1911 Magazines
- Thread starter Nightcrawler
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AZ Jeff
Member
Although there are other magazines on the market that are just as reliable (as others have noted), Wilson has one thing going for his .45ACP mags that make them have an edge---they are easy to disassemble for cleaning.
This may not be a big deal on CCW, but for an IPSC shooter, dropping mags in the dirt is a way of life. Being able to clean them between stages, to insure reliability, is a real benefit. The WIlson's come apart for cleaning easier than any other brand, based on my 15 years of shooting IPSC.
Now if they would only make them in other calibers...........
This may not be a big deal on CCW, but for an IPSC shooter, dropping mags in the dirt is a way of life. Being able to clean them between stages, to insure reliability, is a real benefit. The WIlson's come apart for cleaning easier than any other brand, based on my 15 years of shooting IPSC.
Now if they would only make them in other calibers...........
jrpeterman
Member
- Joined
- Jan 4, 2003
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- 173
Nightcrawler:
Check out [URL http://www.arizonagunrunners.com] for 1911 magazines and for your CZ-97B (the Mecgar 45 Witness is identical).
Check out [URL http://www.arizonagunrunners.com] for 1911 magazines and for your CZ-97B (the Mecgar 45 Witness is identical).
railroader
Member
Nightcrawler, the KRD hipower mags are fine, the KRD 1911 mags I got from CDNN weren't. They were tight in the magwell and they wouldn't lock the slide on my kimber. I sent them back. Mark
Jammer Six
member
1911Tuner said:
Actually, it RAISES a question!
Tuner, in another thread, you said to order the FLAT follower!
Which one has the dimple, the round follower or the flat follower?
1911Tuner
Moderator Emeritus
Resurrected Thread
Since this one came back up, I feel the need to amend something. I tried the Metalform mags equipped with round followers, and while they did pretty well in some guns...they didn't do so well in others. The problem was related to the springs...which are a little soft for some set-ups, and while extra-power Wolff springs are available for those particular followers...Brownells doesn't carry'em.
When I asked about a spring upgrade at Metalform, I was told that they didn't offer the upgrade for that magazine just yet, and I'd have to go directly to Wolff.
That may have changed since this thread was raised...but if not, be aware that
the springs are pricey...and standard springs won't work with those followers.
I apologize for the bum steer...I was under the impression that the answer to the
problem of flat followers damaging alloy frames had been addressed...but apparently not just yet...and I forgot to post a report on the followers. The magazines do well in most 5-ich guns, provided that they aren't oversprung. Commander-length and shorter with higher spring rates still pose something of a problem in rougnly a third of the guns they were tested in.
Luck!
Tuner
Since this one came back up, I feel the need to amend something. I tried the Metalform mags equipped with round followers, and while they did pretty well in some guns...they didn't do so well in others. The problem was related to the springs...which are a little soft for some set-ups, and while extra-power Wolff springs are available for those particular followers...Brownells doesn't carry'em.
When I asked about a spring upgrade at Metalform, I was told that they didn't offer the upgrade for that magazine just yet, and I'd have to go directly to Wolff.
That may have changed since this thread was raised...but if not, be aware that
the springs are pricey...and standard springs won't work with those followers.
I apologize for the bum steer...I was under the impression that the answer to the
problem of flat followers damaging alloy frames had been addressed...but apparently not just yet...and I forgot to post a report on the followers. The magazines do well in most 5-ich guns, provided that they aren't oversprung. Commander-length and shorter with higher spring rates still pose something of a problem in rougnly a third of the guns they were tested in.
Luck!
Tuner
sm
member
What Art and Tuner said.
I prefer the original 7 rd with the dimple for serious situations.
I have some old Wilson 8 rdrs and CMC 8rdrs, they work, and have been carried in CCW guns.
I get rich - I'm gonna buy 2-4 dozen more of the original 7 rd design with the dimple. Metalform , unless I find a stash of USGI or Old Colts.
I can live without a basepad, I used to make my own out of wood...I like that look and feel better still.
Older I get , the more I realize what I don't know. I also better understand why and how the original designs still work best. Being human and a male - yeah - I piddled with some newfangled ideas though.
Art, Old Fuff I can understand...Tuner and I are close in age...we ain't supposed to be "old farts" - yet.
J/K
I prefer the original 7 rd with the dimple for serious situations.
I have some old Wilson 8 rdrs and CMC 8rdrs, they work, and have been carried in CCW guns.
I get rich - I'm gonna buy 2-4 dozen more of the original 7 rd design with the dimple. Metalform , unless I find a stash of USGI or Old Colts.
I can live without a basepad, I used to make my own out of wood...I like that look and feel better still.
