This is my second WE mag. I like the first one well enough to get another instead of a 47D. This one won’t let the slide drop on an empty magazine. The slide release feels frozen, not even a wiggle. Any suggestions rather than sending it to Wilson? And don’t say that I should have stuck with the 47D. I now that will be the first post anyway.  On paper the elite should be a little improved. I know “if it ain’t broke” but that doesn’t mean I’m going to be blind to something better.

Anyway, someone have a suggestion?

Nvm.

Doupletap

Why would you drop the slide on an empty chamber?

That would be a good magazine to have in the gun if you ever show it to noobs.

You lost me when you said that you can’t drop the slide on an empty magazine. Did you mean loaded magazine?

If you really meant empty mag, then your magazine is not defective. It’s supposed to be that way.

This.

just to throw another vote in here. I have lots of Wilson ETMs, 10rders, CMC 10 rders, and a bunch of older 47Ds that I converted in to 7 rders.  Oh, and some Springfield 7rders.  I can't drop the slide stop on an empty mag on any of them. It's too much pressure from the follower to do it, but it never bothered me because when the hell do I need to do that?

Not a mag fail.

The ETM has a stiffer spring pushing on the slide stop.  Drop the mag, ease the slide down, pop the mag back in.

It probably has a really strong spring, hey that's what you paid for, that keeps the follower pressed against the slide stop very hard.
Secondly, you are never supposed to drop the slide on an empty chamber on a 1911. Potentially messes up the sear surfaces.

Yes, never do this.

There is nothing wrong with your magazine. Your are trying to make it do things neither that magazine or the gun are designed to do.

The reason you can do it with other mags, is the mag spring is weak in the other ones.  The 47d does weaken over time.  The etm/elite, especially the hd version, is a much better spring, hence why it is so hard to push the slide stop down on an empty mag.

When the spring weakens enough in a magazine, you may experience failure to lock the slide back after the last round, and possibly failures to feed on the last round in the mag.  Those are two signs of magazine issues/spring issues in a 1911.

As others have stated, it is best to keep the slide from slamming home on an empty chamber.

Please,  Do not drop your slide on empty magazine with the slide stop.  Do not drop the slide when the action is open.  All slide manipulation with an unloaded pistol should be done holding the slide, allow the slide stop to release, then lower the slide slowly.

Everytime I come back here something has happened guys, thank you.

Every 1911 magazine and every magazine I’ve used will hold open on empty and then if I wanted to, I could drop the slide by depressing the thumb release. The elite mags are a dollar more than the 47D so I thought I would try one. Love it. Ordered another and the follower felt sticky (yes I cleaned the mag body on the inside) it didn’t really feel right inserting it as if it went past the mag release. These mags are rated a little lower over on Brownells so I was a little worried. But I think it might be the spring even though this one loads easier than my 47D’s. But I loaded it up and let it sit and all seems normal now.

Y’all that say never drop a slide on a 1911 need to rethink the statement. It’s not a blanket that covers every single one. Old 1911’s and maybe some custom small batch shops, ok. My real simple response to dropping a slide is “how else do you check for hammer follow?”  I would love to know a different method. Also if you have to be so careful as to not perform a natural function of the firearm, somebody would get sued. There are way too many dumb people to not have litigation on that. Now I’m not saying it’s a good practice to drop the slide either. I’ve just never wanted something I have to baby.

Thanks guys, I never would have gotten the mag issue figured out and I probably wold have stopped getting them. I do love changes they made with the Elite mags. I wish they did that to the compact mags.

If you know more than the guys over at 10-8 performance than please start a website/gunsmithing service to benefit the rest of us.

Untill then

10-8 Performance
"Weapon handling protocol:

Always ease the slide down on an empty chamber, never slam it shut from slide lock. A G.I. rack grade 1911 may do fine when you slam the slide on the empty chamber, but a gun with a tuned trigger and fitted barrel will do better without it. The jarring of the slide slamming down on an empty chamber can cause the hammer to follow and the sear nose to crash into the hammer hooks. Your trigger job will last longer if you ease the slide down. Further, the lower lugs on a match fit barrel take a lot of impact when they contact the slide stop, and without the buffering effect of the round feeding into the chamber, you increase wear on your barrel by slamming the slide on an empty chamber. It's not the end of the world if the slide drops on an empty chamber, but it's not a good habit to develop either. It is the sign of an amateur 1911 handler."

Without the magazine inserted, for starters.

Being able to release the slide on an empty mag is annoying at times but doesn't really interfere with proper and routine use of the pistol.

That kind of backs up what the op was trying to say.

Magazine was working properly. With my best 1911 mags it's downright impossible for me to press down on the slide stop to ease the slide home with an empty mag in it.