A Hard Look At 1911 Magazines

When a malfunction comes into the shop you must be able to track down and qualify it. Magazine problems are common with the 1911 pistol, but in order to isolate the problem and make an educated assessment of the function of the magazine we must know how the magazine works and where it stands in the 1911 feed cycle. Lets take a hard look at several issues involved in the 1911 and its feed cycle. Controlled Feeding Many who use the 1911 are able to name the good attributes of the pistol by rote.

A straight to the rear trigger compression, low bore axis and a comfortable grip are enumerated, however, few will mention the most important feature as regards total reliability. This is the controlled feed action of the pistol. From the time the magazine is seated until the slide locks to the rear on the last fi red round the cartridge is always under control. The controlled feed of the Mauser 98 and pre-1964 Winchester Model 70 rifles are often lauded but the 1911 is no less of a wonder.

Browning’s masterpiece may be fired at severe angles and even upside down and it will still function. A well maintained 1911 with 230-grain service ammunition and good magazines is the most reliable handgun combination I have ever examined. The feed cycle is worth your study and you need to understand how the 1911 functions in order to isolate problems and find cures. 1911 Operation The magazine consists of a body, floor plate, spring, and follower.

Cartridges are loaded in the magazine against the While all seem to work well enough the jury is out on which is the best. Every magazine pictured was the designer’s idea of good function but some were probably a product of a cost cutting program. It is your job to thread through the designs and choose the best or at least decide if the magazine is compatible with the particular pistol. cartridge carrier (follower), which is pressed upward by spring pressure. The magazine feed lips control the cartridge’s release.

The magazine is loaded in the handle and the magazine catch locks into the locking slot in the body of the magazine. The slide is racked to load the pistol. The lower section of the slide known as the cocking block provides the power to catch the cartridge rim and move it forward onto the feed ramp. The magazine feed lips are tapered to control the exact point at which the cartridge leaves the magazine. As the cartridge moves forward the bullet nose meets the lower feed ramp.

The 1911 feed ramp is a two piece design located partly on the frame and partly on the barrel. The bullet nose meets the lower ramp and there is some resistance. This resistances comes at exactly the point at which the case rim rises and moves under the extractor. This small speed bump in the process moves the cartridge hard against the breechface and properly seats it under the extractor.

It is essential that the 1911 feed ramp have a gap of 1/32 inch between the two surfaces in order for the pistol to feed properly. I have checked any number of modern 1911 handguns and it seems that the maker understood this need for precision. After snugging under the extractor the bullet nose tips up slightly and is driven into the chamber. On firing, the extractor retains control of the extractor rim as the cartridge case is drawn from the chamber.

The cartridge case receives a bump from the ejector and is cleared of the controlled feed process. A vital part of the this controlled feed mechanics is the box-type detachable magazine. The magazine must be well made of good material and properly designed and executed. Many modern magazines venture far from the original template, but they

Occasionally these things come up and a little knowledge goes along way. This allows a flush fit and good handling. A gunsmith might suggest a custom bevel over a magazine guide in a carry gun. do so with good engineering and manage to work properly. Reliability Any firearm is subject to malfunction. A lack of lubrication and poor ammunition is a tie up waiting to happen. These issues should be addressed before we move further to examining the magazines or feed ramp.

Poorly made aftermarket magazines were once the rule. When Colt magazines were fifteen dollars I was able to purchase "gun show" magazines for about three dollars and fifty cents. They were poor economy. Today, quality aftermarket magazines are often touted as an improvement over the original and priced accordingly. While these magazines are well made and durable they are subject to wear. The follower or magazine spring may be replaced. I often use magazine springs from W. C.

Wolff Company in special projects as a matter of course. The point is magazines area renewable resource. There comes a time when they must be discarded. We see shooters spend well over one thousand dollars for a good 1911 handgun and balk at thirty dollars for a magazine! Afi ring test for reliability may be expensive. Worse, the firing test may be inconclusive. Wrap your mind around this.

