Colt Defender, Full Size Magazines, Overinsertion, Solution?

[Blue Jeans]

Looking at picking up a Colt Defender, but would like if I could use full size 1911 magazines. But, I know that a full size magazine can overinsert, jam things up, and even break the ejector. Is there anything that would allow me to use full size magazines without fear of malfunction? Like an after market magazine catch, or something? Or am I just worrying to much about what would happen if I stuck a regular magazine in a compact 1911 if I ever needed to without jamming it in way too hard?

 

[reap]

Wilson Combat

I bought some Wilson mags to have some full size ones to go with my Defender and they came with a spacer. Never found the spacer alone but the ones I bought functioned without a problem through thousands of rounds...

 

[Aguila Blanca]

http://www.brownells.com/magazines/...on/1911-xgrip-magazine-adapter-prod71360.aspx

http://www.brownells.com/magazines/...ension/1911-govt-grip-extender-prod71268.aspx

 

[RickB]

Chip McCormick sells a low-profile basepad designed specifically to adapt full-length mags to compact use.
I bought four of them and put them on Check-Mate mag tubes, so you are not stuck with buying McCormick mags to be able to utilize the pads.

http://www.chipmccormickmags.com/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi?preadd=action&key=10002

 

[michael t]

I use full size in my Defender How ever I don't believe in slamming a mag home hard . So I have never had problem

 

[44 AMP]

Is there anything that would allow me to use full size magazines without fear of malfunction?

#1) getting a gun with a full size grip frame...

#2) not driving the mag into the gun with a 9lb sledgehammer.....

The "best" solution is #2, the others all limit your options, to a degree. It may, or may not matter in your personal situation.

Longer grip frame (full size gun, or addition to short grip gun's mag well) means you can't use short mags.

A "collar" on the base of full size mags means you can't use those mags in a full size gun (without removing it).

There's no free lunch, sorry.

 

[RickB]

and even break the ejector

This is the real issue. You can test your mag/frame/ejector combo by pushing the magazine as high as it will go, depending on the mag-release notch in the mag tube to limit upward travel, and looking to see if the tube is in contact with the ejector.
Even if you don't overinsert the mag while reloading, if the mag is bouncing off the ejector with each shot, you're going to eventually break something.

 

[seeker_two]

If you don't mind the "ghetto look", you can use grip tape to wrap around the exposed part of the mag. Several wraps around it will provide enough of a block to prevent the magazine from going in too far. I used this method on 1911 10-rd magazines with no problems.