Older I get , the more I realize what I don't know. I also better understand why and how the original designs still work best. Being human and a male - yeah - I piddled with some newfangled ideas though.
Art, Old Fuff I can understand...Tuner and I are close in age...we ain't supposed to be "old farts" - yet.
J/K
What are the odds the weapon will have to save your life or that of another?
What do you need to do to satisfy yourself that weapon is as reliable as you can make it?
I have never had any problems with Wilson mags, the same cannot be said for others I have tried. They have, so far, shooting literally thousands of rounds thru both my Kimber Ultra and my 5" Colt over Essex, never failed to feed, with whatever round I have used. Not one tap and rack drill was ever necessary (even tho much practiced).
"Solo mi dos centavos"
SatCong
What do you need to do to satisfy yourself that weapon is as reliable as you can make it?
I have never had any problems with Wilson mags, the same cannot be said for others I have tried. They have, so far, shooting literally thousands of rounds thru both my Kimber Ultra and my 5" Colt over Essex, never failed to feed, with whatever round I have used. Not one tap and rack drill was ever necessary (even tho much practiced).
"Solo mi dos centavos"
SatCong
1911Tuner
Moderator Emeritus
'Round and 'Round
Schmackey...Did you get last round failures after the magazine had been used for a while? My experience was that they worked well in the beginning, but started
gettin' persnickety after about 25 cycles.
That follower design is actually pretty ingenious...but it needs more than just the
slight upward angle on the top. I don't think a dimple would work because of that angle, but a shallow trench across the release point to catch the cartridge rim just might do it.
I'll probably do a thread on those things later today. Kinda interesting how I
started out in favor of'em...and later had to recant the endorsement...and it all started with a call to Metalform.
___________________
Satkong asked:
>>What are the odds the weapon will have to save your life or that of another?<<
Well...If your only reason for owning the gun is to punch holes in paper or knock down falling plates...The odds are very small to non-existent. If you own the gun primarily for carry/defensive purposes...even small odds can suddenly become very big concerns. A pistol is like an ambulance. You don't often need one, but when you do...you need it badly and you need it immediately. You also don't want to have to wait until somebody can find a set of jumper cables to jump-start the ambulance because they failed to tend to the minor details.
_____________________
And:
>>What do you need to do to satisfy yourself that weapon is as reliable as you can make it?<<
I can't speak for anybody else here...but I'm willing to spend time to reduce the chances of a malfunction to a bare minimum. There are no guarantees, and 100%
reliability with any machine is a statistical impossibility...but we can closely approach that in a 1911 with just a little attention to detail. If you have confidnece in your weapon, you'll tend to do much better if and when the flag flies.
Ask yourself a hard question:
"If you knew that you were going to be attacked, and all you had to choose from was one pistol, would you want one that had failed to function one time in a thousand rounds...or would you be okay with one that had failed to function once every 200 rounds?" ( And please don't throw revolvers into the soup.
Some of us have chosen autopistols over revolvers for some very sound reasons.
I'll carry a revolver on occasion, depending on certain circumstances...but 99%
of the time, my sidearm is a 1911. Besides...revolvers can malfunction too.)
The odds are that you won't be struck by lightning...or win the lottery...or be involved in an auto accident...but all those things do happen. If you should
suddenly find yourself UTYAIA, you want that pistol to work...Period.
Schmackey...Did you get last round failures after the magazine had been used for a while? My experience was that they worked well in the beginning, but started
gettin' persnickety after about 25 cycles.
That follower design is actually pretty ingenious...but it needs more than just the
slight upward angle on the top. I don't think a dimple would work because of that angle, but a shallow trench across the release point to catch the cartridge rim just might do it.
I'll probably do a thread on those things later today. Kinda interesting how I
started out in favor of'em...and later had to recant the endorsement...and it all started with a call to Metalform.
___________________
Satkong asked:
>>What are the odds the weapon will have to save your life or that of another?<<
Well...If your only reason for owning the gun is to punch holes in paper or knock down falling plates...The odds are very small to non-existent. If you own the gun primarily for carry/defensive purposes...even small odds can suddenly become very big concerns. A pistol is like an ambulance. You don't often need one, but when you do...you need it badly and you need it immediately. You also don't want to have to wait until somebody can find a set of jumper cables to jump-start the ambulance because they failed to tend to the minor details.
_____________________
And:
>>What do you need to do to satisfy yourself that weapon is as reliable as you can make it?<<
I can't speak for anybody else here...but I'm willing to spend time to reduce the chances of a malfunction to a bare minimum. There are no guarantees, and 100%
reliability with any machine is a statistical impossibility...but we can closely approach that in a 1911 with just a little attention to detail. If you have confidnece in your weapon, you'll tend to do much better if and when the flag flies.
