mccormick power mags

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craig

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i have 2 springer mil specs. one's almost new the other has about 1,000 rounds thru it. when i use the power mags(8 rounders) sometimes the slide doesn't close all the way when i trip the slide release. i've tried different ammo but they still do it every now and then. regular 8 round mags seem to work just fine. will these power mags start working after awhile, or should i buy some new ones? i like to leave them loaded for quick use that's why i got power mags. any suggestions? thanks, craig
 
Go with the Wilsons.

Craig,

Yesterday, I gave away three CM mags for a different, but similiar, problem with the slide release on several 1911 style handguns I own.

It was very difficult to depress the slide release using CM mags. I replaced the CM follower with Wilson Combat followers on several CM mags and solved my problem.

After yesterday's steel match, I was shooting with a friend, who was having problems with CMs not falling free. He tried my Wilson Combats and the problem is solved.

I'm not a Bill Wilson fan but his mags function well!


Respectfully,

jkelly
 
sounds okay to me. i'll order some and give them a try. nice thing is it'll give me more mags. if the wilsons work i'll keep the cmc's for range use only. thanks, craig
 
Personally I swear by McCormick Power Mags. They work nearly flawlessly in my Charles Daly, and I won't get too upset about half a dozen to a dozen bobbles in 5-10K rounds (I can't say exactly what I have through it because I stopped counting at 5K a couple years ago, though I have slowed down my shooting a bit so it probably isn't over 10K). McCormick tends to have a good reputation with other 1911 owners as well. However, mag performance is something that is very individual and gun dependent- what works horribly in one gun may be perfect in another. Sell or trade your McCormicks to someone who has a gun they work in and replace them with something else. As already said, Wilson mags also have a great rep (and I like the 8 round capacity that also fits flush). As you imply in the original post, the SA mags seem to work for you so you could always buy some more SA mags (why not stick with what works). You may also want to try some of the other models of McCormick as well (and the others tend to cost a lot less than the PowerMags). If you want to fix the mags instead of replacing them someone already mentioned changing the follower, another easy and low cost fix to try is changing out the mag springs.
 
i might try some regular cmc mags and some wilsons too. i'm gonna try changing followers on the problem mags. i'm not much of a gunsmith but you gotta learn sometime. if i mess them up i'm only out a few $$$. if all else fails i'll get some from springfield. thanks for the info, craig
 
What manner of failure to chamber are you having? If a 1911 has a very tight barrel to slide lockup, then you can have problems with it going fully back into battery- mine did this, and an 18.5# recoil spring fixed it.

As for the PowerMags, I use them and have yet to see any sort of an issue. If you can't get them to work right, I do have a couple 7 rounders I got from SA (made by Metalform) if you want to trade... :D
 
power mags

just got in from the back yard. the mags seem to work better. they've been left loaded for a month. if i only put 7 rounds in them they work perfectly. with 8 they work but the slide seems a little slow to close after you put the mag in and release the slide lock. technosavant.. it happens when you put a fresh mag in and release the slide lock to chamber the first round. it doesn't fully chamber. tap the back of the slide and it closes. it does this with both guns. thanks, i'm gonna try them again in a week or two. i may take you up on your offer.
 
Craig, not to be a smartass (usually my intention, but not this time :D ), they call it a "slide lock", not "slide release", for a reason. You may want to start using the "slingshot" technique taught at most schools. I doubt you'll have this problem using that method.

PS. CMC Powermags never gave me a problem...VERY reliable. BUT, I think CMC Shooting Stars are not in the same quality catagory.
Best.
 
It sounds like your slide doesn't have enough velocity to fully chamber when released via the slide stop (it has multiple names). You can slingshot it, as has been mentioned, but I have a feeling that you need a stronger recoil spring. I had my SA tweaked by Springfield (accuracy issues), and it came back with a very tight frame/slide fit and a very tight barrel fit. Great for accuracy, but the 16# recoil spring just didn't have the guts to take care of business anymore. I went to an 18.5# Wolff spring, and all my problems went away; IMO the gun is more pleasant to shoot now.

A 1911 should have no problem chambering by using the slide release. I am no gunsmith, but I would try the stronger recoil spring and see if that helps.
 
power mags

tn-popo.. no offense taken. i'm a newbie with autoloaders and i'm still learning. so's the wife. she was scared of .45's until she fired mine. then i had to buy her a stainless one.(grumble). technosavant.. i was about ready to change the spring. it's tossing the empties pretty far. i think i'll get a wolff 16 and an 18 or 18.5 (whichever is the next step up) and see if that works. thanks for the info. craig
 
If it is flinging the empties into the next time zone, that is a definite symptom of a weak recoil spring. My SA was doing that as well, but until the failure to chamber following all the tightening, I didn't think anything of it. I went from a Wolff 16# to an 18.5# spring, and all is right with the world.

Note: when you buy from brownells, the recoil spring comes with a stronger firing pin spring (to avoid the pin striking the primer on its own). SA uses a titanium firing pin sized for a .38 Super to pass drop tests, and when I made the swap I went to an Ed Brown steel firing pin to ensure that the pin has enough mass to cause reliable primer ignition. The pin is only a few bucks, so it is cheap insurance (in case you tend to use ammo with hard primers). Just keep in mind, with Springfields, you need one that is for a 9mm/.38Super, NOT the .45 ACP pin (it is the Ed Brown #826 firing pin).
 
Techno...people DO call it multiple names, but I think you get the point I was trying to make (and still say that "lock" is more proper than "release").
Plus, I think practicing the slingshot method is better drill for "serious times."

Craig...I should have mentioned that I, too, use a 18.5# recoil spring for fullsized 1911s.
Best.
 
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