Is less sometimes better?

[American1776]

When it comes to single stack .45 auto pistols, I prefer flush metal base pad 7 round magazines over the slightly extended, polymer base pad 8 round magazine. This applies to both the 1911 and my SIG P220. Pictured is my P220, with the 7 round mag vs the 8 rounder.

1: I “feel” that the 7 rounders are more reliable long term. Less tension, better feeding.

2: the completely flush metal base plate seems more ergonomic and durable.

3: one less 230 grain round, and a shorter magazine, means the pistol is lighter and better balanced. It also carries better.

So, even though 1 more round seems better, points 1-3 add up so I’m willing to sacrifice one round.

Anybody else share my odd preference?

 

[Univibe]

More is better. When the jackboys show up, bullets buy you time and options. That's why you sell the Sig, use that 1911 for a range gun, and get a M&P 9mm for the street.

 

[Echo40]

First and foremost, if you feel more confident carrying those 7 round magazines, then that's really all that matters. Bdsides, how often do you hear of a shooting in which one more round would have made a difference anyway?

That being said, I don't know enough about SIG magazines to say whether the 7 round magazine is anymore durable than the 8 round magazines. I've heard arguments going both ways in regards to magazines with flat metal base plates and extended polymer base plates, with each side making decent arguments to support their stance on the matter. Personally, since my current carry firearm came with one of each, I've carried both, used both, and shot from both, with neither giving me any trouble whatsoever.
Also, I once dropped the one with a polymer base plate directly onto the concrete floor of a shooting range when ejecting the empty magazine, yet it continued to work just fine afterwards in spite of landing on the base plate, so based on that, I would conclude that they're most likely no cause for concern.

 

[chief38]

While round count is a consideration, the overall performance, size, weight, caliber, reliability, shootability, portability and how you can handle a certain pistol ads up to more than one extra shot IMHO.

 

[Goldstar225]

In my 1911 I carry it with the factory flat 7 round base plate. My spare mags are Tripp Cobra 8 rounders. The main befit of the extended base plate is more certain seating of the magazine with a closed slide, the extra round is just a bonus.

 

[thebolt]

You will get multiple opinions about this but the wonderful thing is that you get to do what you feel is best for you.

I carried a .45 for my work, Colt in my early years and later a Les Baer, and I carried 8 round mags after they became reliable. I also prefer the Tripp magazines and they worked better for me than the other big names. The small magazine extender was my preference and it insured a good reliable way of insuring the mag was seated and it kept me from getting pinched. I never noticed that small bump during carry and I wanted the extra round even though I always (still do) carried more magazines. This is what worked for me.

You should make the decision on what works for you and not be concerned with what worked for me. You can take the information which others provide but the ultimate decision is yours to make.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experiences.

 

[BAM-BAM]

My practice over the years has been to conceal carry a "flush fit" magazine as primary(in the gun) with higher capacity magazine(s) as reloads.

3913 I have several of the uncommon/rare 7rd metal bottom flush fit factory magazines... so I carry 7+1 in the gun and one or two standard 8rd mags as reloads.

PC Shorty-9 I carry 12+1 with a 15round 59xx magazine with a+2 adapter as a reload. To get even shorter you can use a steel 59 magazine base plate for full flush fit w/ a 12 rd magazine w/out little finger rest.

915 a 15rd magazine w/ an old steel base plate +1, and a Mec-gar 17round magazine as a reload.

Sig 245 is 6+1 with a sig 8round 220 magazine with an X-grip adapter.


I only carry Factory or Mec-gar magazines.

 

[stansdds]

I have used both 7 round and 8 round flush bottom mags in my 1911's. The 8 round mags wear out the springs much faster than the 7 round mags and the 7 round mags have a slight reliability edge over the 8 round mags. If you really need 8 rounds of 45 ACP in a 1911, the extended mags are probably going to be more reliable.

 

[Rpg]

I’m partial to 7 round magazines in 1911’s.

A lot has to do with what I consider proper gunhandling practices in defense situation reloading:

never shoot the gun dry;
always drop your magazine with one round remaining to facilitate a smooth drop and;
always count your rounds.

With a 7 round mag, you load the pistol with 8 rounds, shoot 6 then reload leaving one round chambered so you’re not holding an empty gun and leaving one in the magazine so the magazine drops away from the gun reliability.

The 7 round magazines are more reliable than 8 round magazines in my experience and are less expensive than 8 round magazines.

I add a couple sylicone bumpers such as you use on the corners of framed pictures you hang on the wall to the base of the magazine to give me a 1/8” bumper to insure positive seating on spead loading.

 

[LoboGunLeather]

I have about 2 dozen .45ACP pistols. Most are collectible pieces, but a few are for defensive use. For those pistols I have 3 magazines for each that have been fully tested in those pistols with the ammunition that I use.

That is the basic requirement for me: absolute reliability. Some of my magazines are factory, some are US GI, some are Wilson Combat. Some are 8-round, some are 7-round. Each one is marked to indicate which pistol it has been tested with.

 

[WC145]

I carry my 1911s with flush fit CMC or Colt 8rd mags in them, have never had an issue with them. My spares are 8rd Wilsons with the thicker plastic base plate, just because the thicker base plate helps to assure that I'm seating the mags fully on reloads.

