Colt 45 and Factory 8 Round Magazines

[Bedfordtec]

Decided to use my Colt Stainless Factory Enhanced Government Series 80 Mk IV. It’s been in the safe for over 25 years and I bought it in Hawaii while on Active Duty. Shot it very little (couple of mags once in a very long while —not even 100 rounds total) as I mostly shot my Beretta 92 FS. Anyways, I have a bunch of Colt Stainless 8 Round mags with different followers such as “shooting star.” Did some research on the net and the consensus was that they are unreliable and 7 rounders are better——- or just loading them to 7 rounds. I am a retired Marine and past training is such that I don’t carry it with a round in the chamber unless the s@*# is going to hit the fan or sense that it is. My thought is that I can carry it with an 8 round mag and then chamber a round when necessary. This would be equivalent to a seven round mag with an additional round in the chamber. This point was never addressed. Thought on 8 round mags. Thanks. Jim .. BEDFORDTEC

 

[halfmoonclip]

None of my 8 rounders have ever worked worth a (redacted). I've strictly stuck with the sevens without drama.
A buddy claims the Wilson 8 round mags work.
Moon

 

[1KPerDay]

I have a lot of 8 round shooting star and colt mags that came from the factory with the shooting star followers. All work fine for me.

the checkmate 8 rounders with the slightly extended mag tube length and the hybrid lips have also been flawless.

This guy makes a lot of sense to me.

 

[cfullgraf]

I have a few 8 round 1911 magazines from reputable companies and they work. But I do not trust them and load them to 7 rounds or store them away for spares.

I've purchased a couple new 45 ACP Colt 1911's in the past few years and they have come with an extra magazine that is an 8 rounder. Those magazines get left in the box for the next owner of the gun.

These days, I only order 7 round magazines.

But, I suppose lots of folks have good luck with the 8 round magazines. "You pays your money, you take your chances" in my opinion.

 

[Driftertank]

I have a big stack of Wilson 47D 8rd mags that have always been 100%, with the exception of one +P load that seemed to cause the slide not to lock open on empty once in a while. But they've always fed without issue all the way from first round to last.

For a while i would top off after setting condition 1 to start with 9, but i kind of found with a 1911 for me at least, cadence is important...at the range at least, i occasionally got tripped up by losing count when running the +1. Since i figure, under duress, you revert to what you practiced, i started skipping the top off, so the first mag was 7+1. Maybe i just over think it.

Btw, my round count is somewhere between 6-7k on that gun, a Kimber Stainless TLE II. Only time i really had an issue was around 4-5k, started to have failures to go into battery. Set about carefully polishing the feed parts to no avail, til someone told me the recoil spring should be replaced around 3k or so. New Wolff 16lb spring and it just runs like new again.

 

[Drail]

When replacing stock magazine springs it's always a good idea to replace them with Wolff or ISMI extra power springs. They will improve feeding and last considerably longer before they weaken. Buy high quality springs - the cheap ones will not hold up. The goal is to get the last round (that has the least amount of spring tension on it) to feed as positively as the first round (which has the most tension on it). When the spring starts to weaken it cannot raise the last couple of rounds fast enough to get them in front of the slide as it returns forward - especially if you are running a heavier than stock recoil spring. If you are not sure how old your magazine springs are replace them. Any time you start seeing last round feed hangups replace the magazine spring. Number all of your magazines so you can quickly weed out the problematic ones. Make certain that you install the spring correctly. I see guys install magazine springs backwards a lot. I also prefer using 7 round magazines for better reliability - they are what the gun was designed to run with. 8 round non extended magazines work most of the time if that's good enough for your needs. If you must have more than 7 rounds buy extended magazines.

 

[DR505]

I've not had any issue with my 8 round mags; Wilson ETM or 47D, and CMC. Carried them for duty when I had a 1911 on me.

If you knew that things were going to go sideways, why would you bother with a pistol? A pistol is there for when you don't know things are going to go bad, so I carry a 1911 as it was designed to be carried: with a round chambered and cocked-and-locked. Just because the military does something doesn't mean that is the best way (first hand experience as a Veteran).

 

[ozarkhillbilly]

Been shooting a 1911 for close to 20 years never had a problem with 8rd mags but I only buy quality mags.

 

[edwardware]

Did some research on the net and the consensus was that they are unreliable and 7 rounders are better. . .

I did some research, and your .45ACP isn't powerful enough to bother carrying. . . you need a 10mm or don't bother.

Seriously, go find out! By the time you practice with the pistol enough to be proficient, and trust it's reliability, you'll have proven the magazines' reliability too.

I have a set of 10rnd McCormick that aren't quite perfect, but every ShootingStar, Colt, Kimber, and Wilson 8rnd I own has been 100%, across thousands of rounds.

 

[JTQ]

My thought is that I can carry it with an 8 round mag and then chamber a round when necessary. This would be equivalent to a seven round mag with an additional round in the chamber. This point was never addressed. Thought on 8 round mags. Thanks. Jim .. BEDFORDTEC

There are basically three lengths of 8 round 1911 mags. Most Colt's ship with flush fit 8 rounders, the shortest of the three.

