Just like the original USGI - ...

If that is what you really want, and not just a flush fit 7 round mag, there probably is only one, the CheckMate GI mag.

Top Gun Supply (out of stock, though) Check-Mate .45ACP, 7RD, Blue, GI - Full Size 1911 Magazine - Top Gun Supply

Thunder Mountain Custom https://www.shop.1911parts.com/Check-Mate-7-Round-GI-Magazine-Blued-cm45-7-B-GI.htm

CheckMate direct (also out of stock, apparently) 1911 .45 ACP - CHECK-MATE MAGAZINES

CheckMate is a fine manufacturer. However, as a retailer, you're better off buying from Top Gun Supply, Thunder Mountain Custom or other retailer if they have them available.

 

If that is what you really want, and not just a flush fit 7 round mag, there probably is only one, the CheckMate GI mag.

Top Gun Supply (out of stock, though) Check-Mate .45ACP, 7RD, Blue, GI - Full Size 1911 Magazine - Top Gun Supply

Thunder Mountain Custom https://www.shop.1911parts.com/Check-Mate-7-Round-GI-Magazine-Blued-cm45-7-B-GI.htm

CheckMate direct (also out of stock, apparently) 1911 .45 ACP - CHECK-MATE MAGAZINES

CheckMate is a fine manufacturer. However, as a retailer, you're better off buying from Top Gun Supply, Thunder Mountain Custom or other retailer if they have them available.

Yes, that is exactly what I am looking for. Flush fit 7 round mag. Thanks for posting this info. H. A.

 

Try Metalform.
Their round follower magazines are especially good.

 

Back in the day, Excellence-in-Competition and Camp Perry - National Match regs stated the weapon and accessories (magazines) had to have an external as-issued profile and appearance (i.e., flush-fit 1911 magazines).

I liked Metalform and Mec-Gar magazines with the high-polish blued finish -- the insides of the mag tubes were also polished, giving the round stack less friction, to lower the risk of stoppages.

Mec-Gar (note the stepped follower front):

Metalform (you want the rolled and welded follower. The Pro and Elite series now have slightly extended base plates now, though):

These are also great, but getting pricey. Tripp with hybrid (both plastic and steel) follower:

:

 

Maybe I need an education here. What is the significance of GI feed lips? Different mags for wadcutters? Clue me in.

 

dsk has a "sticky" on the different feed lip designs in our "Parts and Accessories Bin" subforum

GI, Hybrid, and Wadcutter .45 magazines

Just a quick FYI for you, there are basically three main types of 1911 magazines out there as it pertains to the feed lips. The following image will show that the difference is in the shape of the lips and the timing at which they release the cartridge during feeding (these are .45ACP mags...

www.1911forum.com

 

I prefer 7 rounders, but I also prefer bumper pads on my mags. They are more comfortable in the hand, more comfortable on the belt, and I don't pinch my palm when inserting them in the gun.

The 1911 is a pretty big gun. The extra 3/4" of an inch (or less with a low profile pad) added by the bumper pad is insignificant for me as far as conceal-ability goes.

If a flush mag is what you like, and want, they are available.

 

JTQ: Thanks for posting

 

The history is - Browning invented the 7 round mag with what became known as GI feed lips. It works great with 230gr ball ammo.

When semi-wadcutters became a common bullet shape, and then hollow points, that are both typically shorter than 230gr ball, they found these rounds didn't feed as well from GI feed lipped mags.

Colt developed the hybrid feed lips and others developed wadcutter feed lips that work better with these shorter rounds.

Currently, I believe CheckMate may be the only maker producing anything other than wadcutter feed lipped mags. Wilson, McCormick, Tripp, etc, all make mags with wadcutter feed lips.

 

 

Not to state the obvious, but I've had good luck with these...some might benefit from stronger Wolff springs:

Colt 1911 Government, Commander Mag 45 ACP 7-Round Steel Blue

This is an original factory replacement part from Colt. Factory replacement parts are manufactured with the same specifications and are made with the...

www.midwayusa.com

 

Not to state the obvious, but I've had good luck with these...

The downside to ordering a "Colt" mag is that Colt doesn't make mags, they contract them out. When you order a Colt mag you don't really know what you're getting until it arrives.

For instance, if you look at the two pictures in the MidwayUSA ad, one has a GI follower and the other has the CheckMate Patented Follower (CMF). The description also doesn't identify the type of feed lips used. If you want a particular mag, with particular features, ordering a "Colt" mag could be a problem, because you may not get what you want. However, if it only matters that it is a 7 rounder, it's not much of an issue.

 

I use Chip McCormick flush mounts. They're owned by Wilson now so I don't know if they're as good as the originals. Mine even feed empty cases along with every projectile type I've tried.