Ask yourself a hard question:
"If you knew that you were going to be attacked, and all you had to choose from was one pistol, would you want one that had failed to function one time in a thousand rounds...or would you be okay with one that had failed to function once every 200 rounds?" ( And please don't throw revolvers into the soup.
Some of us have chosen autopistols over revolvers for some very sound reasons.
I'll carry a revolver on occasion, depending on certain circumstances...but 99%
of the time, my sidearm is a 1911. Besides...revolvers can malfunction too.)
The odds are that you won't be struck by lightning...or win the lottery...or be involved in an auto accident...but all those things do happen. If you should
suddenly find yourself UTYAIA, you want that pistol to work...Period.
Rob96
Member
A good magazine I found was the High Standard gov't contract mags, that Midway was selling for $4.95.They have very strong mag springs. I have used these in my two Colts and my brothers Kimber, with no problems.
1911Tuner
Moderator Emeritus
HS Contract Mags
Howdy Rob,
I've heard several good reports on those magazines, but haven't had a chance to
try any yet. I wonder how the base welds are holdin' up.
I may have to investigate this further... I know...It's a dirty job, but somebody's gotta do it.
Rob96 said:
Howdy Rob,
I've heard several good reports on those magazines, but haven't had a chance to
try any yet. I wonder how the base welds are holdin' up.
I may have to investigate this further...
I know...It's a dirty job, but somebody's gotta do it. Rob96
Member
1911Tuner said:Howdy Rob,
I've heard several good reports on those magazines, but haven't had a chance to
try any yet. I wonder how the base welds are holdin' up.
I may have to investigate this further...
Well if it means anything 'Tuner. When I am at the range, and I have it to myself, I do drills where I let the mag drop to the ground on the crushed stone. Holding up very well.
1911Tuner
Moderator Emeritus
Tough Welds
Good sign...I'm more interested in how they do when the magazine is topped off and locked in the gun long term. It's usually long-term stress that gets'em.
____________________________
Kermit said:
Go with Wilsons. Better to be safe then sorry.
Howdy Kermit, and welcome aboard. Not tryin' to be a jerk or anything...but experience with Wilson 47Ds led me to the conclusion that a body couldn't throw one and hit me with it. The do well in some guns...but they ain't exactly the
final word in mags. With the slick followers and the stock springs that they come with, they're more suited to guns tuned for "Softball" target loads than anything else. I've just seen too many fail to be able to recommend'em for carry.
Cheers!
Tuner
Rob96 said:
Good sign...I'm more interested in how they do when the magazine is topped off and locked in the gun long term. It's usually long-term stress that gets'em.
____________________________
Kermit said:
Go with Wilsons. Better to be safe then sorry.
Howdy Kermit, and welcome aboard. Not tryin' to be a jerk or anything...but experience with Wilson 47Ds led me to the conclusion that a body couldn't throw one and hit me with it. The do well in some guns...but they ain't exactly the
final word in mags. With the slick followers and the stock springs that they come with, they're more suited to guns tuned for "Softball" target loads than anything else. I've just seen too many fail to be able to recommend'em for carry.
Cheers!
Tuner
Back about a half-century ago this poor Old Fuff started shooting 1911 .45’s. The first one was a war surplus USGI Ithaca, and if the young folks here knew what it cost back then they might all go jump off a bridge ...
But anyway ....
Didn’t have Wilson
Didn’t have CMC
Didn’t have Metalforms
Didn’t have Powermags
Didn’t have Shooting Stars
Didn't have Mec Gar's
And ya know ... we didn’t have jams. Them cheap, junky, can’t hit nothing past 5 yards, pistols just kept running and running ... with nothing but the magazines that came in them.
I just don’t know how John Browning ever got a pistol to run without having any of these new-fangled magazines ...
But anyway ....
Didn’t have Wilson
Didn’t have CMC
Didn’t have Metalforms
Didn’t have Powermags
Didn’t have Shooting Stars
Didn't have Mec Gar's
And ya know ... we didn’t have jams. Them cheap, junky, can’t hit nothing past 5 yards, pistols just kept running and running ... with nothing but the magazines that came in them.
I just don’t know how John Browning ever got a pistol to run without having any of these new-fangled magazines ...
1911Tuner
Moderator Emeritus
New-Fangled Mags
Fuff said:
I just don’t know how John Browning ever got a pistol to run without having any of these new-fangled magazines ...
I do! I do!!
Good steel...good springs...hardened followers with a correctly located dimple of the correct shape...He specified spring tempered steel for the extractors...
and 230-grain bullets at 830 fps (+/- 25)
I've got quite a few of those old magazines too Fuff...I had to replace the springs in'em recently. Sorta ticked me off, since they were only about 70 years old.
