produce at least one three point in that quantity of rounds.

So far I’ve bit five different people with this ploy. It wasn’t being mean on my part, just trying through multiple guns to see if it was really that bad. It is.

It shoots decently in my 625-3 and that is the only use I have for it save using it for people who brag about their Uber Reliable 1911’s. I have no doubt they do extremely well with proper ammo but it won’t work when fed a bullet with features on it than ensure it will choke.

[Norske]

The most reliable 1911 magazines I own have been the genuine milsurp ones.

[GL49]

I have never had a problem with a Chip McCormick magazine. Or a MecGar.

My experience also.