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Need feedback on 8 round 45ACP SS Mags.


SPDGG

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Hello,

I have searched on various forums, including this board, and really hoped to come across a thread that addressed my question(s), so I wouldn't have to bug anyone = no luck. . . . Maybe my Google-Fu is running low on caffeine.

Here are my questions, my run down of reason, & seeking advise from the 1911 Single Stack Wise.

Platform: Les Baer Custom II & Premier II .45ACP.

* I always run the Wilson Combat 47D .45ACP magazines as "7" Round Mags and they have always run great.

^ I can "slam" more like "JAM" 8 rounds loaded in a 47D with +1, but it sucks, and only works on 1x out of 15x 47D magazines. Cant see this as part of the "fast reload" formula

Reason I load only to 7:

- Basically, from what I have experienced, learned from others, read, etc. = the WC 47D is a 7 Round spec body with a short follower, and spring design to allow 8 rounds, . . . I think/assume.

So, it makes seating/reloading 8 rounds in the magazine with one the chamber = frustrating, no room for compression. 7 rounds loaded, no problem with slide forward as they is enough room left over in the magazine for compression. 8 rounds over compresses the magazine & bottoms it out, rides the bottom of the slide, basically only GTG when the slides locked back. I don't usually run the gun till its dry & dont want to fight a magazine reload "ever"

* I know WC revised the ETM line to have a longer magazine body to address 8 rounds loaded. But, if I'm in the market for new mags I thought I'd ask in comparison to the latest generation Tripp Research Cobra 8 round Gen II mags.

Tripp Cobra Mags seem superior in the follower department with the hybrid steel/polymer design. Heard the newer Tripp Gen II magazines corrected A LOT of the first generation.

But, I hear the Tripp Cobra Gen II mags hold the magazine a lot higher & that the feed lips are longer than the Wilson Line Up. . . . . Could this be an issue with ejector clearance, interference? Has anyone had issues with the Tripp Research 8 Round Mags? FTF?

My goal is to find/buy a 1911 .45ACP Single Stack magazine that will be able to seat with the slide forward/one in the chamber and 8 rounds in the mag. "8+1" properly / as effortlessly as physically possible. Not, slamming & jamming the magazine in, which to me = no confidence in gear = fail.

What are most 1911 Single Stack .45ACP shooter running to get 8+1, reliably?

Edited by SPDGG
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Ive run about 10 of the Wilsons through my Fusion, SA, and Les Baer without a hitch as long as my ammo was right. Ive used a couple of other models as well but Ive always come back to the Wilsons. Could be something other than the mags...

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Ive run about 10 of the Wilsons through my Fusion, SA, and Les Baer without a hitch as long as my ammo was right. Ive used a couple of other models as well but Ive always come back to the Wilsons. Could be something other than the mags...

^ Thank you for your feedback, but I honestly do not think its the 1911(s) I am referring to: LB Custom II or Premier II.

I would have called LB if it was a frame/spec issue, not the case with these. I'm ruling out ammo as Im not dealing with OAL round issues, but magazine body physical capacity specs.

A 45ACP round that chambers/sized, physically can not change its OD and these are stacking correctly. Just in case I wasnt clear in my op, Im not having feeding issues, but capacity :)

Both, run prefect with the WC 47D as stated above, but not with the WC 47D loaded to 8 rounds, It bottoms out with one in the chamber.

The LB Custom II is running a Extended Ed Brown Magazine Catch, & the LB Premier II has the factory LB magazine catch.

Both have no issues seating the Wilson Combat 47D magazines with 7 rounds +1. These insert/seat effortlessly at 7 rounds with or without the slide in battery, as they should be.

I am looking for feedback from Single Stack .45ACP shooters that use Tripp Research Cobra Gen II 8 Round Magazines -or- know of any combo, mag, that offers 8+1 seating "properly"

Edited by SPDGG
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No experience with WC mags though they have a good rep.

