ProMag 15 round .45acp 1911 magazines

[plodder]

Before the flames start:
1. Yes, I know ProMags are junk
2. Yes, I know what JMB said about anything more than 7 rounds for a 1911 magazine
3. I have, in my possession 3 of these infernal things
4. I would love to have 15 rounds available in the single stack (at least semi-reliable)

So my 2 questions are; Has anyone on God's green earth been able to make a 15 round ProMag 1911 magazine work? If so, how did you do it?

I have tinkered with spring lengths, spring tension, polished tubes, polished followers, measured feed lips, polished feed lips and finally, given up.

They seem to work OK as a 9 or 10 round magazine, but when loaded beyond that the round to be stripped from the magazine suffers severe rim lock in the extractor groove of the round below it, causing it to nose-dive downward & jam before it ever gets to the feed ramp.

Before I junk them or pawn them off on some more energetic soul than I, I thought I'd check in with the resident experts.

 

[1MoreFord]

IMO, I'd write them off and go with 10 round mags that do work. Both McCormick's and Wilson's are said to be reliable. Three of one of them trumps two Promags.

 

[JTQ]

So my 2 questions are; Has anyone on God's green earth been able to make a 15 round ProMag 1911 magazine work? If so, how did you do it?

No I haven't. I haven't tried either. That's the beauty of gun forums - you can research stuff and find answers to most of your questions before making a bad choice. I've read lots of gun forums and I focus primarily on 1911's and I've learned...

1. Yes, I know ProMags are junk
2. Yes, I know what JMB said about anything more than 7 rounds for a 1911 magazine

My major take away with 1911's and .45ACP capacities, if you want a gun that properly functions with more than 7 or 8 round mags (as an aside, I also consider 10 rounders novelty items), either get a double stack STI or pick another platform.

 

[JTQ]

As a data point, here is a FAQ from Wilson Combat (it is in regards to Compact 1911's, but the theory most likely holds true for very long mag tubes) that may give you some work around options to at least try...

https://www.wilsoncombat.com/faqs/

All the mechanical changes are important, but the biggest factor is ammunition selection because it affects both slide cycle speed and the magazine’s ability to lift the cartridge into position for proper feeding. Ammunition loaded with 230gr bullets generate more recoil impulse (especially +P loads) than 185gr loads, and 7 rounds of 185gr ammunition weighs 315gr less than 7 rounds of 230gr ammunition, making the column of ammunition easier for the magazine spring to lift. I hope you see where I’m going here?

You could experiment with 185gr aluminum case ammo, if it is available, to see if the mag spring can lift that column to keep up with the slide.

 

[GunnyUSMC]

The problem is if you ever get the Promags to work, they will not work for long.
Here are some pics I have in my desk at work.
This was a gun taken off a bad guy a while back.

 

[sequins]

That's a funny looking magazine, definitely turn some heads at the range or in competition with that kit.

 

[JTQ]

That's a funny looking magazine, definitely turn some heads at the range or in competition with that kit.

Or riding in a patrol car.

 

[tarosean]

So my 2 questions are; Has anyone on God's green earth been able to make a 15 round ProMag 1911 magazine work? If so, how did you do it?

You're joking right? Toss em in the trash save your self the headache.

either get a double stack STI or pick another platform.

Id go with this option.

 

[railroader]

Here's some Korean 15 rounders that get good reviews on the sellers website.
https://gunmagwarehouse.com/kci-1911-45-acp-15-round-magazine.html

 

[plodder]

Here's some Korean 15 rounders that get good reviews on the sellers website.
https://gunmagwarehouse.com/kci-1911-45-acp-15-round-magazine.html

Wow, sound too good to be true. Do you want to try 1 first and give a report from someone we can trust more than the seller's reviews?

 

[Tallball]

Pro Mag = junk

Sorry. I got suckered by them once, too.

My eight-rounders work fine. I think they are Chip McKormick.

 

[fxvr5]

The nosedive is a problem because it is a single stack magazine. More rounds in the magazine means more nosedive. It is explained at this link:

https://americanhandgunner.com/nosedive-and-feed-angle-in-the-1911-45-acp/

 

[Walt Sherrill]

While the consensus seems to be well-based on experience, I've had some CZ-75 "COMPACT" mags for the .40 (a gun that CZ never really made when the mags were first offered for sale) that worked beautifully with 9mm (and later with .40 CZ) compacts.

Back during the hi-cap mag ban, these mags let you legally use a 14-round mag in a 9mm CZ compact. (And the Pro-Mag mag held 14 9mm rounds, not 13, like the CZ high-cap mag for the compacts -- and unlike the CZ mags, back then, the Pro-Mags would also run 9mm cartridges. On the CZ forum we had a copy of a letter ruling from the ATF that showed it was legal to use the mags. Those mags worked beautifully and I had several, back then. Unhappily, the Pro-Mags wouldn't work in a Sphinx compact I had at the time -- too fat.

I also had good luck with with some Pro-mag S&W 59 mags. and some Pro-Mag Beretta 92 mags. All Pro-Mags aren't bad -- maybe just most of them?

When Pro-Mag mags fail, which seems to happen frequently early in their service, the only solution is to get replacement mag springs from a reputable supplier. (But, unless you get your Pro-Mags VERY cheaply, it is cheaper to buy your mags from other sources.)

(On the other hand, the only Mec-Gar mags I ever had problems with were some I got from from Numrich for a new .45 1911. Those mags were NOT made like the standard 1911 mags, and were more like most Mec-Gar mags -- with a removable baseplates.) Never could get them to work right.

 

[JTQ]

While the consensus seems to be ...

I may be willing to roll the dice on a ProMag that copies a successful design from somebody else, like a CZ or Beretta mag, but nobody makes a successful 15 round, single stack, .45ACP, 1911 mag. Since none of the other 1911 mag makers seem to think a 15 round, single stack, .45ACP, 1911 mag is a good design idea, betting on ProMag being the only maker that can execute that feat seems like quite a reach.

 

[plodder]

Well, the good news is that I am only out $16.00 total for the 3 ProMag 15 round magazines that I have. I bought the first one, immediately called and complained and they sent me 2 more as replacements. Their product may suck, but their customer service went over & above.

After trying everything I can think of to try to get them to work, I have now conceded that it is a futile effort. They would work fine as an 8 or 9 round magazine, but who wants that broomhandle protruding from the grip filled with nothing but dead air? Oh well, I've spent $16.00 in worse ways before. Thanks for humoring me.

 

[GunnyUSMC]

I will admit that I have two 10rd ProMag polymer AR mags. CDNN had them on sale about three years ago for $4.99, but didn’t list a brand name. I was disappointed when they came in, but I took them to the range and they worked.
I only use them as range mags and never leave them loaded.
I guess I get lucky sometimes.

 

[JohnKSa]

My luck with ProMags was not good--they were bad enough that I eventually threw them away.