Reliability/durability of 9mm 1911 magazines

[Bubba Dremel Customs]

I have a custom 1911 build coming up soon with a smith and I've been debating on whether I should get a 9mm build or if I should just stick with 45ACP. I've read through a few of the threads on here about 9mm 1911's and while there still doesn't seem to be a consensus on whether a 9mm 1911 is reliable enough for carry or the nightstand, I've read enough good stories on 9mm 1911's to almost want to take a chance on one.

I say "almost" because the one thing that still bothers me is reports that I hear about the 9mm 1911 magazines. What I remember reading on here is that 9mm 1911 magazines die at low round counts and they tend to fail without any warning. If this is true then this is probably a dealbreaker for me, if a 9mm 1911 mag can just go bad anytime at a moment's notice. Is this a universal experience for those of you who shoot 9mm 1911's?

[TOTS]

All I can offer is that I am at about +- 1K through each of the three Wilson Combat ETMs (10rnd) that I have and am not experiencing any issues. Just under that through the two Checkmate mags that came with my Valor. The only issue with either of the Checkmates is the base pad on one was slightly too long and upon an aggressive reload would have the sharp checking on the front strap biting into the plastic and I’d have to manually strip it out. After filing it down some, no more binding. Probably the most information would come from Todd’s write up on his SA.
http://pistol-training.com/archives/8839

[JTQ]

I'm not a 9mm 1911 shooter, but I do follow the 1911 mag world with some interest. I have not seen any comments particular to 9mm 1911 mags failure rate.

Any mag can fail, but there isn't anything, well I suppose other than the back spacer, that is significantly different about a 9mm 1911 that would be any different from a .45 Auto 1911 mag. The tubes are the same, the followers, base pad, springs, etc.

[SW CQB 45]

from a shooting standpoint, I have never experienced a 1911 9mm mag fail.

I had a DW Valkryie 9mm Commander that just ran.

What I dont like about 9mm mags (mainly 10 rounders)...

• they are much more difficult to load, 8/9/10th rounds.
• 7/8/9/10th rounds are hard to download by hand.
• I would find the top round in the mag will slide forward causing issues with tac mag changes.
• I would find the top round to have slid off in my .45 mag pouches (not sure if a 9mm specific mag pouch would fix that)

My Opinion, they are trying to put 10 rounds in a mag tube designed for 9 rounds.

So I tried some Tripps which have a longer mag body, the top rounds would strip off too easy from a mag pouch or tac mag change.

Whats funny, none of these issues affect the function of the gun. Keep the mag in and shoot.... it runs.

I am speaking from LE standpoint.... where we have to download for specific round count, or tac mag or full reloads.

I was shooting 9mm in LE accuracy type competition (using 9 round MecGar) were my rounds were loaded to certain round count for a specific stage. I would end up a round short in the mag only to find the missing round laying inside my mag pouch.

CMC 10s hardest to load hardest to strip and hardest to "click in" the frame. But ran 100% (I had an over insertion with a CMC because of the plastic base pads being chewed up by checkering. See pic)
Tripps, exact opposite, easiest to load and easiest to strip. But I did not care for the top round to move fwd with ease. But ran 100%
WC, kind of an in between.... ran 100%
MeGar 9s, which I still have about 25 with my PPC 9mm.... I like them the best, but still quirky like the others. They ran 100% for me.

I fixed my problem with 9mm mags by switching back to .45ACP.

Your mileage may vary and again, these were my experiences. Part of me wants to sell my PPC 9mm but its accurate and reliable.

[flyrodr]

I have around four 1911 9mms of various iterations (full-size steel, down to 3.5" compact). I've had a very, very few issues which MIGHT have been mag related. And fewer than in my .45 1911s. I primarily use Tripp Cobra or Wilson mags. I really don't consider the 9mm 1911 any more problematic than a .45. Speaking only of my experiences. Thousands of rounds through the 9s, 10s of thousands through the .45s.

[1911Nut]

SW CQB 45 said:

"My Opinion, they are trying to put 10 rounds in a mag tube designed for 9 rounds".

Anyone who has much experience with a 9mm 1911 pistol will almost certainly agree completely, I would think.

[TheRoland]

I've had no end of 9mm 1911 issues, and have never made it through a whole match without at least one malfunction.

But none of the issues have been magazines wearing out.

[Jason Burton]

I have a custom 1911 build coming up soon with a smith and I've been debating on whether I should get a 9mm build or if I should just stick with 45ACP. I've read through a few of the threads on here about 9mm 1911's and while there still doesn't seem to be a consensus on whether a 9mm 1911 is reliable enough for carry or the nightstand, I've read enough good stories on 9mm 1911's to almost want to take a chance on one.

A competent 1911 builder can certainly make a 9mm 1911 reliable. Even though I believe that on a long enough timeline the 45ACP Government Model will be the most reliable 1911 configuration, a single stack 9mm 1911 can be a solid platform... it just takes some different "tricks" and points of attention to get it there when compared to a 45ACP gun.

I say "almost" because the one thing that still bothers me is reports that I hear about the 9mm 1911 magazines. What I remember reading on here is that 9mm 1911 magazines die at low round counts and they tend to fail without any warning. If this is true then this is probably a dealbreaker for me, if a 9mm 1911 mag can just go bad anytime at a moment's notice. Is this a universal experience for those of you who shoot 9mm 1911's?

I like and use Wilson and Metalform 9mm magazines and I would say that magazines in general (all magazines regardless of caliber) all have the same factors at play when it comes to wear. Given the current magazines available from the manufactures I mentioned I don't recall seeing any premature wear due simply to the caliber.

[Rock185]

I've had a succession of 9MM 1911s over a lot of years, and certainly cannot add much to what Mr. Burton said. I can only say that, with one exception,my ramped barrel 1911s have been very reliable for me. Most of the 9MM magazine complaints I've seen involve the 10-rd. magazines. Perhaps because I only use the 9-rd. magazines, my 9MM guns just work. I wouldn't hesitate to carry one of my 9MM 1911s if I so desired. Some of my 9-rd. magazines have been used for I don't know how many years without issue. Over time, my favorite for 9MM 1911s has become the Metalform 9-rd. front ramp type......ymmv

[JRV]

I have thousands of rounds through ETMs that are STILL hard to load. Feed lips haven’t moved.

My Mec-Gars wore out real fast. Lost tension, one pair of cracked feed lips.