Not All 1911 Mags Are Created Equal

Gun mags and shooters forums are rife with opinions. What is the best big game cartridge? Are wheelguns or semi-autos better for self-defense? Which action type is the most reliable? And so on and so forth.

Well, you know what they say about opinions. Er, everyone has one. So let’s talk about a fact and an opinion.

Fact: The 1911 is one of the most influential handgun designs of all time. Not only have millions been produced, but millions of clones and lookalikes have been produced. (Consider Para Ordnance and Rock Island 1911 pistols.)

Opinion: The 1911 mag is one of the biggest weak points in the entire design of the handgun.

So let’s back this claim up and present a solution to this chink in the proverbial armor.

Common Problems with 1911 Mags

Probably, no one will argue that the M1911 is a tough piece of metal. Most 1911 handguns feature heavy steel frames and slides, with equally durable steel hardware. The single-action-only trigger and mechanism are simple and also made from tough, heavy steel. There’s no polyamide and little if any aluminum here.

The 1911 mag? Well, that’s a different story. A lot of other manufacturers have gotten into that game and let’s just say there’s quite a bit of variation in quality for most 1911 mags. There are great 1911 mags, there are good 1911 mags, and then there are some that are just, well, not so great.

This could be partially due to the fact that so many 1911 mags are what we might call “aftermarket” mags and are not made to the same levels of quality as the manufacturers that produce the guns themselves - such as Colt and Rock Island Armory.

This opens up some glaring potential for issues related to quality control.

For instance, many 1911-style pistols have no feed ramps, which makes feed angle critical. An aftermarket 1911 magazine with a lazy fit and low tolerance controls will cause jams as the nose of the bullet hangs up on the wall of the chamber.

Other problems with cheap 1911 mags include low-quality mag springs that wear out prematurely, after only a few hundred or thousand cycles. When the springs fatigue, the mag won’t feed well and the gun will jam.

Cheap 1911 magazines are also often made with plastic followers that will deform or crack under pressure. This will also cause jams. Other cheap mags are made with thin aluminum and feature weak welds that can’t hold up to torsional stresses or to pressure.

Cheap 1911 mags with thin feed lips are another issue. Feed lip deformation, like spring or following issues, can prevent feeding and cause jams.

Other poor tolerances can cause issues with the mag catch or release, preventing smooth mag drops and hindering the operation of the entire platform.

Low-quality 1911 mags that are made with steel but not finished properly are also suspect to corrosion and other damage. Owners can keep them meticulously oiled and cleaned, but if maintenance slips, then the mag will rust.

Of course, it should be remembered that no two guns are exactly alike, and one magazine that works in one 1911 may not feed well in another. That just happens sometimes.

Nonetheless, we are no strangers to any of these common problems associated with 1911 mags, so we went back to the drawing board and created our own.

Why Our 1911 Mags Are Better

Our 7-round 1911 mag offers numerous features that improve the overall design, durability, and feeding of the mag, solving most of the issues mentioned in this article.

They are manufactured on a computer-controlled, high-speed link press; body tooling has 6 stages and follower tooling has 16, producing fewer radical bends and less metal stress.

The bodies of these mags feature seam welds on the back are so precise you can’t even see them. The mags are also processed in a hot bath of sodium hydroxides, nitrites, and nitrates, and the tube is case-hardened by nitriding.

This results in a mag body that is strong yet flexible, resistant to water, fouling, and corrosion, and highly resistant to deformation.

They feature a dimple-designed mag catch override for easier, more fluid loads, feature a rounded metal follower, parallel feed lips, and a mag spring tested to 20,000 cycles.

They are more durable, more corrosion resistant, more resistant to deformation, and most importantly, more reliable than other 1911 mags - and our customers love them.

Now for the best part: these 1911 mags are going for only $6.95, less than half the price of other comparable .45 magazines. You can add a whole bunch to your range bag for a few dollars. They’re worth their weight in gold.

They’re also compatible with all Government and Commercial 1911s, as well as many aftermarket models, such as Rock Island 1911 pistols.

So stock up.