9mm 1911

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Metalform & Brownells Mags. Seem to be identical. (My pics of my mags)
Metalform and Brownells Mag Comparison Pic 1.JPG Metalform and Brownells Mag Comparison Pic 2 @ 42%.JPG

The Zenith mags linked to by folks here appear to also be the same mags.
zen9743.jpg

I have had great luck with my Metalform and Brownells mags.

Zero failures with the Metalform in this test
.

I have three Checkmate 1911 9MM mags as well and they have been good, but not great, although my 9MM plinker load runs just fine in them, as well as my older style Wilson 9MM 1911 mags.

My Checkmates look like the mags at Joe's linked to in the opening post.

My Checkmate 9MM Mags
Checkmate 1911 9MM Mag Pic 1.JPG
Checkmate 1911 9MM Mag Pic 2 @ 60%.JPG
 
The Wilsons are the acid test. If you can’t feed with them flawlessly, the fault is in the gun.
 
metalform, checkmate, mccormick, wilson combat ETM. All of these are proven performers for 9mm 1911s.
Good luck with your new pistol.

Stock mags are often junk. (opinion)

I believe Chip Mccormick patented his 9MM magazines and others copied his design. There is a lip in the front of the magazine that guides the cartridge into the chamber. My STI Trojan shipped with this design and works best with Mccormick magazines or like design. Friend had a pistol like yours that worked flawlessly with the proper magazines.
I have some high quality Trip magazines that would not work fully loaded with my 9MM 1911 due to the lack of feed lip. The 9MM cartridge is tapered, which tilts the round's nose down. Stack enough of them in a single stack magazine and you have issues.
 
The OP stated that his RIA works OK with borrowed factory loads, but he is having problems with his reloads. Maybe the problem isn't with the mags, but with some factor of his reloads. I suggest that he put at least 500 rounds of factory ammo thru his gun and see if it functions properly with factory ammo. If it does and he still has problems with his reloads its time to adjust his reloads.
 
The OP stated that his RIA works OK with borrowed factory loads, but he is having problems with his reloads. Maybe the problem isn't with the mags, but with some factor of his reloads. I suggest that he put at least 500 rounds of factory ammo thru his gun and see if it functions properly with factory ammo. If it does and he still has problems with his reloads its time to adjust his reloads.

Do ya miss the part where the reloads function just fine on my other four 9mm firearms?
 
Texas: maybe your new RIA is picky. Try the factory ammo. Also RIA has always told new owners to put 500 factory loads thru the gun before they will replace or repair.
 
The more I think about it the one I had issues with was MecGar.
As mentioned earlier no isuses with the Brownells/Metalform/Zenith 10 rounders.
(other than being a pain to unload the first couple rounds by hand)

It looks like in Walkalongs test with his gun it preferred Metalforms over the Wilsons.
(they are less expensive as well)
Here I will throw in all guns are different, but I only had issues with my Springfield with the one MecGar I tried.
It will feed empty cases from the Brownells mags.... so it's not picky.

The MecGar mags in this pistol are junk

Hope your new mags sort it out.
 
I have been there, Springfield had a 50% off one order coupon 15 years or so ago and along with a bunch of other stuff I order a bunch of single stack 1911 mags. All but one nose dived and wouldn’t feed.

So I removed the follower and spring of the one that worked and another that wouldn’t.

When they stamped the flat there is a burr that winds up inside the magazine once formed and only one out of a dozen had been deburred, so the rounds were hanging on the burr vs riding over the ramp in the mag.

Rolled up some sand paper around a pencil and knocked the burr off the others and they run like a top.

A dremel tool and small sanding drum would make it short work.

Inside where the pin is pointing is the spot.
8ACACEC5-FB8D-458C-BED6-267BD9DF5527.jpeg

You can have an otherwise good product but miss one step in manufacturing and it’s a boat anchor. At least this is an easy fix.
 
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I've got a Citadel 3.5cs in .45acp that won't feed from the factory mags loaded to capacity. I switched to McCormicks and the problems disappeared.
 
I agree that some 1911’s prefer different mags I test them with empty cases like this.



That said the problem/fix above isn’t a coming out of the mag and stopping on the feed ramp problem (ramped barrel or not), rather a not getting out of the magazine problem.
 
Ah, 9mm 1911 magazine woes. I went through a pile of different magazines before following the herd and going with Wilson Combat ETMs, which as promised cured all of my woes. But, they are still expensive and I experimented from time to time until one day in a fit or rage I discovered that replacing the factory springs in the cheaper 9mm magazines with Wolff 8lb 9mm magazine springs fixed everything. Now my 9mm 1911 run like sewing machines with cheap magazines. Just make sure to get ones with removable base plates.
 
Ah, 9mm 1911 magazine woes. I went through a pile of different magazines before following the herd and going with Wilson Combat ETMs, which as promised cured all of my woes. But, they are still expensive and I experimented from time to time until one day in a fit or rage I discovered that replacing the factory springs in the cheaper 9mm magazines with Wolff 8lb 9mm magazine springs fixed everything. Now my 9mm 1911 run like sewing machines with cheap magazines. Just make sure to get ones with removable base plates.

You don't need removable base plates to change mag springs in a 1911 mag.

Tracking show my package from Brownell's should be here Monday. I'm hoping for tomorrow or Saturday so I can hit the range and get this pistol figured out.
 
Do ya miss the part where the reloads function just fine on my other four 9mm firearms?

That may be true, but still may be the problem. Again, my dad's 9mm Wilson disliked a version of Berry's 124 grain HP that run perfect in my 1911 and all my Glocks/Sig's, etc.

Sometimes a bullet design or OAL just doesnt agree with a gun, especially a 1911.