The magazine may function as far as feed reliability is concerned yet not function properly and, in the long term, cause the pistol to wear more quickly. My experience covers forty years with Plenty of room for the follower and the extra power magazine spring. Sometimes protrusion from the magazine well cannot be avoided. When it comes to an aluminum frame pistol this is a severe problem. the 1911, thousands of rounds and years of observation in training and tests and evaluation.

Lets look at the 1911 magazine and specifi c issues. I recently tested anew Springfield Tactical Response Pistol. This is a good example of the high end 1911, priced at about fifteen hundred dollars. There was lesson to be learned in marking magazines. The pistol failed to fully cycle with the last round of the magazine with the number two marked magazine. It turns out the magazine spring was

The follower in the front has a nick in the body where it contacts the slide stop. This may spell trouble. The ACT-MAG worked just fine in every other pistol and other magazines did not work with the Firestorm slide stop. We replaced this magazine slide stop with a Wilson Combat slide stop of standard size. weak. This brought about an interesting discussion concerning eight round magazines in general.

Quite a few rounds of the ultra reliable Winchester USA ball loads were used in isolating this magazine, by the way, and the chore could easily have been done during the break in period. The eight round magazine supplied with the TRP is what we refer to as a modifi ed Colt type. The Colt 1911 was designed to keep the magazine flush with the grip frame. There is sufficient space for the magazine spring and follower and seven rounds in this design.

Modifi ed eight round magazines often use a modifi ed follower and the standard seven round magazine spring in order to shoehorn an extra round of .45 ACP into the magazine body. While common sense tells us that seven for certain is better than eight maybe, this was the trend for some time. International Defensive Pistol Association (IDPA) shooting stresses tactical loads and keeping the pistol topped off with ammunition.

It is one thing to lock a fully loaded eight round magazine in place with the slide locked back and then drop the slide, no problem, but when you perform a tactical load and slam an eight round magazine into a pistol with the slide down, you may have an issue. You really have to slam the magazine home! This type of pressure may result in a problem with the magazine lock and even the lock down slot in the magazine. I have encountered both of these problems.

Recently a Dan Wesson pistol lost its magazine catch and I suspect that the culprit was an overreach with an eight round magazine. There are proper eight round designs. The Wilson Combat magazine is a purpose designed eight round magazine with much to recommend. This magazine features a synthetic follower with a stainless steel body. The modern Elite Tactical Magazine from Wilson Combat features a true eight round follower and spring. Few magazines are truly fresh designs but the ETM is an exception.

Another exceptional magazine comes from Dave Lauck of D&L Sports, Inc., featuring a follower with two long legs that enhance feed reliability all of the way from full compression with the first round to almost no compression with the last round in the magazine. The original DLS magazine is a true hard use seven round magazine. The idea was to improve and perfect the 1911 feed device. The eight round version features an extended floor plate to accommodate a full strength eight round spring.

This magazine is tank tough and while expensive the magazine cannot be faulted on any count. Proof and Caution 1911 magazines area diverse lot. That most 1911 handguns are reliable with most types of magazines speak volumes about the design. The primary difference in 1911 magazines is follower design. While the angle of the feed lips is also important, this may be carefully adjusted. The follower is what we have to work with unless we change it. The follower may also be called the cartridge carrier.

The original magazine follower bumps the bullet into the feed ramp as we described earlier. These followers are either fl at or concave. The fl at follower features a leg that contacts the slide lock. Basically, all improvements in the 1911 magazine design have centered upon the follower. These improvements generally attempt to convince the bullet nose to enter the chamber more directly and to avoid bumping off of the feed ramp.

Ammunition should be designed to feed in the gun at hand but some ammunition makers decided that they would produce ammunition that required handgun modification to feed hollow point bullets. While the situation is better today many problems were traced to this ammunition philosophy.

The Wilson Combat magazine practically eliminates bullet nose contact with the frame ramp. The bullet nose seems to glide across the barrel ramp and slide into the chamber. There are those who feel that the Wilson Combat magazine does not maintain controlled feed, but extensive testing of the type and its issue with the proven Springfi eld Professional and FBI, Marine Corps and SWAT units proves the Wilson Combat magazine is very reliable.

