Greetings

[Duane Thomas]

I wonder if he also realizes that after a few hundred rounds, his mags fail to consistently lock open the slide

Have you tried cleaning the mags? I shot IDPA for years with a Wilson .45 and the same half dozen 8-round 47Ds. These were old mags, the springs were, ahem! well-cured. Since I had found the mags when new such a total little bitch-kitty to load, I didn't want to go to new springs. (Eventually I would, but I shot with old springs in those mags for a LONG time.) I did find, in personal practice sessions on the range, like you after awhile I'd start getting failures to lock back. Every time - every single time - I broke that mag down, ran a cloth up through the tube to clean it out, cleaned the follower with the same cloth, then reassembled, the mag instantly started working perfectly again. For years, before every match it was part of my ritual to disassemble, clean and reassemble every single 47D I would be using that day. And in all those years I never had a single failure to lock back at a match.

[AriM]

I wonder if he also realizes that after a few hundred rounds, his mags fail to consistently lock open the slide

That hasn't been my experience. Let me hasten to add, I don't say that do discount your experiences, just that my experiences have been different. I have 47Ds I've been using for the past 10 years. I've replaced the springs once, the followers are all original, and they still lock open just fine. Actually, the only thing I've ever had break on a 47D is the plastic baseplate when hitting an indoor range's concrete floor.

I will say that 1911s in general seem to be much more picky about which magazines they will and and won't lock back on - and which magazines they will and won't feed out of, for that matter - than other gun designs. Part of prep for my first range session with a new 1911 is to sit down and check every one of my magazines to find out which ones will lock open the slide when empty, fall free when I punch the mag button, and feed smoothly. If I start with 40 mags of various configuration and brands, I'll tend to find 6-10 that will do all those things. Then I keep those mags with that gun. I really do feel that is a necessary part of ensuring 1911 reliability that a lot of people skip. If we think we're just going to stick any ol' magazine into our 1911 and it's going to work flawlessly - we are extremely mistaken.

Yes, this is more work than for something like, say, a Glock. Is it worth it to have a 1911 that works? Yes, it is. Those who think that's unreasonable, that it's too much work, just aren't 1911 guys.

Interesting story to go along with all of this Duane....BOTH myself AND one of the range employees (biggest 1911 fanatic I know) have had the same problem....he is a Wilson distributor....so that being the case, he called Wilson on both of our behalf's....Wilson told him/us, that in order for their magazines to be 100% reliable, their slide stop must be used ......when we asked for some replacement followers, we were denied.... .....the range employee (from what I understand) pitched an absolute fit, and the range shop no longer carries Wilson products (now they sell chip McCormick)....

I think it's interesting that the majority or "race guns" aren't single stacks....I am finding it impossible to obtain aftermarket parts for performance single stack mags....I would say that my Wilson mags fail to lock the slide back about 30% of the time, but if they are dirty it's 100% of the time.....I have noticed that there is a little notch starting to from on the catch in the follower....I know the simple solution would be to just replace the follower, but I am a cheapskate ....or maybe I am just looking for an excuse to build something again

1911's are def. picky guns...I have never experienced the kind of frustration or pains with other guns, that I have with the 1911 platform....I think a lot of this is cheapened manufacturing....the 1911 is a platform that relies on simplicity, but critical tolerances MUST be adhered to....MUST!!!! a lot of modern manufacturers skimp on their machine work, and those tolerances aren't kept....at least that's my experience....either way I love the 1911 above all other designs...I like fiddling (I must have mentioned that somewhere before).....

I think I am going to design a follower "lock"...basically a set screw that keeps the follower from popping out on hard impacts (McCormick mags fall apart when they hit concrete).....also I am going to experiment with a bearing/bushing race for the follower to ummmmm follow....maybe I can also build a soft brass insert to ride in the catch on the follower....that way there will be a more stable surface for the slide stop to get bumped by.....again, I am probably chasing to problems that don't exist, but I like to tinker....maybe in the course of development I will stumble across some great solution (by accident) and solve world hunger and AIDS (all at once)....,

or I could just go out and buy that CZ75 Tac Sport I have my eye on (in .40 s&w), call it a day....and learn to shoot

[AriM]

grrrr double post EDIT...I will make up for it with a happy picture of a dog in a hat....

Edited December 14, 2009 by AriM

[ima45dv8]

Ari, those 47D's you have must be absolute pieces of dog dung. I'm sorry you got saddled with them.

I'll give you two bucks apiece for them just to get them off your hands.

[Greg Bell]

Nice Work!

Thank You Greg.....man everyone here is so cool, seriously....I haven't run into any real "sonbbery" yet....everyone here is so supportive (I have been some places on the internet where people aren't).....hey Greg....I am coming to your neck of the woods soon....Nashville is my favorite city....can't wait to move there....!!!

