All posts tagged Wilson Combat 1911 Magazines

The ever changing tastes of gun owners

It may be just me, but I have noticed another change in the handgun industry of going back to the 1911 or 45acp firearms.   Back in the 1990’s during the assault weapons ban, some guns got priced out because the magazines were too expensive and many people just settled for what was the least expensive to own.   The 1911 got a lot of people back from the higher capacity 9mm thrill ride that Glock gave them and nobody complained.  Once the AWB was over everyone went back to whatever floated their boat.   The sale of AR15’s went through the roof and we saw lots of after market magazine manufacturers fall off the wagon and disappear.   I have noticed that after just about everyone and their dog picked up an AR15 or an M4 Cabine, worrying about  higher capacity handguns seemed to diminish.

If you have ever taken a serious Carbine class, the capacity of rounds your backup gun held really wasn’t something that came up.  If your primary weapons went down, any secondary firearm was your backup.  If you couldn’t get your primary back up and running you’re probable screwed.   I usually only carry a 1911 with 2 spare Wilson Combat Magazines. I never liked the idea of packing too many pistol rounds and was more inclined to pack extra gun parts like a spare bolt or firing pins rather than more than 2 pistol magazines.  My secondary weapon is meant to fight my way back to getting my primary back up and running.

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Sig 220 vs the 1911

I think there is just something about a 45acp that really makes firearms manufacturers do it right.  There is always preference when it comes to which firearm you want, and due to modern technology, many firearms are very reliable under almost all conditions.   The arguments about which caliber handgun has more stopping power will probable be a non-issue in coming years due to less lethal weapons like tasers ect.

I can’t think of any 45acp gun that is a full size semi-auto that I don’t like like.   The Springfield XD seems to be the most popular 45acp amongst 45acp enthusiasts.  Mostly because it feels closer to a 1911 and it is very well balanced.  Wilson Combat Magazines give the 1911 more reliability, but unless you do some alterations to the throat of the barrel, it won’t tolerate as much ammunition as the Sig 220 or the Springfield XD.

 

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NAA Guardian, pocket gun options

Many of my shooting buddies have been CCW for 1-2 decades longer than I have.    I have watched the evolution of weapons they have carried over the years and they have all ended up carrying guns and calibers that I would never have wanted to carry before.   In my opinion it was always about how much damage the bullet could do, followed by reliability, and finally durability.   I was always turned off by some of the pocket semi-autos that I cam across because the recoil tended to be pretty nasty.   I am not afraid of shooting 50 BMG rifles, but I don’t like shooting too much recoil in a handgun.   I know an individual that actually has developed nerve damage from shooting too many heavy handguns and if it hurts after I shoot it, I don’t want to carry it as a CCW gun.

My first adventure into CCW was with a friend that had 20yrs more experience than I did.   He showed me he had evolved to the NAA guardian .380 pistol and that in his opinion, it was the only gun he could carry at work with any level of comfort.  My only issue with some pocket guns is that they are so small that I can’t feel them, and I like to know I can feel the gun on me at all times.   The real issue I have noticed with NAA Guardians is that you have to really pay attention to the round counts you have put through your gun and how many you put through your NAA Guardian gun magazines and rotate out the springs before you have any issues.   The NAA Guardian is strictly a CCW gun and will handle some of the hotter loads for the .380 compared to some of the Kel-Tec counterparts.   I was fortunate enough to test out some of the Rohrbaugh R9 pistols next to the NAA Guardian and the only thing the R9 had over the NAA Guardian was the trigger pull.

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If you are looking for the ultimate 1911 pistol magazine

There’s a  famous old saying in the world and it applies to all of those accessories and gun parts that you are putting on your guns.   The saying if you’ve never heard it from your grandma goes something like this, “you get what you pay for”.     Long  before I got into the business of selling guns parts and accessories, I remember ordering stock parts and accessory holders that I broke while installing them improperly and then blamed it on the manufacturer.   Then I realized I better pay attention to how I am putting this on and to not force things into place.   The next thing I realized is that expensive version I saw on mounting optics on an AK worked much better and actually held zero while the other part that cost $20 didn’t hold minute of man at 50yds.

Although I do not have combat experience, I have a friends that have served in Iraq and have actually been there and done that.   They claim that they have seen guys take 9 rounds of 9mm ball ammo to take to the ground while it only took 2 or 3 shots from a 45acp to drop them.   Even the military has finally after decades of complaining, agree that 9mm ball ammo sucks and there is a new 9mm ammo that is ballistically superior to the previous one.   Well, for those that have the option to bring their own sidearms to Iraq, they are all carrying M4 Carbines and 1911 style handguns.   If they need lots of handgun ammo, they prefer to use a rifle, if they are clearing rooms they like using handguns.   Don’t take it from me, take it from the guys that are on the front lines and they all swear by the Wilson Combat magazines that are stronger than the standard magazine called the ETM, or Wilson Combat Elite Magazine.

