All posts tagged 1911 mags

What 1911 Magazines should you buy? Try our number one selling Wilson Combat ETM Magazines

Wilson Combat Magazines1911 MagazinesWe get a lot of questions from our customers and often they are telling us what we should stock in our store.   When we get asked enough times we usually take a serious look into who is making it and determine whether it just a fad, or if it is something new, improved, or a really versatile accessory.    We’ve always known that Wilson Combat Magazines were a product to stock but there are still so many types of magazines with different base pads, Magazine Specifications, Wilson Combat 6rd 1911 Magazines, Wilson Combat 7rd 1911 Magazines, 8rd magazines or even the 10rd Magazines are often sought after from our Competition Shooter and IDPA customer base.

The most popular 1911 Magazine right now is the Wilson Combat ETM Magazines which have pretty much replaced the Wilson Combat 47D 8rd Magazines that were popular for years.    Some have their preferences in what kind of Base Pad pad they should have whether it’s the Wilson Combat Magazines with the standard .350 base pad so they have a little something to grab on the magazine to clear it, normally a competition shooter wants this, or a lower profile base pad.  When  you get into concealed carry, sometimes those extended base pads or non-flush fitting 1911 magazines can cause the gun to snag t-shirts or clothing while CCWing  your firearm and you may want something else.  If you are in the situation  you just want to try something else or are a first time buyer there’s something about the Wilson Combat ETM Magazines that people like so maybe that’s what you should consider.

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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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Colt 1991A1 and Chip McCormick magazines range day

I have worn out more 1911  magazines than any other gun magazine and I guess it’s no surprise that I put a lot of 45acp down range.   My 45acp magazines get put to use and I have learned from experience to rotate through all of my 1911 magazines and replace the springs about the same time I replace my recoil springs.  All of this can depend on how many magazines you use for the most part.    I would always recommend that you have atleast 3 gun magazines for every handgun you own because not only does this spread out the gun magazine wear, it’s about what  you will most likely need if you are doing any type of competition shooting.

I have a Colt 1991A1 that has seen more action than any other sidearm and I refuse to do any major changes to it as long as the gun runs.  The gun fits my hand very well and I have had good luck with the proven Chip McCormick magazines that I have used for IDPA competition and for CCW.   I love my 1911s for competition shooting but I’m still searching for a 45acp gun that I can carry all the time.  Some of the shorter 1911 guns seem to be to much too much maintenance and I really don’t like the idea of carrying a firearm where I have to do a countdown to when it it needs to have its guts cleaned out.

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Wilson Combat Vs. Chip McCormick

We’ve just gotten another restock of the Wilson Combat 1911 ETM magazines due to customer demands.   I still don’t think there is that much of a difference between these magazines and the standard Wilson Combat magazines.   Wilson Combat magazines and Chip McCormick magazines are pretty much the staple of 1911 fanatics and you really can’t go wrong with them unless you already have a finicky 1911.   If you want a combat reliable firearm watch out for some of the high prices accuracy guns, they are not GI combat worthy and sometimes people want too much in a firearm and there really are tradeoffs.

Most of our customer base tell us that differences between the Wilson Combat 8rd magazines and Chip McCormick power mags are minimal.   Wilson Combat magazines seem to help feed non-round nose bullets like hollow points and semi-wad cutters.   Chip McCormick magazines are almost $10 a magazine less than the Wilson Combat ETM magazine so you really have to balance the value of upgrading to the ETM.  The ETM magazines do feel a little thicker and also have numbers on the bottom for competitive shooters, but for $10 more?

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Bring out the 45acp’s for the Zombie Shoot

This weekend will be the 2nd Contagion Zombie shoot at the New Holland rifle and pistol club.   It often amazes me at the selection of firearms that you see at these events and one of the most common things I do see is an increase in the number of 45acp guns.   Shooting steel with 9mm guns can be a lower knock down rate.  It’s kind of funny how people say the energy is the same form a 124gr Nato round vs a 45acp, but when it comes to hitting steel, they are not the same.   The 45acp especially the 1911, Sig 220, Springfield XD and Glock 21 are the most common and every once in awhile we do see a few H&K firearms.

When it comes to shooting a 45acp,  I personally think American Eagle ball ammo is probable the best round to carry, even though some may say that HP ammunition has improved so much that it’s a better option.   I have never felt like carrying ball ammunition in Wilson Combat Magazines meant that I was going to be punching holes through every wall in the house because from my experience the 45acp does not penetrate as much as the 9mm ball ammunition.  There are so many 1911 guns out there that I could not say that the 1911 is a dated firearm that can not handle various types of ammunition, but you do have to be careful about the GI versions of the gun and hollow point ammunition.

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10rd magazines for 1911s?

This is something I’ve only delved into once and it wasn’t a great experience.   Back in the early 1990’s we had all of that assault weapons ban BS and and aftermarket gun magazines were everywhere.   Some of us that owned certain firearms ended up with unreliable firearms that should have been durable.   $90 Glock magazines were not uncommon and $14.99 for a jamming Mini 14 30rd magazine from USA magazines, which I believe is been long out of existence.   Many people fell back on revolvers and there was a big upsurge back into the 1911 because it was one of those guns that was originally designed for fewer than 10rds which was what the Assault Weapons Ban limited you to.

