All posts tagged reliable 1911 magazines

What the difference between the Wilson Combat 47D and the ETM magazines? Why switch?

Wilson Combat Magazines

Wilson Combat Magazines

The first thing I said to myself when we started carrying the ETM magazines was “why would I bother” and then I looked up the info and reviews about them and found  out that it was really all about competition shooting more than it was about another reliable 1911  magazine.   The Wilson combat magazines are the most expensive magazines that we sell for the 1911 but in the 16yrs I’ve been using them, I have had a very long and good experience in using them.   I have seen people crack them but I have never had that happen, over time and magazine is going to wear out and even the Magpul pmags I have in my inventory have shown some cracks after about 8yrs.   The best thing about the Wilson magazines for the 1911 are that the followers are very well balanced.  They move up and down without tilting which makes a very big difference when feeding FMJ into the throat of a 1911 handgun.

Rotating your magazine in your inventory is very important if you want to keep on top of your reliability.  For people that are  shooting thousands of rounds of ammunition through their guns each year, knowing when  you need to change out the springs on  your Wilson Combat magazines before they start to fail is really a good policy.   I have a few other parts on my Colt 1991A1 that could use some checkups on but I’ll probable take it to a gunsmith to replace hammer springs ect.  I have not run hollow point ammunition through my 1911s in a long time, but to prevent over penetration I probable should do some research into getting some of the

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1911 magazines, manufacturers of mags and how reliable they are?

Chip McCormick magazinesI don’t know the answers to all of the 1911 magazine questions but I do know that standard GI magazines are really not the best thing to run in a 1911 if you are carrying for protection.  I have a ton of them I use for range mags but they don’t hold up very long.  GI magazines are meant to be throw aways, and if you compare them to the M9 magazines, there is an obvious durability difference.   I’ve replaced springs and followers on magazines and it’s really been worth all of the efforts.   On something like a Glock magazine or a Magpul Pmag, I’ve replaced magazine springs and occasionally a follower.   Some gun magazines are so inexpensive that you might as well just toss them rather than have to tweak it the whole time.

It’s always good to keep your eyes open for manufacturers that have good warranties and the Chip McCormick 1911 magazines that we sell are good about that.   I guess the thing that Chip McCormick magazines knows is there are finicky 1911 guns out there and if there mag doesn’t work in  your gun they’ll replace it.   The Chip McCormick power mags are really the ones you want to use if you are putting  a lot of lead downrange.  The 8rd magazines are really the most common for CCW and even though the 1911 was issues with 7rd magazine, I have personally  had no reliability issues with any of the 8rd power mags that I have.  The Chip McCormick 10rd magazines are very popular for IDPA and Competition shooters but they do throw off the balance of a 1911 in my opinion.

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Even 1911 magazines have been hard to find!

Wilson Combat Magazines

Wilson Combat Magazines

We’ve had many customers call us up and ask if their 1911 will run various types of magazines in it.  There are compacts, subcompacts, commanders and government models, and also a great many manufacturers.  Some of the problems people seem to have with 1911s is they change too many parts out and end up with a customer job that needs magazines that just tweaked.   We often tell people to contact Wilson Combat or ask the gun manufacturer to give them feedback on which magazines to get.   There are Wilson Combat 47, 47OXCB, 47D, and now the Elite tactical magazines more commonly known as the ETM mags.

I haven’t had the  urge to switch to the ETM magazines because I have a very good stockpile of the 47D magazines.  The difference between the Wilson combat magazines with the 47 and the 47D are basically the 7rd vs the 8rd.   I think the 1911 45acp with an 8rd magazine is a very potent gun.   There are many things you can do to train to be proficient with the 1911 and doing tactical loads ect. shouldn’t slow you down.   You have to remember that a handgun is basically a replacement for a knife or a sword and if you need more than that, you are better off getting a shotgun or a rifle rather than 33rd Glock magazines.

