1911 Magazine Recommendations

[Gary Carter]

With all the different brands of magazines out there, what are the ones to look for and what ones should I avoid? I have seen them anywhere from $15 to over $50. I know you normally get what you pay for, but I need to keep expenses down. And I don't want to buy half a dozen to find a good one. I am feeding a Springfield 1911-A1 Gi.

[wiljen]

McCormick Shooting stars are about as good a cheap mag as can be had in my estimation.

[jr545]

I own probably 20-25 of the McCormicks.....work well for me.

[35remington]

Not to disparage any choices, but Shooting Stars are plagued with weak springs, and are notorious for last round misfeeds with full power or heavy loads. The Power Mag has a much better spring. Both have a short skirted follower, which is not the most stable and will damage aluminum frames. The Power Mag Plus is an attempt to remedy the deficiencies of the Shooting Stars and Power Mags by adding a front skirt, which prevents frame damage.

Original GI magazines designed for ball ammo only, and following the design of the original magazine the 1911 was designed to work with, can be found from Checkmate Industries.

These have the desirable taper the 1911 magazine was originally designed to have, and which made the 1911's reputation for reliability in the military acceptance tests.

For shorter rounds like hollowpoints and semiwadcutters, the Checkmate hybrid design combines the needed early release point for the rounds listed with the desirable taper to the feed lips. The word "hybrid" is in the description. These may be the best all around magazines for the 1911 that can be had, with smoother feeding than most 1911 magazines on the market. The taper to the feed lips lets the rear of the round rise as it goes forward, resulting in a straighter shot at the chamber than, for instance, a McCormick design.

The seven shot variety, with Wolff springs, are the ones to get, with the flat folded metal followers with the dimple. These magazines have the full rear skirt and do not suffer from the follower stability problems some others have.

Only these two magazine types feed the 1911 the way it was meant to be fed. All other types.....Wilson, Tripp, McCormick, et. al, have design compromises or feed the 1911 in a different way.....which oftentimes isn't good. For example, the McCormicks steepen the cartridge feed path, which results in "ka-chunkier" feeding than the tapered lip types.

The first photo shows a hybrid next to a McCormick (on the bottom; the hybrid has the dimple). The hybrid magazine on top is has tapered rather than straight feed lips.

The second photo shows a hybrid next to a McCormick, with both rounds just before their release points. Note how the hybrid on the right lets the rear of the round rise as it climbs the feedramp, placing the rim underneath the extractor (rather than "throwing" the rim at the extractor) and straightening the feed path. Both are an aid to reliability.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y228/johnnyrem/DSC02139.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y228/johnnyrem/Feedlips.jpg

[32ideal]

The 7rnd Metalform 45acp magazine with the round top follower, at one time it was the BEST, it would feed an empty case into the chamber on 99% of the standard 1911's I tried it with and worked even better with a loaded round. Found the Metalform magazines when searching for a reliable one to feed the Speer 200gr HP at one time called the flying ash tray, huge HP, it hung up in most unmodified 1911's from standard mags using the Metalform it fed perfectly, so I bit the boolet and switched out all my magazines to Metalforms, been using them every since, at least 20yrs now.

32ideal

[lonewelder]

I have had good luck with New GI mags,but i really like McCormick mags.When you could get them for 12$ they were the best for the money.I even have a wilson that i can't trust.If you can find one Pachmayr makes a really good one

[35remington]

The Wilson ETM has been a disappointment. Wilson did not fix some known design deficiencies when they "upgraded" their magazine to the ETM format and decided to charge extra $$$$ for it. As a result, it suffers from some of the same problems it had before.

[lonewelder]

My (one!) wilson is maybe 10yrs old.I got it new,and for the money I really expected better.

[jr545]

Just checked.
Mine are the 8 & 10rd Power Mags.

[Mk42gunner]

I like Shooting Stars and GI surplus.

