gameragodzilla

Want to provide an update that the RP45 mags worked perfectly fine. And there's also no nosediving issues with the RP45 mags with the Taylor Freelance extensions. So it seems like the problem was the Mec Gar magazines not working properly beyond 14 rounds. Now I know. I'm just updating here in case anyone in the future sees this and is having similar problems. Thanks for all the help, everyone.

Just want to give an update that my RP45 mags came in today and they seem to be the right tube size, and when I tested these with the Taylor Freelance extensions, the rounds didn't nosedive when I loaded them, so it seems like it was the Mec Gar mag body that was the issue. However, I say "seem" because the RP45 mags don't actually lock into my P14-45, so I assume some modifications are needed. Anyone know what modifications should be done? How much material should be shaved off the mag catch hole to work right?

They work fine when loaded with 14 rounds, though I don’t necessarily think it’s the extensions having issues as it didn’t have nose dive issues with the OEM 10mm 1911 magazines. Springs weren’t strong enough to lock the slide back, so I’d have to replace those, but the extension worked there. Maybe the mag body has issues?

Ah, so it's more the follower and spring that could be the issue? Do you think my current woes with the Mec Gar mags and Taylor Freelance extensions could be fixed with a different follower?

That would explain why the 10mm 1911's magazine I have has indentations while the .45ACP mags don't seem to. Do those indentations affect how rounds are stacked in the mag, too? I said before that I noticed there not being any nosedive issues with the Taylor Freelance extensions on my 10mm 1911 OEM mag but did have that issue with the modified Mec Gar mag for 10mm. Both mags are perfectly reliable without the extension. Again, pardon my ignorance.

Gotcha. Just a shame it's only 16 as the Grams kit seems to get 18 but those aren't around anymore. As I said above, I did ask MBX if their STI/SVI mags work (which are 18 round .45ACP) but they said it is too wide and wouldn't fit in a Para Ordnance frame. So I've heard contradictory statements on whether they work or not, or whether they work with just a change on the mag catch or magazine themselves. Could I potentially get a .40 MBX mag for the Para and tune the feedlips there to fit .45ACP or would that not work? Nice, I'll definitely keep the SPS tubes in mind if I can't get any higher capacity ones. I'm just curious why the MBX mags for the STI/SVI or the Grams Engineering kits can get 18 rounds but the SBS mags only get 16 rounds. Different internal profile? You all will have to be patient with me, I have no idea how any of these things work so basic stuff you guys probably all know already, I'm totally ignorant of. Thanks for all the responses!

Oh nice! I wonder if these could be modified to take 17, though, if at all possible. Also, I see the price is in Euros. Do they ship to the US?

Ah, so the mags were designed to work with 14 rounds and not beyond? In that case, why did people have success with extensions before? I guess Mec Gar mags aren't up to the quality of other mags used? In that case, what mags do work? Do you think the RP45 mags would function better? Since those are 15 rounders, I wonder if the Arredondo extensions could then give a full 17 as well without problems, but I still worry about nosediving. Either way, it just seems like I picked the wrong time to make this kind of gun. That's what happens when I grow up with old 80's action movies and WW2 games as a kid, making me very interested in 1911s in .45ACP, but still being a young guy in my 20's so by the time I became old and rich enough to afford this stuff, they were all long out of production. But I just wonder if anyone here has the knowledge needed for me to at least modify these things custom by a gunsmith to get them working. You think modifying the mag catch to take STI mags is the best way to go? EDIT: Alright, I’m desperate enough now. I know ProMag can’t make a magazine to save their life, but are their magazines salvageable enough that if I purchase one of the 20 rounders they make, I can have a gunsmith tweak it to make it reliable? Or is that just a waste of time and money? EDIT 2: Okay, I'm noticing something weird here, maybe someone can explain it. Out of curiosity, I attempted to use the Taylor Freelance extensions on my RIA 10mm 1911 (so .40 caliber. heh). The standard magazine actually worked pretty well, as I could load a full 20 rounds and it still didn't nosedive, and I could even slow load into my gun fine (though the spring didn't have enough power to push up the slide lock properly, and even using the spare Wolff springs I had lying around didn't work either, so maybe need some tuning there). However, I had another magazine that was actually one of those Mec Gar anti-friction P14-45 mags with the feed lips modified for 10mm, since I had a difficult time finding OEM mags for sale at the time. That one actually caused a nosedive. The only difference I could tell between the two different mags were the coating, and the fact that the OEM 10mm mag had some ribs going down the full length of the mag tube body while the modified Mec Gar magazine was smooth. Do you guys think that could be the culprit? What is the difference between the two mag tube designs?

