TargetTalk

I would like to get set up for 2700 bullseye shooting with a 1911 wadcutter gun and red dot sight. I have a Springfield 1911 milspec that will be accurized for competition.

I've read about various "lip" designs on magazines. I hope to be shooting a 200 grain SWC bullet (will at least practice with a SAECO #69 with ~ 4.0 grains of Bullseye, and work up a load).

What magazine would you recommend? Wadcutter or Hybrid feed lips? Brand? Is there a big difference in the type of follower? I wonder what the pros/cons are for the GI style follower vs the "bullnose" type of mag follower.

I was looking at the Checkmate 7 round blued mags, and wasn't sure about the lip design. Also, is it beneficial or detrimental to have the "extra powder" mag spring? Wasn't sure if it may cause more drag and cause FTF or FTE issues.

Newbie questions. I would greatly appreciate the feedback from experienced 1911 bullseye shooters.

Thank you very much in advance.

http://www.mec-gar.com/Magazines/1911


These are my favorites. They seem very easy to load and the feed ramp is somehow better, particularly for wadcutters. I have about six different kinds in my gun box and these I always seem to hunt for, as they work the best in my guns, and are the easiest to load.
Your gunsmith who is doing the accurizing should be able to tell you based on your barrel and chambering which would be the best. I am in the habit at matches of loading one blued magazine and one stainless one for each target. Others number them on the bottom. That way, if I do have an alabi. I know which magazine was in the gun when I had the alabi. If it happens again, I throw the mag that caused the alabi into my bag and out of the gun box so I can clean it and test it in practice.

I've had the best luck with stainless steel Metalform magazines with the rounded follower.

Isabel1130 wrote: Your gunsmith who is doing the accurizing should be able to tell you based on your barrel and chambering which would be the best.

Absolutely agree with Isabel.....your pistolsmith is inevitably going to test fire the gun and be in the best position to recommend trouble free mags. Using the prescribed mags is like taking the prescribed medications recommended by your doctor.

You may also want to tell your pistol smith about your ammo choice....no sense in having him build a gun which optimally shoots 185 grain bullets unless that's what you are going to use.

Wilson Combat, 7 round are the Cadillac of 1911 mags, best IMO

Agree with letting the smith tune the mags to the gun.

I use Colt and Kimber mags with metalform followers.

GunRunner has it right. The pistolsmith that built mine swears by them. I have never had a feed issue with them once shooting 200 SWCs.

NDbullseye wrote:GunRunner has it right. The pistolsmith that built mine swears by them. I have never had a feed issue with them once shooting 200 SWCs.

Just look at the top custom 1911 builders, rock river and les baer, both come with mags made by wilson combat.

Yes but remember - those guns are built to ensure they work with those mags - not the other way around.

orionshooter wrote:Yes but remember - those guns are built to ensure they work with those mags - not the other way around.

Ive used every major brand, and they are the only ones that have worked flawless 100% of the time in every 1911 i have owned regardless of who built it, second best was the old style metalform with the rounded followers. Many of the major brand mags made by well known names use the same built for them by wilson,

Will someone who has some Wilson combat magazines please look at one and tell me where it was made? I have many magazines and the only ones that list a country of origin are the Mec-Gars . They clearly indicate that they are Made in Italy.

My Baer came with metalform with round follower not wilson. Scott

SMBeyer wrote:My Baer came with metalform with round follower not wilson. Scott

must have been a hardball gun, they use metalform in those because they dont have the black bumper on them.

Nope its a wad gun with bumpers. When I got metalform to replace the magazines that came with my Range Officer i thought they looked a lot like the ones for my Baer. So I took the bumpers off and viola the were metalform. Doesn't matter what brand they are to me, they work and thats all I need to know. Scott

From my experienc most mags will work with 200 grain bullets. The problem comes with the 185s.

If one mag was clearly superior to the other you wouldn't see so many brands on the market. For instance with red dots there is clearly a preference on line for the ultra dot sights. Not so with mags. When I ask I get more responses for metal form than any other brand but the preference is not as high as it is for ultra dot.

Another factor to consider is how strong is your wrist. The stronger your wrist is, the less critical the mag type. My wrist is not so strong so only certain mags work with each gun.

I had a colt gold cup that was not reliable with the 185s. I ordered 3 brands of mags to try, Tripp, Checkmate and McCormick. In this gun the Checkmate with the wadcutter lips was best for the 185s and the Tripp for the 200s.

Later I obtained two accurized guns, from two different smiths. Both came with metal form mags - one with flat followers and the other with round followers. One gun works with almost any mag and the other works only with the McCormick. Again this is with 185s and my shooting style. I am thinking of going only with 200s to ensure reliability and quit messing with all the different mags.

The best advice has been repeated several times, use what comes from the smith. If you shoot 200s, you'll probably not have any problems.

I noticed Tripp was only mentioned once. The Tripp Cobra mags have been great for me, very pleased with their quality. I have some metalforms with the metal follower and have had a few issues with those. You will find great love for Tripp on the 1911forum.

As said by others, if a smith tunes the gun, then use whatever the smith recommends and/or tunes.

Metalform with the round followers are not only inexpensive but they always work well for me.

I've been using McCormick magazines for years. The 8rd S/S ones. I use both 185g Rem bullets for the long line and 200g #68 bullet for the short line. No problems whatsoever. Is the mouth of your frame polished and beveled? Is the mouth of your bbl chamber polished and beveled? That might be the problem. Don't overdo the polishing. It doesnt take much.

I have been using the same set of Chip McCormick 8 round Power Mags for years now. They work great, and I cannot remember any mag related malfunctions.

I use the standard Springfield Armory mags in my hardball gun. They work great as well. I have loaned them to guys that were having feed issues. The issues disappeared when my mags were used.

I have an eclectic collection of all kinds of magazines; none of which have malfunctioned. I use mostly some old GI types.