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Thread: Mec-Gar 10 round 9mm magazine MGCGOV910AFC

  1. #1
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    Mec-Gar 10 round 9mm magazine MGCGOV910AFC

    A year or two ago I fit a 9mm barrel to my 9x23 5" 1911. I needed a magazine to test my fitting job and wasn't interested in spending the big bucks to get a Wilson, Tripp, or McCormick so I picked up a Mec-Gar from Greg Cote. The pistol ran fine and accuracy was spot on even with the el cheapo bulk 115gr ammo I used.

    The magazine presented no issues at all. Feeding was velvety smooth. I tried to buy a couple more of those as the months went by but Cote was out of stock. I left a request on his site to notify me when they were back in stock. Finally, last week I was notified and immediately bought two more.

    If anyone is interested, here is some information for you. First of all, each mag costs $22.

    Below is my switch barrel 9x23 / 9mm with one Mec-Gar mag seated and the two new ones on display.


    I don't have much experience with 9mm magazines but these are unlike others I've worked with. As you can see below the sheet metal of these mags has been bent to form a groove that runs up the length of the body. The groove serves two purposes. One, it acts as a spacer so 9mm rounds won't rattle fore and aft. Two, the top of the groove is formed into a feed ramp to help the rounds stay nose up as they exit the mag.


    Here's a pic looking down through the disassembled mag showing the feed ramp. It is well formed and while it's not mirror finished, it is smooth enough to fulfill its mission. I see no need to waste my time smoothing it any more than it already is. It's a better mouse trap than bending the forward edge of the tube forward into a lip.


    Another pic of the integral feed ramp.


    Here's a pic of the fully assembled mag. You can see the groove at the front of the body and the follower. The follower is also unusual in my experience. It's similar to Tripp's in that the body is some flavor of plastic and it has a chunk of steel fit to it that is what actually makes contact with the steel slide stop to prevent the plastic from being damaged. I don't know if the very latest Wilson's have the same feature. You would think with how expensive those mags are Wilson would have done something similar.


    Another pic of the follower showing where the chunk of steel is located. From a manufacturing standpoint, it's pretty clever. It's a flat piece of steel that passes through the follower body and is secured on the other side.


    The magazine tube is extended and there is no spring stacking with all 10 rounds loaded into it. The feed lips are subtle hybrids. It's easy to identify .45 hybrid feed lips but 9mm is so much smaller that I had to take measurements to verify what my lying eyes were telling me.

  2. #2
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    The MecGar 9mm 10 round mags have always been my “go to” in SS 9mm 1911s.
    And I always purchased them through G. Cote.
    A true "Gun Guy" (or gal) should have familiarity and a modicum of proficiency with most all firearms platforms.

  3. #3
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    Ive bought mags from G Cote as well, not the MecGar ones but he is a fair business man.

    PB
    "Air Force / Policeman / Fireman / Man of God / Friend of mine / R.I.P. Steve Lamy"

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    The MecGars are good looking magazines. Good info, thanks.

    Presently using Tripp 38-Super magazines for 9x19. No complaints.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Steve_in_Allentown View Post
    A year or two ago I fit a 9mm barrel to my 9x23 5" 1911. I needed a magazine to test my fitting job and wasn't interested in spending the big bucks to get a Wilson, Tripp, or McCormick.....
    Afterthought...

    What magazines were you using for 9x23?

    What problems do they have if you use them with the 9x19 set-up?

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    Quote Originally Posted by Wildcat View Post
    Afterthought...

    What magazines were you using for 9x23?

    What problems do they have if you use them with the 9x19 set-up?
    May have a "binding" problem since 9X23 is 4mm longer.
    I'd try the .38 Super mags for 9X23.
    It's (9X23) a rimless, tapered case. I use MecGar .38 Super mags for ".38 Super Comp"- which is a rimless Super case that is "straight wall(ed)". They work fine in that application.
    A true "Gun Guy" (or gal) should have familiarity and a modicum of proficiency with most all firearms platforms.

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    Quote Originally Posted by gaijin View Post
    May have a "binding" problem since 9X23 is 4mm longer.
    I'd try the .38 Super mags for 9X23.
    It's (9X23) a rimless, tapered case. I use MecGar .38 Super mags for ".38 Super Comp"- which is a rimless Super case that is "straight wall(ed)". They work fine in that application.
    Have you experienced problems with 9x19 in 38-super mags?

    Some background may be in order:
    I set up my dad with a 1911 in 9x19 and a half dozen Tripp 38-Super mags. When I did feed testing and general sprucing up before giving him the gun, the Tripp magazines performed very well.
    He's been shooting the gun for several years and had no issues shooting the stubby R-P ammo or other brands that have a longer COL. The pistol has a standard, non-ramped barrel.
    At the time, the available magazine choices were very limited. Today we have some really well constructed options.

    I've been told that 38-Super mags for 9x19 hasn't been flawless for everyone, but the people who said 'it didn't work well' were not able to provide much detail.
    If this combination does create problems, I'd like to understand which magazine brand or bullet profile might be contributing factors.

    I've got a 9x23 but its a double-stack, which makes it a slightly different animal.

    I'm interested to hear from people who have a 9x23 or a 38-Super who then fitted a 9x19 barrel, what about the original mags doesn't work with 9x19?

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    Quote Originally Posted by Wildcat View Post
    What magazines were you using for 9x23?
    Tripp .38 Super. The Tripp mags will hold 9 rounds of 9x23 easily. The last round requires some motivation to get it in. The reason is that the back end of the 9x23 case is a touch fatter than the Super so stacking 10 rounds of 9x23 takes up more vertical space than 10 rounds of Super.

    What problems do they have if you use them with the 9x19 set-up?
    I haven't tried running 9mm in the Super mags. It's on my to-do list when the weather warms up.

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    At this point I've put PMC 115gr FMJ, Fiocchi 124gr FMJ, SIG 147gr JHP, and my handloads using Precision Bullet 125gr flat points through the mags and pistol with 100% reliability.

    The integral magazine ramp was a stroke of design genius. Attached are a few additional pics I took in an attempt to show more detail. Unfortunately, I lack the lights necessary to illuminate the inside of the tubes sufficiently for really good images.

    Below are two pics of the same magazine with different exposures. You can see the front spacer that was formed by the bending of the sheet metal the very top of which is the integral feed ramp.


    The two pics below are also of the same magazine but with different exposures. Here you can see the angle of the ramp. I noted the smoothness of the feeding previously. The ramp seems to be playing a big part in this by preventing nose dives and insuring the cartridge hits the frame ramp or barrel ramp higher.




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