Robert

[MtGun44]

Metalform with the sheet metal formed (gee, wonder where the name comes from?)
follow is very reliable. Eventually most mags crack at the back of the lips in the corners.
Metalforms do this, too. I had good results with Wilson mags, altho I don't like their plastic
bottoms and have replaced them with the steel bottoms. Old GI straight lip late release
mags work just fine for me with 200 SWC H&G 68 copies in multiple 1911 platforms. Mecgar
is quality, too - but I have not personally tried any, friends tell me that they are pleased.

Bill

[mike in co]

mecgar out of italy is one of the biggest oem and aftermarket mag manufactures in the world. i shoot thier mags in my cz's( both from cz and from them). when i got my para gi 1911...i bought 8/10 rd mags from mecgar.....no issues....i only shoot ball or lead equivelent.

i'm sure usgi 7 rd mags are great and cheap to buy.


mike in co

[oldhickory]

I use both G.I. and Shooting Stars, never had a problem with either.

[Shiloh]

McCormick Shooting stars are about as good a cheap mag as can be had in my estimation.

I second this. I was too cheap to get the ones with the numbers written on them. Did go with the mag pads though. The ones with out the numbers work fine;-)

Shiloh

[redneckdan]

My range magazines are the shooting stars, occasionally they hang up with a 200gr wadcutter. My carry magazines are power mags.

[2shot]

All of my mags are Chip McCormick's stainless. Shooting either 3.5 of 4.2 of bullseye powder with either Lyman 452460 or H&G 68 and never had a problem with feeding in my Bullseye gun. They work fine with full power loads too with my Hardball match gun. Thousands of rounds fired with CM's and never a glitch that was caused by the mags.

2shot

[richbug]

I run Metalform blued 8 rounders. Best bang for the buck by far. Lots of IPSC shooters run their mags as well, those guys have no love for a mag related malfunction. About $14 each.

[Gary Carter]

I am probalby going to go with a couple of the Metalform Magazines to try them out. The only ones Brownells have cheaper is PSI ACT-MAG. Now I just have to decide between 7 or 8 round. The 8 round magazines are actually a few cents cheaper. I wonder if the 7 round would be more reliable due to less compression of the spring though.

[danski26]

I have had good luck with my Wilson 8rnd mags. I have between 10 and 15 thousands through the six I have in rotation. Not really that many rounds. no problems yet though.

[mike in co]

I am probalby going to go with a couple of the Metalform Magazines to try them out. The only ones Brownells have cheaper is PSI ACT-MAG. Now I just have to decide between 7 or 8 round. The 8 round magazines are actually a few cents cheaper. I wonder if the 7 round would be more reliable due to less compression of the spring though.

typically the only real diff is a flush butt fit with a 7and a slight..3/8 or so sticking out the mag well with an 8....

[Dave C.]

I have 4 Wilson Roger 7 shot mags that I bought about 15 years ago. I shoot Conventional pistol and I know that between the 4 mags I have put at least 90,000 rounds though them the 45 was rebuilt but the mags have NEVER left me down.

Dave C.

[GSM]

+1 on Metalforms - rounded follower for SWC, flat for Ball. Never had an alibi with them in bullseye league.

[richbug]

typically the only real diff is a flush butt fit with a 7and a slight..3/8 or so sticking out the mag well with an 8....

My Metalform 8's are flush fit.

[BD]

I've had good luck with the Wilson 47-D mags, and OK luck with the 10 round "Bureaucrats". The first four 47-Ds I bought went about 50,000 rounds before I had to re-adjust the lips a bit. They're plinkers now and I use four new ones for serious stuff. The bureaucrats went about two seasons before the little tab that controls the seating depth bent down and the lips opened up. I only used them for matches, so it wasn't critical, but they were expensive.
BD

[Blazin]

There is none better than Tripp mags. They're expensive, but if you shoot a lot they will save you frustration. I have tried all the mags listed above and sold all of them to go to Tripp's mags for all my 1911's.
http://www.trippresearch.com/store/store_1911.html

[mike in co]

almost everyone that has posted need to go back and clarify thier post.

is the mag you are reccommending good for ball, semi wadcutters or both.

i only shoot ball or lead equivelent, so i have no need for a wadcutter mag.

i'm sure others are in the opposite situation....


so go qualify your response....


mike in co

[Gary Carter]

I am glad I started this thread, I did not realize there was a differance in magazines for ball ammo and semi wadcutters. Adds even more layers to the choice process. Most of my shooting will be practice with ball type. But, for carry I want something with a flat metplate. Ball type does not impress me for self-defense.

