Tripp Research 1911 mags, and rebuild kits

[toddackerman]

I also feel that the longer mag bodies are a better way! I hate to be a spoil sport but the shape of the follower does not control the round height, that is a function of the feed lips. When I first looked at the Devel follower I thought this won't work. But after using them for the last 20 years in good mag bodies and now with Wolff extra power springs I am satisfied that it is a clever design. Chip McCormick 8 rd. Powermags have been the best mags available up until recently. The latest version of the Tripp Cobra mag looks to be an excellent choice. I just got a Mec-Gar 8 rd. stainless steel mag that is very similar to the Tripp mag. It has the extra length, similar base and a metal plate insert in the polymer follower. The Act/Novak/Wolff mags are basically the same body but use a steel follower that requires the spring to be smaller at the top coils. Time will tell if this new breed will hold up. The Tripp and Act/Novak mags have had some body crack problems in the past which supposedly have been addressed. As Rhino said, I am also not comfortable reducing the ammo load to 7 or 6 depending on grip length.

Billy

Billy,

I don't want to be a "Spoil Sport" either...but I respectfully disagree.

The follower design DOES have an effect on the last round feeding higher into the gun. When you're shooting rounds 1-7 (in an 8 round Mag), the bottom round raises the top round into the chamber higher after the top round moves past the feed lips.

The Wilson 8 round follower because of the "Scooped Out" design, doesn't assist this effort like the Wilson 7 round, (and other rounded top followers) do. That's why Wilson, Pachmayer, Metalform, Chip McCormick, Tripp and others made the 7 round follower to be rounded/ raised on the top of it. Before this, all followers were flat like the original Colt followers. There has to be a reason the follower designs of today are "Rounded", and that is why...to get the last round up.

I do agree that the feed lip design can aid in getting the rounds higher into the chamber BEFORE they are stripped clear of the feed lips. This is one of Tripp's big selling points. (This also has some issues regarding the top round in the Mag contacting the bottom of an Extended Ejector...but we can visit that some other time.) Tripp at least is aware of it, and so is Wilson.

This "Scooped Out" follower design that Wilson uses only effects the last round feeding properly (which is where most of the 8 round problems occur along with improper springs). The other rounds, again are raised up after clearing the feed lips by the round beneath them and never contact the follower.

I also don't believe "you're reducing the ammo load" by using a 7 round Mag. IMO...an 8th round should never have been tried to be put in a 7 round body in the first place.

Look...I'm not saying that the 8 round designs are "Chronic Problems". Just that WHEN I have experienced an issue, it has been with the Wilson 8 round Mag. Guys like Clint Smith at Gunsite agree, and they see a lot of rounds go down the tube of a 1911 every year. He doesn't carry 8 round mags, and I'll bet there is nothing wrong with his 1911. I believe that Jeff Cooper, Lewis Awerbuck, Hilton Yam, Tim Lau, and many others support this position.

FWIW, I personally have used the Wilson 7 round Mags for >30 years, and the 8 round Mags for > 10 years. This is why I am so confident as to what I speak. Admittedly....I have not tried any other 8 Round manufacturers Mags. Other than for competition, I have not seen a compelling argument to pursue the 8 round Mag. further.

When you can ID the design flaw of a "Scooped Out" follower, like I have pointed out above, I find it difficult to accept that there is a problem with an otherwise flawless pistol. I have had 6 1911's. All very well tuned, and one had 30,000 rounds on it before it was retired without ANY failures with 7 round Wilson Mags. The 8 round Mags. just weren't as reliable.

So we don't go to war on this...we are talking a very small percentage of noted problems. Much less than 1 10th of a percent. But, that's high enough for me when a problem can be traced. I still use the 8 rounders in competition, but not for CCW. Again, the gun was just not designed for an 8 round Mag. in a 7 round body.

I'm done now. You can resume your normal scheduled programming.

[STS]

I have replaced all of the followers in both my Wilson 7 and 8 round mags, as well as several Powermags. I was starting to have problems with the 8 round Wilsons after about 6 months of hard use, and a $8 per upgrade kit I figured it was cheap insurance.

