1911 Mags?

[Mr.Goodtimes]

my father an i recently purchased a little father son gun, a Colt 1991 A1. Its a great shooter too from the factory, will shoot a 1-2in group at 20yds with me behind the trigger (fwiw). Were gonna put some nice grips, beaver tail, sights, skeletonized hammer/trigger and ambi safety on it over time.

What it needs right now, though, are some good mags. what do yall suggest? what mags generally work the best?

[Zhurdan]

I've been using Chip McCormick Power mags for the past 4 or 5 years. Great magazines.

Chip McCormick (http://www.cmctactical.com/powermags_15_ctg.html)

Haven't had any issues with them. Another one that gets tossed around all the time are Wilson Combat (http://www.wilsoncombat.com/a_magazines.asp), but I've never personally used them.

[Mr.Goodtimes]

thanks zhurdan. ill look into the chip mcormick mags.

[Zhurdan]

No problem. A good magazine is the heart of any 1911.

[bgoode]

I like wilson mags with tripp research rebuild kits.

[Mr.Goodtimes]

No problem. A good magazine is the heart of any 1911.

so i have herd, thats why i thought i would ask before i bought the wrong kind. i want this gun to be a very reliable weapon. im really excited about this 1911. im hoping to not have to do any reliability upgrades. it doesent seem too tight so, im thinking it will probably run well from the factory.

[Business_Casual]

In my experience, Colts work out of the box and tend to continue to do so provided you don't have any hobby gunsmithing done on them.

You could probably get by with GI contract mags. They are usually cheap and easy to find at gun shows.

Ammoman sells this version: https://www.ammoman.com/images/10-GI-45-ACP-7-RD-MAG.jpg which worked well for me in my Wilson CQB and an Ed Brown. The bottoms eventually come off which is why they were probably surplused/rejected.

Failing that, I had great luck with Chip McCormick Power mags too, the cheaper the better. FWIW, I think the whole magazine mythology is pure witchcraft. As long as the springs are good and the feed lips aren't bent they will work. Shrug.

Millions of GIs used 1911s for a century who never heard of Tripp Research or Wilson Combat.

M_P

[Mr.Goodtimes]

thats great to hear about the colt! i wasnt planning on doing much gunsmithing, atleast not as far as anything i would think would affect reliability. no custom slide stuff or barrels and what not.

[epf]

I am not really a 1911 guy, but those who I are in the know seem to use

1. Wilson 47D
2. The chip McCormick Power mags

[zephyr]

Wilson 47D here in my Colt, no problems with them.

[The Dumb Gun Collector]

I prefer the Tripp mags. However, I have a bunch of the ACT mags and they are excellent. Early on they had some issue with cracking (and so did the Tripp mags, now that I think about it). The Act mags can be found cheap and they run well in all of my 1911s. The McCormick mags are prefered by gurus like Hilton Yam. I have a bunch and they are nice too. Frankly, I have had good luck with all my mags except some Kimber and Colt branded mags.

[dhrith]

Like Wilson's new version the ETM's. Happen to be on sale atm at Midway for $30.50 until the 31st their website says.

[Beebo]

Someone was kind enough to pass this along when I started shooting the 1911 a bit more. Hope this helps.

http://www.10-8performance.com/id17.html

I also read in one of the Vickers 1911 course AAR's that he recommends the Wilson 7-rnd as a go-to factory magazine. Both of these opinions I would put some weight behind. I haven't had problems with any Wilson 47-D mag or Tripp 8 round mags, then again, that's mostly range shooting at this point.

The search function is how I came upon some of these opinions. Lots of reading to be done on this forum, and the search function cuts down on the number of inquiry posts I could have been making. Hope this helps.

[civilian]

Hilton's advice is solid so you can't go wrong there, but I seem to recall reading something on 10-8 a few months ago about a guy who initiated a test of 3 or 4 magazines on behalf of a friend who was having trouble with a Para Ordnance 1911. Can't recall the exact outcome, but thought the factory Colt mags beat out the 4 or so mags he tested. I may be way off, but I'm sure you could find that thread on 10-8 if you searched for it.

