Which 1911 single stack mags?

MojoNixon

Established
Wilson 8 rounders for my full size and 7 rounders for my Springer ultra compact. Tried CMC's. They worked, until they didn't, and looked and felt "cheap".
 

jmatt511

Amateur
I'm a big believer in Tripp Research Cobra magazines. I found the Wilson (47D-haven't tried the new iteration) would begin to fail to lock back after 200-250 rounds in each magazine. The ledge for the slide stop engagement became deformed. Using the Tripp, the problem did not recur. The Tripp has a hybrid follower and has a metal engagement shelf. They are expensive, but it's one less thing I have to worry about. But use whatever works well in your gun.
 

Roscoe

Newbie
I ran CMCs in my Colt Rail Gun at my Depts transition course with no issues.

Put those CMC mags in a circa 2005 Kimber Warrior and the rounds would nosedive on the 2nd to last round. Started running Tripp Research Cobras in the Warrior and no issues.
 

din

Amateur
Wilson ETMs. I started with the CMC Powermags but had some seating and feeding issues, might have just been the pistol but I haven't had any issues with the ETMs whatsoever. I haven't tried the 8-round Cobra mags; I did have good luck with the 10-rounds as far as feeding and seating went, but when I dropped an empty mag the baseplate would pop off and all the components blew from hell to breakfast. I probably will try some of the 8-rounders at some point, but for now I'm sticking with Wilson.
 

mikem

Newbie
I ran Cobra Tripp mags (8 and 10 rounders) and Wilson ETM's for the 10 years I carried my 1911's. Mixture of Springfield MC Operator and Nighthawk Custom GRP. Neither gun would lock open with any CMC mags and I could never figure out exactly why. Finally retired the guns and moved on but would still run ETM's if I hadn't.
 
Running KimPro's after having problems getting the 47D's on the last order. No magazine malfunctions and I have a shitload of rounds through them. Our agency has strictly Wilson's and KimPros in issued Kimber Custom, and Ultras.
 

S.W.

Newbie
I had three FTF's today with McCormick 10 rounders today. Two nosedives and this one on the last round, kind of looks like it was being ejected. I'm getting a few Vicker's Wilson 8 rounders pretty soon, conceptually they look great.
tumblr_nz8eyztwjn1ux6c75o1_1280.jpg
 

Dan_Kemp

Amateur
47Ds for carry, for just range use I have a box of assorted GI and GI clone mags. I got about twenty USGIs cleaning out an arms room closet in Korea in '99 and still have a few of those.
 

Lane C

Rico and the Man
Staff member
Moderator
FTF aka failure to fire should be a firing pin or "cocking" issue. are you referring to a FTE aka failure to extract or eject? If so, they are likely not a magazine issue. More pics or description would be helpful.

FYI I love my Wilson's over the CMC 10 rounders. Just a personal preference.

I had three FTF's today with McCormick 10 rounders today. Two nosedives and this one on the last round, kind of looks like it was being ejected. I'm getting a few Vicker's Wilson 8 rounders pretty soon, conceptually they look great.
tumblr_nz8eyztwjn1ux6c75o1_1280.jpg
 

Lane C

Rico and the Man
Staff member
Moderator
From his picture and description, "FTF" means "Failure To Feed" as used.


- Jake

Jake. Thanks of that catch.

FTF failure to feed. i thought about that for a bit. But I discounted it based on the picture as the casing was angled in a way that it looked like it was during ejection. I should have asked if it was a failure to feed just to cover the bases. As Benny Hill said about assume.

Is the casing/brass in the photo still intact with a solid projectile and unfired primer? If so I recommend the checking the following;

Check the specs of the feedlots on the mag. Are they damaged or spread out off spec causing an disorderly exit from the magazine. Use calipers to measure or a tale-tale clue is that the magazine does not drop free from the lower receiver.

Next check your feed ramp on the 1911. 1911 feed ramps are on the lower receiver versus most modern handguns have the feed ramp as part of the barrel assembly. On the 1911 the feed ramp and throat of the barrel are two parts and can be troublesome for getting the round to seamlessly feed into the barrel chamber. Regardless I would find a pro that knows how to work with metal to polish the feed ramp and also ream the throat of the chamber in the barrel to ensure more reliable feeding.