I have been running the followers fairly hard since June, to include a Jeff Gonzales class where I shot approx 1,800 rounds. I have had zero failures of any kind with the new springs and followers. All told I have close to 5000 rounds through the mags with the upgrade kits and I am very pleased. I'm in the process of upgrading all of my 1911 mags. Any new mags I buy will most likely be the Tripp 8 rounders.

[Bushytale]

if you look at most of the new hi-tech mags on the market they have either the "scooped out"/concave or flat followers. The Tripp 8 rd. and the new Wilson EMT 8 rd. are concave and the Act/Novak and CMC Powermag are flat. Most of my own experience has been with flat followers like the 8 rd. CMC/Devil conversion and the Colt 7 rd. mags from the '70s and '80s as well as Metalform mags with CMC followers and CMC Powermags that also use the flat Devil design. I used the Pachmayr round followers way back when and found them to work as good as any in 7 rd. mags. The two types of jams most frequently attributed to magazines are the nose dive into the feed ramp and the three point jam that begins as a nose dive and both are usually caused by weak mag springs. From what I have learned the 8 rd. Wilson mags had problems with premature spring fatigue. Wilson supposedly addressed that some years ago. another .02, IMHO, YMMV, No warranty expressed or implied, and this may vary in some states.

Billy

[toddackerman]

I have no personal experience with the Tripp conversion kits.

FYI, if you contact one of the customer service reps at Wilson, they will warranty your existing magazines.

You can't beat that service.

Yeah but who needs a product that has to be returned. i personally have had to replace 9 47D's and 3 ETM's. it's just a PITA when you can alleviate it with buying Tripp Cobra 8 Round Mags.

[restfortheweary]

Only Cobra mags or 47D's with the tripp rebuild kit for me. 1000's of problem free rounds.

[DacoRoman]

Another thing that I don't like about the 8 rounders is the pronounced gap between the distal part of the top most 3 rounds or so, that really exacerbates the nose diving round problem in the 1911.

[John_Wayne777]

Glad to see this post as I've got to get my 1911 gear back up and running in preparation for the Vickers 1911 class in 2009. I have a bunch of Wilson mags that are due for a tuneup.

[Battlepack]

Glad to see this post as I've got to get my 1911 gear back up and running in preparation for the Vickers 1911 class in 2009. I have a bunch of Wilson mags that are due for a tuneup.

To answer the OP, I believe the Tripp 7-round upgrade kit, coupled with a CMC PowerMag body or Wilson 47D body is the best magazine you can have. I have not had a magazine related failure with this combo since upgrading some of my mags a few years ago. I don't exactly clean magazines either, unless they have a chunk of mud or stick poking out of them.

I have also had good luck with the stock CMC 8-round PowerMags and stock 47Ds, but the Wilson springs just don't seem to last. My standard method of operation is to use the Wilson mags for about 6 months to a year and then drop in the Tripp kit.

[Ed L.]

After reading the excellent 10-8 article, I replaced the followers and springs on my 8 round CMC powermags with the Tripp super 7 springs and followers and got fantastic results. A Kimber that was tempermental with some ammo now functioned more reliably. A Springfield Pro that was sometimes a bit finicky with the CMC powermags when firing Blazer Brass ammo now works 100% with it after firing over a thousand rounds of the stuff.

It appears that with the Tripp designed 8 rounders, they realize this is a problem and have addressed it. They have increased the dimensions downward (longer Mag body) to accommodate the 8th round, versus cutting the follower legs, hogging out the top of the follower (like Wilson does which leaves the last round too low in the mag), or coming up with a totally non-functional follower like Devel did in the 80's etc. to make "room" for the 8th round.

There's only one acceptable way to make room for the 8th round, and that's to make the Mag body longer, much like the 10 rounders. Of course, appropriate springs must be included in these enhanced capacity mags.

I agree that if you want an 8 round mag and the best achievable reliability, go with the Tripp 8 rounders. Trying to fit 8 rounds in a standard size 7 round magazine requires compromise that can affect reliability.