[JonInWA]

I'd recommend Check-Mate magazines; see www.checkmatemagazines.com. They have a wide variety of excellent 1911 magazines. I've been particularly pleased with their hybrid feed lip varients. If you go to www.m1911.org, you find some excellent discussions/reviews of these and other magazines.

Incidentally, Check-Mate is the vender for Colt's (and many others) OEM 1911 magazines.

Best, Jon

[Bob Reed]

Hello,

I'm a firm believer in Colt Factory 7 Rnd. Flush Fit Mags, and especially for use in a Colt 1911.

Check-Mate Part No. CM45-7-B-GI is my pick for current production 1911 mags with the original style, fully tapered feed lips.
http://www.checkmatemagazines.com/cart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=11&idproduct=27

It's hard to go wrong with Genuine Factory Mags (regardless of the platform) when you buy High Quality Name Brand Weapons.

[RiflemanBobcat]

Based on everything I've seen at M1911.org (along with the 1911 magazine writeups here (http://how-i-did-it.org/magazines/) and here (http://how-i-did-it.org/magazines2/) and my experiences with my McCormick PowerMags and the Springfield Armory standard 1911 mags*, I'd second the recommendations for Colt/CheckMate Industries. They're the mags I'll be buying when my PowerMags and Springfield mags start to wear out, for whatever that's worth.





*(which actually worked better than the PowerMags--I never had a choke with the Springfield mags, but I did have a couple with the PowerMags while breaking the latter in)

[JiMfraRED1911]

I like CMC Powermags, Wilson 7 and 8 rounders, and Tripp.

[MarshallDodge]

I have some Chip McCormick Shooting Stars that are about 15 years old and have thousands of rounds through them. I recently started having some issues with them feeding a round quick enough so I purchased the +10% Wolff springs from Brownells. After the spring replacement they are back running 100%

I also have some of their Power Mags and they work just as good. Midway is having a sale on them right now: http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=566190

[BT2012]

The following mags worked well for me without issues:
Wilson 47D
McCormick Power Mag
Tripp Research

[averageshooter]

Another vote for wilson mags

[NCPatrolAR]

I only use McCormick Power mags and Wilson 47s.

[Beebo]

NCPatrolAR,
Have you tried the Tripp's research ones? Thoughts?

[maximus83]

McCormick Power mags. They are all I get now. These are still pretty much the mag of choice (along with Tripp Cobra mags, and Wilson) in most of the 1911 forums I've been on.

[rojocorsa]

What is the difference between the CMC Shooting Stars and the Powermags? (Other than that the SSs don't have the rubber bumper and the same finish).

I ask because because the SSs cost less. Gun in question will most likely be used for range trips only, not critical use.

Hilton Yam said he always goes with the Powermag when it comes to any 1911. This is why I ask.



**Necropost because the search button was used.

[Amp Mangum]

Shooting Stars have welded floor plates, the Power Mags have removable floor plates.

The springs in the Power Mags last much longer than the Shooting Stars in my experience.

[Henchman]

McCormick Power Mags are what I prefer. I've used the Wilson 47D's and I think the spring wears out faster, and fails to lock the slide back.

[Pi3]

http://vickerstactical.com/tactical-tips/magazines/

[Henchman]

http://vickerstactical.com/tactical-tips/magazines/

Good information. That's the first time I have seen that.

[nolt]

CMC for me.
i like tripp's as well but theyre more expensive.

i am 'that guy' that has for whatever reason had issues and problems with the wilson mags. weak springs that wont lock the slide back empty... different springs pulled from same model mag... i know that statistically they are quality mags from what i read but my limited and statistically insignificant experience with them has burned me into simply avoiding them.

[CAVDOC]

You mention swapping out parts- my suggestion is if the gun works do not mess with it at all. This is not like an ar where you just drop in parts and 99% of the time it works. Every part on a 1911 regardless of how seemingly simple frequently ( my rough estimate is 75% of the time) will require hand fitting for optimal function.

