Let’s talk 1911 magazines for a bit.
The stimulus for this was a recent listing on this site for a “non-GI issue 1911-A1 magazine”.
Well…it wasn’t. It was a 7 round 1911 magazine that was stamped similar to GI issue magazines, but there are important distinctions.
Note the magazine feed lips on the magazine in question:
Next let’s look at these 3 magazines, left to right:
- a GI issue “hardball” or “tapered lip” magazine;
- a commercial “hybrid” or “semi-tapered lip”magazine; and
- a “wadcutter” “parallel” lip magazine.
Let’s discuss the differences and applications for each magazine.
The GI tapered lip magazine (left)
The original JMB designed 1911 magazine was intended to be used with a 230 gr. round nose FMJ projectile. If you load up a dummy round (no primer or powder), remove the recoil spring from a non messed with 1911 or 1911A1, and then manually cycle the slide you’ll see the 230 gr FMJ feed from the tapered lip GI magazine with a smoothness reminiscent of a well oiled sewing machine.
The tapered lips provide fully controlled feed with the cartridge base rising smoothly under the tapered feed lips as the bullet rises on the feed ramp, allowing the cartridge to smoothly slide under the extractor as the round cleanly enters the chamber.
Now if you take a bullet with a truncated cone, round nose flat point, wadcutter, or hollow point design and do the same hand cycle, you’ll notice some differences. The round is shorter as there is no rounded point on the nose to contact the feed ramp before the base starts to rise and the round can impact the feed ramp at too low an angle and just stop. When it does still feed it isn’t smooth.
The hybrid or Colt commercial magazine (center)
This hybrid semi-tapered lip magazine was introduced by Colt after WWI when point shapes other than the round nosed FMJ started to become common.
The shorter and less tapered lips on this design keep the base of the cartridge case from rising too much before the shorter bullet starts to rise on the feed ramp.
The shorter lips also release the cartridge base sooner, before a round nose FMJ rises so much on the feed ramp that the angle is so steep that the pointed nose gets into a three point jam between the top of the barrel and the slide.
The shorter lips also prevent the angle of the cartridge and it’s rim from getting so steep that the rim can’t smoothly slide between the slide face and the extractor. If the rim is at too great an angle and binds between the bolt face and the extractor, the slide will stop about 1/8” out of battery and the pistol won’t fire.
Some very short (often lighter than 180 gr) semi wad cutters still won’t feed reliably from a Colt commercial / hybrid magazine as once again the base gets too high before the short bullet contacts the feed ramp and they just stop dead on the feed ramp and or the rim binds between the slide face and the extractor. Back in the day, pistol smiths would relieve the extractor opening to allow for a greater rim angle without binding. It solved the out of battery events but didn’t fix the feed ramp issues so they reprofiled the feed ramp and both widened and opened it up under the chamber to reduce the angle, but also left less support for the cartridge.
The “wadcutter” magazine
Most of the early lighter than 230 gr semi wad cutters, like the Hensley and Gibbs #68, used a fairly long and slender nose to keep it long enough to function in a hybrid magazine.
However some of the really short 185 gr semi wadcutter bullets still won’t feed as the base is too high when the bullet hits the feed ramp.
The parallel lipped “Wadcutter” magazine was developed for those short bullets. The parallel lips keep the base down until the bullet contacts the ramp and then the shorter length of the lips releases the cartridge and pops the rim up into the space between the slide face and extractor.
These magazines don’t work well with round nose FMJ bullets. The nose rises long before the base and the resulting angle either causes a bind on the rim, or it pushes the nose up into the space between the slide and the barrel, creating a nasty 3 point jam.
——-
As you move to shorter and shorter feed lips you also reduce the controlled feed trait of the 1911.
Wilson took it one step farther with their 47D magazines. They do away with controlled feed entire. They present the bullet higher in front of the slide and then almost immediately release the round, popping it up in front of the slide face, that then bats it into the chamber.
The 47D works ok with most bullet types, but isn’t as reliable with any particular type as a magazine designed for a particular bullet shape.
——-
For most common bullet shapes and weights between 185 and 230 grains the Colt commercial / hybrid magazine works just fine. That’s why nearly all 1911 manufacturers use the hybrid design.
Unfortunately many shooters who don’t understand how things work start thinking a magazine designed for practical pistol shooting must be better and run out and buy wadcutter magazines before they’ve even shot their new 1911, grab some cheap round nose FMJ range ammo and then blame the pistol when it frequently jams.
Use the hybrid mag that came with the pistol - unless you are shooting a short semi wad cutter than really needs a wad cutter magazine.
——-
Pop quiz:
Going back the mag in question that was sold what kind of magazine is it?