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Magazines, ranger plates and magazine grip extensions

chip mccormick magazines I never really bothered with magazine extensions on my CCW guns because I’ve mostly learned to stick with the standard capacity magazines instead of trying to turn the gun into something that it was never meant to be.  For instance the Sig 239 is a great CCW gun and although you can put a 10rd magazine in there, the profile of the gun is going to change and depending on the clothing that you are wearing,  you may have just created a snagging location or a hang up on your shirt.   Sometimes moving around a little with your CCW method will give you an idea of how your clothing may bunch up or scrunch up in certain areas around your gear.  The Material of various shirts makes a huge difference and even though it light flow straight down over your gun, high winds can cause embarrassing situations with even the smallest CCW gun.

I never witness there being a difference in 1911 reliability between 7rd and 8rd pistol magazines but I’ve always felt the magazine durability has improved enough to get 8rds out there.  I have noticed some gun magazines have increased their capacity but the Chip McCormick magazines that I use are the Power Mags and they have a slight magazines extension that helps with faster reloading.  All of my 1911s drop these mags without any snags which is something my Colt factory magazines do not.  Drop free magazines are important because that is one step that can slow down a reload of the firearm.

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Still seeing the 1911 being used in Law Enforcement

chip mccormick magazines Today we had a police officer mention firearm retention during arrests and why the Blackhawk Serpa holster was his preferred gun holster.   Another Officer mentioned that he still used a 1911 because he liked the idea that if someone was unfamiliar with this firearm that even if they got it in a struggle they might not be able to shoot it.   There are always different scenarios that you can run with, with each tactical or mechanical device and you use.  Training and gaining muscle memory is something that is hard to change and it’s very hard to jump back and forth with firearms and be proficient.   I suggest consistency is more important and will make you less prone to making errors.

There are reasons I love the 1911 and reasons I don’t use it as a primary sidearm but if I did carry it, I would probable have to put in more range time to remember to disengage the safety every time.  If you are looking for reliable and consistent 1911 magazines for under $30 the best one I use is the  8rd Chip McCormick magazines called the Power Mag.  I have never seen a reason to  not use 8rd magazines although I think the 1911 looses it’s balance with 10rd magazines.   The 10rd Power Mags are very popular for competition shooting so again, it’s also about training and adjusting to the firearm or device.

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When you are putting hardball ammo downrange with a 45acp

It better be a 1911 if you ask me.  I have several handguns in my collection but I am really bored with most modern 45acp guns because they are too bulky or just to darn heavy for my tastes.  I’m also not a big fan of short barreled guns or compact 1911s.   They are too much maintenance and the slower cycle action seems to make them more prone to having malfunctions.  If you have to ask me what the next best 45acp handgun is, I’d probable have to say the Sig 220 which is also another single stack gun.   Many 45acp guns like the Springfield XD and Glock 21 are too much bulk for my taste and having to hold that up for any extended period of time will make me want a single stack gun.

Many guns issuing warrants or doing house clearing in Iraq and Afghanistan are using the 1911.   When we get feed back from  our customers it’s almost always Wilson Combat or Chip McCormick magazines that they are using.  Both magazines have a long history of working well in the 1911 and both can be had for under $35 dollars.  I rarely use the 7rd magazines because that extra 8rd magazine barely extends out of my guns and the not quite flush fit doesn’t bother me at all.  Having 8rds of 45acp is something that will get the job done if you look at the stats on which caliber gets the job done, magazine capacity is rarely an issue for police or self defense shootings.

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Wilson Combat Vs. Chip McCormick

We’ve just gotten another restock of the Wilson Combat 1911 ETM magazines due to customer demands.   I still don’t think there is that much of a difference between these magazines and the standard Wilson Combat magazines.   Wilson Combat magazines and Chip McCormick magazines are pretty much the staple of 1911 fanatics and you really can’t go wrong with them unless you already have a finicky 1911.   If you want a combat reliable firearm watch out for some of the high prices accuracy guns, they are not GI combat worthy and sometimes people want too much in a firearm and there really are tradeoffs.

