All posts in Wilson Combat Magazines

Even 1911 magazines have been hard to find!

Wilson Combat Magazines

Wilson Combat Magazines

We’ve had many customers call us up and ask if their 1911 will run various types of magazines in it.  There are compacts, subcompacts, commanders and government models, and also a great many manufacturers.  Some of the problems people seem to have with 1911s is they change too many parts out and end up with a customer job that needs magazines that just tweaked.   We often tell people to contact Wilson Combat or ask the gun manufacturer to give them feedback on which magazines to get.   There are Wilson Combat 47, 47OXCB, 47D, and now the Elite tactical magazines more commonly known as the ETM mags.

I haven’t had the  urge to switch to the ETM magazines because I have a very good stockpile of the 47D magazines.  The difference between the Wilson combat magazines with the 47 and the 47D are basically the 7rd vs the 8rd.   I think the 1911 45acp with an 8rd magazine is a very potent gun.   There are many things you can do to train to be proficient with the 1911 and doing tactical loads ect. shouldn’t slow you down.   You have to remember that a handgun is basically a replacement for a knife or a sword and if you need more than that, you are better off getting a shotgun or a rifle rather than 33rd Glock magazines.

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Wilson Combat Magazines vs everyone else

I’ve mentioned many times in my blog posts that my first handgun was actually a Colt 1991A1 and I got a screaming hot deal on it.  $375 out the door for as far as I know an unfired firearm that was brand spanking new.   My first experiences with it were like many, it did not run out of the  box and I had to do some minor tweaks to my approach for carrying this firearm, what type of ammunition to use and what type of magazines.  I only had 1 magazine with it when I got it and it did not last more than a couple reloads before the magazine lips started to bend and the gun would close on an empty chamber, the problem was that I was using USGI magazines that are in all practicality, throw away magazines.

There are many new fancy 1911s out there Kimber is what I consider fancy as well as Les Bauer.  I have seen plenty of feeding problems for people that did not use Wilson Combat Magazines and eventually they figure it out and go to an online discussion forum and find out what works best. We recently noticed that some companies have upgraded their standard magazine capacities have learned the technology to do that, I have not found any truth that the Wilson Combat 8rd magazines were less reliable than the 7rd magazines.  I think an 8rd 45acp is the best option since 10+ rounds of 45acp tends to make the guns too heavy.

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What is our best selling, least complained about 1911 magazine?

The best selling 1911 magazine is hands down the Wilson Combat 1911 magazines.   We couldn’t narrow it down to just one magazine because there are several different types of magazine bases that competition shooters  might want something that a CCW owner doesn’t want or need.  The Wilson 47D is our most popular 8rd 1911 magazine and the #47 is the most popular 7rd, but the Elite Tactical Magazines have gained ground for the competition shooters.   The ETM magazines have a number base plate and the windows are in a different cut than the tradition Wilson magazines.   They are higher priced than the Chip McCormick Magazines which come in as a close 2nd as far as sales.

The thing that many 1911 firearms seem to have trouble with are the magazine follower/hold open tabs.  Many of the GI magazines wear and bend but the one piece Wilson Combat Magazines have a more reliable balance and catch that holds the firearm open when the last round has been fired.  I personally don’t have an issue carrying 45acp ball ammo because when I carry that gun it’s usually when I’m up in the mountains and more likely going to have to use it against and animal than in a highly populated area where over penetration might be an issue.   I have heard rumors that 8rd magazines are not as reliable as the 7rd magazines but I have never witnessed that.

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Be careful about about how much screwing around you do with your 1911s

I’ve had many family members and friends ask me to go shopping with them to help them pick up a firearm.  There have been many times that I have warned people about buying a certain gun even though it looked like it was a good price.  Many of the times it was a firearm that had obviously been customized.  The biggest warning sights are usually when the triggers have been changed.   That can mean that somebody was lessening the trigger pull weight and it’s also a hint that it was turned into a target gun and there may be other parts like springs or buffers inside it.   I have a family member that purchased a 1911 because he had one in the military and the one he eye balled at a gun store had exactly these issues.

After we took this firearm to the gun club it actually jammed up on us several times, I tried to take it apart to see what the spring looked like but it had a full length guide rod and I did not have any familiarity with that.   We even tried several of my wilson combat magazines that usually solve many 1911 problems but the gun still hung up.   We later found out that there was a tool we needed and there was in fact a buffer that was decaying inside the gun and causing all of the malfunctions.   There are so many new 1911s out there, Sigs, Les Bauer, Kimber ect. that you have to watch the amount of tinkering people do with them because not all of the 1911 parts and especially holsters are going to work with them.

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People that are still carrying the 1911 pistol and love it

If you love the way the 1911 feels in your hand you’re probable not going to find another firearm that feels the same way.  I’ve like the traditional 1911 style guns for almost 2 decades and tried out many variations of them, but they didn’t feel like a 1911 when the makers made them a double stack.  There is something about 1911 pistols that is just balanced very well.  Once you put more than about  8rds in a 1911 the gun gets heavy and for something that is so slim and contoured right, you can mess that up with 10rd protruding magazines.  That’s fine for competition shooting but I don’t think you’ll ever see law enforcment or special operations  units running those magazines even if they are reliable.

Most of the Special operations units we deal with actually use 7rd magazines although I have found that the 8rd magazine reliability issues is a myth.  All I run through my 1911 government models are Wilson combat magazines  with the 8rd wilson combat magazines that work so well.   I have been using gun grease on my Colt 1991A1 and my Springfield GI 1911 that had some minor customizations, but I have not seen a malfunction in that firearm in years.  I am still running mostly ball ammo through my guns which is the proven reliable ammunition.  Gun grease is something that I have been using more and more on my handguns because they seem to  hold up better for long term storage.

