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Single Stack Mags


Nemo

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It's strange that nobody has mentioned Metalform mags. Their seven round mags are the best available IMO. They make an eight round mag that sticks out about 3/8" that is basically their seven rounder stretched out. I don't know whether it would fit in the box, but it's another possibility if you want a mag with a fully supported (front and back) steel follower. Price is about the same as a CMC Power Mag.

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I just put in a new SV mag catch in my Colt Gold Cup. These have a higher shelf to hit the window on the mag and hold the mag considerably higher. When done, I've found that most mags work fine as long as the lips are close to specs...

My Colt Delta that now has a Schuemann ramped .40 barrel has never had the problem but the Gold Cup was always picky even though it was "designed for wadcutters"...

The mag catch was an easy installation and a good fix. JP sells the same one....

Mick

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ditto...

Wilson - 8rd..extended base pad.

CMC - 10rd

Knock on wood I've never had a problem with anyones mags in any of my single stack 45ACP pistols. I like the disassembly of the CMC mags the best. Stay with quality and buy the equipment once.

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  • 3 months later...
Some of the early ACT mags had an iffy heat treat, and if you have them they will crack up at the top of the lips in the back of the mag. They will replace them, so it is the cost of doing business.

As far as the CMC mags follower pushing forward and keeping the mag in the gun that is usually indicative of needing a new mag spring. That is what I have found in the classic mags, I havent seen that in the two Power mags I have, but I havent had to change the spring out in them yet either.

The ACT mags are spoken of unfavorably because of the cracking feed lips. Still they look good and work well in my Colt. I have bought some that are marked ACT and others marked Armscor. My plan is to use them until they crack and use the follower in the CMC power mags that I have, although that will render them 7 and 9 round mags.

As far as the CMC mags follower pushing forward and keeping the mag in the gun that is usually indicative of needing a new mag spring. That is what I have found in the classic mags, I havent seen that in the two Power mags I have, but I havent had to change the spring out in them yet either.

As I understand, the reason for the Devel follower moving forward after that last round is because of the shortened rear portion so as to accommodate the 8th round. I have this same problem so that the slide doesn't lock back and the follower jams against the slide stop so that the mag won't drop free.

It's strange that nobody has mentioned Metalform mags. Their seven round mags are the best available IMO. They make an eight round mag that sticks out about 3/8" that is basically their seven rounder stretched out.

Is the follower in that 8round just like the 7 round?

All that I have recently read in the quest for reliable mags point to the metalform or Colt or Checkmate 7 round mag with the dimple in the follower to be the Holy Grail for reliability. It appears that the desire for that extra 8th round is the problem even though there are many who swear by the Wilsons.

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  • 1 year later...

Quick update:

Since the start of this thread I've been using ACT mags without a problem. While shooting in Florida and dropping the mags in our sandy and grassy ranges they had no issues. It took a trip to Rio Salado a a couple of them bouncing off of rocks for three of them coming back home with cracked and spread feed lips. Actually I had two nose-dive jams in two different stages that cost me about 1 minute!!

This is what I get for not listening to you guys. :angry: So, the remaining working ACT's will be relegated to loaners, I'll give my 3 CMC's another opportunity (with fresh springs) and will also refurb my old 47D's.

Here ended the lesson...

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Well Nemo, you know what I use and had pretty flawless reliability last weekend. I would say just get some #47Ds no matter if you shoot .40 or .45. They work as good or better than the #47NX and are $10 cheaper! ;) The NX's needed the feedlips tweaked and the #47Ds are fine out of the box. YMMV

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I guess I have the DE's as well, just had to take some material off the base pads. I also forgot to mention that I didn't clean my mags all weekend either! :blink: And I only whipped down the feed ramp and sent a boresnake down the bore after the first day of shooting.

Edited by Rocket35
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I've only tried one type of 8 round magazine for my 45. I bought them around 8 years ago and never had any issues with them so I never needed to try any other brand They are CMC power mags.

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In .45 ACP 1911s I use the Wilson 7, 8 and 10-rounders, though I have to say that for overall ease of snapping a full mag into the gun, as well as being less picky about which guns they will and won't drop out of when you punch the mag release button, the best 8-rounders I've ever found are the KimPros.

I've found the plastic floorplate on the Tripp and Metalform mags will get crushed in at the front if you have a Heinie full-circumference mag funnel that's had a bit of metal taken out of the front; this in turn leads to problems with the mag overtravelling and tying up the gun if you do a speedload from slidelock; they work fine otherwise but that's enough to keep them out of my Wilson and Rock River Arms .45 single stacks which do indeed feature Heinie mag funnels.

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I love my Wilson 47NX mags since I load long in .40 but I also use some Wilson 47D's and I have had NO problems out of those mags. A buddy of mine only uses the Wilson Elite Tactical mags and he has no problems with feeding.

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Wilson for .45 hands down! I do have a set of McCormick's in .45 that I must say have never let me down.

I also like Wilson 10mm for .40 I did get a set of Cobra mags in .40 and I must say I was impressed. What

ever choice you make as long as you go with a reputable name I think you will be happy, some are more

economical then other!

Good Luck!

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I use CMC power mags, Wilson's, and Tripps. I liked the CMC for the metal follower but didn't like how it didn't have a front skirt on the follower. I like the wilson because they had a front skirt but didn't have a metal follower. Tripps have a front skirt and a metal follower.

I would rate Tripp and wilson's to be a personal preference, with that being said my carry mags are wilson etms. Then I would rate the CMC's next. I prefer the power mags but they don't make them in .40 so I used the shooting stars and never had a problem with them.

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I used CMCs for over ten years, and while they always worked, the latest generation of extended-tube mags is the way to go, if you already use mags with any sort basepad . I had a couple od Novak's-branded ACT-Mags that performed flawlessly for a year, but one developed a crack (on my recommendation, a buddy bought six of them, and all cracked after minimal use). For the last 6-8 months, I've been using a variety of mags made by Check-Mate Industries. They make a lot of "factory" mags, for Colt and Kimber among others, but their name is not well known. The quality is excellent, prices are very reasonable, and made in the USA. Their extended-tube 8-rounder is as good as any.

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I used CMC my first year in L10. They worked at first and then the follower started hanging on the feed ramp and the mag slung it's guts everywhere when you snatched it out of the gun. I switched to Wilson. They work. Eventually, after repeated drops on concrete (indoors) and rocks, stepping on them, kicking them etc. they got to where they would not drop out of the gun. Wilson replaced them free of charge! I told them that I "abused" them, they told me that they were built for hard use and I should not be having any problems with them. I will only buy Wilson mags.

Hurley

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I don't want to rag on Wilson's policy of free replacement, as you can't do any better than that for a product that breaks (they replaced two broken sights for me, not even asking me to send the broken sight the second time), but really, I'd rather have a product that doesn't break! A buddy of mine had two or three of their Bureaucrat 10-rounders, and the small, L-shaped overtravel stops would repeatedly pop off with use, tying-up the gun each time. Wilson would always replace the mags, but how about fixing the design, so they don't break, instead? The same holds true with the Novak's mags that I have; Novak's absolutely stands behind them, and will exchange new mags for broken ones, but how long will Novak's want to remain associated with a product that repeatedly fails?

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