Most of our customer base tell us that differences between the Wilson Combat 8rd magazines and Chip McCormick power mags are minimal.   Wilson Combat magazines seem to help feed non-round nose bullets like hollow points and semi-wad cutters.   Chip McCormick magazines are almost $10 a magazine less than the Wilson Combat ETM magazine so you really have to balance the value of upgrading to the ETM.  The ETM magazines do feel a little thicker and also have numbers on the bottom for competitive shooters, but for $10 more?

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Quit screwing around with your 1911s and they’ll work

There is no other firearm that I see so much tinkering with than the 1911, and no matter how much money you spend on one, you can still mess it up.   I absolutely do not believe that higher end 1911’s are tougher and more reliable than a loose fitting GI Mil-spec gun.    If you want that competition shooting gun, then shoot it in a competition, but if you want reliability, keep it simple and stop screwing around with it.   I have putt thousands of rounds through my GI 1911 guns and almost always use ball ammunition.  I’m messed around with semi-wad cutters for target shooting and got my guns to feed with them, so I know it’s possible to shoot something other than ball.

The gun magazines you use for your 1911 are the difference in running a reliable firearm.   From my experience GI 1911 magazines are meant to be used a few times and tossed on the ground.   They are not worth replacing gun springs on like Wilson Combat magazines.   The magazine bodies on many 1911s get dented and don’t hold up and will eventually just jam up the follower when it is working it’s way up.    The Wilson Combat Elite Tactical magazines or ETM, is a minor improvement for a few bucks more.   The magazine body is a little thicker with changes to the placement of the ammunition level window.   There are also numbers from 1-10 on the bottom of the magazine so you can just take a hi-lighted marker and number the mags with one stroke without damaging them.

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Why pack a whole lot of handgun ammo?

It always amazes me that when people think they need a backup gun or sidearm on a training course it means packing as much ammo for the 9mm handgun as it does for the M4 Carbine.   All it takes is a short training day to find out that a big chunk of the gear you brought with you was un-necessary.   An M4 Carbine is already probable the lightest and most handy firearms you can carry with you during the day and with a gun good sling you should be able to let go of the gun and still retain the weapon.   I have several LWRCI M6A2 guns and I tend to shoot the 77gr MK262 bullets.   These bullets weight a little more than the standard M193 ammo, but in my opinion it’s a better up front round.

 

When I carry a back up gun and I’m already carry a an M4 Carbine,  I am back to the old dog, my Colt 1911.   The Colt 1911 with 2 spare Wilson Combat magazines is all I need to retreat from a position or hold off a threat until I get my LWCR M6A2 back up and running.   I have yet to have something like that occur, but I have trained for it.   I am very confident that 24rds of 45acp is plenty of back up ammo and if the fight needs more than that,  I’ll more confident just turning around and running the other way.   A couple grenades my help boost my confidence though.

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The ever changing tastes of gun owners

It may be just me, but I have noticed another change in the handgun industry of going back to the 1911 or 45acp firearms.   Back in the 1990’s during the assault weapons ban, some guns got priced out because the magazines were too expensive and many people just settled for what was the least expensive to own.   The 1911 got a lot of people back from the higher capacity 9mm thrill ride that Glock gave them and nobody complained.  Once the AWB was over everyone went back to whatever floated their boat.   The sale of AR15’s went through the roof and we saw lots of after market magazine manufacturers fall off the wagon and disappear.   I have noticed that after just about everyone and their dog picked up an AR15 or an M4 Cabine, worrying about  higher capacity handguns seemed to diminish.

If you have ever taken a serious Carbine class, the capacity of rounds your backup gun held really wasn’t something that came up.  If your primary weapons went down, any secondary firearm was your backup.  If you couldn’t get your primary back up and running you’re probable screwed.   I usually only carry a 1911 with 2 spare Wilson Combat Magazines. I never liked the idea of packing too many pistol rounds and was more inclined to pack extra gun parts like a spare bolt or firing pins rather than more than 2 pistol magazines.  My secondary weapon is meant to fight my way back to getting my primary back up and running.

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