The Metalform magazine with fl at follower features the ideal controlled feed function of the 1911 in the view of many traditional shooters. Both types have given excellent service for many years. Modern magazines such as the Metalform Elite magazine skip the high danger part of the feed cycle when a hollow point bullet is likely to become jammed upon the feed ramp. The Slide and the Follower As you look into magazines more completely you must understand the function of the slide, slide lock and the follower.

As an example I recently examined a Philippine-produced 1911 that was well made of good material but lacked attention to detail. Unlike the Rock Island Armory pistols, this one fell short on execution. The oversize slide stop failed to activate with the ACT-MAG magazine supplied with the pistol. Even worse, when the pistol was loaded with a fully charged magazine the slide lock prematurely unlocked and the pistol loaded itself! The slide lock was off balance due to the extra weight of the oversized part.

In this case the slide lock was at fault but magazine follower problems are more prevalent. Some lack proper engagement, others engage the slide lock when they should not. A properly leg that is angled 90 degrees from the follower proper. This geometry is as important as the proper gap between the 1911 feed ramp for proper 1911 function — well, nearly so. If this geometry is not perfectly executed the slide lock will end up locking not on the bottom edge of the follower ledge but on the vertical surface.

When this condition occurs both parts may wear prematurely. This improper mating may lead to failure to lock on the last round. In some cases, improper wear may result in a magazine becoming stuck in the frame. That is a severe problem not easily remedied. I encountered this problem once and simply managed to lock the slide open and beat the magazine out of the magazine well with a punch and mallet while simultaneously pressing the magazine lock. I had the help of a vise on that one.

If you have a follower in your hands that shows peening and wear on the leg that contacts the slide lock, something is amiss. The best magazine follower designs seem to be the Wilson Combat ETM, D&L Sports and the Metalform Elite. They seem very durable in competition with no complaints in my experience, only the occasional replacement needed. There is more. I have encountered a number of factory supplied magazines with a design that holds the follower higher than with other magazine designs.

The magazine spring also seems to be the maximum strength they could stuff into an eight round magazine. The follower rides so high and the spring is so strong you cannot release the slide with thumb pressure alone when the slide is locked to the rear on an empty magazine. And these are factory eight round magazines! When you find this situation you may simply think the gun is excessively tight but there is more to the situation that you may realize at first. The 1911 slide lock has been called a fail safe design.

If during recoil the slide lock bounces into the slide, the slide will normally bump it out of the without locking open. If the slide lock is an extended type with more inertia there may be a different outcome. Likewise the shooter’s support hand thumb in the two hand grip will sometimes push the slide lock into the slide, most often when using +P loads. A follower with too much contact with the slide will prevent this fail safe operation from its full utility.

You should include a test for this condition when testing magazines. Lock the slide to the rear and be certain you are able to press the slide lock against the follower and release the slide. If the slide lock does not release with only thumb pressure the follower may be too tall or the magazine spring too strong. Eventually slide peening may occur in the shallow slide cut out. If you spot peening in the slide cut, the follower is the culprit.

When looking at magazines and their function you need to see the whole picture. The 1911 pistol is a controlled feed system that demands good quality magazines. By being aware of the different types and their mission you will be well armed to equip the customer and make proper recommendations. Magazine Chute Compatibility When you are commissioned to install the new Smith and Alexander Magazine guide, the standard by which we judge all magazine guides, you told the customer he will have to purchase new magazines.

What? You did not? Well, maybe he will and maybe he won’t have to purchase new magazines. There are a number of bumper pad styles that are not compatible with these chutes. I recently tried a Chip McCormick ten round magazine and with the protective cover that prevents over insertion. As expected, it did not to work in the Springfi eld TRP with Smith and Alexander magazine chute. What I did not expect was the same problem with Novak magazines as well. Neither did factory Taurus PT1911 magazines.

Sure, to each his own magazine but most have a box of assorted magazines. Be certain to brief them on the situation. They do not need to learn that a proven magazine does not work in their pistol during competition or worse, a critical incident. AG