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Your choice in magazines?

2399 Views 22 Replies 21 Participants Last post by  gyp_c
Which do you Colt guys prefer most? I hear the most about Wilson and Shooting Star mags. And with your choice, which do you prefer, 7 or 8rd., and why? The reason being, I hear about 50% good/50% bad on the 8rd. mags and never anything bad about the 7 rounders. Also, I need the pads because I just put a mainspring housing with mag well opening on my 1991.

Also, does anyone have the link to where to get the Shooting Star mags so I can check prices? I also need Cylinder&Slide's web address.

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"They all fall to hardball!"

[This message has been edited by M1991A1 (edited 05-15-2001).]

[This message has been edited by M1991A1 (edited 05-15-2001).]
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well, all things considered if I can get one more bang out of a mag before I have to swap, that's the easy choice, plus, the 8rounders from Wilson can be had with a small buttplate that's ALMOST a flush fit but leaves just enough to ensure a good lock-up when you're doing a quick reload
i have used shooting stars 8 rd for about four years now, and have never had one fail in either of the 3 colts i havce had (still have two of them).

chipmccormickcorp.com is the site i think

anyway, my brother has jsut bought the new chip 8 rd power mags. they seem to be doing great in his kimber and springfield.

i like the shooting star, and i like the 8rd, i can get them for roughly 15 bucks, and at the gun show there is a guy who sells them for 10 a piece. thats a good price around here!

russel the cop
Have had my best luck with Wilson-Rogers, the old Pachmayr SS mags with side stamped logo, older stock Colt 7 round with the horsie on the bottom, current Les Baer mags, and Metalform. No bad stories to tell about any name brand mags, actually. I don't like the way Shooting Star followers tip forward, but never used one to determine if they will nose dive a round. Many do like them though. I don't use 8 rounders if I can avoid it.
I like the Shooting Star as a range mag, if it gets dirty or dinged I dont care too much. So far they have not failed me in my 10 Colts and a new Defender that has a few hundred thru it so far. I use the McCormick Power Mag on duty, in the gun and in the mag case. I must have twenty of them and I have not had one fail. I can not same the same for the Wilsons. I wont use Wilson because of the plastic follower and they are over priced too boot. The McCormick Power Mag is just plain good, all stainless steel and about $6 cheaper than Wilsons. I guess you could say I swear by them and I darn sure trust them with my life. McCormick also offers a nice LE discount on them, last half dozen were $16.76 each, that is the LE cost.

All my other mags are Colt factory for dependability but cost is a factor as well, thats why I save them back and use the Shooting Stars.

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No man is above the law and no man is below it. Nor do we ask any mans permission when we require him to obey it.

[This message has been edited by Ken Neal (edited 05-15-2001).]
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Those were some glaring reviews to be sure. Ken and Russell, how much did you pay, on average, for those CMC mags? I went to his sight (BTW...you had it right Russell) and the price was about the same for the Wilson mags as for the Power mags. I am leaning toward the CMC mags because of past experience with Wilsons and my brother's current experience. They perform rather good but they start failing to lock the slide back. Thats what my old ones did too. Is there another place, besides his own site, that might have them cheaper?

Thanks for the replies so far guys!

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"They all fall to hardball!"
Hello M1991A1.I have been using Wilson mags for years (8 rounders).I use them for IDPA competition and practice and have had no problems.I had the same slide lock problem with a brand new Springfield.Called Wilson Combat and they asked when the mags were cleaned last.I couldn't remember when and they suggested that I try that and if it didn't work call them back.I cleaned them and they work perfectly.No more slide lock problems.I have had McCormick mags before and I found them to be too finicky.One would work in my Kimber but not my Colt.Another would work in my Colt but not in my Kimber etc. etc..In all fairness I have not tried one of the power mags but the next time I need to order some gun stuff I plan on getting a power mag to try.

Shooter Ready?
Wilson 8 rounder in reserve with a flush 7 rounder in the gun. Not that it makes it any harder to conceal. Maybe I'm just odd. Also like to have even number of rounds, 7+1 and 8. Just opinion.
i figured i was close on the price. i can't really knock the other brands, i can say that the chips have never failed in my colts or my brothers kimber or springfield. my brother does have some megger mags, and they really work great too we tried them in all of our guns. i have to say that i like the price on the chips, and they have never failed or caused a round to dive.

russel the cop
I had a spring go soft in a SS 8-rounder, but other than that I have had perfect service from three of them over the last five years. I like the blue steel model, which can usually be had from Cheaper Than Dirt or CDNN for $11. I will say that not all guns like all mags, and your results may vary.
I've never had good luck with any mag that uses the shooting star follwer, even after replacing the springs with Wolff extra power ones. The only 8 rounders I like are the Wilson, and even then I prefer stock Colt or Metalform 7 rounders for serious use.
Wilson, Shooting Stars, or factory mags are all I use.

Wilson mags or factory mags with Wilson guts are used in my .38 Supers, while I stick with $10 shooting stars in my .45s.

Never had a failure with any of them, even the Wilsons with cracked plastic followers. Of course one call to Wilson had a double handful of followers to me in 3 days.
I'll vote for McCormick in .45. NEVER had a problem. I usually add the pachmayr base.

Use Wilson in 38 super, 9x23, and they will also work with 9mm. Thinking about trying one of their .45 mags again.

Have a bunch of Pachmayr 9mms that I use for competition as they were cheap and work all the time as well. From what I remember, the .45 Pachmayrs were good magazines but I haven't seen one in ten years or so.

Haven't had a problem out of any Colt Factory mags either. Matter of fact, the Colt 8 round is basically a McCormick with the Colt logo and sandblasted on the bottom.
I don't clam to be much of an authority, but I have 3 CM Shooting Star 8 round mags that have been flawless in my 1991A1.
M1991A....
I've had the same three Shooting Star 8 round magazines for the past 10 years with many rounds through a Colt 91A1 Gov't. Never had a problem. They always function with a full 8 rounds, with one additional round in the chamber. With an S&A mag guide and the bumper pads attached to the mag, it always looks as good as it works.
SamColtFan

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"An ultimate goal of the United States is a world which is free from the ... dangers and burdens of armaments;" 22 USCS SEC. 2551

[This message has been edited by SamColtFan (edited 05-16-2001).]
Is my experience unusual in that I've never had problems with 7 round mags in my 1911s (Kimber Classic and Colt 1982 Series 80)?

Surplus mags, factory mags, no-name mags, they all work without problems. I have over 50k rounds though my Colt using a $2 surplus mag I bought in 1982, and I never had what I would consider to be a mag related problem. Heck, even my original no-name Kimber mag works fine.

OTOH, I bought an 8rd MecGar mag 10 years ago and it never feed right.

Anyway, just asking.

Phil
Power Mags, 8 and 10 round work for me in all my Colts.
7 rd. Wilson with flat metal base plate in
the gun, 8 rd. Wilson, and 10 rd. Wilson
(with FMJ only)in the pouches.
My experience is similar to that of pxchangO above. I have a mixture of mags, all 7-round, except for one 8-round, and they all work fine in my 1991A1. My 8-round is a Shooting Star, and it works fine as well.
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