How does everyone feel about the factory Colt mags?

General Firearms Handguns - 1911
1

I got a reproduction series 70 last year and have been running Wilson 47Ds, Wilson ETMs, and the factory Colt 7 rounders.

I have not had any functional issues so far, however I have only shot about 432 rounds through it.

For some reason I just like the factory mags, what experience do you all have with these? Are they G2G or should I stick with the Wilsons?

I have also noticed a trend here lately with people using the Chip Mcormick mags. This is interesting because years ago I had some 1911’s that absolutely would not function with those. Have they improved the CMC mags?

2

Absolutely nothing wrong with the factory mags if they are functioning well in the gun and should be GTG. I believe, and I could be wrong on this, that they are made by MecGar, and they are pretty easy to rebuild should the need arise.

As for the wilsons and CMC my experiance has been the opposite of yours, CMC has always performed well and Wilsons have sometimes had issues. Go figure.

My thought is find whatever the gun likes and run the hell out of em’.

3

Thanks, I was just trying to get some feedback from experienced individuals. I’m leaning towards purchasing a shit ton of the Colt mags then. I might grab a few of the CMC’s, if I’m not mistaken everyone likes the CMC Power Mags right?

4

I personally have never had any issues with the CMC mags other than normal wear and tear which is to be expected. You are probably already aware of this but in case you are not a really good reference for mags are some of the articles by Hilton Yam over at the 10-8 forums.

Hope this helps.

5

Back in the early Nineties, I bought about 6 Chip McCormick mags…
Shooting Star’s I think they were.
Stainless 8 rounders, for use in a Kimber…waaay before anyone ever heard of a “Kimber”, around these parts anyway.
They were the WORST mags Ive ever used in ANY weapon. I literally stomped a couple of them in the ground to rid the earth of their evil presence. Gave/threw the rest away after a long time trying to make them work. Ill never use them again…Ill single load a 1911 before I do.
FWIW: the very low serial numbered Kimber “Cuuuustom” was the sorriest POS 1911 Ive ever shot or owned. Had it for 10 years…sold it cheap just to be rid of it. That, and a couple more bad experiances with them ruined me forever on Kimbers.

6

Generally speaking, the only reason people prefer factory magazines is because they are a flush fit with the bottom of the frame. The problem with this is that the original configuration magazine was designed to hold seven rounds, and most modern-day 1911 shooters are fairly insistent upon eight.

CMCs and Wilsons are, of course, designed to handle the additional round. They have more powerful springs and improved followers, but more importantly, they also have longer bodies with very robust floorplate designs. The benchmark Wilson 47D is now being replaced by the new ETM, and while the two look similar in terms of overall length (thanks to the low-profile baseplate of the ETM), the newer magazine’s body is actually a full 1/8" longer than the 47D.

Contrast this to factory (OEM type) mags, which feature floorplates that are held on with simple tack welds. They are not designed to hold up against higher capacity stress loads or stronger springs, nor can they withstand the kind of wear and tear (both in terms of cycles and abuse) that are typical for most contemporary training environments. They might work fine today, but you aren’t going to get the kind of longevity out of them that you can expect from a more modern design, and some would say that you’re introducing an element of added risk into the equation. Again, this is more the case if you’re trying to use 8-round versions, but tack welds are tack welds, regardless.

Want a modern magazine in a more “flush” package? The best you’re likely to do is to run something like a 47D with a low-profile steel baseplate, instead of the standard oversized plastic version. There are always newer designs making their way to market, of course, but for my money, I still wouldn’t stray too far from Wilsons (or CMCs, if you’re so inclined).

AC

7

Back n the late 90’s I decided to modernize my 1911 mags(read factory colts). Nothing wrong with them but most had already seen their better days.

Bought CMC and then wilsons. Had very few failures with CMC and none so far with Wilson. Tried the 10 rounders, same thing.

So I bought more wilsons and never looked back.

…guess I’m lucky…

8

If you like the mags, they’re Checkmate Hybrids with the standard spring and dimpled follower. topgunsupply.com is a good source.

I ran those mags for awhile and after two years of that bullshit, I woke up and started using Powermags. IME, the hybrids are the most unreliable magazine I’ve used and it wasn’t from a lack of trying.

