1911 Magazines

[Drm50]

I’m wanting to pick up several 1911 45acp magazines. I have not had and experience with aftermarket mags for 1911s. I use to have dozens of Mil Surp mags. I dealt them off now I need them. I do have Brn HP magazines that don’t work for squat. What are the best aftermarkets and which ones to avoid?

[Wheelguns 1961]

I have always had good luck with brownell’s magazines.

[ShooterAZ]

My personal favorite is the Wilson Combat #47D. Very reliable and durable.

[Jtarm]

I was in the same boat several months ago and went with Ed Brown.

They looked like the most bang for the buck.

[1006]

All the major brand names have worked well for me in 45ACP: Wilson, Chip McCormick, Metal Form, Mec-Gar, Kimber, Springfield, Colt, Ed Brown, Les Bear, ect, ect.

In the other calibers -all single stack- I have had the best luck with Mec-Gar, and Metal Form.

[Bazoo]

Ruger 1911 mags work well.

Wilson mags, others like them, I don't. I've had them jam with the lee TC bullet.

Checkmate industries is oem for several, and their brand mags are okay as well. I have had several with gi feed lips. The springs failed after a few years. Had one crack on the feed lips. Had one that started jamming for no appearant reason, probably the spring but it felt and looked good. Jammed in my Springfield and my buddies Kimber. Then I have a GI surplus that is made by checkmate that is reliable. 1M291 is the cage code for it.

If I had to buy from scratch I'd probably by Ruger if I could find them. They have checkmate followers but I'm not sure if checkmate makes the whole mag, probably judging by the quality and style.

Have had decent luck with Springfield factory mags too. As well as several Ed brown 7 rounders.

Guess it just depends on what your gun likes.

[Alstep]

Wilson ETM mags work well for me. Not a malfunction yet in my Kimber & Colt. Brownell's has them on sale now & then.

[bimus]

I'm a big fan of 1911 pistols over the years buying and selling but the Wilson magazines are keepers .

[Winger Ed.]

They're harder to find now days than a honest politician,
but the old Devell magazines with the collapsible follower that hold one extra round are good.

[Bazoo]

I don't like the Wilson mags that stick below the grip. I am a flush fit mag kinda guy. The little toe on a 7 round mag makes the grip feel right for me. Wilson mags, dont have enough toe there. Guess it's cause I got large hands.

[Drm50]

I’ve never had anything but Colt and GI mags. Never had any problems with them. Have a Colt 1911 on the way. Only brought it for social problems. Probably not going with cast, have several thousand FMJ and JSP bullets left from 30yrs ago. I have 45acp revolvers that I only load with cast.

[lawdog941]

My personal favorite is the Wilson Combat #47D. Very reliable and durable.

+1 Dependable and no misfeeds.

[oldhenry]

The SR1911s (2) that I own came with Checkmate magazines. The are 100% reliable. I also have 1 Devel 8 shot magazine & would buy more if they were still in business.

[Goldstar225]

I'm another who has not been impressed with wilson magazines. The Cobra magazine from Tripp Research is pure quality. Expensive but worth it.

[LUCKYDAWG13]

+1 Dependable and no misfeeds.

+ 2 on that

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Checkmate was recommended to me, for my RIA 1911 (38 super) and the checkmate mags I bought were better than the factory mag that came with the gun. The person that recommended, said the 45 acp mags were excellent for the price.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?409667-1911-Magazine-review

[samari46]

Shot steel plate matches years back. Have about a dozen Chip Mc Cormick mags and no problems. For the Browning HP I've used MegCar 13 rounders but they also make 15 rounders as well. The McCormick mags feed and function on both my 1943 Ithaca 1911A1 and a Newer Springfield Armory (Illinois) 45. Frank

[downzero]

I have used a lot of 1911 magazines but I only use Tripp Research now.

[EMC45]

Chip McCormicks or Wilson for the 1911, Mec-Gar for the BHP - as was said either the 13 or 15 round mags are great.

[Bigslug]

I've really come to prefer the original GI-style tapered feed lips that provide Mauser-like controlled feed. Checkmate offers them this way.

[Petrol & Powder]

If it is for self-defense,
Wilson and never look back.

If you are just talking about a range toy, you can spend a little less money but for serious work, Wilson is the way to go.

I was in the 1911 game, got out and after many years got back in the game.
Back 25+ years ago, Wilson was the go-to magazine for serious work. When I returned to the 1911, I wasn't sure if Wilson was still the top dog but it turns out they are.

