Best 1911 Magazines : Exploring Reliable Options.

Does a firearm exist that’s as famous as the M1911 pistol? It has been around for over a century now, and it served as the United States’ sidearm from 1911 to 1985. It even served in special roles beyond that timeframe in the hands of Marine Force Recon and Delta Force. Not to mention its countless services in foreign militaries, police forces, and in the hands of civilian concealed carriers. 

What seems like hundreds of companies pump out 1911 pistols. These days they come in all sizes, shapes, and calibers. When you’re as popular as the M1911, you have plenty of suitors in the magazine department. Today we are going to be talking all about M1911 magazines. 

Breaking Down the 1911 Magazine

The 1911 magazine is a simple, single-stack design with just a few key parts: the body, the spring, the follower, and the baseplate. It’s compact and slim, stacking rounds one on top of the other. While John Browning originally designed the 1911 for .45 ACP, today’s firearms industry has adapted it for calibers like 9mm, .40 S&W, .357 SIG, 10mm, .38 Super, and more.

When picking a 1911 magazine, quality is paramount. The 1911 is an older design with more potential failure points compared to modern pistols, which can affect reliability. Good magazines help eliminate these issues. Cheap, poorly made magazines, on the other hand, can cause endless frustration, as most problems with the M1911 usually trace back to the magazine.

All 1911s Are the Same, Right? 

Wrong! Unfortunately, not all 1911s accept all 1911 magazines. Some companies have put enough of their own spin on 1911s that they only accept proprietary magazines. This includes magazines for oddball calibers like the 22 TCM and pocket pistol calibers. 

For example, the Browning 1911-380 and Springfield EMP series both use proprietary magazines. They are not the only guns that do this, and it’s wise to ensure you do a little research into your weapon before you go magazine shopping. 

How I Chose the Best 1911 Magazines

As a former Marine who’s been shooting since a very young age, I’ve had the chance to handle numerous 1911 magazines over the years. Some were provided by manufacturers, which was pretty cool. In writing this article, I reflected on those experiences and sought input from expert shooters because I didn’t want you to rely solely on my personal opinion(s). Their favorites and insights helped me compile a list of the best 1911 magazines.

It’s important to note that 1911 magazines vary widely, and there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. What works best for me might not be ideal for you, as everyone has their own preferences. While I’ve ranked these magazines, each one is selected to meet different needs. I’ve also included a buyer’s guide to help you understand what to consider when shopping for the best 1911 magazines.

Best 1911 Magazines

• Wilson Elite Tactical Magazine
• Mec-Gar 1911 Magazine
• Wilson Combat 1911 10mm
• CMC Products Pro Full Size
• Chip McCormick Power Mag +
• Ed Brown 1911 45ACP
• KCI 1911 45ACP

Best 1911 Magazines

1. Wilson Elite Tactical Vickers Duty		Best Overall Rigid and Strong	Check Price
2. Mec-Gar Anti Friction Finish		Best Budget Option Feed reliably and function without issue	Check Price
3. Wilson Combat 1911 10mm		Best 10mm 1911 Magazine Magazines are very smooth glide	Check Price
4. CMC Products Pro Full Size		Best 9mm Magazine Made from stainless steel	Check Price
5. Chip McCormick Power Mag +		Best Competition Coated with a high quality, reduced friction finish	Check Price
6. Ed Brown 1911 45ACP		Duty Ready Versatile	Check Price
7. KCI 1911 45ACP		Best Training Magazine Remarkably affordable	Check Price

Best 1911 Magazines Reviews

The most important thing to consider when purchasing a pistol is the magazine. A lot of people forget this, but with your gun’s ammo running low and no replacement in sight, it can be dangerous territory for those who are not mindful about what kind they use, or how much capacity their chosen weapon has! So read on, as we explore some different 1911 magazines available today.

Wilson Elite Tactical Vickers Duty – Best Overall

In the 1911 world, the name Wilson Combat means something, and in most of the gun world, the name Larry Vickers means something. That something often relates to extremely high quality, durability, reliability, and forward-thinking design. When you combine the two, you get the best magazine possible for the 1911. 

Wilson and Vickers both love the 1911 platform, and Wilson’s been building them for decades, and Vickers utilized them for decades as a Delta Force Operator. The Elite Tactical Vickers Duty magazine is a combination of operational and engineering experience. 

