.45acp Mags for SWC

[metricmonkeywrench]

I was reading and article I found on line by Mr Ayoob (all hail Massad) concerning 1911 magazines for the 1911 45 ACP. It was the usual type stuff, ie Wilson combat yes, USG issue no for serious work.
Hopefully this post does not break down into what is the best 1911 Mag discussion, there is plenty of opinions and documentation on that topic already.

My request for information is quite specific and centered around magazine’s for the 1911 45 ACP to shoot SWC bullets.

One section caught my eye though:
“It came with magazines I hadn’t seen before, their lips flared toward the front instead of tapered. Shooters with more experience than I had learned that GI spec magazines designed for 230-grain round-nose Full Metal Jacket weren’t 100% with the semi-wadcutter match loads used in bulls-eye matches. The same would turn out to be true with the jacketed hollow points that were only then coming into popularity.”


Unfortunately the article did not include a picture of what he is describing. Does anyone have a picture of the two styles of magazines?

I now have moulds for both the 200g SWC and 220g RN bullets and Ill eventually (when they hit the shelves again) pick up some FMJ and/or plated. I am still going thru the teething pains of new gun (Springfield w/factory mags) and loads in a caliber I have no experience in loading for. I also have yet to amass the apparently mandatory homer bucket full of magazines to fiddle with. My first 2 outings were less than stellar, I went straight to cast boolits (no factory anything on the shelf), the 200g Lyman SWC (-460) mould did fairly well but jammed up a couple of times, the LEE 200g SWC with the same powder load was horrible and jammed up randomly at least once a magazine both were very accurate with no leading though.

[derek45]

the classic 200gr SWC feeds best from a ***tuned*** 1911

Wilson Combat and CMC mags work well

overall length is a bit critical

once dialed in, they run like a top, shoot accurately and cut nice holes in targets

[RKJ]

I’m using Wilson’s, Mec-gar and Promag and they shoot SWC,s just fine in my GM and Officers Model 1911’s

[Winger Ed.]

I've got different magazines I found, and grabbed when they were cheap,
from everywhere-- except pulling some out of the trash. They're a mix of everything, young and old.

I load that RCBS 195 SWC short, little, stubby looking thing that has a reputation for being the most problematic for feeding.

I've never had a magazine or feeding problem with my Colt after I polished the feed ramp
and top of the chamber to a high gloss, mirror like shine.
Hardball or the match 200TCWC will chamber by throwing them at it from across the room,
and if the powder charge is strong enough to cycle it even with a light spring,
those short, flat faced, little 195s go right in now too.

[gnostic]

I've shot buckets of 45acp's with 185 and 200 grain bullets with mixed no name mags without notice out of at least half a dozen different 1911's. I didn't know you need special mags for wadcutters....

[NuJudge]

There are three main feed lip designs for 1911 magazines: GI tapered, wadcutter, and something in-between that Colt developed long ago called the Hybrid. Here's an article with a picture of all 3:
https://rangehot.com/1911-magazine-d...tter-magazine/

My experience with 1911 pistols is that your pistol, for a particular ammo, has to like not just the magazine feedlip design, but the follower also. Buy one magazine, and see if your pistol likes it with a particular ammo.

[gnoahhh]

I've shot buckets of 45acp's with 185 and 200 grain bullets with mixed no name mags without notice out of at least half a dozen different 1911's. I didn't know you need special mags for wadcutters....

That's been my experience too. I have around a dozen magazines I feed a Series 70 Gold Cup and WWI Colt 1911 (yes I shoot it regularly, it was arsenal reworked at least once in its life) - with a mix of everything from WWI & WWII vintage gov't issue, to Colt factory, and no-name aftermarket. So help me I've never had an issue feeding both 185 and 200 SWC's (out of original H&G gang moulds, #130 and #65 respectively). I shoot without reading much about what should or shouldn't work in 1911's.

[Laguna Freak]

Haven’t shot any swc but my Les Baer with both Baer and Chip McCormick mags feeds wide meplat 230 grain Federal Ammunition hollow points flawlessly. Hard for me to imagine having a problem with any swc. Tried to load a picture but I’m not in the mood to resize the image.

[johniv]

I’ve had no trouble feeding 452460 or 452488 with any of the mixed bag of mags I have. My guns even run the 452423, with no issues.

[376Steyr]

Here is a good picture: https://checkmatemagazines.com/faq/

[hondo1892]

I've owned two Colt 1911's and one Ruger 1911. I have the Lyman 200 gr SWC mold and it shoots fine in the Colts as long as load is strong enough for the spring. The Ruger was more fussy about what it would shoot. Like others I use a bunch of different makers mags. Some have the tapered lips some have the straight lips like Wilson Combats have. My Colts would shoot anything I loaded in any mag I used. The Ruger wouldn't. My conclusion is if the pistol is tuned right it will handle just about anything you can feed it. Some 1911's are tuned for one specific round and will only run well with that round.

