For the 1911 builders out there

[miestro_jerry]

My brother emailed this link to be, it explains a lot, you may want to get your 1911 out with a couple of magazines while you are reading this.

Building a 1911 and how to check your 1911 magazines (http://how-i-did-it.org/articles/)


:castmine:

Good Luck,

Jerry

[35remington]

" What none of the mags feature are the fully-tapered feed lips that widen from the base to a release point well forward of where wadcutter magazines release. The result of this design is to turn the nose-down/nose-up gyrations seen in the Metalform photos above into a much subtler wiggle.

Unfortunately, I don't think anyone makes magazines like these anymore, but I can guess why. These magazines are sometimes referred to as "hardball" magazines after the ball ammo they were designed to feed. I would suspect that the fact they released relatively late and high could lead to problems in out-of-spec guns when trying to feed hollowpoints or wadcutters, tainting that particular magazine design with a reputation for use only with ball ammo, and who would want to shoot just ball out of a 1911? All of the above is pure speculation on my part, but I'm told that an in-spec 1911 will function best with any round given an original design USGI tapered-lip magazine.

But this is all academic because nobody makes these magazines anymore. We have the next best thing, though, in Colt factory hybrid magazines."


A few corrections and updates are needed.

Currently, Check-Mate makes these magazines under the "seven shot hybrid" style in blued or stainless. They are currently experimenting with 8 shot magazines, including an extended variant. For the time being the seven shot are the best, most reliable option until the eight shotters prove.

These magazines release later than the straight lip wadcutter style, but not so late that standard length and hollowpoint rounds are not well suited for them (they are). Only the shortest SWC target style bullets result in a too short overall length. The "hybrid" is not a GI magazine. It has the essential taper of the GI magazine but an earlier release point that make it more suitable for HP and some SWC shapes but still suited for ball. Generally speaking, it's an all around magazine exluding target SWC's with short noses.

True USGI magazines release later than the hybrids and are intended for ball ammo primarily. They are not the most reliable magazines with short ammo, but if within specifications may be the most reliable of all magazines when used with ball or ball equivalent ammo in the 1911. Aftermarket junk magazines have given the "GI" style a bad name, along with usage of the incorrect too short ammo. With proper ammo and proper magazines "GI's" are excellent.

Later in the text the author concludes that controlled round feed (as in the hybrids and GI magazines) is best but erroneously claims that gun must be within spec for the gun to function properly with these magazines. Correctly stated, the hybrid is a forgiving magazine (as is the GI with ball) when used with correct length ammo as the less steep feed path feeds cartridges straighter and this actually works BETTER with guns that may be slightly out of spec than other magazines, provided too short rounds are avoided.

This should not be surprising as the in spec GI magazine had to feed ball from 1911's of many different manufacturers.

For the most factual account, click on the link at the beginning of the post and read about controlled round feed principles and how the 1911 was designed to feed. Also, read the posts that are stickies at m1911.org's forum section under "magazines" (Parts Bin section) (the link takes you there, you just need to navigate around) about proper, intended 1911 magazine function.

It will challenge your conceptions of how a 1911 was designed to feed, and will help change your mind about the best magazines for a 1911.

Hint: it ain't the big names that are best as so many think. It's the magazines that feed the gun the way it was originally intended to be fed.

What a radical idea! Who woulda thunk it?

[miestro_jerry]

People find it strange that I still shoot GI magazines that I picked up in the service back in the 60s. Plus I have some Randall magazine that have worked flawlessly for over 20 years.

My 3 Kimbers have the factory mags and some Chip McCormick magazine. My other 1911 have a variety of mags in there cases.

I thought I would pass this along for people who are trying to build their own, some things have changed over the years, but the ideas are sound.

Jerry

[Blazin]

I fought with old "mil-spec" 1911 mags for years. Now all I run are Tripp Research mags, no problems anymore...

[joatmon]

Thanks for the link! Got it saved and will read in depth later.

[Lloyd Smale]

ill say this in defense of the wilsons. Ive used them exclusively for over 10 years and have shot hundreds of thousands of rounds through them and have never had a round pop up out of the gun because of not having control and yes ive shot them sideways and even upside down. they are so reliable that years ago i swithched to them for competition and anymore its rare i buy anything else unless the price is right and there used only for plinking. My ccw and home defense guns and all my competion guns use wilsons exclusively. Id trust my life to them and do.

[BD]

+1 on the Wilsons. I've been running 47Ds for a long time with no issues.

I have worn out a set of the Wilson 10 rounders from slamming them home during matches. The lips will eventually spread to the point that they'll allow a round to pop up when you slam them home. And, the little tab that prevents over insertion will eventually bend down. I replace the followers and the springs in the mags I beat up once a year.

I originally replaced the "Bureaucrats" with the then brand new Tripp research 10 rounders. Those Tripps had the mag catch notch set too low. They ran fine until they broke the ejector off my match gun. Upon inspection I determined that they would contact the ejector on all of my 1911s so I quit using them. No satisfaction from Tripp concerning this issue either. Back to the "Bureaucrats".

However, I have never had any problem with the 47D's that I reserve for serious use. They'll feed Hydroshocks, Rangers RTs, and BDacps every time, and that's what they're for.

BD