Let me know when you are going to be here we will get you hooked up to shoot either a USPSA or IDPA match with us if you are interested.

[AriM]

Ari, those 47D's you have must be absolute pieces of dog dung. I'm sorry you got saddled with them.

I'll give you two bucks apiece for them just to get them off your hands.

The only thing I can think of that is worse than the Wilson's....is everything else on the market....wilson tubes/springs/basepads are great.....only gripe is the issues with the follower....if you want to give me the $2 for each slightly used follower, then you got a deal

Not trying to bash Wilson (I only do that when I am trying to get them to go into my gun)....I think they build very nice products, and will continue to buy from them (although they sold me a mag catch that was split in half right out of the bag)....but making an observation about the followers in their 47d/47de

[AriM]

Nice Work!

Thank You Greg.....man everyone here is so cool, seriously....I haven't run into any real "sonbbery" yet....everyone here is so supportive (I have been some places on the internet where people aren't).....hey Greg....I am coming to your neck of the woods soon....Nashville is my favorite city....can't wait to move there....!!!

Let me know when you are going to be here we will get you hooked up to shoot either a USPSA or IDPA match with us if you are interested.

Thanks Greg....will take you up on your offer....I am hoping to get out there by march or around mid year....just need to sell a few things from my business out here, and then I am on my way......really can't wait Kalifornia is the pits (weather is nice though)....

[Duane Thomas]

Have you tried the Kimber 8-rounders? Standard length stainless steel tube, metal follower, hard polymer basepate (that screw affixes to a metal baseplate - both a low profile and thick polymer baseplate included with every mag). They're pretty darn nice in my experience, and I say that as a guy who's been running around a dozen of them for years.

[AriM]

Have you tried the Kimber 8-rounders? Standard length stainless steel tube, metal follower, hard polymer basepate (that screw affixes to a metal baseplate - both a low profile and thick polymer baseplate included with every mag). They're pretty darn nice in my experience, and I say that as a guy who's been running around a dozen of them for years.

hmmm sounds interesting....does the follower stay in the tube on heavy impacts?

[juan]

For your metal insert in the follower.

check out Tripp research mags

[AriM]

For your metal insert in the follower.

check out Tripp research mags

looking now, thanks for the tip

EDIT : just had a look, that is EXACTLY what I was looking for....thanks, ordering now...I suppose I will need a different spring for my CMC 10 rounders....they have a different spring profile for the CMC follower.....and suggestions on a spring to match the tripp follower....something that will work with 10 round mags?? thanks again

EDIT 2 : I see that tripp research makes a spring, but they say it "locks-out" standard 10 round mags and makes them 9....huh? thought only a base-pad could do that, or an insert....goes to show how much I know about magazines....still looking for a good spring....man with an upgraded follower/spring and basepad all that's left is the tube....and I would be spending more than if I just got tripp research 10 round mags....I like the CMC basepad more though...I guess a guy can't have it all w/o selling a kidney....

Edited December 16, 2009 by AriM

[wide45]

The Kimber mags that I have seen, are indistinguishable from CMC mags. If CMC does not make them, Kimbers tooling is the same as CMC's.

[Duane Thomas]

hmmm sounds interesting....does the follower stay in the tube on heavy impacts?

Depends on what you mean by "stay in the tube". If you drop an empty Kimber 8-round mag on a concrete floor, the short front "leg" of the follower will pop over the front on the mag tube. Do I wish it wouldn't do that? Sure. On the other hand, it takes about a second to pop in back in place with my index finger so I can't regard that as a hideous flaw.

[AriM]

hmmm sounds interesting....does the follower stay in the tube on heavy impacts?

Depends on what you mean by "stay in the tube". If you drop an empty Kimber 8-round mag on a concrete floor, the short front "leg" of the follower will pop over the front on the mag tube. Do I wish it wouldn't do that? Sure. On the other hand, it takes about a second to pop in back in place with my index finger so I can't regard that as a hideous flaw.

hmmm the wilson design doesn't do that....I have my tripp research followers on the way, but still need to find an appropriate spring.....

the CMC follower actually completely comes out and flies down range....this happened twice to me last time I did reloads at the range....so I had to put my sweater down on the ground in front of me to help soften the impact....no probloems after that.....except for the crap that got all over my sweater....

I think the solution here is going to be the tripp research followers and a good spring....in the CMC tube, using the modified CMC base pads...(I shaved them down to fit my magwell)....that's my 10 round setup

and for 8 rounders I will stick with the wilson mags and extended basepads....and just change to the tripp follower...

10 rounders for limited 10....8 rounders for single stack and social work

hope it works out and solves my problems