Issues swapping mags between 1911s?

[Vegetaman]

So my RIA 1911, I have three mags for. A MEC-GAR, a Kimber Pro Tac, and a Wilson Combat 47D. All three of them load easily and if I was blind folded I wouldn't know the difference between them when using the gun. They all run smoothly and slide in the magwell perfectly.

Was with a range buddy, and he wanted to check out my mags in his brand new Ruger commander sized 1911. Only the Kimber Pro Tac mag would fit. The Wilson Combat and the MEC-GAR would stop about 2 inches from the top when sliding them up inside. Whatever brand of magazine came with his Ruger worked fine in my RIA.

Is this just a tolerance issue? He was kind of surprised by it, and I sort of was as well.

Other than that oddity, it was a good range trip.

 

[LVSteve]

I thought 1911s were notorious for having feed troubles even with magazines that appear to fit. Sounds like another reason to buy an RIA, it's mag proof.

 

[Waywatcher]

Not a tolerance issue exactly. It is normal with brand new guns and brand new mags. If you look very closely at the starboard side of the mags you will see a dent near the top and probably some bare metal, followed by a trail of bare metal to the cutout (that the mag catch locks into). Entirely normal, some mags are worse than others in this respect, and some brand new guns are tighter on the mag catch than others.

What I do with recalcitrant mags is: insert them until they hang up. Continue pushing up gently on magazine. Slowly depress the mag release button ever so slightly until mag inserts. Repeat 10-20 times and before you know they will glide right in. What this does is grind a bit of metal off the magazine up by that little dent on the starboard side (that I mentioned previously) and clears a path down the side of the magazine.

My Colt 1911 did this pretty severely with Chip McCormick Power mags and to a lesser extent with Wilson ETMs. With factory mags and Check-Mate hybrids (OEM manufacturer for Colt) the mags glide right in. Chip McCormick neglects to make the little dent, which makes this problem worse.

 

[Vegetaman]

I thought 1911s were notorious for having feed troubles even with magazines that appear to fit. Sounds like another reason to buy an RIA, it's mag proof.

Interesting. I just tried out all three this morning and saw no issues. I took all three mags, loaded them with 8 rounds of the same Federal .45 ACP 230 gr FMJ ammo, and then went to town. They slammed home good, the slide dropped perfectly, all 8 shots went off, and the slide locked back at the end. I was very happy.

 

[Muss Muggins]

So my RIA 1911, I have three mags for. A MEC-GAR, a Kimber Pro Tac, and a Wilson Combat 47D. All three of them load easily and if I was blind folded I wouldn't know the difference between them when using the gun. They all run smoothly and slide in the magwell perfectly.

Was with a range buddy, and he wanted to check out my mags in his brand new Ruger commander sized 1911. Only the Kimber Pro Tac mag would fit. The Wilson Combat and the MEC-GAR would stop about 2 inches from the top when sliding them up inside. Whatever brand of magazine came with his Ruger worked fine in my RIA.

Is this just a tolerance issue? He was kind of surprised by it, and I sort of was as well.

Other than that oddity, it was a good range trip.

Did you press the magazine catch to see if they'd go ahead and seat?

 

[Vegetaman]

I wasn't operating the Ruger, but I do not believe he pressed the slide release to see if it would go in further. He didn't want to force the mag in any way.

 

[Muss Muggins]

Most likely an issue with the mag catch angle not quite matching the notch on the magazine. Ruger is not exactly known for their 1911 style pistols. Two inches away is about where it would stop. Press the catch and you're in.

 

[Vegetaman]

Yeah on examining my mags, I can see the faint mark where I assume the slide release on my RIA has ever so lightly touched them. I can also see the Kimber has a larger "dimple" at the start of that line, which must be how it let the mag start up in there on his Ruger without pressing the release. Interesting.

 

[Grayfox]

Check the grip screw bushings. One or more may be protruding slightly into the mag well. They should be flush.

 

[TucsonMTB]

Check the grip screw bushings. One or more may be protruding slightly into the mag well. They should be flush.

Yep! Mr. Grayfox nailed it. We have several different grips for our 1911's and many required grinding a little length off the grip screws to ensure that all of our magazines would slide in smoothly. You can "grind" by holding them in your fingers and using a circular motion while holding the tip of the screw against a piece of sand paper on a flat surface. You want a smooth tip when you are finished.

It is easy to see if you have a problem by looking up the magazine well from the bottom of the grip or down with the slide locked back. The inner tips of the grips screws should be flush or slightly below the bushings into which they are screwed.

Edited to add: Just to be clear, the distance the grip screw protrudes into the frame depends, among other things, on the thickness of the grips themselves in the area of the mounting holes. This dimension varies and is the most frequent reason I have had to adjust screw lengths. This is NOT a defect, just a mechanical reality and very easy to deal with.

 

[eveled]

All my magazines from at least 5 different factorys, fit all my 1911's. Remington, Ruger and S&W. Ed

 

[Harrison]

Ruger is not exactly known for their 1911 style pistols. Two inches away is about where it would stop. Press the catch and you're in.

Funny, Ruger's 1911s are an almost exact copy of the Series 70 Colts. My Ruger 1911 works fine with four different brand mags, and always has. It is well made with great fit and finish. It has been accurate with all different type of ammo. My friends that own Ruger 1911s have found the same. The only problem I have heard about Ruger 1911s was the front sight on some of the early ones, and Ruger does not make the sight. It is made my Novac.

 

[GKC]

I've had 20 1911s of different makes, and I had the same trouble with a couple of them: Colt and Springfield. In both cases, the magazine catch was the culprit.

I've owned a Ruger SR1911, and it chambered magazines easily...the stock mags that came with it, and the Wilson ETMs that I prefer to use.

The two obvious checks are the mag catch and the grip screws...but of the two, I bet the mag catch is the issue. If the grip screws are protruding into the mag well, it would seem to me that they would hang on most mags, if not all.

 

[eveled]

The only problem I have heard about Ruger 1911s was the front sight on some of the early ones, and Ruger does not make the sight. It is made my Novac.

The front sight is not made by Novak, it is MIM, and they have been breaking. Not just the early ones either.

If you go to ShopRuger.com, and look under parts the original replacement sight is $6.25.
http://shopruger.com/SR1911-Front-Sight/productinfo/64004/
Under accessories you can find a milled Novak replacement that costs $25.
http://shopruger.com/SR1911-Novak-Plain-Black-Front-Sight/productinfo/12975/
Also under accessories is a Novak fiberoptic sight for $42.
http://shopruger.com/SR1911-Novak-Fiber-Optic-Front-Sight-Green/productinfo/12976/

I personally think they owe us all a real Novak sight, but I also don't think it is the end of the world to have to replace a front sight. Lots of people buy a new gun and upgrade the sights anyway. My Rugers are great guns, but I like my S&W commander more.

 

[BigBill]

I had a nib 1911 that had a sprung extractor. In three minutes worth of work she's a shooter now. She ftl one round per mag, any mag.

Food for thought,

In some of the older semi auto rifles that we're fed with stripper clips I noticed some mags didn't interchange.