[QuietOne]

I've used Wilson 7 and 8 rounders for 15 years and many thousands of rounds with no problems. I haven't personally seen the weak mag spring issue with Wilson mags, though many people who shoot the 1911 more than I do now have that complaint. They have been my go to mags for years. On the other hand, I tend to baby my magazines.

[At The Ready]

I use Wilson 47D's for carry and CMC Power 10's for range/HD

[mauser-nagant]

I've been using kimber pro-tac mags for quite sometime. They're pretty reliable and durable. Also fairly cheap!

[Deucer01]

Wilson is all I use now. Never had an issue with them.

[Eddiesketti]

I shoot with the Wilson Combat 47DE. That one has the .625 base.

[Rinspeed]

I've been using kimber pro-tac mags for quite sometime. They're pretty reliable and durable. Also fairly cheap!



They are made by Checkmate and I agree are a very good mag for the money.


http://www.topgunsupply.com/checkmate-1911-8rd-full-size-magazine/

[Magic_Salad0892]

It's near impossible to get a three point malfunction with a Wilson 47D type magazine, at the cost of a controlled feed near the end of the cycle. During actual firing, however, this is not noticeable. My brother was able to fire his 1911 that I built for him upside down actually, and not able to induce a malfunction. (The build went faster than I expected actually, but I was able to devote a lot of time per day to it. So it evens out.)

Advisory. The followers are a type of nylon, and they engage the slide stop tap hard enough that I'd examine my magazines fairly often to check for deformation of the step.

I'm also in the middle of re-building a Colt 1991 commander for myself, and a friend of mine was test firing a Springfield Pro he just got. He was using Para magazines, to test.

We've concluded that they're absolutely garbage.

First off. The tab that engages the slide stop can completely slip off and get UNDER the follower. Wtf. Also, it sits way to high, and it seems like it sits over the frame ramp. This caused several malfunctions. Though not the dreaded three-point type. More like feedway issues. As the round (Winchester 230gr. JHP) was sat higher, and still angled upwards, and you could feel it forcefully slam into the top of the chamber/barrel hood area. On Para magazines it's almost like the magazine catch tab was machined way too low.

Regarding slide stop tabs again, when it DOES engage properly, it's impossible to press down on the slide stop to drop the slide. It was stuck there. However, racking the slide manually was still possible.

And it was repeatable with all 6 Para magazines we had with us that way.

Wilson 47D, and Colt magazines (8 round) with tapered feed lips would feed great.

I prefer Wilson 47D. And they'll probably be more reliable with incorrectly machined frames.

[CAVDOC]

Be aware any part you try to change on a 1911 can require skilled fitting and can affect function. If your gun works the less you do to it the better.
As far as mags both chip power mags and Wilson 47's have been mentioned and are both good choices. Fwiw the new USMC marsoc colt comes with Wilson 47's

[Azpilot]

There is no 8 round mag but a CobraMag, and Tripp Research is its name.

I'm pretty sure I read that in a holy book somewhere.

[Magic_Salad0892]

In order to ensure proper feeding, and magazine selection I'd compare whatever your carry ammo is to Winchester 230 gr. FMJ in terms of projectile shape, and ogive.

Winchester PDX-1 seems the most similar to an FMJ profile, in my opinion. I'll compare it to Gold Dots one day, as I know that's a popular .45ACP load.

Just remember controlled feed when choosing a magazine, and hand cycle the weapon a few times and make sure the cartridge is completely controlled through the entire feed cycle.

If the cartridge is controlled the whole time, the magazine should work.

Wilson 47Ds are the exception, and that's actually why they work in shitty 1911 frames.

[mkmckinley]

The Tripp mags have been outstanding for me but I've never had problems with a Wilson 47D either. I find the Tripp mags to be a little smoother and I like the followers better due to the metal insert for the slide stop to rub against.