Posted: 10/17/2005 8:27:48 PM EDT
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Why does Wilson Combat still make seven rounders and why would people buy them? I guess it doesn't really matter to me, but everytime I get on their website the question pops into my head. |
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This is the way John Browning designed the original 1911 magazine, what ? ya think ya know better than him? If ya don't want to spend your money on 7 round magazines, then don't, but don't pretend like they have no use whatsoever. I seriously doubt you could have done a better job than Browning did, so why impune his original design. Mike |
Hmmm... not really the response I was looking for. I was kind of expecting someone to tell me that they like the 7 rounders and continue to use them because ??? Seeing as how John Browning didn't have the use of the manufacturing processes that we use today, I don't think I was trying to bash him in any way.  So if anybody else would care to respond. |
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I bought several used 7 rounders several years ago. I immediately converted them to 8 rounds with the kits from Wilson. They have performed flawlessly ever since. At that time the 8 round mags had a slightly longer base pad. Might have made them a little tougher for CCW. The newer designs all have the same pad now I believe. Why do people still buy the 7 rounders? Comfort zone types or traditionalists is all i can figure. Wilson 8 round mags have proven their worth gor over 25 years now. They are hands down the best out there. |
In pre-1911, there was no such thing a percision molding (steel or plastic). The down fall to the 8 rounder using the cut steel 7 round L follower is that you loose the additional speing side tension on the follower that keeps it from canting on the last round. Now with the fully skirted followers, going to the 8 round count in the standard lenght mags is not a compromise (read even Browning would be impressed with the 47 mags follower design). |
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I will use nothing except Wilson 7 round mags for serious carry of any 1911. The early 8 round mags were plagued with spring failures and would all lose tension after being loaded for a while and stop locking the slide open after the last round. Perhaps this has been resolved with todays 8 rounders or perhaps not, but in my experience, NO 8 round mag is as reliable as Wilson 7 round #47s. I have been told (in person) by both Bill Wilson and Bill Rogers...the co-inventers of these magazines...that they will use only the 7 round mags in their personal defense guns, but that was a long time ago and maybe Wilson has changed his mind...I am pretty sure Bill Rogers has not. IIRC however, the specs for the MEUSOC 1911 allow only Wilson #47 seven round mags. Call me a dinosaur...maybe I am...but the addition of one round is not worth the chance of a magazine or feed failure to me when it might happen for real. I own and use several #47Ds for range and match use, but they are never used for carry or spares. |
Good post!  |
| I have noticed the springs on the 47D's weaken more quickly than thicker diameter springs of the 7 rounders, in as little as 6 months of regular use. This has translated into not only failures to lock the slide back, but also increased wear on the slide stop, since the weakened 8 rounders couldn't push the slide stop up all the way. Add some extra dirt or carbon build up and the result is something less than reliable. And less than ideal, for me, for either training or carry. I still have the 47D bodies, but use 7 round Wolff springs now, and am not bothered by the loss of one round of capacity. YMMV. |
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Got this from Wilson, should clear up things a little. Steve "8 round magazines have a thinner spring than the 7 round. It is not the spring being collapsed that wears it down but rather the up and down movement that will wear it down over time. The replacement thing generally comes from shooters that are running to the different matches and then shooting a lot between them and so the springs will loose their set after a while. There is no set number as to how long the spring will last and I personally have magazines that have springs that have never lost their set while others have with no real rational to it. The first thing that will happen when a spring starts to weaken down is that they will not lock the slide back after the last round but the pistol will still feed with no problem. What is generally done is that when the slide starts to not lock back on the last round the spring needs to be changed out. What is generally done is to mark the magazines and then change the spring out at the first sign of trouble. " Greg Gimenez Wilson Combat |
| Once again, I use 47Ds exclusively and have NEVER had a problem. I shoot in excess of 25,000 rounds yearly out of over a dozen 1911s and have yet to encounter a problem. I HIGHLY recommend the Wilson 47Ds and will continue to buy and recommend them. Please feel free to IM me with any questions. |
Something I forgot in my last post, I use the 47Ds also and two more coming from our group buy. I don't shoot near what allot of guys here do so I do not anticipate any problems for me. I only posted the above as a little FYI I obtained from Wilson. Steve |
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I switched out my 8 rd Wilson mag springs for 7 rd Wilson springs for added reliability. There is too much at stake to risk. My 30 year old 7 rd mags are still reliable too. I would not mind an 8 rd mag for competition shooting if it’s all I did, but I’d rather keep my 1911’s combat ready rather than for light load gaming. |
I've posted this before: I only use the 7 rounders. With the 8s, I don't like the way it feels when you insert the mag into the weapon - just feels weird have to compress that 8th round down in to the mag. A few years back, I called Wilson and asked them how they managed to 8 rounds in a 7 round mag. He told me they changed the shape of the followers, and they removed some wraps from the spring - he told me the number, but I can't remember. This essentially made the spring less strong. He emphasized to me that if I wanted the original high-functionality design of the Wilson mags, to stick with the 7s. And I completely understand, and have seen, the great realibility folks have with the 8s. But I'll stick with my 7s. EDIT: guess I should have read the entire thread before answering - looks like I've typed the same as most others. 
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John Browning also designed the "original 1911" with an external extractor and no grip safety I believe. The 1911 incorporated these features because that's what the Army requested be added to his existing design if I recall correctly. Yeah I'm a smartass, but do you see the falacy in your argument? It's not like technology and metalurgy haven't changed in the past 100 years and we can't make a good 8 round mag. |
So all a person would have to do to make their Wilson eight rounder a seven rounder is change the spring? Here is a similar question that may show my ignorance of the 1911 platform. Tradionally magazines for officers models held six rounds... right? So why are all the officers model magazines listed on the website seven rounders and no six rounders? |
Well I just got some Wilson 8 rounders and they do require a bit more effort to seat with the slide forward. This is just a range gun for now, but if I ever decide to carry it (or any 1911) I will consider all the points made in this thread. Thanks again. |
