9mm 1911 Mag thread- the good, the bad, the ugly

[Joe in PNG]

Going along with the various other 1911 threads out there, I'd like to ask our members with 9mm 1911's to post about their experiences with various magazines, as a resource for others.

What's worked for you in what guns with what load.

[ranger]

In my Springfield Armory Range Officer 5 inch 1911 - I have very good results with Brownells 1911 9mm magazines - had one that did not lock the slide back reliably and Brownells sent me a new one that did and told me to just keep the "bad" one. I typically shoot my reloads with WSF and 124 FMJ or Bayou coated projectiles. Also works fine with similar load of VVN320 and 115 FMJs.

[RevolverRob]

~10'ish years ago for me:

Tripp Cobra Mags with 124-grain ball
Metalforms with 124-grain ball

These days, I'd start with a couple/few Wilson ETMs and if I couldn't get that working right, I'd stop and look at the whole of the system, before I threw more mags at it.

I'd bet a dozen ETMs that if you can't get your gun to run right with them, it's an ejector/mag interface problem and not the magazine itself. (ASSuming that all the mags are problematic not a single one.)

[JAD]

Springers, metalform, Wilson 9 and Wilson 10 round mags all work in my RO. The stock mags and 9 round ETMs are all I’ve tried in my DW PM-C. I have not had issues with either weapon with any mags.

[45dotACP]

The good: Brownells 10 round mags. They're basically Metalforms. Also, the 10 round Metalforms, also the stock Colt mags, which are Checkmate I think. Also the Metalform 9 round flush fit mags. Also the Kimber mags. Also the Wilson mags. Also the 9 round Metalform mags with integral feed ramp. These all feed in my commander frame with a two piece barrel/ramp and the 5" Kimber that had a ramped barrel.

The bad: Any of those mags with a weak mag spring, which caused issues feeding. After new springs, problems are gone.

The Ugly: I have 9 round Metalform that had the spacer literally fall out when changing the spring. I just dropped it back in and put the new spring in. It feeds HST just fine still, but if it's a gun you're going to be using whilst jumping put of helicopters with a knife in your teeth that might be a weak point.

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[rathos]

My STIs only work with metal form mags. The Wilsons lock my gun up tight. However I heard that .38 super mags work really well with 9mm as per the Yeti and a lot of 1911 smiths on the P&S modcast for the 1911. I have not tested the 38 super mag thing though.

[Bucky]

I’ve got several of the premium magazines, Wilson, Tripp, Dawson, CMC, Springfield (Metalform), MecGar. I don’t have an issue with any of them feeding during normal shooting with my current two 9mms. Previous 9mms did have issue (hence previous). The remaining magazine issues are loading from slide lock and dropping a partially empty magazine. Not a single magazine does everything right, but the one that does the most best for me is the CMC magazine. So of course, Wilson had to buy them and discontinue them.

[Tokarev]

I think any of the newer pattern magazines with the little ski jump/feed ramp are likely to work fine. I've used primarily Wilson and Tripp but have also had good results with a few others that are built using a similar style.

My only complaint with the Wilson mags is that they're hard to download. Once full I've found it quite difficult to push the first few rounds out of the magazine.

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[mmc45414]

My experience is limited to my two Rugers, and the Wilson ETM and Brownells. The Brownells have always fed just fine, but some of them will not reliably drop free. Most of my shooting is with a group of friends that gather informally each week to time each other through little scenarios we take turns dreaming up. Nobody wins anything, but after several times of ending up with a Brownells mag that didn't drop free when it needed to (yeah, when I knew the scenario would need a reload I coulda used a Wilson mag, yeah I coulda...) I bought a few more ETMs and left the Brownells mags at home. I have not done any testing, but this might be a peculiarity to the Ruger frame dimensions, and if anybody wants my Brownells mags, I think I have 6-8 of them and I would make somebody a sweet deal (just send me a PM). We also don't shoot big long run and gun scenarios so I don't have a lotta feed back on locking back, but the Wilsons always have.

My only complaint with the Wilson mags is that they're hard to download. Once full I've found it quite difficult to push the first few rounds out of the magazine.

I agree, and it is a PITA but you can sneak the UPLULA in under the first round and depress the column under it for the first couple of rounds.

[JSGlock34]

I said this in my review of the Wilson Combat CQB Elite Carry - remains valid and echoes some previous comments. I haven't observed any magazine attributable issues. I think there is something to pairing Wilson Combat pistols with their magazines. My 9mm 1911 experience recommends more frequent cleaning and lubrication than their .45 brethren to maintain reliability.

The Wilson ETM magazines have proven reliable, though compared to their .45 brethren they are a pain to unload and worse to download. I've found use of a Maglula mandatory to maintain my sanity. I've also picked up a few of the Vickers ETM-V magazines, intending them for carry use. Unfortunately I ordered the ETM-Vs with the massive steel base pads - these are built like a tank but somewhat contrary to the intent of the Elite Carry. I've since swapped the base pads for the aluminum base pads from my .45 ETM-Vs.