I've never had a problem with any of my regular old Chippy (CMC) Shooting Star mags. I can (and always do) load 8 in anyone of them and can easily seat each one into the gun (slide forward) all day long.

Not questioning your manhood, but does anyone else have the same problem with your gun and these mags loaded to 8? :devil:

The only other thing I can think of is that something about the mag catch is interfering with the seating of the mag when loaded to 8 and that when loaded to 7 that condition is not present though I can't think of what that condition might be.

Where in CA are you? If you're in the SF Bay Area, get to Richmond and I'll try to help you figure it out.

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I'm using Wilson ETM's in my Spartan and can load a full magazine on a closed slide pretty easily. Much more easily than trying to load a full 10-round Tripp 9mm magazine in my Trojan.

Thank you for your WC ETM feedback, Appreciate it.

I had ETM(s) in the past and can't recall "anything" with those. . . . Reason: I only had them for a short period, sold a 1911 a while back and the buyer needed mags for an upcoming weekend class: I sold him those mags, my holster, mag pouches to get him going.

"astephenson": By any chance, Have you tried or compared these to the Tripp Comba Gen II 8 round mags?

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I have had no problems loading 8 rounds into my Shooting Star or Wilson mags and then inserting them into my Springfield 1911. We are not talking just slow insertion plinking either. This is high speed/ stage speed usage.

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Not questioning your manhood, but does anyone else have the same problem with your gun and these mags loaded to 8?

LOL ! No offense taken and I'm not the only one ;)

I actually searched for hours, and seems this comes up more often than not re: 8+1 WC 47D

Thank you for offering help, but Im down south from you in SoCal. Really do appreciate the kind offer.

As posted, I can slam & jam these in with 8 rounds . . . but, its not as it should be. The magazine is being compressed like crazy.

If you don't watch the mag and dont apply the hammer of "Thor" reload = they wont seat on the magazine catch with one one tube.

* I bought the WC 47D(s) over the years and continued to run these, buy these = as "7 round magazines" , I guess force of habit.

I want to start shooting USPSA Single Stack & well, when you are loading single digits "every round counts". If this was for Non-Comp. type Training courses or Range Work I'd stick with the WC 47D(s) that I have @ 7 rounds & change out the guts to Tripp later one, keeping them 7 round mags.

But, since I want to attempt/try to start shooting at matches I would like a Magazine that was Designed to be a 8 Round .45ACP Single Stack Mag. Not a 7 Round modified to hold 8 rounds. No disrespect to WC, as I love these mags as 7 rounders & they have NEVER failed me @ 7/mag.

Edited by SPDGG
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Since you're in Socal, maybe you can bring your Wilson mags there and see if any of the locals can help you out. Seems like you have quite a few so it would be a shame to go buy all new mags if these can be made to work as they should.

My last suggestion is something of a long shot: maybe the springs are too long? You can try clipping a coil on one and testing to see if that makes it any better without sacrificing the feeding reliability.

ETA: there's a pinned thread specifically about mags in the Gear & Accessories sub-fo. Jon Merricks, one of the good moderators, collected a whole bunch of threads with a good many of them about single stack mags. Maybe there's a solution buried in one of those.

Edited by lumpygravy
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Since you're in Socal, maybe you can bring your Wilson mags there and see if any of the locals can help you out. Seems like you have quite a few so it would be a shame to go buy all new mags if these can be made to work as they should.

My last suggestion is something of a long shot: maybe the springs are too long? You can try clipping a coil on one and testing to see if that makes it any better without sacrificing the feeding reliability.

ETA: there's a pinned thread specifically about mags in the Gear & Accessories sub-fo. Jon Merricks, one of the good moderators, collected a whole bunch of threads with a good many of them about single stack mags. Maybe there's a solution buried in one of those.

