toddackerman
01-09-08, 18:13
Instead of adding more to Grant's thread, I wanted to start another regarding 2 very well known, and excellent quality 1911 Mags. The Tripp GenII Cobra, and the Wilson ETM.
After 30 years behind the 1911, I can;t think of a Mag that I haven't used including several Hybrids (mix and match tubes, followers springs etc.) but I am totally blown away by the new GenII Tripp Research Cobra Mag., and the Wilson ETM. That being said, here are some things I have learned after some preliminary testing, with some very detailed testing including spring weight tension measurement etc. to come.
First, both Mags. have excellent tubes, and I think either is worthy of hard carry, and firing use. The wall thickness on both Mags. is .025 thick. Both companies state that they have changed their tube material to help alleviate "Lip Spread" and Cracking. The Tripp Mag. has less metal removed from the tube sides for visual inspection of rounds, and I don't know if this will make the tube stronger over time, but more metal would at least appear to add more strength in theory. In the past, Wilson has suffered from "Lip Spread" and Tripp has suffered from cracks.
Both Mags. have quality springs, but the Tripp's are .048" thick Heat Treated Chrome Silicon. The Wilson is .045" thick Stainless Steel. There are benefits to both, but the Tripp Spring is very "Robust". Both have 14 coils. I will be testing the spring tension on both Mags. extensively when I receive a Digital Compression tester in the next week or so. I'm interested in spring pressure when the Mag is brand new, when it has been loaded for a week or so, with one round in it, all the way to 8 rounds. Should prove interesting. The critical issue is having enough spring tension on the last round to keep control of it.
The base plates on both Mags are excellent designs, and very similar as far as Height, Width, and Length. Both will easily seat a Mag in an extended Mag Well without having to get thicker plates. Both also have convenient marking methods. Wilson uses the numerals from 1-10, and Tripp uses 1-9 "Dots"(Like Domino's) on the bottom. All you do is highlight the number or dots with a little Model Paint on a toothpick to keep track of what Mag you are using, rotated in or out of your carry system, or has given you a problem. Much better IMO than the labels we have used over the years.
Now to the follower...
Tripp clearly wins this section hands down IMO. Their follower is thicker, deeper, and has a metal engagement surface on the front that actuates the slide lock. Wilson has fought this problem for 27 years, and they have still opted to use just a Nylon follower without reinforcements.
I have tested both in live fire and both feed and eject reliably which I would expect. I did have issues with Wilson's followers engaging the slide stop before chambering the last round on 4 different ETM's, which I am still playing with. Wilson said I'm the only report of a problem they've had. (Go figure.)
It could be a slide stop issue, a spring issue, or a follower issue, so I am replacing all of these and working with combinations to see what surfaces. All I know is that my gun runs every other Mag in my collection. The Tripp Mag ran perfectly, but I only had time to out 100 rounds on it in a snow storm before calling it quits today.
I'd post Pics, but the websites do more justice to these Mags.
http://www.trippresearch.com/osdoc/1911mag.html
http://www.wilsoncombat.com/a_magazines_ETM.asp
After 30 years behind the 1911, I can;t think of a Mag that I haven't used including several Hybrids (mix and match tubes, followers springs etc.) but I am totally blown away by the new GenII Tripp Research Cobra Mag., and the Wilson ETM. That being said, here are some things I have learned after some preliminary testing, with some very detailed testing including spring weight tension measurement etc. to come.
First, both Mags. have excellent tubes, and I think either is worthy of hard carry, and firing use. The wall thickness on both Mags. is .025 thick. Both companies state that they have changed their tube material to help alleviate "Lip Spread" and Cracking. The Tripp Mag. has less metal removed from the tube sides for visual inspection of rounds, and I don't know if this will make the tube stronger over time, but more metal would at least appear to add more strength in theory. In the past, Wilson has suffered from "Lip Spread" and Tripp has suffered from cracks.
Both Mags. have quality springs, but the Tripp's are .048" thick Heat Treated Chrome Silicon. The Wilson is .045" thick Stainless Steel. There are benefits to both, but the Tripp Spring is very "Robust". Both have 14 coils. I will be testing the spring tension on both Mags. extensively when I receive a Digital Compression tester in the next week or so. I'm interested in spring pressure when the Mag is brand new, when it has been loaded for a week or so, with one round in it, all the way to 8 rounds. Should prove interesting. The critical issue is having enough spring tension on the last round to keep control of it.
The base plates on both Mags are excellent designs, and very similar as far as Height, Width, and Length. Both will easily seat a Mag in an extended Mag Well without having to get thicker plates. Both also have convenient marking methods. Wilson uses the numerals from 1-10, and Tripp uses 1-9 "Dots"(Like Domino's) on the bottom. All you do is highlight the number or dots with a little Model Paint on a toothpick to keep track of what Mag you are using, rotated in or out of your carry system, or has given you a problem. Much better IMO than the labels we have used over the years.
Now to the follower...
Tripp clearly wins this section hands down IMO. Their follower is thicker, deeper, and has a metal engagement surface on the front that actuates the slide lock. Wilson has fought this problem for 27 years, and they have still opted to use just a Nylon follower without reinforcements.
I have tested both in live fire and both feed and eject reliably which I would expect. I did have issues with Wilson's followers engaging the slide stop before chambering the last round on 4 different ETM's, which I am still playing with. Wilson said I'm the only report of a problem they've had. (Go figure.)
It could be a slide stop issue, a spring issue, or a follower issue, so I am replacing all of these and working with combinations to see what surfaces. All I know is that my gun runs every other Mag in my collection. The Tripp Mag ran perfectly, but I only had time to out 100 rounds on it in a snow storm before calling it quits today.
I'd post Pics, but the websites do more justice to these Mags.
http://www.trippresearch.com/osdoc/1911mag.html
http://www.wilsoncombat.com/a_magazines_ETM.asp