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The 1911 is a better gun

I started out with a Colt 1991A1 over 20yrs ago and at the time I thought I was getting a second rate 1911 but it was a good price so I got it.  I fell in love with the gun immediately and It just fit my hand that the first time I shot it I thought I was missing paper and it turned out I was shooting out the center of the target.   After shooting the gun for 3 range sessions I started having problems.   I had a good relationship with my gun  shop and when I went back in I talked to him.  He told me I should be using more than 1 magazine with the gun and talked about magazine rotation.  Then I picked up a few more Colt 1911 magazines and after a few range sessions the gun started closing on an empty chamber.

This whole issue was apparently very common with 1911s and many of the GI magazines were actually meant to be thrown away on a battlefield and not re-used.  I tried the quick fixes but they didn’t hold up, I later found out about Wilson Combat Magazines and now the Wilson Combat ETM magazines are my primary 1911 magazines.  Barrel designs and more durable parts have made the 1911 a superior firearm than it’s original GI version.   Although the guns are still pretty heavy compared to composite materials, many people still find the 1911 guns to be the most comfortable 45acp to shoot.

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What’s the deal with the Elite Tactical Magazines vs Wilson Combat 47D mags?

I first found out about the Wilson Combat Magazines after having not so good experiences with the Colt magazine that my  1911 came with.  At the time I knew nothing about the  throating on the barrel or the way 1911 firearms fed bullets and the limitations of ammo selections.  The 1911’s of today are not the 1911 of the 1940’s.  Those guns got the job done, but the effectiveness of the firearm’s caliber was more important than whether or not it took hollow point ammunition will run in the gun.   What is available today in not the round nosed 45acp lead rounds that were issued in World War II.

Sometimes we shop because we want the best and others we are frugal and just want the product that gets the job done and doesn’t kill our pocket book.   We’ve had extensive periods of range use with Wilson Combat Magazines and that’s why we’re going to say they are our best magazine, but you can get the well used and proven Chip McCormick magazines for about 10 dollars less.   I have personally not used those but there seems to be a  lot of complaints about some magazines not being flush fitting or not dropping free for various firearms.  There are so many variations in 1911 productions now that sometimes you might have to do some research about parts and accessories operator in the way that you want them to.

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Have you switched to the ETM magazines yet?

I’ve been asking just about everyone that walked in the door if they have been using the ETM magazines, but the vast majority of people that CCW a 1911 pistol have not, they still don’t know about them.   The guys that run IDPA all use them, but that’s a whole other breed of a shooter.   I’ve always viewed IDPA to be a really good CCW training course.   It’s not about hitting inside certain rings or getting a certain score, its about hitting the target.  Any hit is better than no hit because even bad guys bleed.  I know plenty of people that do quite well with Chip McCormick magazines and if you do shoot  your 1911 often, you’ll probable save a about $8-$10 a magazines.

 

There is something that seems to be sturdier about the Elite Tactical Magazines, and if you are shooting a 1911 with non-FMJ or non-ball ammo magazines matter.   Wilson Combat Magazines are in our customers and employees experienece, the top choice for shooters.   The 1911 is still used in competition shooting due to the well known and liked trigger design and balance.   When you compared some of the double stacked 45acp guns that are out there like the XD45acp and the M&P 45, sometimes it’s just too much of a gun and it will have an impact on your speed.

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Magazine capacity and balance, don’t forget it

There was a transition away from the high capacity or should I say, Standard capacity firearms back in the late 1990’s after the AWB of 1994, but it was mostly because the cost of a gun magazine might have gone up 200% or more.   You could easily spend $1000 for a firearm and magazines depending on what it was.   Once thing that I will that will never change is balance and speed.   I think we have recently witnessed the pinnacle of the M4 Carbine accessorizing craze because now we are seeing more and more that people are wanting lighter carbines and 15 lbs AR15 variants is something that really doesn’t help you out in close quarters gun fights, speed does m ore than what optics you have in close up fighting.

When it comes to caliber and capacity, you really need to put some thought into how much weight you want in a firearm especially a handgun.   I’ve shot some double stack 45acp handguns that were so heavy that taking them in and out of  holster felt like I was wielding a ball and chain.  Throw in spare gun magazines and the bulk and weight can quickly become extreme.  The Springfield XD is a nice 45acp gun, but the balance of a 1911 or even the Sig 220 seem to handle better.   And lets not forget, the reason for a handgun is to fight your way back to a rifle, so why bother trying to carry all that handgun ammo.

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Quit screwing around with your 1911s and they’ll work

There is no other firearm that I see so much tinkering with than the 1911, and no matter how much money you spend on one, you can still mess it up.   I absolutely do not believe that higher end 1911’s are tougher and more reliable than a loose fitting GI Mil-spec gun.    If you want that competition shooting gun, then shoot it in a competition, but if you want reliability, keep it simple and stop screwing around with it.   I have putt thousands of rounds through my GI 1911 guns and almost always use ball ammunition.  I’m messed around with semi-wad cutters for target shooting and got my guns to feed with them, so I know it’s possible to shoot something other than ball.

The gun magazines you use for your 1911 are the difference in running a reliable firearm.   From my experience GI 1911 magazines are meant to be used a few times and tossed on the ground.   They are not worth replacing gun springs on like Wilson Combat magazines.   The magazine bodies on many 1911s get dented and don’t hold up and will eventually just jam up the follower when it is working it’s way up.    The Wilson Combat Elite Tactical magazines or ETM, is a minor improvement for a few bucks more.   The magazine body is a little thicker with changes to the placement of the ammunition level window.   There are also numbers from 1-10 on the bottom of the magazine so you can just take a hi-lighted marker and number the mags with one stroke without damaging them.

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