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Keep your range mags and your primaries separate

Gun magazines have various levels of quality.   Some gun magazines are meant as throw aways i.e. 1911 magazines made in Tawain.   I have several 1911 GI magazines that were pretty good range mags, but when they jammed up on me, and I could blame it on the gun springs, it was time to toss them.   Buying Wolff gun springs that cost about $8 for an $8 magazine isn’t really worth my time, plus I’ve found that many of these have worn out followers and it’s really not worth the headach to tweak them, plus I’d consider them to not be worth using for self defense.   Wilson Combat and Chip McCormick make very good gun magazines and both of them should help get your 1911 to be more tolerant of various types of ammunition.

The one thing I have learned over the years is that no matter how much money I spent on a firearm, I’m still going to have something break.  When you put thousands of rounds through a firearm the you will eventually have to learn some level of gunsmithing.   After taking some of my guns to gunsmiths and having to wait for months to get simple things done, it’s good to pick up an AGI video and do the changes yourself.   The same goes for gun magazines.   Parts on a gun magazine can wear out and depending on how much you spent on the magazine, you may want to just toss it in the trash.  For some magazines, you will only have to replace the springs to get it back to reliable functionality.

 

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Wilson combat 1911 gun parts

Everyone that I know that owns a 1911 made some kind of upgrade or customization.   I personally think that, that is the norm and it’s good to suggest to gun buyers that you should expect to customize the gun, especially when it comes to gun grips.   There are a lot of things you can do to improve upon the GI 1911 gun that the military used.   The first thing that I always recommend is getting the sights replaced with your own preferences.   I personally love the way that Glock sights give a good sight picture and I have had very good experiences with training with my Glocks, but I still love my 1911s.   Beavertail can be dropped in and you won’t have to worry about gun smithing, 99% of the time.   The Wilson Combat Skeleton hammer and thumb safeties are also things to think about upgrading to.

An issue I have had with my big hands is that whenever I put on my preferred gun grips which are Hogue fingerless grips I sometimes it can become difficult to sweep the gun safeties or hit the slide release.  I found this out the hard way with a 1911 and had to put in an extended slide release.    You learn from experience but be aware that replacing any part of the gun may mean making another adjustment somewhere else.   Wilson Combat magazines are very reliable and lightweight and drop from all of my guns when the magazine release is hit.   Not all magazines drop freely and this is something to pay attention to whenever you are testing out your CCW or defensive gear.

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Wilson Combat better than GI Magazines

Wilson Combat MagazinesThe title pretty much says it.    The 1911 has been around for a long time now, but the reality is the guns and the magazines have improved since 1911.   Sure machining and accuracy has improved for all firearms, but even to this day I still see guys with 1911 malfunctions regardless of the type of gun.   Whenever I see these malfunctions I always ask what kind of ammo they use and what magazines.    Most 1911s are even to this day still designed for ball ammo.   Check with your manufacturer on what kind of ammo  your 1911 will tolerate so you don’t make a fool out of yourself during training.    I see it happen every year when new shooters show up at a class.

Magazines matter.    In my opinion the DI AR15 variants got a life extension once Pmags came out since part of the weakness of the Ar15 system were flimsy GI Magazines.   The same goes for the 1911.   GI Mags are nice range mags, but they really were intended to be thrown away on the battlefield and not reused.   Wilson Combat Magazines helped keep the 1911 on the market for LEO and CCW owners.   The balance of the magazine followers is superior to what you’ll find at gun shows and that can increase your versatility.    Some GI 1911s will run ammo that is non-ball, just because Wilson Combat Magazines put the bullet in the chamber without as much movement as the old GI mags and will increase reliability.

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Wilson Combat Magazines

Wilson Combat Magazines

Wilson Combat Magazines

Wilson Combat has been supplying serious shooters and professionals with the worlds’ most reliable and durable .45 auto magazines for the past 25 years.  They are used by the worlds’ most elite US Army SPEC OPS unit, FBI SWAT, THUNDER RANCH and professionals worldwide

.  NO other .45 magazine on the market can compare for proven inherent reliability, durability and the ability to remain fully loaded for long periods of time without damage.  Our magazine springs are specially fabricated from the highest tensile strength heavy duty spring wire for long service life enhanced feeding and positive slide stop operations.  Wilson Combat Magazines bodies are manufactured from .027″ (the thickest in the industry) aircraft grade certified 17-7 PH stainless steel and heat treated for maximum durability and service life.  Our dimensional tolerances are held so close that you will never encounter a Wilson mag that doesn’t drop free from your pistol or that your rounds are tight inside the tube as long as your pistol and ammo are close to proper specifications.

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