For those of us in thrall to Ol’ Slabsides, or at least those of us who just own one, Wilson Combat 920 Series 1911 magazines are the best bang for your buck when it comes to magazines for your 1911 pistol. I’d give you pictures of my mags, but my phone camera sucks and my digital camera is still at the office. Besides, it looks better on their site anyway.
If you buy a 1911 (one that isn’t made by Wilson Combat – DUH) I recommend you grab at least a couple of their magazines. A lot of other 1911 guys will, too.
As many of us know, the magazine is the most common cause of feeding problems when it comes to this make and model pistol. There are others to be sure (extractor, recoil springs, not lubricated enough, etc.) but crappy magazines are often the culprit.
Take a poll of guys shooting 1911 pistols with any frequency, and chances are they’re running Wilson or Chip McCormick magazines, in most cases. There are some other good magazine makers out there; MecGar and ProMags 1911 magazines are supposed to be pretty decent as well, but I haven’t used them as yet so I can’t offer an opinion.
My 1911 is a Remington R1. As far as budget-ish 1911 pistols go it’s a pretty darn good option. But it had some initial feeding problems which I first attributed to break-in. And then I blamed it on that one time I hadn’t lubricated the thing in a few weeks. Until eventually I thought, “I’m as mad as hell and I’m not gonna take this anymore.”
Because I’m a cheapskate, I ordered the 920’s instead of the 47 series magazines that most people think of when it comes to Wilson Combat. You know, these guys:
The 920, as you’ve no doubt gathered, is a GI-style magazine and much more affordable. They start at $19 from Wilson per 7-rounder in black, $22 in stainless, and $23 for an 8-rounder in their range for .45 ACP pistols. You can also get them for 1911 pistols in 9mm, 10mm and .40 S&W, though those will run you $30.
The 47 series magazines start at $33 for 7-round units (in .45 ACP) and go up from there. Granted, that’s still not nearly as bad as what HK makes people pay (Gott im Himmel!) but still.
Since then? My R1 feeds like a goat whose stomach thinks its throat’s been cut. JHP, hardball, whatever.
Going forward, regardless of what the name is on the slide of my 1911, it’s going to be fed with Wilson Combat magazines. Because they definitely don’t suck.