1911 mags.

[rskent]

Tapered or straight feed lips? Which STANDARD 7 rnd. COLT mags work the best? Why? What’s the difference?

Steve

 

[Oro]

No one really makes "straight" feed lips. The "classic" style is tapered. There are a few knock-off magazines with near-straight magazine lips, and also the WWII era Ballester Molina magazines have near-straight lips (excellent magazines, by the way - real old-time construction with pinned bases and sturdy steel bodies). Most modern factory/OEM magazines nowadays are made with "hybrid" feed lips that are tapered the first 1/2 of the length, then open up slightly but not as abruptly as the wadcutter style. Many aftermarket magazines are wadcutter style with really abrupt releases and are designed to overcome variations in ammo and gun specs.

I have had almost every major magazine brand and type through my hands over the last ten years and tried them in multiple guns - Colts, Caspians, a Norinco, etc. The best operating magazines I have found on average are true-blue, basic Colt brand 7rnd. magazines. I prefer them even over the more expensive "boutique" offerings from Baer, Wilson, and Tripp. The Colt magazines are manufactured mostly by checkmate industries and also by Metalform. Colt is usually the cheaper source for them if buying new.

I also have great success with real "GI" mags - I have about 10 or so WWI era and WWII era Colt and various GI subcontractor magazines, and they all work great, too. Even with HP and 200gr. LSWC rounds. However, no one really makes these magazines anymore.

Keep in mind, if there's a kink in your gun - a miscut ramp, a catch hole not in spec., a mis-cut or over-zealously modified ramp - your gun can be finicky and unreliable even with excellent magazines. My rule is that if a gun doesn't work well with vintage GI or Colt brand magazines, then I figure out what's wrong with the gun, not attribute it to magazines.

 

[Zerodefect]

Tripp cobra mags. Their website says it all. Check it out.

 

[DBR]

I'll add that for any near spec 1911 it is hard to beat a McCormick Power mag with a Tripp follower and spring. It makes a seven round mag which is what the gun was designed for.

 

[wally]

I'm sure many here will disagree with me, but since the 1911 is a controlled feed design if the gun is made right, the mag feed lip configuration is not critical, an adequately strong magazine spring is.

I've never had the need to buy expensive 1911 mags. I've enough 1911 mags to load 500 rounds and over the years have had only one or two mags that a Wolf spring didn't fix -- they were cheap enough I didn't hesitate to toss 'em after removing the Wolf spring if it didn't fix it.

--wally.

 

[JoeSlomo]

I have shot thousands of rounds using CMC power mags with no stoppages. They are an excellent product and truly worthy for defensive or competition purposes.

 

[LiveLife]

Check out this article on 1911 magazine review: http://how-i-did-it.org/magazines/index.html

 

[BHP FAN]

I have McCormich, and Wilson's, but what works the best for me is the Mecgar 7 round flush based mags.They look milspec on the outside, but are modern inside.Next I like the Nighthawk Custom 8 rounders.YMMV.

 

[Vonderek]

Mec-Gars have worked fine for me and they are not too expensive.

 

[buck460XVR]

The best operating magazines I have found on average are true-blue, basic Colt brand 7rnd. magazines. I prefer them even over the more expensive "boutique" offerings from Baer, Wilson, and Tripp. The Colt magazines are manufactured mostly by checkmate industries and also by Metalform. Colt is usually the cheaper source for them if buying new.

...................same here.