 

Besides Metalform magazines, I have also recently ordered and received a few Kimber factory magazines. In appearance they are identical to the one that came with my Series 1 gun except that the original magazine isn't marked on the bottom of the magazine and the new ones are. They seem to feed dummy rounds fine, but I have not tried them out in live fire yet.

FWIW, Metalform seems to make magazines with quite a few different follower designs. They do come in both blued and stainless though all my recent purchases have been stainless. They all seem to work, but I like the round followers the best.

- Ivan.

 

Tripp 7 round magazines are excellent. Or you can buy the Tripp Super 7 spring and follower to convert any other 7 round magazine to a reliable 7 round magazine.

 

I haven't tried their mags, but I hope they're good enough for them to abandon their most excellent chrome plating operation

 

I have used Shooting Stars for years. They are flush fitting and 8 instead of 7.

 

The Shooting Star magazine bodies are good, but the followers tend to move around a lot and have a tendency to ride past the slide stop instead of lifting it. I don't own an aluminum frame gun but have heard that because the follower will move forward, it has a tendency to chew up the feed ramp on the frame.

 

My primary concern is functionality/reliability. Lots of people shooting 1911s who think they have a "problem" with their gun actually have a problems with garbage magazines or the magazine not feeding a particular bullet profile correctly.

I use Wilson Combat for all of mine, except I now have a few Tripp mags I am trying and some Chip McCormick (now owned by Wilson Combat). During the panic buying, I couldn't get WC mags in 38 Super or 10mm.

 

All I use is tripp cobra

 

I've been real happy with my blued, flush-fit Chip McCormick Shooting Stars (7 & 8rd) for probably 30yrs now.

I use the early 7rd blue mags for match/target, and 8rd stainless for SD/carry.

 

Chip McCormick seems popular. This was old news to me...maybe not to y'all:

An Official Journal Of The NRA | Wilson Combat Buys Chip McCormick Custom/Shooting Star Industries

Wilson Combat made an amicable acquisition of Chip McCormick Custom, bringing a leading manufacturer of 1911 magazines under the Wilson Combat brand.

www.shootingillustrated.com

 

Metalform with the rolled followers

 

I looked at Metalform's website. Didn't see any flush mounts in blue. Did I overlook something?

 

Regarding the CMC Devel/Shooting Star follower. Over the past decade or so, the follower has somewhat fallen out of favor, partially due to this movement in the tube, which can ding aluminum frames, but also partially to the introduction of longer tubes, that don't need such a space efficient follower to allow 8 rounds in the tube.

Folks often overlook a couple advantages the Devel follower has

1. There is very little surface area that the follower touches inside the tube. If you have debris in the tube, like sand or dirt, the follower is probably less prone to sticking inside the tube than some of the other follower designs that have a lot of surface area contact within the tube.

2. For servicing your magazines, the Devel follower is really easy to get out of the tube for cleaning. Some designs require a good bit more effort to remove for cleaning.

There are no perfect mags, but there are still some good features to the design.

Edit to add: Regarding flush fit mags, the topic of the thread, if you absolutely have to have 8 rounds in a flush fit mag, the Devel/Shooting Star follower is the most efficient/effective follower to allow you to squeeze 8 rounds in a tube designed to hold 7.

 

Wish I hadn't read this thread. For over 25yrs CmC Shooting Stars have performed flawlessly with mid-range 200gr SWC to any hollow point I tried, including the Speer 200gr 'flying shot-glass".

Now that I learned all these things about them, they'll probably jam non-stop!

Thanx a lot!

 

Jamming wasn't a problem I ever had with the original Shooting Star magazines. The followers just moved too much. They lifted the slide stop MOST of the time, but occasionally they did not. Did I mention that the followers moved around too much? I happen to have one of these followers in a factory Colt magazine.

Those Chip McCormick magazines were tough! One was in a gun that had a kaboom and it was totally messed up but probably saved my hand from any serious injury.

- Ivan.

 

Why not try a KimPro Tac-Mag? Has a classic look, can be flush mounted but also come with two different base pads if you decide at some point you want to add them, use a magwell later on, etc.

 

the tripp mag above or a Checkmate 8rd flush w wadcutter lips and a tripp super 7 kit installed

 

... or a Checkmate 8rd flush w wadcutter lips and a tripp super 7 kit installed

Sure, if you're stuck with a flush fit 8 round CheckMate, that may be the most difficult of all 8 rounders to insert with the slide forward, but if you haven't bought it yet, just buy a 7 round CheckMate, and avoid the expense and trouble of adding the Tripp spring/follower.

 

The body of this magazine looks to be blued but the follower is light coloured.

Metalform Standard 1911 .45 ACP (Round Follower) 7-Round Magazine 45.277 | eBay

Metalform 1911 45ACP Cold Rolled Steel Full Size Magazine 7 Rounds | eBay