Posted: 1/24/2013 7:31:27 PM EDT
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Hello all,
I recently got my first 1911, a Taurus PT1911AR. I love the 1911 platform and I'm ready to start upgrading. What magwell/ mag guide is the go-to for you 1911 guys? I've heard good things about Smith & Alexander, but other than that I've heard no opinions. I've seen one made by Wilson Combat, a very highly regarded company...are they good to go as well? How about some of the grips that come together to form a guide at the bottom (Mako, Hogue, etc.)? If everyone could post their preferred magwell, as well as why you prefer it to others and any issues/complaints you had as well that would be great! Thanks guys. edit: Forgot to throw on a pic of my baby. The stamp is just covering serials. http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz185/joe_hyder/B68E47E8-D7FA-4E7B-8675-61A283E1ED78-20212-0000195F6679A1D7-1_zpsc40522b1.jpg |
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I have a Smith and Alexander magwell on my TRP. Not much to say about it, other than it fits perfect and does the job. It looks like you have some fine checkering (or not even checkering - serrations?) on your frontstrap, 30 LPI? The S&A is 20 LPI, so it won't match, if you care, but it is a solid one piece solution. It may require some fitting where the grip safety meets the magwell, but nothing you can't do yourself with a file and some 220 grit sandpaper. You want to file the magwell, not the grip safety, since the magwell is the easily replaceable part. Your MSH guts should drop in to the S&A, or order some new guts for a couple bucks if you want.
If you want easier reloads and concealment is not top priority, the S&A magwell is great, but you should also have mags with baseplates - 7 round flush mags will not be easy to load once you have the magwell installed. |
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Ed Brown Maxiwell or Smith and Alexander are my recommendations. Each one has advantages and disadvantages. The Ed Brown is two-piece so there is greater flexibility in fitting it if there is a gap between the magwell and the frame. The S&A is one-piece, therefore no screw to work itself loose.
Aesthetically, there are differences between the two and you'll have to decide which one works better with your frame and personal tastes: Ed Brown Maxiwell: 
S&A on the left, Ed Brown on the right: 
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| I like the S&A because of the one piece design, and because it adds a little bit of length to the standard MSH. See the above side by side comparison where the Ed Brown magwell curves under and then has the magwell piece. The continuous length of the S&A fits my wide hands well. |
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The S&As work pretty well, I have bought and installed a bunch of them. You'll run into a fitting issue from time to time, mostly minor.
Sometimes a clearance needs to be filed on the inside of the MSH for the foot of the sear spring. Sometimes the "rails" will need to be fitted a bit to allow the MSH to fully seat into the frame. Sometimes the MSH pin hole in the MSH doesn't match up with the frame. Enlarging the MSH hole with a round file is a workable solution if things aren't too far off. Sometimes there will be a gap between the funnel part and the bottom of the frame. Sometimes it's a tapering gap, in which case the horns can be bent to fit. If the gap is uniform and large enough to be an eyesore, the usual approach is to cover the gap up with a longer set of grips. A better solution in many cases is to simply return the S&A and use a two-piece magwell which will allow filing to bring the funnel closer to the MSH. |
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Quoted:
Any opinions on the Hogue Magrip units? I've never used them, but have played with a couple. They look pretty neat and are a good idea IMO. The main problem I can foresee with those is that when your mag well gets all chewed up after hundreds of reloads, you have to replace all of it. I don't know anyone using them in competition so I don't have a good idea of how well they really hold up to hard use. I would probably recommend a metal magwell if someone were going to be using it for competition... I think the Hogue would be fine for CCW and occasional practice. |
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Hey Ken, how do you tighten a S&A mag well that's loose on the "rails"? I don't want to hijack this thread, but since you offered the fitting advice, I thought I would chime in.
I am working on a SA GI and I have installed a mag well, but the rails are loose and when I insert the pin, it doesn't always line up in the same place every time. Quoted:
The S&As work pretty well, I have bought and installed a bunch of them. You'll run into a fitting issue from time to time, mostly minor. Sometimes a clearance needs to be filed on the inside of the MSH for the foot of the sear spring. Sometimes the "rails" will need to be fitted a bit to allow the MSH to fully seat into the frame. Sometimes the MSH pin hole in the MSH doesn't match up with the frame. Enlarging the MSH hole with a round file is a workable solution if things aren't too far off. Sometimes there will be a gap between the funnel part and the bottom of the frame. Sometimes it's a tapering gap, in which case the horns can be bent to fit. If the gap is uniform and large enough to be an eyesore, the usual approach is to cover the gap up with a longer set of grips. A better solution in many cases is to simply return the S&A and use a two-piece magwell which will allow filing to bring the funnel closer to the MSH. |
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Quoted:
Hey Ken, how do you tighten a S&A mag well that's loose on the "rails"? I don't want to hijack this thread, but since you offered the fitting advice, I thought I would chime in. What I usually do is swage the rails down a bit, 3 spots on each side... a spot maybe 1/8" long. Dress them to fit if necessary. This will generally tighten things up a good deal. |
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Thanks Ken. That's what I thought needed to be done, I just didn't know the proper way to tighten it up. I wish someone (EGW?) would make one that is oversize so it could be fitted to each individual firearm for a truly custom fit.
Quoted:
Quoted:
Hey Ken, how do you tighten a S&A mag well that's loose on the "rails"? I don't want to hijack this thread, but since you offered the fitting advice, I thought I would chime in. What I usually do is swage the rails down a bit, 3 spots on each side... a spot maybe 1/8" long. Dress them to fit if necessary. This will generally tighten things up a good deal. |
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Quoted:
The main problem I can foresee with those is that when your mag well gets all chewed up after hundreds of reloads, you have to replace all of it. If it gets too dinged up, just cut off the magwell portion. You'll be left with a set of standard G10 stocks with a matching mainspring housing. To be honest, I've seen plenty of gouged metal magwells after heavy competition use. |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
The main problem I can foresee with those is that when your mag well gets all chewed up after hundreds of reloads, you have to replace all of it. If it gets too dinged up, just cut off the magwell portion. You'll be left with a set of standard G10 stocks with a matching mainspring housing. To be honest, I've seen plenty of gouged metal magwells after heavy competition use. Same here, and what will beat up an anodized aluminum or SS magwell will probably tear up a G10 magwell twice as quickly. |