You don't need huge base pads or other gizmos. Just a solid, reliable magazine. Most semi-auto functioning problems can be traced to the magazine - don't go cheap on magazines if the gun must function.

The Wilson 47 series mags are top-notch. I prefer the stainless models with the smaller base pads.
The steel is high quality. The feed lips retain their form. The springs are strong and don't weaken with use. The follower is plastic (self lubricating and will not rust) and is large enough to stay aligned in the body of the magazine. The Wilson 47 series will feed SWC, RN and RN hollow point reliably.

Almost any magazine will work when new. The question is, "How long will it work and WHEN WILL IT FAIL"?

[Petrol & Powder]

my personal favorite is the wilson combat #47d. Very reliable and durable.
/\ this /\

[jakharath]

Tripp Cobra. Replaced all my other mags with them.

[Uncle R.]

You don't need huge base pads or other gizmos. Just a solid, reliable magazine. Most semi-auto functioning problems can be traced to the magazine - don't go cheap on magazines if the gun must function.

The Wilson 47 series mags are top-notch. I prefer the stainless models with the smaller base pads.
The steel is high quality. The feed lips retain their form. The springs are strong and don't weaken with use. The follower is plastic (self lubricating and will not rust) and is large enough to stay aligned in the body of the magazine. The Wilson 47 series will feed SWC, RN and RN hollow point reliably.

Almost any magazine will work when new. The question is, "How long will it work and WHEN WILL IT FAIL"?

This. ^^^^
Matches my experience exactly.

I haven't tried every 1911 mag out there, but I've tried a bunch of 'em.
Many of them start out great, but break down after hard use.
Even genuine Colt mags have failed when they get old, and have been used a lot.

I've never had a Wilson mag fail.
I have several that are probably 30 years old and they still work perfectly.
The feed lips don't deform, the body holds its shape, and the springs stay strong.
Wilson mags function very well, and they keep functioning for a long, long time.

I've had extensive experience with Wilson mags over several decades, and they're reliable as an anvil. I don't want anything else.

Uncle R.

[Reverend Recoil]

Springfield Armory magazines work great for me.

[bigboredad]

I hate the Wilson on several of my guns they won't lock the slide back. I really l one checkmate and the newer railed version of Chip McCormicks work good but after I bought the cobra Tripp mags they have became my favorite. The price is a long the lines of Wilson however the cobra mags are way more robust and work fabulous plus replacement parts are available at a decent price. These are by far the most robust mags I've ever seen.

The way I see it I paid a chunk of change for my Dan Wesson why use cheap mags

Sent from my SM-T377V using Tapatalk

[Loudy13]

My personal favorite is the Wilson Combat #47D. Very reliable and durable.

ditto on these and you can find 2,3 or 4 packs on fleabay for a decent price

[rintinglen]

My opinion is worth little, I am not a huge 1911 fan, but the Wilson, McCormick, and Mec-gar magazines have all worked well for me.

[Baltimoreed]

I also had issues with wilson 1911 mags being undersized but bought 10 ss chip McCormick mags that I’ve used for years. Also have ss and blue oem colt mags that work fine.

[Mk42gunner]

I don't like any 1911 magazine that has a plastic floor plate, they tend to get banged up and broken when dropped.

I have had good luck with GI mags, and if I wanted eight round capacity I used to used Chip McCormick's Shooting Star mags. They were the least expensive eight rounder's ~thirty years ago when I was carrying a 1911.

Robert

[Laguna Freak]

The Chip McCormick 8 round mags are flawless.

[downzero]

I don't like any 1911 magazine that has a plastic floor plate, they tend to get banged up and broken when dropped.

I have had good luck with GI mags, and if I wanted eight round capacity I used to used Chip McCormick's Shooting Star mags. They were the least expensive eight rounder's ~thirty years ago when I was carrying a 1911.

Robert

I'm pretty sure I shot 40,000 rounds through the same magazines with plastic floorplates and never had one break.

[nicholst55]

Wilson own the Chip McCormick name now, and so your new CMC mags are really Wilsons. Checkmate makes Ed Brown's mags, and probably several others, as well. Over on the 1911 Addicts forum, they tend to poo-poo the Springfield factory mags. I dunno, but that's what they say.

Anyone who has a few trashed mags in their junk drawer, get over to Ed Brown's website. They have a magazine trade-in program - send them your old mag and $10, and they'll send you a brand new Ed Brown branded mag!

https://www.edbrown.com/magexchange/

[imashooter2]

The Chip McCormick 8 round mags are flawless.

I’m a McCormick fan as well. Can’t get any more reliable than 100%.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Here's what I learned from reading this thread and the other thread about 9mm 1911 mags.