So some of us messed around with aftermarket 10rd magazines and all of the ones I tried failed pretty quick.   We tried to make the 1911 into it’s highest capacity that we legally could, but the balance pretty much got messed up.   Gun magazines, even a few rounds bigger than standard capacity can make the gun imbalanced or make it harder holster.   There are a lot of reasons to use 10rd magazines like Wilson Combat magazines or Chip McCormick which have a good reputation in competition shooting, but they will protrude considerable.   This may cause snagging on shirts ect if you are considering using one for CCW.   If you’ve ever practiced with you’re gun, which you should have, firing 8rds and reloading is probable a better CCW than thinking a 10rd magazine is going to give you more protection.

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Philadelphia Mob’s it’s only a matter of time

Today I was listening to a local talk radio host who had a local reporter on and they were talking about the Flash Mob stuff that was going on there.   In some people’s minds these incidences are not racial, but that is absolutely absurd.   We’ve had at least 3 mob incidences against young white males or old white men and it’s always black on white.   In some camps of our society, racism only applies to things that a white man can do and not the other way around.  Racism exists in all societies and cultures but only those living in the world that Political correctness has created think it only exists when a victim is black.

One of the callers challenged the local news writer about what the news article would be if a gun owner shot one or more of these individuals when they were committing the crime.   The news reporter basically said it at this point it would say something about a “gun owner defends against a mob” I’m paraphrasing, but I thing it was bullshit.  We know that if a gun owner shot one of these individuals and reloaded with using spare gun magazines that it would be excessive or bull  shit that someone that trained to shoot shot 5 or 6 of the criminals and it was unfair that someone would do that against un armed youth.   Considering the ages groups of some of these Flash mobs it would probable not sound justified if a 65yr old man shot 11yr-19yr olders, but the reality is it may well be if things keep up like this.

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New DVD from Dean Caputo

I just started getting through another Make Ready DVD this week after last weeks Dean Caputo AR15 Armorer’s bench DVD.   The first 75% of the AR15 was all stuff that I already new about and I was really starting to think about skipping over a few of the chapters and getting to something new, but I sat and thought to myself that I can’t say I watched it if I didn’t see the whole thing.   It’s kinda like all of the people that go to Mass on Sunday and walk out after Communion, but the Priest gets pissed and says that Mass isn’t over yet.   Well, Dean Caputo wasn’t talking about God, but he’s been talking about the AR15 and the 1911 and according to some people, those are holy things.

The 1911 is probable the most tinkered with firearm that I know of.   I always think of the 1911 as being the GI Mil-spec gun and a lot of the 1911’s I have seen from Kimber and some custom shops aren’ t really 1911s to me.  I’ve changed sights and triggers on my guns but I mostly stick to GI looks and Wilson combat magazines.   The magazines have always been the weak points on the 1911 followed probable by the throat.   I have no real interest in using HP ammunition on my 1911s because I feel like I’m compromising reliability.   Dean’s DVD’s are very good for basic information and he gets into basic history, but the best  thing about the DVD’s is his thorough and organized manor of explaining the parts and how to trouble shoot.  The trouble shooting was something I was not aware of.

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Another public service announcement

There are some things that I have to watch myself with because I can get too repetitive when dealing with some of my gun friends, but when it comes to public safety and gun ownership there are things that I am forced to re-iterate every year.    I was recently made aware of an incident where a novice gun owner went out and picked up a Kimber 1911 and was learning to shoot with it.   After probable putting about 1000rds through the gun it sat in his home unloaded for several months.   Just this past weekend he was in a hostile situation and ran up to his bedroom to retrieve it.

The gun was not loaded when pulled it out of his closet but he had ammunition standing when he loaded the magazine up the feed lips where so worn out that the bullets came loose when he popped it back in the gun magazine.   The manufacturer of the firearm was not important, but it is not wise to only have one magazine for a self defense weapon.  I rotate all of my Wilson Combat magazines for my 1911s and actually use GI magazines for range mags.  The GI magazines are not as reliable and I actually like that because I can practice clearing malfunctions with them.  If they jam too much I just toss them.   Don’t mix your range magazines in with defensive magazines.

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Time for CCW in the summer

Today I put in several orders for various concealed carry shirts from 5.11 tactical and Blackhawk Warrior wear.   I’m still not happy about most of the tactical apparel companies product lines because so many of them are still not making concealed carry friendly clothing.   A few of them have CCW style shirts that are OK, but only Woolrich Elite really has the shirt thing nailed down right.   Most of the concealed carry style pants that Woolrich had have been discontinued and the better versions made by Eotac are no longer in existence either.    I am waiting for the new Woolrich Chino pants which look very white color friendly.  I hope they made the pockets right because the wallet ID pockets on some of the earlier pants styles were pretty bad and I’m still getting mixed product variations from them.

I can but do not carry a Sig 239 in .357 Sig but I can fit them in most of the Eotac and Woolrich Elite pants that I own.   There are CCW pants made by a company CCW break away that seem to be interesting for guys that have to carry that way, but the new Woolrich Chino pants look like a better idea.   Hopefully they do not look too tactical with the pockets but I will know in a few weeks when they come in.   My newest summer carry gun is my Colt 1991A1 which is thin and not very heavy.  I have been carrying my spare Wilson combat magazines in a pocket now because I have the spare mags on a belt to cause more ride ups from the shirts when I bend over.   Double stack magazines are pretty thick and if you you are carrying them  on a belt, they will protrude.  I do not recommend carrying them IWB because too much IWB stuff can start to hurt after awhile and it does limit your movement or risk causing injury.

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