[Mntngoat]

I have a SS Pachmeyer with base pad that has been real good to me that i no longer need. Just have too many of em.

ML

[Blazin]

I'm confused...do some people use a different mag with their 1911 depending on what type of ammo they're feeding it? I don't...

[waksupi]

Gary, I use McCormicks in my carry guns. I have had real good luck with them, no FTF. I ran about a hundred rounds through three of them this morning, with no problems.

[mike in co]

I am glad I started this thread, I did not realize there was a differance in magazines for ball ammo and semi wadcutters. Adds even more layers to the choice process. Most of my shooting will be practice with ball type. But, for carry I want something with a flat metplate. Ball type does not impress me for self-defense.


naw...use a ball mag and xtp or golden saber bullets


mike in co

[bobthenailer]

i have over 20 wilson mags for the 1911 in 45 acp & 38 super 8 & 10 rounders they work in all of my pistols since the mid 1980s i used them in 8 different 1911s with no problems in at least 75,00 rounds . just a spring change once in a while when they get weak and some cleaning

[35remington]

It wasn't meant to be confusing, but it is worth knowing that some magazine types are designed to feed ammo of a certain length and ogive shape, and when you depart from that, they may jam.

This does not mean they are bad magazines.....quite the contrary. Ball magazines are the original type, and they have a later release point than types designed to feed SWC's, but they also have the most controlled round feeding of all the magazine variations offered for the 1911. Ball magazines feed the 1911 exactly the way it was meant to be fed, because they are the original magazine design. All others are modifications.

Another way of saying it is that proper ball magazines are more reliable with ball than the other types are with ANY ammo.....including ball.

For the reason that they are feeding the exact type of ammo they're meant to feed, and they are not a compromise in any way.

Some of the longer ogive hollowpoints, like the Golden Sabers, do well from ball magazines as long as they don't release too late. Ammo manufacturers are slowly coming around to proper design of hollowpoint ammo for 1911's, with a proper rounded ogive and oftentimes a longer overall length. For example, the box of Golden Sabers I have on had has an overall length in the 1.238" range, which is closer to the length cartridge the 1911 was originally designed to feed.

In addition, GI ball type magazines are tunable as to when they release their rounds. No other magazine design can claim that, as their release points are fixed, being a location in the feed lips that abruptly goes from narrow to wide. A careful and experienced hand can tune these for the ammo to be used, even with non ball types.

[MtGun44]

Not all Metalform 8 rd are flush. With the extra reliable formed metal rounded top
follower, the current 8 rd mags extend about 3/16 or more past the bottom of the
frame. They also have a cupped plastic follower that I have never tried, may be a flush
8 rd. I highly recommend the 7 rd metal formed follower mag designs from Metalform.
I have had excellent results with plain old GI type cheap mags
that I bought 30 yrs ago, too. Wilson mags with steel replacement bottoms are
in my carry gun.

Bill

[Gary Carter]

Gary, I use McCormicks in my carry guns. I have had real good luck with them, no FTF. I ran about a hundred rounds through three of them this morning, with no problems.

Are they the McCormick Power Magazines, or the Power Plus Magazines?

[BD]

My Wilson mags all feed any style of boolit just fine.

I bought a couple of the Tripp mags when they first came out. They all seated a little stiff and I quickly broke the ejector off of two of my 1911s. Turns out the rear of the lips on those Tripp mags extend so far up into the mag well that they contact the ejector when yu seat the mag. When I called Tripp about it I got the runaround three times in a row so they'll never see another nickle out of me.

BD

[Lloyd Smale]

ive yet to have a bad wilson and ive got a bunch of them.

[StarMetal]

McCormicks all the way with me.