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 .
Don't have any 8 rounders as I don't feel that I need them. However, my gut feeling is that 8 rounders are going to be more trouble prone than the original 7 round design.

I pretty much agree with what JimK said.
 
So, is the OP only concerning flush fit magazines? If so I would agree the seven round magazines seem the better choice, but personally never used flush fit eight round magazines.

I have used eight round magazines like the Chip McCormick Power Mag+ and Wislon 47D with zero issues. So, if I can carry one more round reliably why not.
 
two years of service from McCormick Shooting Star vs. indefinite service from Power Mags
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I bought my Dan Wesson Valor used and it came with 2 CMC Shooting Stars and these never worked right in my DW. I took these back to the place where I bought the gun and they gave me two passes to the indoor range in exchange for these two mags, and that was that.

Years ago I bought one of the first SW1911 guns back when they had the big rollmark on the slide. Back then these guns came with 2 Wilson 47D magazines and I've been using 47D mags ever since in all of my .45ACP guns and I use the Wilson ETM's in my 9mm gun. They work for me, that's all I can say!

I know the CMC Power Mags and the Tripp Cobra Mags also work great in my guns, and I wouldn't hesitate to use these in the future!
 
7v8

I've had no problems with my 8 rd. mags. I never store them loaded.
I did post my vote:)


Artillery King Of The Battlefield
 
I didn't vote, there doesn't make much difference.

Yes, the original 1911 was designed for 7 round magazines. It was also designed for ball ammo.

The guns were tweaked over the years. So were the magazines and ammo.

The Marine Corps did indeed request 7 round magazines, I have one of those guns. The reason was to maintain interchangeability with the millions of 7 round magazines they have on hand from WWII.

Just a note; my 1947 Colt Government Model runs fine on 8 round magazines.
 
I have both 7 and 8 round mags for my 1911s. In all my years of using them, I've never noticed any difference in reliability between the two.
 
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.
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I too use the Wilson 47D 8 rounders and like them a lot. But they are extended design, I believe, as they do not fit flush on my Government sized Kimber.

I was looking at the Wilson sight to see if they had a flush fitting 8 rounder and I did not see anything.
 
If storing mags loaded causes a problem, you have defective mags.
There isn't a lot of "tweaking" that can be done with standard 1911 mags. If anything, modern springs are less reliable than 1911-era springs.

7 and 8 round magazines would be interchangeable, so I doubt that's why the Marines specified 7 rounders.

As a rule, 8 round flush magazines are not as reliable-in a production setting- as 7 round magazines.
 
I have been shooting .45s long before there were 8 round magazines. I prefer the 8 round magazines as I carry 8 +1 in my EDC and two 8 round mags in a dual mag carrier.

You have to know your gun. Some of my .45's don't like fully loaded 8 round magazines and give me occasional problems. For those two or three guns that get finicky, I download the 8 round to only 7 round. Needless to say, I don't use those guns for anything other than range work.

Never had those problems with 7 round magazines. Whether I shoot 7 or 8 round magazines, I hardly ever keep the magazines the gun comes with. Colt provided magazines seem to be reliable as is Kimber magazines. Other than that, Wilson Combat is my magazine of choice and is what feeds my EDC and competition guns.
 
My Colt Gold Cup Trophy came with a 7 round mag and an 8 round mag. The followers are different and the slide doesn't lock back on the last shot of the 8 round. *shrugs* :confused:
 
I've had no problems with my 8 rd. mags. I never store them loaded.
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Conventional wisdom seems to be, when it comes to magazine springs, is that they do not weaken from the stress of being compressed (loaded), but the number of times cycled.
 
While I never had any problem with my 8rd Wilson 47D's, when I carry my 1911 it's with 7+1 and my spare mag is an 8rd Wilson 47D. With the 7rd mags proven to be more reliable, that's what I keep in the pistol ready to go. Also, by carrying 7+1 with an 8rd backup, it's consistently giving me the same number of rounds on board. I do the same with my Shield 9mm, 7+1 with an 8rd backup. I count my shots while I shoot, consistently having the same number of rounds in the gun is a plus in my book.
 
The Marines use only 7-rd Wilson mags in their Colt M45A1 pistols.

Apparently some religious objection by the Commandant to the additional cartridge of the 8-rounders, ... or something like that. :rolleyes:
 
I've had no problems with my 8 rd. mags. I never store them loaded.

Conventional wisdom seems to be, when it comes to magazine springs, is that they do not weaken from the stress of being compressed (loaded), but the number of times cycled.
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Correct. I kept a Wilson 47D loaded continuously, other than for the occasional test session at the range, for twenty years.
It still fed fine, but still wouldn't lock the slide back. :D
I traded it straight across for two mousetrap Hi-Power mags, so maybe everyone came out ahead?
 
Not many years ago I was solidly in the 7 round camp; wouldn't carry anything for duty/defense except blue 70 round Metalforms with round followers. Then I discovered the CMC Powermag and they've proven so good they are all I use now.

So I couldn't vote in your poll because I consider the better examples of each equally reliable.
 
7 v. 8

I realize that the OP indicated 1911's, but allow me to add my experience with SIG P220 7 & 8 rd mags. Basically, it mirrors what Blanca stated so well.

SIG created its early 8 rd .45 mags, by marketing a short legged, flat metal follower, that would "drop in" to exiting 7 rd boxes. We bought a bunch of them (short leg followers) and swapped out, and they gave us fits. Almost uniformly, the old proven 7 rd followers went back into those early blue steel 7 rd boxes.

Then MecGar began producing mags for SIG and introduced its poly follower 8 rd stainless number,and they ran fine.
 
Watching this thread with interest...given that I bought an antique ;)
I've got an OEM 7-rd mag made in the 1940's and a Chip McCormick 8-rd mag...
Which will fail first?? Who knows??

Chances are I'll pick up a few Wilson Combat 8-rd mags before long tho ;)
 
I've been using CMC flush fit 8 rounders for the last four years. Never had any kind of problem with them.
 
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