Nice ! Thank you ! There are a ton of links, I'll read up on them.
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I shoot a Baer PM II in SS. I have and use Wilson 47Ds, Baer mags, and Tripp Cobra gen. II mags, all with 8+1. all work just fine. What the op says about 47Ds seating hard when fully loaded is true. I think it is over stated a bit but it is true they seat harder than the Tripps, which have a longer mag tube.

The issue has caused me to not fully seat a mag during a reload several times and I designed basepad extensions for my 47Ds as a result. The Tripp mags seat much easier.

Edited by lawboy
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I've been running a LB Premier in SS for years. 47Ds are a little tight and many opt to not run them, as you really have to remember to smack em in hard to ensure seating. You often see guys at matches drop a mag right after reload, and it's almost always a 47D. They work fine, just in the heat of battle you sometimes forget to really smack that mag in. I've run Wilson ETM, Cobra and McGars in both 8 and 10rd configurations. They all seat easily and smoothly without the mag hitting the ejector. If I had to choose a mag which I like best, I'd give a slight advantage to the Cobra, only because it is easier to disassemble for cleaning and because they more reliably activate the slide stop in my pistol. The Cobra and ETM both feed very smooth and the build quality on both are excellent. The McGars also work extremely well, but only the stainless models which can be difficult to find. Act mags work well as they are rebadged McGars, but all 3 of the blued Act mags I bought had cracked feed lips inside of 3 months use.

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I started with Shooting Stars, a looong time ago. I still have them, and they function fine, but are a PITA to clean.

I tried 47Ds, and like you, thought they seated way too hard with 8 rounds in them.

Wilson ETMs are the easiest seating, 8 round mag I've used. I wish they would have turned the flange to the outside, where the basepad slides on so you don't have to fight the spring and follower to clean.

I like the Tripps for cleaning. I have a pretty good pile of them, but, I trust the ETMs more. The reason I trust the ETMs more is because if I use my .45 magazines in one of my .40, single stacks, the ETMs feed flawless, but, SOME of my Tripps will nosedive the first round. :surprise:

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I have a few of the Tripps, I just got them a month ago so I assume they are Gen II. I don't have any problem seating them on a closed slide. The feed lips nor the top round on an open slide contact the ejector but the ejector is very short. I actually thought I had broken it off. My 40 and 9mm ejectors are MUCH longer. I am running a Trojan not a LB so I assume it could be the mag catch causing you the problem. 8 rounds go into my Tripp magazines fairly easily and I can depress the top round lower than the feed lips with some but not too much effort. It seems there is pleanty of room in the mag. Good luck! :cheers:

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I have a Les Baer Concept I and had the same experience with the 47Ds. I cannot seat one with 8 rounds and the slide forward. The Wilson ETMs and Tripp Cobras will seat just fine with 8 rounds and the slide forward with maybe a very slight advantage to the ETMs.

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I think it's very interesting that someone else posted the same problem with a Les Baer and 47Ds.

Since 2006 I have used well over two dozen different 47Ds in:

Five Paras

Two Wilsons

S&W

Springfield

Caspian frames

Essex frames

Colt

And probably some others I can't remember owning right now.

I currently use 6 47Ds and one ETM in SS division without any of the issues you describe.

It almost has to be something with the LB mag catch; maybe its holding the mags too high.

I'm curious to find out what the problem is!

Reading on my phone, So I may have missed it - but have you asked LB if they have any known issues with 47Ds?

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^ The Wilson Combat 47D magazines will work, but the bodies are a tad bit short when you try to stuff 8 rounds into them.

If you compare your Wilson Combat Magazines from the back, The WC 47D mag to your WC ETM, you will notice the longer magazine tube of the ETM.

I have tried the WC 47D with the following Magazine Catches: Factory, Ed Brown Ext., 10-8 = All the same.

Forgot to add: The Factory Les Baer Magazines for both, do the same. I didnt notice till now since I left them in box.

I should have new magazines coming in shortly and will report back once I have them at least indoor range tested.

Edited by SPDGG
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