1911 Questions: Alloy Frames, Skirted Mag Followers, and LostRiver's .45 ACP +P 250gr

[SW CQB 45]

the pointed follower causing damage to the frame in the original CMC Power Mags is real.

My frame is steel and the gun is a hard used Springer MCOP that used CMC PMs exclusively.

The mags worked, plain and simple.

Upon feeding the last round, the follower does move fwd with enough impact. Look just below the shallow feed ramp. that did not happen overnight but yearsss of PM use.

While ii does not cause or never caused any issues, it did have a raised around the crater. I filed it flat.



I switched to WC ETMs but I wore those plastic followers out to the point where the follower was slipping up to the side of the slide stop lobe, causing a stuck mag.

I am currently using Checkmate 8s and just ordered some CMC RPM 8s with a safe rounded follower.

[theJanitor]

250gr +P don’t sound all that fun in a LW commander (I’m running 185HP in mine). I think a mag with and extra power spring and a non-tilt follower is a must for the combo you describe. And maybe a shock-buff….

[03RN]

250gr +P don’t sound all that fun in a LW commander (I’m running 185HP in mine). I think a mag with and extra power spring and a non-tilt follower is a must for the combo you describe. And maybe a shock-buff….

It's really not that bad. My woods load is a 255gr swc at 950/900fps 5"/4".

I always use flat bottom firing pin stops and stronger recoil springs too.

[Jay585]

Thank you all for the responses. I've decided not to run 10 rounders in my "work gun" and reserve them for the steel frame training gun and to treat them as another toy to tinker with.

As for running the 250gr +P loads... if I verify +P loads are safe in a regularly maintained aluminum frame, I'll swap out the FPS for a square bottom one and look into playing with the weight of recoil and mainspring housing springs.

There are folks that like and use 10 round, .45 Auto, 1911 mags, but I consider them novelty items. My belief is if you need a .45 Auto shooter with more than 8 rounds in a mag, the single stack 1911 is not the gun for you.

Because the more rounds you stack in a single column mag, the more nosedive you get.

https://americanhandgunner.com/gear/...e-1911-45-acp/


Edit to add: While 5" guns are pretty forgiving, when shooting a round like a P+ 250gr, you need to have a mag spring that can keep up with a round like that which will really drive the slide.

Wilson has a tidbit in their FAQ section about compact guns regarding recoil and mags, that is worth reading when thinking of a heavy recoiling round with a 10 round mag.

https://wilsoncombat.com/wc-handgun-faq

That's a bummer to hear. I like having back up mags that are larger, easier to grab and more capacity (because if you have to reload, the extra bullets are probably a good thing). With my G19 I like running G17 mags with Dawson +5 basepads for the exact same reasons.

I'll look for a dual mag pouch that works with 7 rounders instead.

Since you didn't get a manual with it, is your LW 1911 +P rated by its manufacturer? That would be handy information to have before ordering the ammo.

Good point, I'll e-mail Colt and find out. Their manuals on their website are a bit dated, and didn't cover that info.

Friends,

Minor rant ahead.

First though, just for clarification, this is in absolutely no way directed towards Jay585. His questions about frame battery and aluminum frames are reasonable and normal. I just get emails about things that it is completely impossible for me to know the answers to, on a regular basis. So I will get into that.


It is really not possible to say what is going to happen when someone uses a product in their firearm. I get multiple emails a week asking if they can run a certain type of ammo in a gun, and what their results will be. Often people want to know what kind of accuracy, how many rounds they can fire, etc. This is in used firearms with a history that is unknown, and a maintenance schedule that is unknown.

Better than 95% of the time when I ask when was the last time they changed a recoil spring, the answer is that they have never changed one. When I ask what the proper recoil spring weight is for their gun, they have no idea. They still want to know exactly how many rounds they can shoot before there will be any issues, if any at all.

That is like asking me to blindly guess how many miles they can drive in their car, with the used tires that are currently on it, over various terrain, before there will be a problem, without ever having seen the tires. Many people assume that if their gun is still functioning, that the springs must be fine, right? That is the same logic as saying as long as my tires are round and black, and have not popped yet, they must be fine, right?

I can say that in reference to aluminum framed 1911s, I have an early 70s Colt lightweight Commander. Maybe it was made in the 60s, can't remember at the moment. I shoot the heavy 250s through it every now and then. In fact this last Friday I was doing ammo development for the poly coated +P 250 load I am working on. I was running test loads through it that were warmer than the standard hard cast 250+P loads currently offered. Prior to going to the range, I inspected it. I could not remember the spring weight, but was guessing it was likely an 18# spring, so to be safe I put in a brand new 20# spring. Pretty big difference just racking the slide. Glad I did too, as shooting the warm test loads with an alloy frame Commander was not fun at all.

Love the gun, but I reserve shooting the Grizzly loads for making sure it is totally reliable, then for carrying on the trail. The rest of the time, I am happy with 200 grain SWCs in that little gun.

https://i.imgur.com/CQFA8OJh.jpg

Ok off the soap box,

and back to our Friend Jay.

I would just say this.


Springs are super cheap. I toss springs very regularly. Buy in bulk to absorb the shipping cost and swap them out frequently. Your guns will thank you for it. Alloy frame guns need lots of lube and fresh springs more than anything. They will take a lot of heavy use if you keep on top of those two things.

I did not mean to single you out for a response to the thread (though I appreciate your post). My intent was to let readers know that the manufacturer of the ammunition is a member of the board.

[Lost River]

No worries Jay

So I get some of the most head shaking emails with questions that many here would not believe. In fact I have discussed this with fellow PF member Bruce Cartright and another friend who is a holster maker. At first I thought it was people I know that were trolling me, to mess with me. But then I realized that there are people who honestly don't know hardly anything about guns or ammo.

There are the somewhat normal things like assuming that you can only shoot full power .357 loads in a gun marked as a .357, and not knowing it will also shoot .38 Special. Those are easily understood.

But then I get ones like the one guy who asked if I have ammo for a .38 S&W. I told him no. The individual stated that he bought some .38 Short Colt and it works fine, except for some split cases. I told him to STOP. I explain that they are not the same cartridge, not even the same caliber and to not ever do that but he insists that its all fine. The guy literally argued that he can do it, and he has been doing it and it is fine. Then I get an angry email when I won't let him buy more ammo.

Another is the Ruger Only loads. It very specifically says only for large frame Ruger Blackhawks, Redhawks, and Freedom Arms Model 83s. So I get emails asking if the ammo can be shot in the compact 5 shot Model 69 S&W .44 magnum. It is like you have to spoon feed a certain segment of the population as they are incapable of reading the information that was already put before them.

There are also the never ending "can I shoot this load in this gun" to include antique guns. Like I have any idea, or a crystal ball, or know what they or previous owners have done to the gun, or what damage has happened in the past.

That is just an extremely small sampling. I could write pages, but simply don't have the time.

Fortunately the majority of the people are not like this, but there are some that take up a LOT of time. Most of the people that I interact with through emails (due to the business) are pretty dialed in, and some are extremely talented. I have met some very interesting and just plain cool people through this venture.

Jay, YOUR questions are good ones and stuff that is good info to be shared. Stuff that others can read and put into their knowledge base. We all benefit from Q and A things like this.