For any 1911 Mag, you will find a buyer/owner who says they are the best, and you will also find someone that has had some negative experience with it.

I guess a fella just has to pick one, buy it, then try it in your gun. If it works great, then buy some more.

[Silver Jack Hammer]

I used Wilson 7 round magazines for my Colt’s 1911 when I was a peace officer. Never had any problem with them. Encountered a guy who needed shooting, the Wilson mag obliged him with fail.

[catboat]

Give consideration of what style bullet you will shoot with your 1911( presuming it is a 45 acp). Roundnose? SWC?

Then look at the feed lip design of the magazine. The lip designs are:

"USGI" (for round nose/hardball), lips are straight, but taper more open toward the front. Shooting a SWC design bullet can have feed/jamming issues if you load them in a USGI lip design mag, as this design has a higher angle of feed into the chamber.

SWC: Lips are parallel, then open up toward the front of the mag. The design lowers the angle of feed into the chamber to minimize (avoid?) having the shoulder of the SWC get caught on feed. This can cause a jam.

"hybrid" : generally work for both round nose and SWC, depending on the gun. They are a combination of the above two lip designs.

Excellent article with pictures to see the lip designs:
http://how-i-did-it.org/magazines2/read-my-lips.html

http://how-i-did-it.org/magazines2/conclusion.html

I like Checkmate 7-round mags with with either hybrid or "USGI" / round nose lips for my 4 Springfield Armory 1911 45 acp ( stock MILSPEC, stock Range Officer, custom hardball and wad gun on Springfield Armory MILSPEC platforms. The hybrid lip design works 100% reliable for either my swc or round nose loads for any of the Springfield 1911 I have. Got them at TopGun supply.

added: The above being written, the factory blued Springfield Armory 7-round mags have worked without a bobble in my Springers.

[Bazoo]

I have had several new checkmate mags with tapered GI feed lips. One would not feed the lee TC bullet. I have a 1M291 mag that will feed anything. Why I can't determine. I've had the best luck with hybrid lip mags, but I'll use anything if I can get it reasonable.

While I don't care for Wilson mags, I carry one for my reload. It never has failed with ball type ammo, but won't feed the TC bullet reliably. I carry it to have an extra round in a mag known for long service life. I rarely empty it, just carry it. I keep another in my glovebox.

The mag in my gun is the 1M291 normally.

Right now I have
2 Wilson 8 round
1 Springfield factory
1 1M291
1 Ruger 7 round
1 Colt 8 round flush fit
1 Kimber 8 round tacmag

The Kim mag is super hard to seat on a closed slide if loaded with 8.

[Silver Jack Hammer]

I used Wilson 7 round magazines for my Colt’s 1911 when I was a peace officer. Never had any problem with them. Encountered a guy who needed shooting, the Wilson mag obliged him with fail.

The Wilson Mag was without fail. Not with fail.

[DDriller]

Tripp mags for me, followed by Wilson 47d.

[NuJudge]

What do you want to feed through the magazines? There are three different feed lip designs, each with specific types of ammo they will probably do best with. GI is one design, and probably works best with Ball only, letting go of the cartridge case gradually, and final release is late. There is a "Wadcutter" design, where the feed lips are parallel, and let the cartridge go suddenly, and very early. Finally, there is a "Hybrid" design that Colt came up with long ago, which is sort of a cross between the first two. There are also a lot of different follower designs, with differences as to whether there is a small bump on top to prevent inertial missfeeds of the last cartridge and other features.
https://www.1911forum.com/threads/gi-hybrid-and-wadcutter-45-magazines.896722/

What is going to be best is going to depend largely on your pistol, and what ammo you shoot in it. New, old stock GI magazines are around, if you are shooting Ball. One of the last of the USGI contractors is still making these also. All my 1911 pistols like Tripp magazines, but yours may not, and they are the most expensive. One of my 1911 pistols used to give me inertial misfeeds on the last cartridge with all Wilson magazines, because the slamming back of the slide after the next-to-last round would pull the last cartridge out of the magazine, leaving it lying loose on top of the follower, but the rest of my 1911 pistols like Wilsons. The Wilson 47 is great (7 rounds). The Wilson 47D (8 rounds) is nice, but the magazine spring gets weak quick. I have some of the new design Wilsons, and no problems.

The best advice you are going to hear is to buy one and see if your pistol likes it with the ammo you are going to shoot.

[Drm50]

Like everything guys will have favorites. I will be buying small assortment, but the news I was looking for is brands everyone hated.