 

[Rock185]

I prefer the 7-rd. magazines in the P220 and 1911s. Within my humble experience, they just work. In fact, I carried a 1911 type pistol with 7-rd. magazines every working day for several years. I bought a Wilson 8-rd. one time that came with a little disclaimer in the packaging. It indicated that they didn't guarantee the magazine would be reliable with other than ball ammo if used in anything other than a pistol built or tuned by Wilson. Might have been a non issue in my Colts, but I took them at their word, returned the magazine, and continued on with my boring old 7 rounders

 

[inspcalahan]

Respectfully, to each his own. With regards to a quality 1911, the Wilson, CMC and Tripp 8 round magazines will not wear out any faster than factory 7 round magazines. I promise.

If the sole reason you carry the 7's is to fit flush with the frame, you can get slim base pad 8 rd wilson's what only extend 1/8", provide the extra round and that style base pad is incredibly more durable when dropped and used a lot than the flat factory ones.

When in a gunfight, you may be very happy that you have that one extra round. You shouldn't need any ammo in the magazine to make it heavier so it drops free. If that's the case, something is wrong with your gun/mag. Also, you're expending onboard ammo. If you're in a lull in the fight and have the time/where with all to conduct a tactical reload, then prep your next full mag and when ready, get at it and try your best to retain the mag with the one round left. It may come in handy again at some point.

If you're still engaged in the fight, as in actively trading rounds or what have you, please don't try to count to one round left in the mag and fumble f*ck around...shoot until you're empty and at slide lock. That last round, doing your part, may be the fight stopper. It'll be well worth it at that point. Regardless, now is the time to get on the fastest speed load of your life and get that gun ready to go again.

In regards to counting rounds.... I'll admit that you may at the time have some realization as to the overall ammo expenditure...one round is one round, a few multi shot strings/bursts from a pistol or rifle should be anywhere from 7-12ish, etc. You may even "feel" the weapon being a bit lighter if it's one that carries a lot of ammo to start with. However, if you're focusing on cranking rounds off but strategically trying to stop with only one round left in the chamber, or one there and one in the magazine, then I believe you're not focusing on the right topic during a fight for your life.

I don't mean to ruffle feathers but, if I did, I'm ok with that. I intended to stick to my coffee and light reading this morning but, my 25+ years of real world use, training, instructing and having survived a handful of these "real world on the street educational seminars and quality of life reminders" have taught me a few things and made me even more opinionated. So be it.

** This all said, if the 7 round mags are your choice, then by all means stick with them. Train with them. Have several sets. Run your training ones hard for your sake and to test that brand. Have your duty/carry/CCW set of the exact same brand, style, model and test them on the range, but don't abuse them. Run them for function 2-3 times a year, clean them and continue on as your "life matters on these" carry set. If they don't perform 100% all the time, toss them. Magazines are expendable. People tend to hang on to them like it's the pistol itself. Guns can be repaired to as new. Some magazine problems can as well, but most are better served just getting rid of the piss poor magazine.**

Bottom line is that I thank you for stepping up and shouldering the responsibility to be armed and be available to defend yourself or others if that time comes. Many forget just what that all entails in the sense of responsibility, maturity, commitment and self risk.
Again, this is all just my opinion. I'm always open to new, tested and realistic ideas that come along.

 

[gman51]

If round count is of concern then the remedy for that is carry extra magazines. One extra magazine is better than one more round.

The chances of the average person coming into a gang situation I bet is rather small. In that case a person would probably wish they had a rifle instead of a handgun.
It is reported that the average shooting is within 10 yards anyway and I doubt even 5 rounds could be fired off in that amount of time or would be needed before one of the two were dead or down. Probably only a dope head would continue the fight after being shot once let alone several times with a 45 acp.
The main point of concern is make every round count instead of spray and pray.

 

[Geronimo Jim]

7 round Tripp for me. Use a Ruger SR1911 w/tripp 7 rounders, shooting wild bunch matches and have never had a failure.

 

[TomkinsSP]

I EDC a M640, 5 is enough in the weapon. Add a speedstrip or two, or a mag or two if you're a semi-guy. Overthinking the number of rounds is unhelpful. Practicing to make each round count is helpful. Just by $0.02.

 

[dave1918a2]

Carry what works for You. Carry extra rounds if You plan on missing a lot.

 

[Muley Gil]

Once upon a time, many years ago, I worked a part time job as uniformed security in a grocery store. I was standing up front, near the buggies (shopping carts for you Yankees ), when I heard a loud SPIROOONG and the sound of something hitting the floor. I looked down to see .45 ACP rounds, rolling around. I felt the magazine well in my sidearm and all I had was an empty magazine body.

I stepped into the nearby customer service area and swapped mags. I then went back to the buggy area and picked up my rounds, my spring, my follower and my floor plate. A quick inspection showed that the welds had broken. This was a military mag with a CS stamp on the floor plate. I had installed an 8 round follower about 10-15 years prior to this event.

Since I carried 4 extra mags, I was still well armed for my police shift, which started about an hour later.

 

[TripLeader]

I think this theory applies, although my example is not a 1911:

I've carried a Glock 26 (subcompact 9mm) for a long time. I used to use a +1 mag extender. But I stopped. I chose the 26 for size, and finally decided the extra size and weight of the extender on my hip and ankle was bigger than I wanted to carry on a 26. Now if I want more, I carry the Glock 19.

I know, I know-- it doesn't add that much size or weight. But I'm more now about having it small and true to what it was made to be.

 

[Laketime]

I like a flush 7 or 8 mag in the gun and two spare mags identical for reloads.Shot placement is more important than multiple rounds at your disposal.My survival rate would probably be better against a guy with a glock in each hand than an experienced man with a .357 magnum six shot without spare ammo.Some here might not understand what my meaning on this is.