A) GI tapered lip magazine
B) Hybrid semi tapered lip magazine
C) Parallel lip wadcutter magazine
The stimulus for this was a recent listing on this site for a “non-GI issue 1911-A1 magazine”.
Well…it wasn’t. It was a 7 round 1911 magazine that was stamped similar to GI issue magazines, but there are important distinctions.
Note the magazine feed lips on the magazine in question:
Next let’s look at these 3 magazines, left to right:
- a GI issue “hardball” or “tapered lip” magazine;
- a commercial “hybrid” or “semi-tapered lip”magazine; and
- a “wadcutter” “parallel” lip magazine.
Let’s discuss the differences and applications for each magazine.
The GI tapered lip magazine (left)
The original JMB designed 1911 magazine was intended to be used with a 230 gr. round nose FMJ projectile. If you load up a dummy round (no primer or powder), remove the recoil spring from a non messed with 1911 or 1911A1, and then manually cycle the slide you’ll see the 230 gr FMJ feed from the tapered lip GI magazine with a smoothness reminiscent of a well oiled sewing machine.
The tapered lips provide fully controlled feed with the cartridge base rising smoothly under the tapered feed lips as the bullet rises on the feed ramp, allowing the cartridge to smoothly slide under the extractor as the round cleanly enters the chamber.
Now if you take a bullet with a truncated cone, round nose flat point, wadcutter, or hollow point design and do the same hand cycle, you’ll notice some differences. The round is shorter as there is no rounded point on the nose to contact the feed ramp before the base starts to rise and the round can impact the feed ramp at too low an angle and just stop. When it does still feed it isn’t smooth.
The hybrid or Colt commercial magazine (center)
This hybrid semi-tapered lip magazine was introduced by Colt after WWI when point shapes other than the round nosed FMJ started to become common.
The shorter and less tapered lips on this design keep the base of the cartridge case from rising too much before the shorter bullet starts to rise on the feed ramp.
The shorter lips also release the cartridge base sooner, before a round nose FMJ rises so much on the feed ramp that the angle is so steep that the pointed nose gets into a three point jam between the top of the barrel and the slide.
The shorter lips also prevent the angle of the cartridge and it’s rim from getting so steep that the rim can’t smoothly slide between the slide face and the extractor. If the rim is at too great an angle and binds between the bolt face and the extractor, the slide will stop about 1/8” out of battery and the pistol won’t fire.
Some very short (often lighter than 180 gr) semi wad cutters still won’t feed reliably from a Colt commercial / hybrid magazine as once again the base gets too high before the short bullet contacts the feed ramp and they just stop dead on the feed ramp and or the rim binds between the slide face and the extractor. Back in the day, pistol smiths would relieve the extractor opening to allow for a greater rim angle without binding. It solved the out of battery events but didn’t fix the feed ramp issues so they reprofiled the feed ramp and both widened and opened it up under the chamber to reduce the angle, but also left less support for the cartridge.
The “wadcutter” magazine
Most of the early lighter than 230 gr semi wad cutters, like the Hensley and Gibbs #68, used a fairly long and slender nose to keep it long enough to function in a hybrid magazine.
However some of the really short 185 gr semi wadcutter bullets still won’t feed as the base is too high when the bullet hits the feed ramp.
The parallel lipped “Wadcutter” magazine was developed for those short bullets. The parallel lips keep the base down until the bullet contacts the ramp and then the shorter length of the lips releases the cartridge and pops the rim up into the space between the slide face and extractor.
These magazines don’t work well with round nose FMJ bullets. The nose rises long before the base and the resulting angle either causes a bind on the rim, or it pushes the nose up into the space between the slide and the barrel, creating a nasty 3 point jam.
——-
As you move to shorter and shorter feed lips you also reduce the controlled feed trait of the 1911.
Wilson took it one step farther with their 47D magazines. They do away with controlled feed entire. They present the bullet higher in front of the slide and then almost immediately release the round, popping it up in front of the slide face, that then bats it into the chamber.
The 47D works ok with most bullet types, but isn’t as reliable with any particular type as a magazine designed for a particular bullet shape.
——-
For most common bullet shapes and weights between 185 and 230 grains the Colt commercial / hybrid magazine works just fine. That’s why nearly all 1911 manufacturers use the hybrid design.
Unfortunately many shooters who don’t understand how things work start thinking a magazine designed for practical pistol shooting must be better and run out and buy wadcutter magazines before they’ve even shot their new 1911, grab some cheap round nose FMJ range ammo and then blame the pistol when it frequently jams.
Use the hybrid mag that came with the pistol - unless you are shooting a short semi wad cutter than really needs a wad cutter magazine.
——-
Pop quiz:
Going back the mag in question that was sold what kind of magazine is it?
A) GI tapered lip magazine
B) Hybrid semi tapered lip magazine
C) Parallel lip wadcutter magazine