If you want to get a better idea of how much of a climb the ammo has to make to get out of the magazine and into the chamber compared to a more modern handgun do this. Remove slide and grab the lower receiver. insert a magazine in the lower receiver with at least one or more live rounds of ammunition. Now grab your barrel, not the slide. and lay the barrel in its orientation where the locking lugs, barrel link and chamber would be in normal operation of a properly assembled m1911. From there you can see how the bullet would be stripped past the feed lips and the spring pressure forces the bullet tip award to contact the feed ramp and continued to the chamber of the barrel. It is quite an angle of attack for all of that to happen.

Lastly, any change in the ammo that you have been shooting. The original m1911 design was designed for round nose ball ammo, so some blaster can be finicky with wad cutters or hollow points.
 

S.W.

Newbie
Sorry about the poor description, it was the last round (Blazer 230gr) in the mag and was being fed but failed. It looks like it was being ejected but it was never chambered, the whole round was intact. I put it back in the mag and shot it.

Thanks for the help Lane C, I did put 60 rounds through the CMC mag this week and couldn't replicate the picture but I did get plenty of nose dives. Vicker's Wilson mags have fed reliably so far.

Jake. Thanks of that catch.

FTF failure to feed. i thought about that for a bit. But I discounted it based on the picture as the casing was angled in a way that it looked like it was during ejection. I should have asked if it was a failure to feed just to cover the bases. As Benny Hill said about assume.

Is the casing/brass in the photo still intact with a solid projectile and unfired primer? If so I recommend the checking the following;

Check the specs of the feedlots on the mag. Are they damaged or spread out off spec causing an disorderly exit from the magazine. Use calipers to measure or a tale-tale clue is that the magazine does not drop free from the lower receiver.

Next check your feed ramp on the 1911. 1911 feed ramps are on the lower receiver versus most modern handguns have the feed ramp as part of the barrel assembly. On the 1911 the feed ramp and throat of the barrel are two parts and can be troublesome for getting the round to seamlessly feed into the barrel chamber. Regardless I would find a pro that knows how to work with metal to polish the feed ramp and also ream the throat of the chamber in the barrel to ensure more reliable feeding.

If you want to get a better idea of how much of a climb the ammo has to make to get out of the magazine and into the chamber compared to a more modern handgun do this. Remove slide and grab the lower receiver. insert a magazine in the lower receiver with at least one or more live rounds of ammunition. Now grab your barrel, not the slide. and lay the barrel in its orientation where the locking lugs, barrel link and chamber would be in normal operation of a properly assembled m1911. From there you can see how the bullet would be stripped past the feed lips and the spring pressure forces the bullet tip award to contact the feed ramp and continued to the chamber of the barrel. It is quite an angle of attack for all of that to happen.

Lastly, any change in the ammo that you have been shooting. The original m1911 design was designed for round nose ball ammo, so some blaster can be finicky with wad cutters or hollow points.
 

medic15al

Newbie
I've had good results with the Wilson 7 round Black coated mags in my Lightweight Commander 1980's Enhanced model.
 
Something else to consider with the CMC power mags and aluminum framed 1911's is feed ramp damage from the steel followers. The Powermag+ has corrected that fault.

I've had positive results with CMC powermags.
 

Greg "Sully" Sullivan

Established
Vendor
VIP
When teaching 1911 Armorer Courses we see lots of different magazines, some work and some don't. The best all around choice imho is Wilson, as they have been the most consistent and realiable. When choosing a magazine, you should consider whether your pistol likes a longer or shorter feed lips.

CY6
Greg Sullivan "Sully"
SLR15 Rifles
TheDefensiveEdge.com
(763) 712-0123
 

TCB

Amateur
I used the same set of 6 Wilson 47D's for 9 years (with a couple spring changes) with no issues. With the extended baseplates I found out they don't fit in the USPSA box so I recently bought 6 ETM's and they also work as advertised. I'd say 80% of the folks out at matches use Wilson mags.
 
While teaching my departments 1911 transition course, I've noticed that the Wilson 47d's sometimes have issues locking the slides back on some of the Springfield Armory guns. The CMC power mags have been a little better across the board. Having said that, it's not uncommon for a pistol that doesn't run one of the brands to happily run the other. I only use those two brands except in 9mm, where I've noticed that the Kimber mags seem to do pretty well.
 
Top