GI ASSY Mags & Colt Factory Mags

[QKShooter]

It has always been my firm belief that you should buy at least a few of the best magazines aftermarket that you can afford for your Self~Defense Carry.
But, naturally when going out shooting & doing informal hole making it's much more fun and your shooting sessions will "flow" much better if you are not constantly stopping to reload one or two or three magazines.
If your particular Colt or Colt Clone 1911 pistol functions perfectly well with factory Colt magazines or GI surplus magazines then there is no good reason not to buy a pile of them.
The GI mags dating to the mid to late 80s are pretty doggone good.
You'll often see them still sealed up at gun shows & lots of times popping up for sale on Ebay.
Heck...for $7.00 or $8.00 dollars per magazine they are extremely hard to beat and very well made.
On Ebay...just do not buy ANY pistol magazines from a seller named RedDogAlaskan. I think his mags are either Made In China Colt stamped counterfeits or all Colt & clone rejects.
If there is a good Ebay seller auctioning GI or surplus mags then buy some for yerself. Just a friendly reminder.
THE MAGAZINES IN THE PHOTO BELOW ARE GOOD GI MAGAZINES!

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[CLASS3NH]

Hi there QK...
Is that one of the mags you got from Red Dog? Just curious, as I've seen the same thing aro8nd my neck of the woods in NH......Chinese made? Heaven forbid.. clones and counterfeit for sure I bet.. great info you're providing here!

[Bud White]

Yeah hes a great seller there trying to sell pro mag 12 rounders as oem 12 rounders for Hk at premimum price too

[QKShooter]

Somebody e~mailed me couple months ago & had a small claims lawsuit pending against him.

Those mags shown in my picture ABOVE are NOT from Red Dog.
He only "got me" one time...a long time ago for a couple of Walther PPK/S mags that sure were not Walther. His picture was so bad that I couldn't really see them so I just trusted his description. I was only out (I don't remember) about 10 bucks though.

[ExSoldier]

My PRO MAGs were so crappy I couldn't even risk trading or selling them, as I was afraid to get blood on my hands in case the buyer died when they screwed up on him or her. So I found a road construction project and put them all in the path of the steam roller that was being used to tamp down the road bed. It was the only thing to do.

[Deke45]

My PRO MAGs were so crappy I couldn't even risk trading or selling them, as I was afraid to get blood on my hands in case the buyer died when they screwed up on him or her. So I found a road construction project and put them all in the path of the steam roller that was being used to tamp down the road bed. It was the only thing to do.

That's probably where the first pothole will occur!

[QKShooter]

ARGGGGHHHH...how is it possible to goof up something as simple as a "metal stamping" so doggone bad?

[Bud White]

ya know i will say my 2 promags i bought for a class work fine 10 rounders oonly 10 a piece for them... but to pawn them off as HK mags for 45 a piece ..well ya know

[QKShooter]

Some folks have them & they seem to work fine. Their Colt mags were just awful for a while.
You could actually fully load their Colt mags a see the feed lips sort of bow out from the upward pressure.
Like with any mags from any maker...if they work...keep them & if they don't then pitch them real quick!

[ExSoldier]

When it comes to the 1911, the very BEST mags are made by Wilson! Everything else, I stick with the factory, especially for the Sigs.

[Euclidean]

Depends.

For the Bersa Thunder 380, I played with the Pro Mag and the factory mag. Fed a couple boxes through each. No problems with either.

The spring in the Pro Mag feels a little less tense, but it's actually easier to load; it has a much smoother feel. I tried to induce a malfunction using snap caps, etc. but couldn't get a FTF out of it.

The thing is though, I don't think the Bersa factory magazine is that great to begin with. But it does seem to work.

Both of the magazines were so tight when I first got them that I've been keeping snap caps in them to loosen them up ever so slightly. Well guess what. Both of them are still as tight as the day I got them.

I'd carry a Pro Mag full of hollow points for this gun with confidence. Or at least this particular Pro Mag. I wouldn't give someone a magazine I don't feel comfortable with myself.

I'll get my aunt another factory magazine for Christmas just in case.

But I don't think Pro Mag would be my first choice for the vast majority of guns. I think it only works out here because it's an inexpensive gun in the first place.

[Bumper]

When it comes to the 1911, the very BEST mags are made by Wilson! Everything else, I stick with the factory, especially for the Sigs.

I'm with you, give me a handful of Wilson 47D's and I am a happy man. I have, unlike Prospector and Nighthawk had very good luck with my Nighthawk magazines (made for Novak in Italy) but the Wilson's are heavier gauge stainless and have never presented a problem.

[QKShooter]

Factory SIG magazines are made by Mec-Gar

[OD*]

Their Colt mags were just awful for a while.

They still can be, depends on the supplier.
I have been fortunate, none of my Metalform-Colt magazines has ever given me problems.

[RSSZ]

Factory Kel-Tec mags are made by MEC-GAR also.------