All posts tagged 7rd Magazines

Rotating your magazines, it’s more important than you think

Wilson Combat MagazinesWe have a lot of gun owners that stop in our store, usually it’s for a holster for their first purchase and they are looking for something, but don’t have any idea where to start form.  We highly recommend that people consider shooting IDPA when they are going to be CCW a firearm because it’s usually a very good way to get some street smarts and to understand that not every shooting experience is going to be on level ground with stationary targets.   If you are in the Delaware County look into Double Action Indoor range in Yeadon PA for their next shoot and you’ll learn as much there form the person competing in front of you as well as shooting the competition yourself.

In some circumstances it’s best to just got to an event and ask people why they chose the firearm they are using and what kind of holster and magazine setup they have.   One thing that has picked up for the people shooting 1911s are the Wilson Combat magazines called the Elite Tactical magazine.  These have number markings on the bottom of the magazines so you can use them in a rotation and wear the magazines in a consistent manor.   Some people don’t know that even though you may have gotten one or two magazines with your gun, it’s not a good idea to go to the range with small quantities of magazines and use them in self defense without risking finding out that you now have a malfunction because your magazine is cycling too slow.   We highly suggest having atleast 3 magazines for any gun you shoot frequently and rotate them.

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I love my 1911s but chose not to carry

Every once in awhile I have broken out some of my first handguns just to make sure they were cleaned and lubricated, but now that I have switch to using more modern lubricants like Slip 2000,  I have a lot of confidence that the lube is going to stay on there and I don’t need to check on them as much as I did with BreakFree CLP.    I’ve learned that over cleaning does more damage than under cleaning and have learned to treat my combat handguns and rifles with that respect.    My Colt 1991A1 is still my favorite handgun even thought I chose to stop carrying in almost a decade ago.   Last night I broke it out and practiced trigger control by using a pencil with a good eraser so it could be used in a training exercise I from a World War II and Korean Vet.

Using a pencil I would load it through the barrel and fire it like a rocket by using the rubber eraser that reacted to the firing pin striking it.   This type of hammer/firing pin design works well with this but I removed all Chip McCormick Magazines from the room and tripple racked the slide to make sure it was clear and safe.   The Trigger on my 1911 could afford to drop a few pounds but I still love the way it feels in my hands.   The only down side to the 1911 in my book is the slider release safety.   I know several people that agree with me and since moved on to Sig Sauer handguns for CCW. Chip McCormick magazines

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1911 Range review on gun magazines

Wilson Combat MagazinesI have several 1911 handguns that I have run over the years and still prefer the GI M1911 styles with some slight changes like the sights.   I’m a big fan of the Trijicon HD or high definition sights because they are so much better than the traditional tritium sights.  Much brighter in the day time, too.  I’ve messed around with the Glock 30 and the Glock 21 but I find the Glock 21 to be entirely too big of a handgun for CCW and just something so well balanced as the 1911 just can’t be beat.  The Sig 220 is a close second but the trigger pull differences between a single action and a SA/DA is considerable if  you are looking for first hit accuracy.  I love my Sigs but they are not going to be as consistent with the first shot being so much hard to pull.

Wilson combat makes a lot of gun parts for the 1911 and  you can customize this gun in just about any way you want.   Hand sizes can vary so customization of a firearm is important but the one thing that I find constant is my Wilson Combat Magazines are always going to be running in all of my 1911 handguns.  I prefer the 8rd ETM magazines because they feel a little stronger and with the numbers being printed on the bottom of the magazines its easy to keep a track record of my magazine rotations when I am shooting IDPA or other competition events.  I’ve also noticed a much better knock down ration with 45acp ball ammo on steel plates and that’s really just what is so good about the 45acp.

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Still seeing the 1911 being used in Law Enforcement

chip mccormick magazines Today we had a police officer mention firearm retention during arrests and why the Blackhawk Serpa holster was his preferred gun holster.   Another Officer mentioned that he still used a 1911 because he liked the idea that if someone was unfamiliar with this firearm that even if they got it in a struggle they might not be able to shoot it.   There are always different scenarios that you can run with, with each tactical or mechanical device and you use.  Training and gaining muscle memory is something that is hard to change and it’s very hard to jump back and forth with firearms and be proficient.   I suggest consistency is more important and will make you less prone to making errors.

There are reasons I love the 1911 and reasons I don’t use it as a primary sidearm but if I did carry it, I would probable have to put in more range time to remember to disengage the safety every time.  If you are looking for reliable and consistent 1911 magazines for under $30 the best one I use is the  8rd Chip McCormick magazines called the Power Mag.  I have never seen a reason to  not use 8rd magazines although I think the 1911 looses it’s balance with 10rd magazines.   The 10rd Power Mags are very popular for competition shooting so again, it’s also about training and adjusting to the firearm or device.

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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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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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Magazines that aren’t flush fitting

I have never really liked the feel of having a pistol magazine protrude out of the bottom of the gun unless it is because the gun grip is too small for me.  I’ve seen a few of my friends do this on their Glocks, namely the Glock 26 because it is such a small gun.   I did put an extension on a Sig 239 which is the  only gun I currently own that has this.   The first gun that I owned was a Colt 1991A1 and it only came with one pistol magazine.   It was a Colt magazine which i thought would be the best gun magazine to have, but that turned out to not be true.   After having a few problems with the slide stop not catching, I found out the magazine tab was bending and causing the issue.

I believe it was at a gun show that I picked up 2 Wilson Combat magazines and my Colt 1991A1 ran flawlessly with ball ammo.  The gun magazines really ran well with hollow point ammunition but I found the gun to be too picky with hollow point ammo that I pretty much gave up on worrying about it.   If you look at the velocity that a 45acp is flying at, I don’t think you’ll have massive over penetration issues compared to 9mm ball.   Wilson combat magazines have varying base pads and from my experience this is mostly a concern for competition shooters.   If the magazine drops free I don’t need to worry about gripping it and pulling it out for a fast reload.

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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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