1911 .45 8 Round Magazines

[Danko]

So far the consensus seems to be 8 round flush fit magazines work fine when new, but soon become unreliable. That makes perfect sense as the lighter gauge spring required to fit 8 rounds in the space of seven suggests the spring is rather wimpy compared to a seven round spring. I was skeptical of gettin' somethin' for nothin'. It's never a reality. The solution is simple enough, purchase four Wilson and four McCormick magazines and get used to reloading more frequently. I'm babied by shooting a 9mm double stack with four magazines. I can adapt!

Thank you guys for steering me clear of the 8 round mags before I wasted any money on them!

[Jim Watson]

8 round, flush mount magazines
This isn't a consideration for a carry gun, it's all about spending less time reloading while at the range.

If concealment is not needed, get native 8 round magazines. What does it matter if they protrude a bit?

[Trooper224]

8 round flush fit mags are 7 round mags retrofitted to hold 8. These are not reliable. If 8 rounds are required, the Wilson ETM, CMC Powermag and others designed to hold 8 rounds are the way to go. If time spent reloading at the range is your concern, it seems to me that being concerned over one round might be false economy.

[FNFAN]

All my mags (except those that came with my Pro) are either Wilson ETM's or Vickers non-flush fit. Never had an issue with them. I do re-spring at about 500 for the ETMS.

[gtmtnbiker98]

In my experiences, reliable flush fit 1911 magazines are 7-rounds only. 8-round magazines have an extended baseplate to accommodate proper spring tension. I use Wilson 8-rounds ETM for my .45 ACP chambered 1911's and 10-round ETM's for my 9mm 1911's.

[KevH]

A classic CMC Power Mag with a Wilson thin steel basepad is the closest thing you will get to a totally reliable 8 round sort-of-flush mag.

I actually like Wilson 47D's, but you have to change out the springs religiously (and swap to a steel basepad) to get them to work.

[DDTSGM]

I use the CMC RPM's, IMO if the CMC's bump pad blows your concealment, you're doing something wrong.

Slightly off-topic: Recently I sent all my old GI mags to Ed Brown for his mag swap program. I probably missed it, but are the ED Brown stainless eight rounders gtg?

They function in all my pistols, but I haven't used them a lot as I mainly use CMC RPM's - love them. I actually have more ten rounders than eight rounders. Kind of an eight (actually nine) in the gun, ten for fun thing.

[Danko]

Mr. Robinson, you recall I'm the guy intending to buy a Springfield .45 Mil Spec. Great memory. I ordered it today and put down half the cost. My excitement rose another 5 notches. Yes, you made a valid point, an 8 round mag jutting out a hair will have no bearing on target shooting. When I want the gun to look pretty to show someone, I'll insert a 7 round mag. I recall you helped me cement my decision on the Mil Spec. It's the gun I wanted all along for my budget. Hearing you and several others say it's a decent, reliable gun sewed it up for me.

Thank you again!

[diananike]

So far the consensus seems to be 8 round flush fit magazines work fine when new, but soon become unreliable. That makes perfect sense as the lighter gauge spring required to fit 8 rounds in the space of seven suggests the spring is rather wimpy compared to a seven round spring. I was skeptical of gettin' somethin' for nothin'. It's never a reality. The solution is simple enough, purchase four Wilson and four McCormick magazines and get used to reloading more frequently. I'm babied by shooting a 9mm double stack with four magazines. I can adapt!

Thank you guys for steering me clear of the 8 round mags before I wasted any money on them!

I wonder if this holds true of the 7 round flush fit for officer length frames.
I have 4 of them I’ve been using in a SIG CCO for over a decade with no issues but I don’t carry it (Canada true North strong and not so free).
The standard capacity is 6 rounds and I wonder if leaving the 7 rounders loaded like you would if you were carrying the gun would ruin their reliability.
I’m tempted to start down loading them by one during my range exercises.

[358156hp]

I'm still in the early phase of learning about the 1911 .45. I know, or think Colt makes 8 round flush fit mags, so I figured if Colt makes them, everyone else must make them too.

I have around 20 stainless Colt 8 rounders that I've used for decades with only occasional spring changes. The followers are Devel, I mean CMC, and I regularly replace the springs with Wolff extra power. They only see moderate use however.