Colt m1911 magazine question

[jr_roosa]

I have a GI 1911 that was made by Colt in 1913. The original mag has a small crack behind one of the feed lips, so I ordered a 7rd blued Colt magazine from Brownell's for $26. I figured that if the first one lasted almost 100 years, might as well get another.

I haven't put calipers on it, but it looks almost identical to the original except for the stamps on the bottom and lack of wear. The price is pretty middle-of-the-road, and I like the simple old-school look and function. I still need to take it to the range, but I'm not planning on putting more than 50 rounds or so through it in the near future.

Since I'm not going to be able to shoot it enough to really know how well it works, and since I'd like to have more than one magazine, I thought I'd ask you all before I ordered a couple more.

So, has anybody had positive or negative experiences with Colt factory .45 mags, especially recently produced ones?

Thanks!

-J.

 

[HisSoldier]

Does it have the dimple? I'm coming to the conclusion that the original dimple is not an option when reliability is the factor. I assume that if it is marked Colt it does have the dimple? I do not understand why magazines are made and sold with parallel lips and no dimple, since that combination seems to work so well.

 

[jr_roosa]

It does have the dimple. Same placement as the original, but looks "smaller." This might be an illusion since the original has worn down a little bit making it look fatter.

I can't tell how the dimple's height compares to the original. The follower looks identical except the new one has a bump on the tab where it contacts the slide stop.

Spring tension feels nice and stiff, also like the original.

-J.

 

[1911 guy]

In my humble opinion, Colt factory mags and Metalform mags are the best out there for any given 1911. Other mags are good, but seem to be hit and miss when finding what works in a given pistol. As an example, I have a bunch of CMC mags that work well in my Springfield, but nosedive the last round in my other pistols. Colt and Metalform seem to work in any 1911. For the price difference, I'd stick with Colt, only $4 difference from Brownells.

 

[gc70]

Checkmate and Metalform magazines work well in Colt 1911s, as they should because both companies have recently been OEM suppliers of Colt's magazines. I have all three types - Colt-marked originals, Checkmates, and Metalforms - and I can tell no difference in functionality.

 

[Wildfire]

Colt Mags

Hey there:
I have not had any problems with the colt mags. I also use Wilsons. They are a little on the pricey side but work very well. I do not use any 7 rounders any more . All are 8s. There usedt to be a lip forming tool that you could reform the lips. But I lost mine and have not looked for a new one yet. We used a lot of mil-spec mags that we converted to 8 rounders for competative shooting and after re forming the lips they worked good. Not sure where I got that tool. May try Brownells.