Using the McCormick (CMC) line-up as an example, since they offer all three sizes,

The Match Grade is a flush 8 rounder https://www.cmproducts.com/Match-Grade-Full-Size-1911-45-ACP-8-Round-Stainless_p_201.html

The PowerMag is slightly longer https://www.cmproducts.com/Power-Mag-Full-Size-1911-45-ACP-8-Round-Stainless_p_193.html

The RPM is still longer and designed as an 8 rounder and not a modified 7 rounder like the two https://www.cmproducts.com/Railed-Power-Mag-RPM-Full-Size-1911-45-ACP-8-Round-Stainless_p_211.html

A flush fit, 8 round 1911 mag, whether it feeds properly or not, will generally be difficult to seat with the slide forward. There just isn't enough room in the tube for 8 rounds, the follower, and spring, for the spring to easily compress. A longer mag will be easier to seat with the slide forward, and will probably feed better.

On the good side for you, if I had to choose a flush fit 8 round mag, it would probably be one with the Devel/Shooting Star follower, as that follower takes up the least amount of space in the mag tube, and is itself a spring.

I like CheckMate and Wilson mags, but the non-extended tube CheckMate 8 rounders are very difficult to seat, and the Wilson 47D is probably the weakest mag in the Wilson line-up and is a much better mag when configured as a 7 round 47.

 

[FL-NC]

I have had good luck with 8 round shooting star/ McCormick mags, as well as Wilsons. Why would you not want to carry your pistol with a round in the chamber, since you are no longer under an internal "safety" mandate to do so? If you need to present a handgun for immediate use, time is of the essence, and chambering a round in a pistol burns up a lot of time getting it done and getting that hand placed where it needs to be to accurately use the pistol- not to mention eliminating your ability to use that second hand for anything else, at least for a while.

 

[Reinz]

I shoot 1911’s the most and quite a lot. I have no issues with good 8 rounders made by :

Tripp Cobra Mag
Wilson
McCormick/Shooting Star

These ^^^ I have the most experience with and trust. I’m sure others work as well, but by all means stay away from ProMag.

 

[doubleh]

I had a 1911 that came with 8 round mags that gave no problems. I sold it and now have another that came with 8 round mags and they have given no problem. I really don't need a lot of mags so have never bought any aftermarket ones. I have a gold cup that I have used some of my factory 8 round mags for the other guns in and it's given no problem with any of them.

 

[Old Dog]

I've been using Wilson 47Ds since they came out, slowly building up a collection of the Wilson ETMs ... I have never had any issues with Wilson's 8-round mags. Typically a take a couple 1911s to the range at least once a month a put a couple hundred rounds a piece through them.

Recently ordered a few Ed Brown 8-rounders, all been GTG.

T&E'd a batch of Mec-Gars when they first (finally) came out with 1911 mags, no issues with them (although, to be fair, they haven't gone to the range for a few years). But, I expect nothing less of Mec-Gar -- always reliable.

The Colt factory 8-rounders that came with the last Colt I bought have been 100%.

 

[Jim Watson]

My thought is that I can carry it with an 8 round mag and then chamber a round when necessary.

The problem with that military doctrine meant for lightly trained troops is first, you have to have both hands and a bit of time to get ready to rumble, and second, I have seen more feedway jams chambering the first round by hand than in firing.

I consider a flush 8x.45 magazine to be marginal. My remaining ones, I use for IDPA slide lock reloads.
The Wilson 47D is, well, less marginal. They work well, but I was having to replace their springs about every other season.
The later designs that steal a little length and disguise it with a wraparound floor plate seem to have the bugs worked out.
I have a couple of Checkmates that will HOLD 8 but not load under a closed slide, no better than an old Shooting Star flush design. I should have bought the ones with the EX in the stock number.

Not .45, but once upon a time, I had a gun that I loaded with CMC 10x.38 Super magazines. (The ammo was 9mm Miller Major; 9mm P loaded to 1.27" and used with Super magazines.) Just too much pressure, I had two of them crack the spot welded floor plate and dump spring, follower, and ammo.

 

[JCooperfan1911]

Find some USGI 7-round magazines. Ones new in the wrapper can be obtained from the CMP.

You will never find a more reliable magazine for the M1911A1 than those.

 

[JTQ]

deleted

 

[Winkman822]

I've used a variety of mags in my 1911's, and the best of the heap are the Wilson Combat 8 round ETM and Wilson Combat 7 round #47.

 

[1KPerDay]

Find some USGI 7-round magazines. Ones new in the wrapper can be obtained from the CMP.

You will never find a more reliable magazine for the M1911A1 than those.

Wow.

 

[loadedround]

I've never had a bit of trouble with any quality 8 rd magazine I've owned and I've used them in my Colt (2), Ruger (2), and my Kimber 1911's.

 

[Robert]

I have a bunch of Chip McCormick 8 round mags and have never had an issue with any of them.

 

[JCooperfan1911]

Wow.

Wow what?

 

[JohnB-40]

I've only got one Colt 8 round mag. It was the only one to give me problems,all my other 7 round Colt and Checkmate mags are 100% reliable.
Problem solved with Tripp Super 7 Upgrade kit. Lost a round capacity in exchange for total trust.

 

[Armored farmer]

I'm using chip Mccormick 8rd in my SR1911CMD.
No issues yet.....

 

[Old Dog]

Wow what?

Just speculation, but I'm thinking that was an amazed response to your statement (a bit of hyperbole, perhaps? -- "you'll never find a more reliable ...").

Some of us would respectfully disagree with your position on the USGI magazines ... our opinions based on years of experience with them, not what we see on internet forums.