[Walks]

My Colts & Springfield are not picky.
I use old Mags from Randall for most of my shooting. They even feed the stubby WC's that I cast for my Really Light target loads.
As long as they are well made they work.
Even Colt Factory mags from the 1990's.

[stubshaft]

Back when I shot IPSC I used shooting star mags and had no problems with SWC's, but regular mags gave me no problems either.

[Burnt Fingers]

I've shot buckets of 45acp's with 185 and 200 grain bullets with mixed no name mags without notice out of at least half a dozen different 1911's. I didn't know you need special mags for wadcutters....

I quit numbering my 1911 mags when I hit #75. I still had at least another 50 or so. The detritus of owning and shooting the 1911 for over 40 years. BTW, that's just the 45 ACP mags, the 9mm and 10mm mags use a different numbering sequence.

Other than my Springfield TRP I'm confident that I can grab a random mag and one of my 1911 pistols and shoot wadcutters out of it all day long.

My TRP has one type of mag it doesn't like. Those mags are locked in a ammo can away from the working mags.

I've cast and shot well over a dozen 155,175, 180, 185, 190, 200, 210, and 215 grain SWC boolits.

The 155 is the hardest one to get reliable feeding out of. My current favorites are the RCBS 201-KT and the Lyman 452630. I like a little longer nose on my boolit.

[oldsalt444]

I don't understand all the hoopla about GI mags being less than stellar. I've been using them for decades with complete reliability. The secret is you have to change the flat follower to a rounded follower. Get the ones that have vertical support on both ends. It will keep the rounds in proper alignment for reliable feeding. And yes, I shoot SWC boolits almost exclusively.

https://www.brownells.com/userdocs/s...20000003_1.jpg

[gwpercle]

What ever design the Mec-Gar 1911 - 45 acp magazines ( 7 round) uses they will feed wadcutter boolits .
I cast the Lyman 452460 200 grain SWC and shot it in competition for decades and they have always performed perfectly .
Gary

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

SNIP...

One section caught my eye though:
“It came with magazines I hadn’t seen before, their lips flared toward the front instead of tapered. Shooters with more experience than I had learned that GI spec magazines designed for 230-grain round-nose Full Metal Jacket weren’t 100% with the semi-wadcutter match loads used in bulls-eye matches. The same would turn out to be true with the jacketed hollow points that were only then coming into popularity.”

https://checkmatemagazines.com/faq/

The Wadcutter Feed Lip is the solution to the frustrating problem for shooting shorter rounds. While it does help prevent the jamming that can occur when shooting the smaller hollow point or wadcutter rounds in the GI Feed Lip, the downside is that traditional ball ammo loses its true controlled feed.

As you can see by most of the replies, 1911 Magazines with The Wadcutter Feed Lip is a solution looking for a problem. But since you seemingly have a problem, it seems like this is the solution.
That's my 2¢

PS, I bought some of the Checkmate Mags with Wadcutter Feed Lips and use them with SWC ammo and they work great. Checkmate Mag quality is excellent. The best price I've found for them is Thunder Mountain Custom.
https://shop.1911parts.com/

[nicholst55]

Most current production mags will feed wadcutters in most currently manufactured 1911 pistols. If you have an issue, you probably need to throat the barrel and feed ramp. If that is not the issue, then different mags may help. FWIW, I used to shoot my own WC reloads through a standard USGI M1911A1 pistol - with modified mags - back in the early 80s. I did polish the feed ramp first, but no other mods were performed. You can modify the magazine lips yourself with this tool, available from PT&G, Midway, etc.

https://media.midwayusa.com/producti...721/721582.jpg

Or you can buy mags with lips modified as described here:

https://i129.photobucket.com/albums/...030002atxt.jpg

If you buy the tool to mod your own mags, be aware that some mag feed lips will crack when modified. The Army used to do this for their M1911A1 National Match pistols back in the day. I have had some mags lips crack when performing this mod, and the finished mags don't always feed very well. IMHO, you're time and money ahead by buying mags manufactured this way. If you perform a search here on the forum, this has been discussed at length in the past.

Kuhnhausen also briefly discussed this on Pg. 182 of his 1911 Pistols Shop Manual, Vol. II. He states that it makes no financial sense to try to modify your own mags in today's world.

[44MAG#1]

This proves, probably for the 100,000th to 200,000th time, to not take, regardless who writes it, speaks it or conveys in any method, as fact. No not anyone.

[metricmonkeywrench]

Update, Based on the posts with the requested pictures I seem to have a version of the wadcutter magazines. Not sure who makes the magazines for Springfield these days.

Today was a new day on the range. Finally got my hands on a new shiny box of 230g FMJ. The Springer munched thru the box with no issues. The second box was the same Lyman 460 bullet loaded over Red Dot this time. The box ran well with no issues but seemed rather sooty. The next box was loaded with W231, seemed to be about as hot as the factory, but had a few jams along the way.

Interesting and fun... got plenty of powders to try and eventually will find my load and build up the mandatory bucket of magazines.

Thanks all for the input.