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Best aftermarket 1911 mags

botticelli

botticelli

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Hey guys,

I am looking to grab a few extra mags(7 rnd flush ones preferred ) for my 1911. I have been told Wilson Combat is the best but I wanted ask before spending money on the wrong thing.

Price seems to be around the same $20 for most.

Any advice is really appreciated.

Thanks
 
My local gun store had Chip Mccormack Mags for around that price, flush fit and they hold 8 rounds not seven. Better than the factory S&W mags so I use these for carry.
 
I have never had any trouble with SA mags. $13.99 on MidwayUSA for the 7-round blue mags ($15.99 for stainless). I've heard good things about Wilson, but don't own any, so I can't really speak to them.
 
The, "Best" one's are the one's that run reliably in your gun. My Armscor (RIA) does not run well w/Wilson Combat (FTF/FTE) where as it runs Flawlessly w/ ACT mags.. It seems the 1911 platform is more prone to matching mags to guns and vice versa. As opposed to say a, Glock where the mags never seem to be a performance issue.......
 
I prefer Wilson ETM magazines. I prefer these to the older Wilson 47D mags. I have three Tripp mags, but only 1 out of the three actually work.
 
I have 3 1911's all have had trouble at one time or another with Chip McCormick mags, for reliability I would stay away from them. I have never had an issue with the Wilson 8 round mags and highly recommend them. This coming from a cheap bastard that never buys brand name or pays full price. I guess even I have my limits...
 
M1911 said:
I prefer Wilson ETM magazines. I prefer these to the older Wilson 47D mags. I have three Tripp mags, but only 1 out of the three actually work.
Click to expand...

I would contact Virgil Tripp. He's well known for "service".

I bought a bunch (8-rd) in 2 different group buys and never had any problem with my S&W 1911.

My S&W 1911 came with Wilson 47D mags and they also work flawlessly.
 
The Colt marked mags seem to be pretty well made - the quality seems to be appreciably better than the metalform marked ones I picked up anyway. I realize that metalform has or does supply mags for Colt, but the samples I have are noticably different.
 
Wilson Combat 8 rds. I have about a dozen, some blued, some SS. Blued for carry, SS for matches. The SS ones spent as much time in the dirt as in the gun. Lots of mag changes shooting single stack. You just pick them up, brush them out and load them up. Good to go.
 
I've had good luck with the Chip Mccormick extended. Never a problem after a couple thousand or so rounds.
 
I have found that the best 1911 mags are made by Metalform, New Britain CT. They have been making mags for Colt for years. They also supply tubes to other MFRs like Chip McCormick. I have been using their mags for over 20 years with no problems. My favorite is the eight round SS mag with the orange plastic follower.

That's the good news. The bad news is that they have gotten greedy. The used to offer dealer discounts on purchases of six or more mags. Now you have to buy a lot more (30+) to get a discount.
 
I got some Chip McCormick Shooting Star 8rd mags last year for my Colt Series 70 Mk IV and they seem to work fine. However I've probably put only ~100 rds thru them, so they haven't seen extensive use yet.
 
I run Mec-Gars in my 9mm Sig P226 and haven't had an issue with over 2000+ rounds through it. Two are Sig branded from the factory and the other 3 are regular Mec-Gar aftermarket units.

I haven't used them in a 1911 but based on their service in my P226 I would recommend them.
 
I have all kinds of 1911 mags. Original WWII issue, post-war repros, original Colts, Kimbers, Mecgars, Actmags, Chip McCormicks etc... The only problems I ever have with any of them are sporadic 'failure to lock the slide back on the last round's, and that's mostly only on my series '70, which still has the original slide stop. I know Wilson 47D's are supposed to be the shit, but more than one of my 1911's didn't like them so I sold them off. It's been years since I've had any type of failure (besides the slide not locking on last round) with any of my 1911's.

Actually scratch that last comment. The front sight flew off my nickel-plated series 80 at one of the Mansfield shoots. LOL. That was the same day the extractor flew out of my CZ52 and a round became stuck tight in the chamber of my SKS. I think I was cursed that day.
 
Last edited:
botticelli said:
Hey guys,

I am looking to grab a few extra mags(7 rnd flush ones preferred ) for my 1911. I have been told Wilson Combat is the best but I wanted ask before spending money on the wrong thing.

Price seems to be around the same $20 for most.

Any advice is really appreciated.

Thanks
Click to expand...

The Wilson Combat 47D is an excellent mag, but it costs around $40 [shocked]
 
M1911 said:
I prefer Wilson ETM magazines. I prefer these to the older Wilson 47D mags. I have three Tripp mags, but only 1 out of the three actually work.
Click to expand...


I agree. I actually picked up 2 of the Wilson ETM 8 round mags today at First Defense, and wow those things are awesome. You can load the rounds with no effort whatsoever. I have multiple factory Rugers, a couple of Colt's, but those 2 Wilson 8 rounders I bought today are amazing. That will be the 1911 mag I buy from here on out. [thumbsup]
 

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