1911 8 round mags. any issues?

Yes, there are issues with 8 round 1911 mags. Historically they have not been as reliable as 7 round mags.

Some people now believe "The bugs are worked out" while other people still don't trust them. And, to make matters more complicated, some manufacturers and designs are better and more reliable then others.

I'm not much of a 1911 guy, so I'm not up on which 8 round mags are the best, and their absolute reliability when compared to good 7 round mags.

If I were you, I'd ask some knowledgable people, "What 8 round mags are best" and then only use those, if you decide to use 8 round mags at all.

The springs will fatigue faster with fully loaded 8 rounders. The springs ( are over compressed in my view) need to be replaced much sooner than 7 rounders. I have had McCormick 8 rounders poop out real soon. They are the same as Colt 8 rounders. Last year I found a Colt 7 rounder that I left loaded since 1974. It worked perfectly and the spring is still fine.

Gunsprings.com has replacement springs.

The real problem with most 8 rounders are the feed lips. Almost all 8 rounders use wadcutter feed lips. Colt 7 rounders use hybrid feed lips. Some guns will not feed from mags using wadcutter feed lips. If your gun works with the 8 rounders, great!

For the past 8 years I've been using the same five 8-round Chip McCormick "Shooting Star" magazines from both my 1911s. Not a single problem from any of them, thousands of rounds later.

I have three dozen Wilson 47Ds. Four are constantly loaded with SD rounds. The rest are used quite regularly. I swap out the four every six months. I change the mag springs yearly. They will feed SWCs, FMJs and at least three different HP profiles in all my 1911s.

I also have a dozen Power Mags. Work as well as anything I've tried, I just prefer the Wilsons.

just to clarify, the criticisms of 8 round mags, really only applies to flush-fitting 8 round mags.

Remove the base pads and mine fit flush.

I know Eddie.

I haven't really had magazine problems (easily worked out so far). I think the 8 round mag criticism is overblown. But to the extent that it is even a problem, it would only apply to flush fit mags.

I know Colt made the mag 7 rounds and left that space at the bottom for a reason, so the spring would last.

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Actually, the space in the bottom was for the follower extension - this is what controls the follower angle and does a lot to determine the "last round" reliability of the magazine. Imagine a typical "GI" follower, with that long tang on the rear. That rides up the rear wall of the tube, keeping the follower angle consistent throughout feeding and especially with the last round.

The typical Devel-designed collapsible follower - which is what you find in a Colt or CMC type flush-fit 8rd magazine - forgoes this for the trade-off of cramming in an 8th round. With strong springs, they tend to work pretty well. The problem is that as soon as the spring weakens a little, the last round becomes less stable (the spring is now at it's weakest point when loaded - just one round compressing it).

All you really need to do is pay attention and when a magazine starts to show problems on the last round, change the spring. FYI, Checkmate Ind. has a newer, skirted follower design that tries to help this issue a little. It is identifiable by the added "bullnose" element on the front of the follower. It allows a more stable follower design in a standard length tube. I have no personal experience with them yet, but it looks promising. It has been around five years or a little more.

If you need more than 7+1 your tactics need work.

Pretty new to the 1911 game but my 8 rounder works fine, it was all my local gun shop carried.

i use 8rd Tripp magazines in mine and have not had any issues in about 200rds in each.

lexjj said:

I know Eddie.

I haven't really had magazine problems (easily worked out so far). I think the 8 round mag criticism is overblown. But to the extent that it is even a problem, it would only apply to flush fit mags.

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Like most "they're bad" stories, this one throws back to the early days of trail and error springs and followers. Like anything else, you buy crap, even seven round mags, you'll have problems.

Drail said:

If you need more than 7+1 your tactics need work.

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If you can determine your ammo requirements before a gunfight, you don't need a gun.

I've not had a problem with my 8 rounders, a mix of Wilson, Act-Mag, and Metal Form. I will however, only us the McCormick Power Mag 10 rounders. Others I've tried are just not reliable.

Never had a problem with Chip McCormick 8 rounders.

I have been using shooting star mags for over 10 years and they work very well. After a few years of use I noticed that they started to cause my gun to jam. I purchased new springs and they once again became reliable. Before I can use a mag in a match and feel comfortable I shoot at least 500 rounds through it. My advise is to buy new mags of a quality brand( I am currently useing power mags) and replace them once a year.

No Probs with Chip McCormick...

One thousand rounds or so through each. No problems ever. Had them for two years.

Enjoy.

Every mag problem I have ever had was with a 8rd 1911 mag. With that said they were not 'top quality' mags like Wilson or McCormick they were MetalForm or something similar.

Wilson's 47D's and McCormick's have received good "press" on THR.

I have 8 Kimber Pro-Tac mags and have put several thousand rounds through both my 1911's without a problem.

Bass

I use Wilson Combat 47Ds in my Kimber Stainless II and my ancient Govt. M1911A1 with no problems.

They are the best made magazine I've every had, for any mag fed firearm.

Just my 2 cents, but I have never had any issues related to my 8 round Wilson Combat Mags. My Kimber mags sucked and jammed from day one. The WC's have made my gun perform flawlessly for a couple of thousand rounds.

I can't speak for any other mags as I haven't tried them. I guy at the range lent me a stack of WC's once he saw my stock Kimber mags causing me issues. Bought a handful for myself and never looked back. They work for me so I haven't seen the need to try others.