1. I see. Though I wonder if there would be any higher mag catches still available for the Para given how old it is. Why did MBX say the tube was too wide to fit inside the frame, though? 2. I get that, but I'm baffled why the taper works perfectly fine with the normal baseplate (and it even works fine once the rounds in the magazine drops down to 14 even with the extension) but suddenly doesn't work properly with the extension and fully loaded. Seems like the tube itself is fine, it's somehow the way the extension interacts with the rest of the magazine. 3. That sucks. How good are the Arredondo extensions? I still see some in stock on MidwayUSA, but I don't know how good they are. Are there anyone here who would be willing to sell me some used Grams or Dawson basepads? Anything to get me to 17 or 18 rounds of .45ACP would be nice. 4. Hmm, I'm using Mec Gar mags with their own "anti-friction" coating, which I thought should've been a benefit. Are you saying the coating could also be causing issues with round hangups? Though again, it seems like the issue doesn't exist so long as I load only 14 rounds or below. Blegh, so there's really no options available now? Granted, I did order some RP45 mags off Numrich as I heard those mags, at least the tubes, are compatible with the Para Ordnance frame, and I can at least get 15 rounds there. But I want 17 or 18 in an extended mag if possible.

Basically, in a double stack magazine, the second round should be relatively high in order to support the topmost round when feeding. It doesn’t do that and therefore the topmost round will always nosedive. I thought it would be springs as well so I bought some Wolff +10% springs when I bought the extensions, but they didn’t seem to help at all. I included a couple pictures showing where the second round is in the magazine with the extension vs. where it should be once I went back to standard capacity. As for getting a .40, well, as I said, I’m not getting this for competition as I’m nowhere near good enough, and I already own a .40 P320. I wanted this pistol just as an updated, modernized 1911 with higher capacity, and the extended mag to go with it. EDIT: As for an MBX magazine, that's also a question I wanted to ask. I found this: https://mbxextreme.com/index.php?page=141_45ACPmag Which is very pricey. However, I'm willing to pay for it if I can get 18 rounds and a reliable, proper slide lock with this. However, this one is listed as STI/SVI rather than Para, and the Para/RIA mags listed on MBX's website only are for 9mm and .40. Does anyone know if this mag works for a Para P14-45? EDIT 2: Blegh, MBX customer support got back to me saying that the STI mags wouldn't fit in a Para frame. Can anyone confirm if this is true? Well, I hear great things about Grams Engineering who could get 18 rounds in the extensions, but does anyone have something?

Hi, guys, I recently picked up a Para-Ordnance P14-45 because I like the idea of a double stack 1911. I'm nowhere near good enough to be a competitive shooter, but nevertheless the guys here seem to be the most knowledgeable on the topic so I'm gonna create an account to get some technical help here. So I bought some Mec Gar P14-45 mags with anti-friction coating that are 14 round capacities, but I wanted a bit more so I bought some Taylor Freelance RIA extensions which I thought would work given the RIA double stack 1911s use the same style of frame. However, when I added them, while they did increase the capacity to 17 rounds which I liked, the top few rounds will always be out of alignment and nosedive when I attempt to load them. I lost 5 or so rounds of my Winchester Ranger T ammo to severe bullet setback due to that. All attempt of me or even my gunsmith fiddling around with them couldn't get them to be reliable, so I've downgraded back to the 14 round capacities for now. So the question is: Is there anyone here who knows why that's happening? The second to last round is supposed to support the top round so it feeds correctly, which is fine anytime I load 14 rounds or below, but as soon as I attempt to go further with the extensions, they just go out of alignment. Even banging on the magazine several times still doesn't work well. And on top of that, if these Taylor Freelance extensions don't work, are there any other aftermarket ones I can use? I hear good things about Grams Engineering kits, but they're out of stock. I know support for this pistol hasn't been around for years now and I'm way late into the game, but I'd still like to get something if need be to increase these capacities. Having 17 rounds of .45ACP is nice for me.