The Wilson Elite Tactical Vickers Duty magazine uses a single tube design with as few ingress points as possible for sand and debris. Single tube design ensures the magazine is rigid and strong. With the absence of witness holes and similar cuts, the magazine is much less likely to fail due to environmental issues. 

A steel baseplate provides a textured triangular design to make it easy to rip the magazine from the gun in case of a severe malfunction. Vickers specifically designed the follower to function with a molded-in last follower for superior function with a variety of ammo. If I had to choose only one magazine for my 1911s, it would be this one. 

These Wilson magazines come in both 9mm and 45 ACP and offer 10 and 8 round capacities respectfully. 

Wilson Elite Tactical Pros and Cons

Mec-Gar Anti Friction Finish – Best Budget

When I say budget, I don’t mean the cheapest possible magazine you can jam in your 1911. I mean the most affordable magazine you trust your life to. When you put this magazine in your gun, you can trust it will feed reliably and function without issue. It might not be the fanciest magazine on the market, but it performs brilliantly at its core function. 

The Italian firm Mec-Gar makes some of the best magazines on the planet, and they make them for dozens of companies. Most companies don’t make their own magazines and trust MEc-Gar to do it. Their 1911 magazine spans a wide variety of configurations and calibers, and for duty and concealed carry purposes, the anti-friction finish version presents you the best bang for your buck. 

An anti-friction coating makes the magazine extremely slick. It allows the magazine to not only slide inside the gun without complaint, but to fall out with ease. Quick reloads rely on your magazines not to be finicky on their exit from the gun, and that’s exactly how these magazines function. 

The anti-friction finish doesn’t feel super handy until you are facing a bad environment—a dirty, dusty environment where your gun is quickly met with the hazards of the world. Mec-Gar magazines feed without issue with their lubricated polymer follower. 

The oversized baseplate makes them easy to draw from a pouch and shove into your firearm. Individual witness holes provide you an easy means to check capacity, and the mags come in 9mm and 45 ACP.  

Mec-Gar Anti Friction Finish Pros and Cons

Wilson Combat 10mm – Best 10mm 1911 Magazine

10mm is the best millimeter. It’s a powerful round built to be the most effective fighting handgun cartridge ever made. The 10mms cult-like following ensures the caliber will be around forever, and it’s a favorite for the 1911 platform. The Wilson Combat 10mm magazines offer me duty-ready magazines for my mighty 10mm fighting pistol. 

These Wilson mags are traditional designs from Wilson Combat, each with a capacity of 9 rounds. We can extend witness holes to monitor capacity and a stainless steel finish for corrosion resistance. The magazines are very smooth and glide in and out of your 1911. 

One interesting component is the fiber-filled nylon follower. This self-lubricating design ensures smooth feeding with a ton of different ammo types. Hollow points, FMJs, semi-wadcutters, and all that jazz function perfectly with the Wilson Combat magazines. 

Additionally, these magazines are designed to function with all 10mm magazines. A 1911 is a 1911, right? Well, not always, and sometimes 1911s, especially 10mm models, can be magazine picky. The Wilson Combat magazine kept this in mind during the design and period and ensured they work with everything from high-end hunting pistols to budget-grade plinkers. 

If you are a fan of the centimeter, you should treat yourself to a few high-quality spare magazines. 

Wilson Combat 10mm Pros and Cons

CMC Products Pro Full Size 1911 9mm Magazines – Best 9mm

People love the 45 ACP because of that big fat bullet, but as of late, we see 1911s chambered in 9mm more often than not. Why not? Modern 9mm closes the gap of defensive ability quite a bit when compared to 45 ACP. The ammo is cheaper, easier to find, and recoils less. If you love your 1911, you can keep your 1911, but you can also chamber it in 9mm. 

With 9mm 1911s being so dang popular, you are going to need magazines, and if you want the best 9mm 1911 magazine, then Chip McCormick, aka CMC, is the way to go. They take advantage of the smaller 9mm round and fit ten rounds into a flush-fitting 1911 magazine. Most other companies provide only a 9 round capacity, but CMC squeezes one extra in there. 

These Range Pro magazines are made from stainless steel, with steel magazine springs and followers. You have clearly numbered witness holes and a very durable plastic baseplate. The baseplate slopes upward and forms a point that provides a positive grip. This grip allows you to draw the magazine from a pouch and to rip out of the gun in case of a failure point. 

The quality, capacity, and rather nice price point make them a no-brainer for your 9mm 1911. 

