All posts tagged IDPA magazines

Wilson Combat Magazines for Competition and magazine rotation

Wilson Combat ETM MagazinesOne thing I learned a long time ago, is magazine rotation and paying attention to round counts in firearms.  You don’t have to be exact but if you keep a reference to how you buy in ammunition, it will be a good way to know how much you put through your firearm.   I’ve been on firing ranges enough to see firearms fall apart, scope reticles spin, magazines dump ammunition and semi-auto firearms go full auto.  Those statistics are there and they will eventually occur at some point.  There are reasons why you need to always point a firearm in a safe direction because there are mechanical things that can occur that caWilson Combat 9mm Magazinesn and do happen.

Magazine and recoil spring replacements are inevitable and it’s best to stay ahead of the game before you find out at the wrong time.  You should consider having range magazines and having carry magazines and always ROTATE your magazines.  Wilson Combat ETM magazines have numbers on the bottom of the magazines that you can use to help you monitor usage.   I’ve never had issues using 8rd 1911 magazines and pretty consider that to be a standard capacity magazine even though 7rds use to be the common standard.

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What is our best selling, least complained about 1911 magazine?

The best selling 1911 magazine is hands down the Wilson Combat 1911 magazines.   We couldn’t narrow it down to just one magazine because there are several different types of magazine bases that competition shooters  might want something that a CCW owner doesn’t want or need.  The Wilson 47D is our most popular 8rd 1911 magazine and the #47 is the most popular 7rd, but the Elite Tactical Magazines have gained ground for the competition shooters.   The ETM magazines have a number base plate and the windows are in a different cut than the tradition Wilson magazines.   They are higher priced than the Chip McCormick Magazines which come in as a close 2nd as far as sales.

The thing that many 1911 firearms seem to have trouble with are the magazine follower/hold open tabs.  Many of the GI magazines wear and bend but the one piece Wilson Combat Magazines have a more reliable balance and catch that holds the firearm open when the last round has been fired.  I personally don’t have an issue carrying 45acp ball ammo because when I carry that gun it’s usually when I’m up in the mountains and more likely going to have to use it against and animal than in a highly populated area where over penetration might be an issue.   I have heard rumors that 8rd magazines are not as reliable as the 7rd magazines but I have never witnessed that.

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Be careful about about how much screwing around you do with your 1911s

I’ve had many family members and friends ask me to go shopping with them to help them pick up a firearm.  There have been many times that I have warned people about buying a certain gun even though it looked like it was a good price.  Many of the times it was a firearm that had obviously been customized.  The biggest warning sights are usually when the triggers have been changed.   That can mean that somebody was lessening the trigger pull weight and it’s also a hint that it was turned into a target gun and there may be other parts like springs or buffers inside it.   I have a family member that purchased a 1911 because he had one in the military and the one he eye balled at a gun store had exactly these issues.

After we took this firearm to the gun club it actually jammed up on us several times, I tried to take it apart to see what the spring looked like but it had a full length guide rod and I did not have any familiarity with that.   We even tried several of my wilson combat magazines that usually solve many 1911 problems but the gun still hung up.   We later found out that there was a tool we needed and there was in fact a buffer that was decaying inside the gun and causing all of the malfunctions.   There are so many new 1911s out there, Sigs, Les Bauer, Kimber ect. that you have to watch the amount of tinkering people do with them because not all of the 1911 parts and especially holsters are going to work with them.

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The 1911 is a better gun

I started out with a Colt 1991A1 over 20yrs ago and at the time I thought I was getting a second rate 1911 but it was a good price so I got it.  I fell in love with the gun immediately and It just fit my hand that the first time I shot it I thought I was missing paper and it turned out I was shooting out the center of the target.   After shooting the gun for 3 range sessions I started having problems.   I had a good relationship with my gun  shop and when I went back in I talked to him.  He told me I should be using more than 1 magazine with the gun and talked about magazine rotation.  Then I picked up a few more Colt 1911 magazines and after a few range sessions the gun started closing on an empty chamber.

This whole issue was apparently very common with 1911s and many of the GI magazines were actually meant to be thrown away on a battlefield and not re-used.  I tried the quick fixes but they didn’t hold up, I later found out about Wilson Combat Magazines and now the Wilson Combat ETM magazines are my primary 1911 magazines.  Barrel designs and more durable parts have made the 1911 a superior firearm than it’s original GI version.   Although the guns are still pretty heavy compared to composite materials, many people still find the 1911 guns to be the most comfortable 45acp to shoot.

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