I’ve got a 1911 that started life as an RIA government model but has been modified quite a bit since then. All the parts in the frame are from a stainless kimber, the feed ramp has been diamond polished, novak sights, etc.
All of the mags that I have for it are ACT 8 rounders. Until this week I had only fired FMJ though the pistol and the only issue I had experienced were occasional first round failure to feed if I didn’t quickly rack the slide and let it fully slingshot into battery. The round would nosedive into the feed ramp. Aside from that it has functioned flawlessly and I didn’t put much thought into it.
I got a 100 round box of Remington HP’s in a trade and decided to see how it would handle them. Every round on every shot, save for maybe 1 or 2 through 3 full mags was a failure to feed. Seems while the FMJ would nose dive but then roll up the ramp, the HP would just jam into the ramp every time, essentially turning my 1911 into a bolt action.
I borrowed a wilson mag from another person at the range, loaded it with the same ammo and blew through the whole thing without even a hesitation.
I already have a buyer for all of my ACT mags. That money is most likely going towards 3 or 4 Wilson 47D’s.
My question to any of you that may know, is what is it about the ACT design that causes this issue? Friends that have the same mags have experienced the same issues as I have.
Hey Bro,
I’m running all sorts of mags through my (very slightly modified) RIA and never had a problem with the mags themselves. If I’ve had a mag problem it has been my fault in seating the mag soundly, or doing the Steven Seagal Mag Slap and causing double feed. I haven’t seen a single problem with JHP or FMJ in my ACT Mag as long as I do my PM on it after blowing rounds through it. Could this be a maintenance problem, perhaps worn springs? Maybe the problem lies not in the magazine as a whole but in one part, say the follower. If I’ve had good luck with a mag for (say) 500 rounds, then I’d start with the parts of the whole as opposed to tossing the problem onto somebody else’s table and wishing them luck.
I’ve got 6-700 rounds through this gun, all of which have been with ACT mags. Like I said, first round stoppages happened on occasion with FMJ due to this issue. I keep up with the maintenance on the gun and its gets a cleaning/lube after each range session. With the JHP this nose dive jam occurred on almost every round fired. This was also done in the presence of an experienced gun smith. He’s the one who suggested I try someone else’s mag with the ammo as initially I was about to chalk it up to a 1911 that didn’t like JHP.
My guns feed everything i throw at it, using all kinds of mags. I actually like how the ACT mags seat/feed/work. But out of about 20 of them that i bought, 14 of them started showing cracks at the back. I have since ditched that mag and it’s commercial variants
On the RIA Gov’t model, is the feed ramp polished or been ground on? My Citadel FS has been ground on and polished from the factory. It feeds everything. Post a picture of inside the frame if you can.
Don’t worry about the feeding problems with the Act mags. They tend to crack on the back side at the feed lips. The failure rate is high enough that I would never consider them for anything but range use.
The feed ramp was diamond polished by my smith when he installed my novaks and duracoated the frame/slide. The pistol fed the same JHPs just fine from a borrowed wilson mag, so its not the gun. As soon as I get the money for the ACT mags a few 47Ds will be ordered.
I only have 1 ACT mag & I routinely have problems with FTFs & failure to lock the slide back after the last round when I use it. I stuck it in my “box of gun junk that doesn’t work”. My Wilson 47Ds & SA mags work flawlessly in my RO.
My ACT mags have fed many different hollowpoints in my S&W 1911Sc never had a problem with them, infact the only problem I ever had with the gun was with a 47D and 185gr golddot combo. Now my fathers RIA 1911 will only feed HST with the ACT and 47D mags, but with feed anything with a Tripp cobra mag.
I like the ACT mags for adding Tripp spring and follower kits since they still give you 8rds. The best solution IMHO is to just buy Cobra mags and sleep well knowing you have the best mag in the world.
Probably because none of the big dealers carry them, I know of only one place to buy them and thats strait from the manufacture. They are not cheap but they are the best IMO.
Here’s something to think about, all the improvements made to the 47d when wilson combat developed the ETM had been present on the cobra mags for years. Plus the cobra mags have a hybrid plastic/metal follower so that it wont get deformed by engaging the slide stop.
I had 2 ACT mags that were worthless; and I threw them in a very similar box that had a Hesse upper receiver in it, among other non-functional crap.
Oddly enough, some punk broke into my shop and stole this very box last time I was home on leave. Other than fixing my window, it was the only thing that idiot took.
This is very good to know. Thanks, Dave, for the info, and OP for this thread.
I have four to five ACT mags, as those are what Smith and Wesson ships with their 1911s. I have had good luck with them so far, but now know to use my Wilsons or Chip McCormick for serious use.