9

Dont know why I didnt think to ask this before but are these going to be used for duty? CCW? Anything where you are going to bet your well being on? Or just general range use?

If these are going to be used for any type of defensive carry Armycheif is spot on and you should not stray too far from either Wilsons or CMC Powermags. Whichever runs best in YOUR gun.

For the cost factor I would rather have 5-6 good mags vs. 20 “OK” mags.

10

Samuse is correct about the Colt factory mags being Checkmate Industries 7rd with hybrid feed lips. I’ve had great success with them in my Colts. In my non-Colts I experienced NO feeding problems, but I did have problems with the slide not locking back. If you still want the low profile design, then the Wilson 47 and 47Ds, like AC said, are what you’re looking for. They use the same mag body, but their capacity is different (7 vs. 8 respectively).

11

IIRC the Colt mags stamped with a C were Checkmate or Chip McCormick, and the ones stamped with a M, were Metalform mags. Colt does not make their own mags.

Over at 1911 forums, the Metalforms had a following, how much of that was based on price, I don’t know.

Tripp Research makes a good mag also. For awhile I ran CMC power mags with the Tripp Kits in them, a few Tripp mags, and Wilsons 7 rounders with metal floorplates. If you have enough mags, they’ll all last a long time.

As noted, many of the older style 8 rounders were compromised, by the standard length tube. The split followers, rode over the slide stop, and the thinner spring wire, wore out quicker.

The Tripp kits and mags solve most of this.

And, just because one mag works or doesn’t work in your particular/individual 1911, doesn’t make them great or POS’s across the board. 1911’s being what they are…1911’s, means there are any number of variables that could effect the compatibility of one mag or the other with your gun. And, if it works, it may not stay that way.

The only way to know is to try them, in your gun. Or stick with the few recommended mag combo’s at Hilton’s site, and make the needed changes to your gun, if they don’t work. IE: slide stop, mag catch, feedramp, etc.

Bob

12

Once again, Army Chief’s advise is spot on.

13

My Colt mags are mostly Metalform which are gtg. But I also use Wilson and CMC Powermags with great results.

14

Yes, those are the ones I used to run in my old Springfield a few years back. Man did they suck terribly.

I’ve used the Wilson’s for some time now but I do prefer the flush fit of the factory 7 rounders. Seems like the best route would be to continue purchasing the ETMs.

15

I also bought a bunch of early 90’s stainless CMC Shooting Star 8- round magazines and had issues with feeding on the last round. This would happen occassionally with my 5" guns and pretty much every time with my Commander. At some point, I replaced the springs and followers with the Wilson 7- round kits and after that they were 100% reliable. I have 5 that are range mags. They have taken a lot of abuse and are still going strong. I still use 7 round mags (Wilson and LB) for EDC, so having the same for the range makes sense. If I ever get the courage to try another 8 rounder it will definitely be one of the newer designs (EMT, PowerMag or CobraMag).

-Mike

16

I have never really had any problems with Colt mags but I usually upgrade them with Wilson or Tripp kits, anyway. :cool:

17

Another one here for Wilson 47D’s. They have performed well in all 3 of my Colts, unlike CMC. I in my short time with the 1911 they have consistently choked, and now that my preferred shooter is an aluminium framed Lightweight Gov’t Model, I’m firmly in the Wilson camp.

I may have to look into Tripp Cobra mags however…

18

I have alway stayed with Colt and Chip McCormick, followed by Wilson (due to Wilson’s price). All three have proven to be excellent over the years for me.

I stay with seven rounders as I do not want to have to keep track of spring changes and the seven rounders just keep on ticking. Although some of the new eight rounders are longer, I have not wanted to experiment to see if they are as reliable in the long-term as seven rounders are. I have considered just buying five of the newer style (longer) eight rounders and just changing their springs every year or so but have not bothered with it so far.

The eight Chip McCormick 10MM mags that I bought about eight years ago were crap, even after they were sent back to CMC to fix or replace. My five Colt 10MM mags have been flawless for the ten years or so that I have owned them.

19

i have one colt and it works fine love my chips though

20

All five of my Colt mags (use them in a GCT) work fine. Two of them have stayed loaded for about a year now and still feed fine.