1911 Mags: 7 vs. 8 Round

Which 1911 magazine is more reliable in general?

  • 7 round magazines

    Votes: 35 53.0%

  • 8 round magazines

    Votes: 31 47.0%
  • Total voters
    66
  • Poll closed .
M

Model12Win

Moderator
Hey gang!

So I see that quite a few, if not most, 1911 mags these days are 8 rounders, one more than the traditional 7 USGI mags. So I have a question for all you 1911 gurus and shooters:

Which is better? 7 round mags, or 8 round mags?

One of the reasons why I ask is because I found out that the Marine Corps has decided to go with 7 round Wilson Combat magazines for their M45A1 CQBP. The reasoning for this is because they claim that is what the 1911 was designed around, so choose the traditional capacity magazine for reliability's sake.

Any truth to that? Are the 7 rounders in general more reliable than the newer 8 rounders?

What do you think guys? Thanks! :)
 
First in on the vote -- 7 rounders. However, you didn't give a choice to go with 8 round extended length mags that are available from Tripp, Wilson, Checkmate and others.

The flush fit 8 round mags cram one more round into a tube designed for seven rounds. Increases wear on the mag spring which can result in less reliability than a seven round mag. Larry Vickers and Ken Hackathorn talk about it at about the 1:55 mark on this video -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwzM2G9AFCE. Virgil Tripp actually came out with an 8 round extended length mag before Wilson.
 
I use Wilson 47D 8 rounders and don't sweat it. I've heard about reliability issues with 8 rounders but I trust Wilson parts of all types so it's a no brainer for me. From what I've gathered from servicemen on many shooter forums, the armed forces don't take great care of their firearms and while I greatly respect their opinions, I take everything they say with a grain of salt. Regardless, I'm not fighting wars with my 1911s and 8 rounders are my "standard issue". YMMV.
 
Interesting question. Made me stop and unload my 45 ACP to see how many rounds is in it. (LOL) Yes it has been a long time since I have fired it.

It is not a 1911, but a Bersa Thunder 45 Ultra Compact Pro. And has a double stack 7 round magazine. I love it for it's compact size and conceal-ability, accuracy and reliability. We seem to forget that with a round in the chamber that makes it a 8 shot pistol. Would a 9th round make much difference? Not sure it would since I only count on the first 4 rounds for stopping an attacker, the 4 additional rounds might be needed for multiple attackers, but I also carry a second magazine at all times. My view is that if I needed more than 15 rounds of ammo, I should have reached for a rifle instead.

Not sure there are statistics that cover the use of an extra round in 45 ACP (Auto).

Hopefully we will never need to find out.

Stay safe.
Jim



Bersa 45 ACP on the left, CZ 75 P-01 9mm on the right, both compact pistols but the Bersa is easier to carry
 
If you were to do some sort of side by side torture test of essentially the same mags, say, flush fit 7s vs flush fit 8s, I'd guess that eventually 7s would win the day. But it's just a guess and you'd have to factor in the gun(s) being used.

That said, I run McCormick flush fit 8s for competition, carry, and general use. They function perfectly and consistently in all my Gov't and Commander size .45s. But then, I really haven't had any issues with any quality made 8rd mags. Because the 8s perform perfectly reliably I don't bother with 7s.

So, I find the 8s I use to be as reliable as 7s, not sure which poll choice to pick to reflect that.
 
The 8 round mags that came with my Dan Wesson Valor work fine but for carry purposes they don't allow for me to carry 8+1. I have extended MagTech 8 rounders that work flawlessly and allow for 8+1.
 
I haven't noticed a lick of difference in reliability between 7 and 8 rounders.

I have one colt stainless 8 rounder that I use in my Combat Elite that has over 20,000 rounds though it, and its still feeding fine.

My national match 7 round mag is over 40 years old and has never had it spring replaced and its still perfect...
 
When they malfunction; the 7 rounders tend to be on the last round and the 8 rounders seem to be on the 2nd or 3rd.

Now with that said, I really believe Wilson ETMs are the bees knees. The follower design seems to completely eliminate any possible nosediving issues that other 8 rounders have from time to time.
 
I stick with stock in both of my 1911's. If prompted I would do the extended 8 if anything just for reliability.

But, does one round really make that big of a difference?

BTW, I DO NOT leave one in the chamber as so many of you do. I have a 6yr old, and despite repeated instruction, he is too quick to copy t.v. (I am talking just with his gun room full of Nerf Zombie Strike and N-strike guns). They play and they shoot each other in an instant in the head. Without fail:mad:
Even though he knows my real guns and follows rules, I leave no chance open.

So, back to my point, 7-8, not a big diff. And I have high capacity 9mm, but is that big diff. between say my G17 (18) and G21 (13). Just bring an extra mag.!
 