So if the new mags don't work (hope they do) perhaps a new bullet design or playing with bullet length might be a good option as well. I recall Bill Wilson saying longer OAL works better in 9mm 1911s, something like 1.15" was suggested. Mine runs fine with all mine loaded to 1.13", but that's an example of one.
 
I recall Bill Wilson saying longer OAL works better in 9mm 1911s, something like 1.15" was suggested.
Which is why the better (IMHO) 9MM 1911 mag designs move the round forward by way of a spacer in back. Takes out that big jump. The 9MM EMP simply took that space out of the gun entirely.
 
You don't need removable base plates to change mag springs in a 1911 mag.

Tracking show my package from Brownell's should be here Monday. I'm hoping for tomorrow or Saturday so I can hit the range and get this pistol figured out.

Did you check the inside of the magazine for a burr? Or is your “nose dive” happening outside of the magazine?
 
Walk along

All of my Colt 9mm. magazines have the spacer in the back of the magazine and I have yet to have any feed problems.
 
I have an "RIA" (I think it was actually made by a different company and re-labelled by them, but it's a long story) 40 caliber double-stack 1911 that will shoot factory ammo just fine, but always stumbles with my FiL's reloads. My other half dozen or so 40 caliber pistols shoot his reloads flawlessly. I have no idea what the issue is - "shrug", I guess it's just picky. It shoots factory ammo fine, so that's what I shoot through it.

 
I have an "RIA" (I think it was actually made by a different company and re-labelled by them, but it's a long story) 40 caliber double-stack 1911 that will shoot factory ammo just fine, but always stumbles with my FiL's reloads. My other half dozen or so 40 caliber pistols shoot his reloads flawlessly. I have no idea what the issue is - "shrug", I guess it's just picky. It shoots factory ammo fine, so that's what I shoot through it.

I have a RIA DS 9mm/.22TCM of that same design (it’s a PARA copy but is made by Armscor/RIA) that feeds perfectly. Chances are your FIL’s reloads are different in some way from factory ammo—most likely in bullet ogive or COL (or both). Since factory runs fine maybe measure it and see where the reloads differ (if you care to figure it out).
 
Okay... to make a long story long...

The LGS had the RIA doublestack 40 caliber sitting in its case for many months. It's probably too big for a lot of people's hands. Finally the owner offered me a very good deal and I bought it. It had recurring problems with FTF, so I sent it to RIA. They changed some springs or something and sent it back. It still had problems with FTF, so I sent it to them again. They fiddled with it some more, returned it to me, and it still didn't work properly. I sent it to them a third time and said I wanted a replacement gun. Someone with their customer service called me and said that they couldn't give me a new one because it was a special model and they didn't have any more of them. He said he would have his gunsmith look at it.

When it was finally returned to me the third time, it did (and does) function properly, but only with factory ammo. I shoot more of my FiL's reloads of various calibers than any other kind of ammo, and this is the only firearm that I own that doesn't work well with them. Since the pistol has been problematic since Day One, I'm not all that surprised. I just shoot it when I'm shooting with other friends and we're using factory ammo.

I suspected that RIA might not have made it because I saw a picture on Gunbroker of a pistol that was all but identical, except it was a different Filipino brand. It made me suspect that RIA rebranded a batch of them to see how they would sell. Admittedly, that's purely a guess on my part. It would explain why they didn't have any more of the "special model" when I asked for a replacement, and also maybe why they had so much trouble getting it to work properly.
 
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Texas10mm, Hope you can get it sorted out. I enjoy the 9mm 1911s and have owned a succession of them. Perhaps shoot it some more, and try some factory ammo? The 9mm 1911s that frustrated me were the Colts, with unramped barrels. With one exception, the several ramped barrel 9mm 1911s I've had were all boringly reliable. That would include 3 Kimbers, 2 Dan Wessons, an STI and 2 custom Springfields. Mine were not magazine sensitive, but my favorite is still the Metalform front ramp type.

BTW, I have another Kimber, originally in 38 Super, with an extra 9mm barrel. That one is boringly reliable in both calibers, no 9mm 1911 frustration involved. Hopefully your 9mm 1911 will get to the boringly reliable, no frustration, level soon;)
 
Texas10mm, Hope you can get it sorted out. I enjoy the 9mm 1911s and have owned a succession of them. Perhaps shoot it some more, and try some factory ammo? The 9mm 1911s that frustrated me were the Colts, with unramped barrels. With one exception, the several ramped barrel 9mm 1911s I've had were all boringly reliable. That would include 3 Kimbers, 2 Dan Wessons, an STI and 2 custom Springfields. Mine were not magazine sensitive, but my favorite is still the Metalform front ramp type.

BTW, I have another Kimber, originally in 38 Super, with an extra 9mm barrel. That one is boringly reliable in both calibers, no 9mm 1911 frustration involved. Hopefully your 9mm 1911 will get to the boringly reliable, no frustration, level soon;)

I'm hoping it will get there too. The Wilson mags arrived yesterday and today I loaded up some ammo at various COAL so I can hit the range and see if I can get it to work.

As a side note it's interesting that I get bullet molds from Europe faster than Midway and Brownell's can get me a package.
 
I'm hoping it will get there too. The Wilson mags arrived yesterday and today I loaded up some ammo at various COAL so I can hit the range and see if I can get it to work.

As a side note it's interesting that I get bullet molds from Europe faster than Midway and Brownell's can get me a package.

Hope they work for ya
 
I may have gotten lucky, but my Colt Series 80 non ramped barrel 9MM 1911 .38 Super with a a drop in Storm Lake 9MM barrel runs with the CheckMate mags. I do prefer the Metalform mags now after trying them though.
 

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