9mm 1911 mag choices

[Bakerjd]

Getting back into SS for a little bit next season and want to get a few more mags. Currently I only run the Wilson Combat ETM 10rnd mags with dawson base pads. While I have never once had an issue with them working even when shooting the SNS400 in the muddy rain a couple years ago and not cleaning any of them the entire match. The biggest gripe I have is that they are super tight on the 10rnd and unless you seat it hard they tend to not lock in. I thought I found a thread where guys were talking about this and had mentioned a few other brands that were a little less stiff but cant find it now. So..... opinions please. 1911 9mm DW PM9 will be the pistol I'm using. 

 

Thanks,

Josh Baker

[jcc7x7]

Cost effective method!  Cut a coil and a half   (1 1/2 ) off the springs

or 

Dawson 10rnd mags with the base plate work great and are a good price (competition ready mags)

They are metalform mags, Metalforms come with a plastic base pad that holds up just fine and they are cheap but run great. Somewhere in the 20.00 ea price range.

[johnmyster]

jcc7x7 called it.  ETM, Cobra, and Metalform are the three go-to options in 10rd 9mm mags.

 

Wilsons tend to sit higher in the gun, so make sure they're not up against your ejector.  This higher position can be a good thing for guns that need some help to feed well.  EGW also makes a "raised" mag catch, if you want to get that effect with Tripp/Metalform/other mags.

 

I sold my stack of Wilson ETMs this spring in order to switch to Tripp, but was also ironing out some gun issues at the time.  I use the Tripps now with success.  CDNN had Zenith 10rd 9mm mags this summer...rebranded Metalforms.  I picked up a few.  My guns also seem pretty happy on them.  The DW guns come from the factory with rebranded Metalforms.  The Dawson mags are...rebranded Metalforms.  Metalform, Wilson ETM, or Tripp:  plenty of folks swear by one of the three for 10rd 9mm use.

 

Be aware that the earlier WC ETM 9mm mags used a polymer follower.  More recent mags are metal.  No comment on which is better.  Just different.

 

 

Edited December 10, 2020 by johnmyster

[TRPOperator]

My choice for 9 or 40 ss mags is Tripp. Dtill like WC for 45, but for a 9mm Tripp is the ticket. 

[RickT]

I use exclusively Tripp.  Only downside is that when loading 10+1 the barney mag will sometimes strip and extra round when ejected.

[shootin-blanks]

metalform 10rds with Dawson base pads.

 

[zzt]

I chip in on Metalform mags.  I bought them from Brownell's.  Same as the Dawson but with a different base pad.  They work way better than all the other brands I tried.

 

I prefer to condition the mag springs rather than clipping coils.  Keep then fully loaded for weeks at a time.  That will set the spring so you don't get nose dives on the first rounds.  You can use them sooner, but not at full capacity.  Cutting coils off eliminates most of this conditioning, but you'll be changing mag springs a lot more often if you do.

[Jim Watson]

I like the CMC XP magazines but Bill preferred rear spacers so he went 1950 conventional on the Range Pro.

Which seems to do OK. 

[belus]

I use Metalform/Dawson in both an STI and SA single stack 9mm. I like them, but it took a little turning to drop free and it is very difficult to empty a full magazine by hand. They run fine though.

 

I also have a cache of ETMs but haven't used them because it's too difficult to load 10 and I don't have a need to explore more options.

[cbrussell]

How do the Vickers/Wilson stack up? How about the Chip McCormick railed magazines? Do all the 9mm magazines utilize spacers? What are the pros/cons? 

Thanks.

[Twinkie]

I'll add in my voice for the Dawson mags. I used Wilson but didn't like how hard they are to take apart to clean. I tried Tripp but didn't like how the top round can get pulled out and mess up a reload nor how if you drop mags rounds easily come out. 

 

The Dawson mags hold rounds well and in my gun (S&W Performace Center with custom barrel) work 100% as long as I dont load too long. The main downsides to the Dawson mags have been unloading them and the spacer. Unloading is a pain because the mags hold rounds insanely tight. The spacer is a problem because when cleaning the mags its one more fiddly thing to have to align, keep track of, and possibly mess up. 

 

If the rounds falling out isn't a problem for you, go with the Tripp. They have the best quality (polish, "feel," hybrid follower) of all the 1911 mags I've seen. If you don't know what you want or what will work try to get one of each mag and test them out.

[GunBugBit]

For me, Dawsons ended up being the ones the provide best overall reliability.  The others I tried were Tripp and Wilson.

[Dan Sierpina]

Metalform or the Brownells mags. They are the same with the Brownells having a coating on them, as well as having 3 pack pricing. 

[Bakerjd]

Sounds like I'm just gonna have to get one or 2 of the tripp, and metalform and see which I like best. Thanks everyone. 

[echotango]

8 hours ago, belus said:

 it is very difficult to empty a full magazine by hand. 

https://czcustom.com/products/1911-2011-parts/1911-parts/9mm-1911-ammo-stripper.html

[rtl]

15 hours ago, echotango said:

https://czcustom.com/products/1911-2011-parts/1911-parts/9mm-1911-ammo-stripper.html

+1 for this.  It works like a champ

 

RTL

[cbrussell]

I am going online to order one of these. Great find. Thanks for the suggestion.

[Bakerjd]

23 hours ago, echotango said:

https://czcustom.com/products/1911-2011-parts/1911-parts/9mm-1911-ammo-stripper.html

Whoah I need this for sure!

[Twinkie]

The UpLula does the same thing. One the side there is a bullet icon and a small ledge. The ledge can be used to strip rounds out of a magazine.

[CHARLES D]

I would definitely go with Tripp. Their customer service is fantastic. Virgil and Aaron are top notch

[cbrussell]

“Twinkie,” I did not know that. Will have to check mine out.

Thanks.

[rtl]

Thanks Twinkie

i did not know that. Been using uplula for years. 
just played with it and I like the other gizmo better but if I didn’t have it with me the uplula would get the job done. 
 

RTL

[Bigzeke]

I will throw my vote for the Dawson mags. Out of the package, into the gun they have worked better than any of the others I have tried. Springer RO and DW PM9. They are a pain to unload the first 3-4 out of the mag is the downside, but I have found that to be pretty true for all the 10 round mags.

[oddjob]

I run a STI Trojan in 9mm.  I use the Tripp mags without any problems.  Friend of mine runs a Springfield Armory 9mm and I let him try my Tripp mags.  He now uses the Tripp mags. 

 

I did find a CMC XP 9mm mag at a gun shop that was closing up for good.  I used it and it worked well.  I just have more faith in the Tripp mags.

[Bakerjd]

Bought a 3 pack of the brownells/metalform mags in black. Hopefully USPS doesnt take 3 months to deliver them.