1911 mag maintenance question

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  • bocefus78

    Master
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    Apr 9, 2014
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    Hamilton Co.
    As a newer 1911 owner, I've got a noob question.
    I've got a couple mags giving me grief. What do I need to do to make these work again?

    CMC 10rd. Nosedives first or second round almost religiously.

    Wilson 8rd. 47d intermittent nosediving. Not predictable like the cmc.

    Do I need to stretch springs, replace springs, clean, or what?

    Thx ingo



    Ps. In before the buy a glock crowd :)
     

    churchmouse

    I still care....Really
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    187   0   0
    Dec 7, 2011
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    Speedway area
    As a newer 1911 owner, I've got a noob question.
    I've got a couple mags giving me grief. What do I need to do to make these work again?

    CMC 10rd. Nosedives first or second round almost religiously.

    Wilson 8rd. 47d intermittent nosediving. Not predictable like the cmc.

    Do I need to stretch springs, replace springs, clean, or what?

    Thx ingo



    Ps. In before the buy a glock crowd :)

    I have 2 CM 10's that do the nose dive thing. I just load 9 in them....:lmfao:

    I must be getting lazy.
     

    bocefus78

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    Hamilton Co.
    Would this be the source of issues on the 47?

    2ryiwy9.jpg
     

    halfmileharry

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    Dec 2, 2010
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    South of Indy
    I wash out my mags by dunking them in warm soapy water.
    I depress the follower with the eraser end of a pencil about a dozen times or so. I never counted how many times.
    Rinse with plenty of warm water and work the follower again. Shake 'em out and take a blow gun (air compressor) and blow the water out.
    No need to wipe the mags down with oil. The warm water and compressed air evaporate thoroughly and quick.
     

    rhino

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    Mar 18, 2008
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    In addition, don't stretch mag springs. If they're too weak and are permanently compressed in their relaxed state, you need a new spring. Stretching only works for a short time, then the spring will shorten again as well as be more likely to actually fail.
     

    LCSOSgt11

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    Apr 24, 2009
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    LaPorte, IN
    Toss the mag on the right hand side of the photo. For maintenance, I change magazine springs every year. Also, I would only use 7 round magazines only, as the only difference between the Wilson 7 rd. and 8 rd. magazine is the follower. The 7 rd. follower is convex, with "legs" on either side to insure proper feeding. The 8 rd. follower is concave, and not as sturdy. I regularly take magazines apart, clean the interior of the body and reassemble. The magazine is the weakest point of any semiautomatic pistol. I use either Wilson replacement springs (which come with a follower) or Wolff 5% "extra power" springs, which do not come with a follower.

    The dinged up magazine on the right needs to go. That "dent" is probably what is causing the failure to feed. I don't know if you can send the damaged magazine back to Wilson for repair. If you cannot, please discard the dinged up magazine. It is not worth your life to depend on it. Personally, I have 10 magazines for each of my 1911's, and I rotate their usage monthly. I naturally carry one in the pistol, and two on the belt. I have not had a magazine related failure. Period. I carry the standard Wilson model 47 magazine, and at one time, I bought some 8 rd. magazines, and I had some trouble with them. I then changed followers to the 7rd. version, and the trouble evaporated.

    Again, the weakest link in the feeding cycle of the semiautomatic pistol is the magazine. Use quality magazines, proper followers, and maintain them. I find the Wilson magazines superior, due to their ability to be easily disassembled, cleaned, and new spring/follower assemblies readily available. I do not have any experience with Chip McCormick magazines (although I overheard that Wilson Combat bought the company), and cannot attest personally to their quality or dependability.

    You pay your money and make your choice. In my experience, anyone that says that their spring does not fatigue is simply a salesman.
     
    Last edited:

    Mustang1911

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    Oct 19, 2015
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    Westfield
    Are the mags new? If so the springs should be good, if not try replacing them. Don’t stretch them, get new springs if they need new stuff new. Can’t hurt to take them apart real quick and run a dry rag through them but absent any visable material dirt or
    lint inside they shouldn’t need much cleaning unless you’re really getting them nasty dirty.

    Out of curiosity, what kind of 1911 do you have? Some 1911s just don’t like certain mags for some reason
     

    bocefus78

    Master
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    39   0   0
    Apr 9, 2014
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    Hamilton Co.
    Are the mags new? If so the springs should be good, if not try replacing them. Don’t stretch them, get new springs if they need new stuff new. Can’t hurt to take them apart real quick and run a dry rag through them but absent any visable material dirt or
    lint inside they shouldn’t need much cleaning unless you’re really getting them nasty dirty.

    Out of curiosity, what kind of 1911 do you have? Some 1911s just don’t like certain mags for some reason

    This started life as a ruger. Only thing left from ruger is the slide and frame. It's a cm build. He's ran the wilsons, so that's what I used also.

    The one mag in question is older. The known good only has around 500 through it. I'll see what my metal fab skills are and try to bend that dent out
     

    churchmouse

    I still care....Really
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    This started life as a ruger. Only thing left from ruger is the slide and frame. It's a cm build. He's ran the wilsons, so that's what I used also.

    The one mag in question is older. The known good only has around 500 through it. I'll see what my metal fab skills are and try to bend that dent out

    If you get out this way let me see it.
     
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