Fuff said:
I just don’t know how John Browning ever got a pistol to run without having any of these new-fangled magazines ...
I do! I do!!
Good steel...good springs...hardened followers with a correctly located dimple of the correct shape...He specified spring tempered steel for the extractors...
and 230-grain bullets at 830 fps (+/- 25)
I've got quite a few of those old magazines too Fuff...I had to replace the springs in'em recently. Sorta ticked me off, since they were only about 70 years old.
1911Tuner
Moderator Emeritus
Paint?
Fuff...Put the spray can down and back away slowly...and nobody gets hurt.
Old Fuff said:And while you're at it changing the springs don't forget to go over them with a little silver paint so folks at the range will think they're stainless ...
Fuff...Put the spray can down and back away slowly...and nobody gets hurt.
sm
member
If'n you use Gold paint, folks will think you are really "trick" - not everyone has the nitride finished ones....
Old Fuff - you never sent the forms to become a Reprobate...I'm waiting.
Old Fuff - you never sent the forms to become a Reprobate...I'm waiting.
well as an update, the tripps are now more like $25 than $45. Also, I ahve put a lot of rounds through my CMC powermags. They seemed to get sketchy after a lot of rounds. However, I figured out what it wasthat was killing htem and how to fix it.
The front half of the lips were getting flared after a lot of use and making them not drop free. Trying to bend them back by hand made them sometimes not feed properly. The thing that worked for me was to take a piece of brass,a 230gr jacketed .451 diameter bullet, and seat it completley in the case backwards (no powder or primer of course), and lod it into the mag before using pliers to squeeze the font lips in. Keeps you from squeezing too far or deforming the rear half of them.
I now find myself with a whole lot of CMC mags that work as good or better than new.
P.S. I use them for limited 10 in ipsc so they get a fair bit of abuse. stepped on now and then.
The front half of the lips were getting flared after a lot of use and making them not drop free. Trying to bend them back by hand made them sometimes not feed properly. The thing that worked for me was to take a piece of brass,a 230gr jacketed .451 diameter bullet, and seat it completley in the case backwards (no powder or primer of course), and lod it into the mag before using pliers to squeeze the font lips in. Keeps you from squeezing too far or deforming the rear half of them.
I now find myself with a whole lot of CMC mags that work as good or better than new.
P.S. I use them for limited 10 in ipsc so they get a fair bit of abuse. stepped on now and then.
About the cmc and kimber mags/ I use both, "but" while doing cleaning I noticed gouges in the ramp, 
, mainly on my CDP , my stainless ones are noticable also but not as bad as the CDP. I called cmc, they said yes they are hearing about this but have no imed plans to change the followers, But the rep did offer to refund my cost of the mags if I had the reciept -FAT CHANCE of finding that, also he mentioned I may want to look into wilson for followers. Kimber stated "yea its gouges but it'll stop once it sets in , and they also have no plans to change followers. Makes me wonder why I didn't buy wilson from the start, But being DUMB & DUMBER back then... I am really appreciative for THR, and other sites like this to really get 1st hand knowlege from experienced shooters like yourselves. Also I did get the wilsons for my cdp and they function flawless, and soon will get the followers for the other mags.
, mainly on my CDP , my stainless ones are noticable also but not as bad as the CDP. I called cmc, they said yes they are hearing about this but have no imed plans to change the followers, But the rep did offer to refund my cost of the mags if I had the reciept -FAT CHANCE of finding that, also he mentioned I may want to look into wilson for followers. Kimber stated "yea its gouges but it'll stop once it sets in , and they also have no plans to change followers. Makes me wonder why I didn't buy wilson from the start, But being DUMB & DUMBER back then... I am really appreciative for THR, and other sites like this to really get 1st hand knowlege from experienced shooters like yourselves. Also I did get the wilsons for my cdp and they function flawless, and soon will get the followers for the other mags.Zonamo
Member
I also had CMC mags for my CDP and they ran without any problems, but I also noticed some dings in the ramp, and found out it is an issue for any aluminum frame 1911. There is a locked thread on the 1911 forum about it:poesraven said:
McCormick mags and aluminum frames...
Rather than get rid of the McCormick mags I had, I bought spring and follower kits from Wilson for the CMC mags. So far, they have worked as flawlessly as the Wilsons I own.
Wilson Magazine Springs & Followers (Replacement Parts)
Zonamo, yes those are the ones, I looked at the link of the damage, mine is close to that, but functions great "yet", the stainless ones have dings/more like fine scratches but not near that of the CDP. They are noticable though. I'm going to polishe them a bit, but not shooting anymore until I get the followers in. And yes those are the followers I'll be picking up from Wilson. TY for the pic link. The only thing that bothers me is Kimbers' attitude about it- but then they are in the market to "sell guns". I
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