I always had the best luck with USGI contract mags. They were the only mags that worked without issue in all my 1911's.

The Wilsons were good too, fr the most part, but I did have some issues with them in some guns.
 
Model12Win said:
Any truth to that? Are the 7 rounders in general more reliable than the newer 8 rounders?
Click to expand...
Discounting the newer, extended base 8-round magazines, let's look at flush-fit mags for the 1911.

John Browning designed the pistol to use a 7-round magazine. The U.S. Ordnance Department didn't specify magazine capacity when they went looking for a semi-automatic pistol so, if the Colt/Browning design had come with an 8-round magazine, it's unlikely that the Ordnance Department would have said, "Well, it's a very nice pistol and all, but we would really prefer that you reduce the magazine capacity from 8 rounds to 7 rounds." Which tells us that JMB settled on 7 rounds because that's what he thought would work.

The first attempts at 8-round, flush fit magazines were necessarily a compromise. In order to fit 8 rounds in the space Browning designed to hold 7, obviously something had to give. The flat steel follower in Browning's magazine has a vertical leg that runs down the back of the magazine tube and bottoms out against the floor plate when the magazine is full. This creates space for the spring. The early 8-rounders fit the extra round by cutting that vertical leg shorter. This did two things. First, the shorter leg didn't provide as much resistance to the follower tipping forward as the last round feeds. This is why that type of magazine isn't a good idea in alloy framed pistols -- the tip of the follower may gouge the frame feed ramp. Second, because the spring has to compress into less space, either the spring has to be thinner wire, or it gets over-compressed. Weaker springs cause feed problems.

But there were no polymers when JMB designed the M1911. His choice of material for the follower was basically limited to metals, and he chose steel. Today we have modern polymers, and polymers are often used for magazine followers. That's a whole different ball game. A good example for the 1911 is the Tripp research Cobra Mag. Tripp also sells their follower and spring as a kit to convert traditional 7-round and 8-round magazines to the Cobra follower. My understanding is that these are generally considered to be reliable. They don't have the vertical leg issue, and they also don't tip forward when the last round feeds. It's a different animal entirely.

I haven't tried Tripp mags or their conversions. I'm an old dog and I trust 7-round GI magazines. So much so, in fact, that I recently bought my allotment of ten authentic GI magazines from the Civilian Marksmanship Program. The Browning design has been working for over 100 years. It's hard to argue with success.
 
If a specific gun/mag combo works, I'll take higher capacity.
The only problem I've ever had with 8-round mags that could be associated with capacity is having to replace the odd spring on mags that weren't "premium" (two years of service from McCormick Shooting Star vs. indefinite service from Power Mags).
As for nose-dives and other operational issues, never a problem in almost twenty years and as many mags.
I do have a preference for modern, extended-tube 8rd mags, but will use flush-fit if that's what's available or I don't want the extra length.
 
7rd

I prefer flush fit 7rd. Although I have a 8rd flush fit kimber just do not rely on. I have an extended bottom 7rd Wilson mag I do not use much, I just don't like how much it extends off of the bottom of my gun.

GI style mags of a quality manufacturer are my favorite and if I carry my 1911 I keep the factory Springfield 7rd GI style mags in it
 
The makers cram the extra round into a flush-fit magazine by reducing the length of the follower "tail" and reducing the magazine spring. The first 8-round mags I tried were unreliable, and I gave up on them. Perhaps they are better now, but if 7 (8) rounds of .45 isn't enough, the answer is an extra magazine, not tricks to get in one more round.

Some of the modern magazines don't have the little "tit" on the follower; the makers think their way is "smoother" but they don't know the reason the "tit" is there and why it needs to be there. Another piece of nonsense is the curved follower which is totally useless except as a gimmick to get a higher price for an inferior magazine.

Jim
 
I have been using both the 7 & 8 round mags for years in my Colt 1911s and never have had a lick of problems with either. They are all flush fitting.

For this reason, I am not voting.
 
My vote was for the 8 rounders, solely based on the reliability of the McCormicks standard length ones.
Just as good as any 7 rounders.
But no experience with any other 8s.
 
What I was told a long time ago was to carry an 8 rd. mag 7+1, don't top off an 8 rd. mag with a round chambered. I don't know if that was ever such a big deal, but I can't say I've noticed any difference in reliability between 7 and 8 rounders myself. I prefer Wilson 47D magazines, these have always worked great for me, but there are other very good aftermarket mags out there.
 
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What I was told a long time ago was to carry an 8 rd. mag 7+1, don't top off an 8 rd. mag with a round chambered.
Click to expand...

The 8-round mags of old had compromised springs and follower designs, so loading seven meant you got the weak spring and wobbly follower, but no more rounds than a proper 7-rounder.
If your gun doesn't work with 8-rounders, get it fixed or get 7-rounders.
 
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