As most of you know by know, I have just bought my first 1911, a Springfield Armory "Loaded" model.  Anyway, I have a question concerning mags.  The pistol only came with two 7 rnd mags and they look pretty crappy to be honest.

I have been looking at the Wilson Combat mags and have heard many great things about their quality.  I have a few questions however.

1. How far will the 10rnd mags stick out of the mag well?

2. If I get the 10rnd mags can I still put a "Flared" mag well piece?

3. What exactly is the differance between the low profile, standard, and extended base?

On my 1911 the mag is completely flush with the mag well, so I am assuming that they are the low profile.  Any help would be appreciated, I am seriously considering the Wilson 10rnd mags.  I know they are expensive but hear they are worth every penny.

Suggestions??

sgtar15(1911)

Edited to add pic of the mags they sell

Wilson Combat mags, IMO, are the absolute best and are the only mags I use for everyday carry. 10 round mags will stick out about 1 3/4" and they will work just fine with a mag well. Standard base pads are .350" while low profile base pads are less than half as thick. Extended base pads (.625") are about 3/4 again as thick as the standard base pads. Most people using 1911 don't have a whole lot of use for extended base pads; low profile base pads can be useful if you don't like the look of the .350" base. The mags that came with your Springfield don't have base pads just floor plates. The Wilson Combat design differs in that the magazine floor plate, under pressure from the magazine spring, retains the base pad. The whole assembly is removable for ease of cleaning. Even low profile mags will stick out from the bottom of your gun, provided there is no mag well in place. My suggestion, buy the standard Wilson Combat 7 round mags with the .350" base pads (model #47). IMO the design of the 7 round follower is inherently more reliable than the 8 round follower. Although I have only seen one malfunction that I can say was defiantly due to the 8 round follower, on a long enough time line the 7 rounders are probably more reliable.

(1) I don't have any 10 rounders but I'm guessing they extend approx the height of 3 more rounds or about 1.5"

(2) 45 mags are held captive in the pistol by a small notch on the 'starboard' side of the magazine about 1/3 of the way down. So adding a mag well will have no effect on how they are held captive, the mag well supposedly makes is easier to insert a mag.

(3) some mags only have a metal floor plate. Others have a rubber 'bumper' attached. Some people call them slam pads. Their only purpose is to assist you in slaming the mag home in the pistol.These are strictly personal choice.

My favorite mags are the stainless 8 rounders with no slam pads. Mine are Colts.

Enjoy your new 45.

I hanemt used the 10 rounders yet.dont think i will.I do like the 8 rounders as they are flush.They are nice too if they have the bumper pad on them.I have one gun show 8 and a chip mccormick mag both work well but i di  have a problem with the gun show mag at first(did a little filing. as for the chip mag i have heard problems withthem but mine have been flawless. The wilsons all i hear is good about them.

I use the 10 rounders for IPSC.they work best with ball or ball type ammo.The 8 rounders will feed any thing.The best thing Wilson has.

Wilson 8 rd mags are the way to go.

Never tried the 10rd mag as it looks difficult to CCW.  Probably good for competition though.

Funny you should bring this up. The mags I mentioned in my email to you are the Wilson Combat 7 rounders. I will try them out this weekend. If you can make it this saturday you can try them out. I have problems with the SA factory mag. In fact, the generic 1911 mags all have occasional problems. The only ones that never give me problems are the 7 and 8 round Colt mags Ryan has for his 1991A1 - Which has not malfed in over 5000 rounds.

MecGar makes a premium magazine for the M1911 pistol.  This pistol is only designed to hold 7 rounds in the magazine, although spring metalurgy may have improved in the past 90 years.

-- Chuck

Quoted: Wilson 8 rd mags are the way to go.

I'll second that. Never had a single problem with the three that I own and my buddy has seven that have never given him a problem either.

I use Chip Mccormick power mags and I have not had a single malfuntion or mis-feed in my Kimber Classic.

I use Chip McCormick Shooting Star 8rd mags in my 1911A1 w/o any problems at all. I get them for about $14 each. Hope this helps.

Anything from wilson is top quality.....

Quoted: I use Chip McCormick Shooting Star 8rd mags in my 1911A1 w/o any problems at all. I get them for about $14 each. Hope this helps.

I have purchased mags in "colt" packaging....and this is exactly what they are.....I have never had a malfunction from magazine fault with any of them......(10 total...including the ones that came with the guns)........

Wilson 8 round mags shouldn't be any less reliable than 7 rd. mags. The 10 rd/ mags will work with the mag well, but you have to have a base pad on the 7 or 8 rd. mags or reloading won't be as easy as it should be. The base pad sticks out from the mag well.

all i use in my custom colt/caspian hybrid are USGI 7rnd mags, that you can buy for $5-7ea.
i got 4 of them and probably get 4 more.
i know guys that have sold over 70 of those mags and not one has come back.

I'll second the US GI mags. $5-$10 NIW. I have 12 of them and have never had any problems at all.

If you're looking at GI mags, be sure the ones you buy are marked on the baseplate with nomenclature similar to this,

  19200-
ASSY  5508694
MFR. 1M291

Some of these numbers will vary from contractor to contractor but these are the "true" military magazines. Anything not marked this way may be aftermarket junk. I use a lot of these mags, they are the best 7 rounders for hardball or similar profile ammo I've ever found, based on cost/reliability factors. If you anticipate using much short length ammo(185 swc for example) the Wilson (or other) mags will probably be a better choice.

I've only got 1 ten round mag, a mecgar that I misplaced, loaded for 4 years. When I found it, it still functioned perfectly.

DOn in Ohio

Quoted: I use Chip McCormick Shooting Star 8rd mags in my 1911A1 w/o any problems at all. I get them for about $14 each. Hope this helps.

My favorite 1911 mags too. I got mine for I think about $10 each and have had no problems whatsoever. The only advantage I can see to the Wilson mags is the floorplate comes off for easier cleaning. You pay more for name recognition.

Edit: I'd stay away from gun show mags marked simply "Colt" on the baseplate. In my experience those are junk. They're not made by Colt, they're just marked Colt on the bottom.

I have put about 1,000 rnds though my Springfield 1911-A1 "Loaded".  Fine 1911.

I have not had any problems with the original mags. I purchased two additional GI mags and are happy with them also.
I have one Cheaper Than Dirt 10-rounder that is a pile of crap.

Some pointers for your Springfield:
You might want to use a dab of non-permanent lock-tight on the 2-piece threaded guide rod after cleaning and assembly as they tend to separate after firing.
Also, I found the factory recoil spring prematurely weakened in the gun and replaced it from a Wilson Combat Custom-Tune spring kit.