What magwell on SS guns? What is preferred?

[G-ManBart]

I had an S&A on the gun for a short while and am much happier with the Techwell....it also helps secure the bottom of my hand as part of my grip.

IF you read through the VERY detailed thread I made about SS magwells, it is clear that GOOD reloads are not better with a large magwell, you might be able to slop a mediocre one easier with a large magwell. BUT....

The benefit is for indexing the draw and indexing after a reload, HUGE difference

Z,

I read through that thread and I simply don't come to the same conclusion you did...not to say you're wrong...well, okay, you're wrong I crack myself up sometimes!

A perfect reload won't be any better with a big magwell....okay, no argument there. A bad reload will be a LOT better with a big magwell. A so-so reload with a big magwell will be almost as fast as a perfect reload....that's the one that really saves your bacon. How many almost, but not quite, reloads do we see people making....TONS of them. In two out of three scenarios, the big magwell wins, it's just as good in the third and it also helps with grip consistency.

So, it's a matter of what people are looking to do...maximize their performance or cater to asthetics and/or some moral point that it's against the spirit of the division. I show up to place as high as possible in every match so the question answers itself...big magwell, take the safety net it offers and still practice so that it's not needed very often.

And hopefully nobody is going to be silly enough to suggest that they never blow reloads....I recall a picture of TGO in Front Sight within the last year where he was totally blowing a SS reload. If he can do that in a match, I know I can too.

Certainly a big magwell doesn't mean people shouldn't practice to get their reloads down perfectly...I certainly spent a lot of time practicing them for the WSSSC and the local matches I shot in SS. In fact, practicing with a small magwell and then shooting matches with a larger magwell would probably be smart assuming it doesn't totally change the grip. Still, when I look at the guns in the holsters of the very best, a pretty high percentage of them are using really big magwells....tells me something.

[Steve J]

I like the TechWell with a few tweaks for SS.

And I prefer a well blended S&A as shown below. The opening is about the same.

The thing most notable about Loves2Shoot's TechWell is the OPEN FRONT. If you think you simply have to have a huge magwell and you slap one on with a closed front, you're simply asking for trouble. It's next to impossible to strip a mag from the gun to clear a stubborn jam with a big magwell with a closed front. It's a match stopper.

[Paul Burtchell]

I like the TechWell with a few tweaks for SS.

And I prefer a well blended S&A as shown below. The opening is about the same.

The thing most notable about Loves2Shoot's TechWell is the OPEN FRONT. If you think you simply have to have a huge magwell and you slap one on with a closed front, you're simply asking for trouble. It's next to impossible to strip a mag from the gun to clear a stubborn jam with a big magwell with a closed front. It's a match stopper.

And they (big honking single stack magwells) get stuck in the IDPA box and make for a difficult stage. Ask me how I know

Edited August 21, 2008 by baerburtchell

[Steve J]

And they (big honking single stack magwells) get stuck in the IDPA box and make for a difficult stage. Ask me how I know

...but it was so much fun for the rest of the squad when you aimed the box at the target. (a slight exaggeration)

[Paul Burtchell]

That box just didn't want to let go of my gun.

Edited August 21, 2008 by baerburtchell

[steel1212]

I'm in the SA camp myself. Magwells are only there when you miss the reload anyway right I don't like the look of the Techware, the svi is better, I love the way a SA looks on a single stack though. I'm probably going to try a SVI on my .40 single stack as its being built for USPSA only.

You know you want to cut your frame. Don't be scarred.

With the next build....maybe....not my springers though.

[George Wilson]

I use the S&A magwell with the arched checkered msh on my SS Baer and love it...would not want any bigger....would look incongrous I'm afraid...and throw the gun out of balance.

[want2race]

I have no problem with a closed front. The trick is, don't have a gun that jams. Seriously though, I've never had a problem. My mags stick out plenty. I've had to pull out two mags that just wouldn't drop free and it was a total non-issue.

I really don't like the large Techwells front "hole". The gap in the magwell for the mag base. Just ugly.

[steel1212]

I have no problem with a closed front. The trick is, don't have a gun that jams. Seriously though, I've never had a problem. My mags stick out plenty. I've had to pull out two mags that just wouldn't drop free and it was a total non-issue.

I really don't like the large Techwells front "hole". The gap in the magwell for the mag base. Just ugly.

Yup seen him do it, blamed the magazine maker and moved on

[ChrisStock]

This is the one that I use:

Not a honkin' oversized one like on my Limited pistol, but just big enough to provide a slight boost. I also like what it does balance and grip-wise for me.

Super sloppy reloads are never acceptable anyways.

I have no issue stripping any of my 8 round magazines from it, and it's not too ugly IMO.