CMC Products Pro Full Sized 1911 9mm Magazine Pros and Cons

Best Competition – Chip McCormick Power Mag +

Are you a competition shooter who wields a 1911 like it’s an extension of your body? You are blasting 45 ACP pills from your classic fighting handgun in the Major Power division, and you need a magazine that holds more than seven measly rounds. Heck, you want more than eight! You want 10 rounds? The McCormick magazines provide you with not just ten rounds of 45 ACP but a reliable overall package with the Chimp McCormick Power Mag +.

Ten rounds mean a flush-fitting magazine isn’t going to happen. You get an extended magazine with the McCormick patented baseplate. This big polymer baseplate protects the extended portion of the magazine and allows it to drop to the ground over and over and over without worry. 

Speaking of reloads and dropping magazines, the CMC Power Mag + is coated with a high quality, reduced friction finish that allows the mags to slide in and out without effort. It ensures shooters get a quick and smooth reload when it matters most. The Power Mag + offers witness holes for eight rounds of ammo, and the last two are covered by the baseplate. 

The stainless steel body provides a strong surface to deal with the abuse competition magazines face every day.  When time is on the line, the CMC mags are what the pros turn to. 

Chip McCormick Power Mag+ Pros and Cons

Ed Brown Magazines – Duty Ready And Versatile

Ed Brown occupies another one of the top slots for 1911 manufacturers. These guys have been around for a long time and have been developing the 1911 handgun into a more modern work of art. As such, they focused on every little detail, including the magazines. Ed Brown 1911 magazines utilize a unique design that ensures they provide the highest level of reliability. 

You’ll notice this when you go to load these bad boys. Holy crap, are they stiff to load. You’re gonna fight the last round in there. That’s a side effect of utilizing an extremely strong magazine spring with a lot of spring in its design. It’s forceful but effective and ensures your rounds feed properly even when the magazine faces sand, dirt, and carbon oppression. 

To also help deal with that kind of intrusion and oppression is the special coating Ed Brown puts on their magazines. It reduces friction inside and out and allows for smooth reloads and a drop-free experience, as well as smooth feeding in the face of gunk and grime. 

The bottom bump pad system is unique. You can choose to run the magazines lacking a bump pad for a flush fit, or utilize a small baseplate bump pad or a larger bump pad. Swapping is simple and allows you to customize the magazine for the gun and its role. Oh, and these magazines are made for 45 ACP, 9mm, 10mm, and 38 Super guns, so everyone is covered, and they are surprisingly affordable. 

Ed Brown Magazines Pros and Cons

KCI 1911 45ACP – Best Training Magazine

Training magazines are designed to let the user engage in rather rough training without wearing out or breaking their good magazines. I use training magazines for dry fire reload work, malfunction drills, and similar tasks. I trust each of my good magazine to last, but why risk the mags I spent 40 bucks on when I can use a mag that costs a fraction of that?

For that role, I use KCI magazines. KCI is a South Korean firm that makes mags for a wide variety of guns. These are remarkably affordable, and beyond their low price tag, they aren’t necessarily remarkable. KCI magazines typically work very well on square ranges and reliably feed as long as they are clean. 

Since you can find them for around 12 bucks, having a few on hand allows you to keep your good mags clean and ready for action. With the KCI magazines, I have no issues dropping them on concrete or in sand while working reloads. These super cheap magazines provide you with 7, 8, and 15 rounds of ammunition. 

They also come with a lifetime warranty, so if you break them in training, you can get them replaced. You can’t beat that kind of action out of a cheap magazine. I wouldn’t trust my life to them, but I’ve yet to make one fail on the range. 

KCI 1911 45ACP Magazine Pros and Cons

Buyers Guide – Other Considerations

Along with the information above, I’ve also got some other points to consider when you’re looking into 1911 magazines. Let’s jump onto them.

Base Plates: At the bottom of your 1911 magazine, you have different baseplate designs to choose from. The simplest ones are flat and sit flush with the magazine. Then there are bump plates, which come in two types: standard and tapered. Standard bump plates, whether made of polymer or metal, protect the magazine when dropped and also make it easier to draw from a pouch. They also prevent the magazine from being pushed too far into the gun. Tapered baseplates, shaped like triangles, provide extra grip points if the magazine ever gets stuck, which I find really handy.

Match Them To Your Ammo: When choosing 1911 magazines, it’s important to consider the type of ammunition you’ll be using. G.I. magazines are designed for classic hardball, 230-grain ammo, but they can handle hollow points with some testing. Magazines tailored for semi-wadcutters used in bull’s eye shooting might not perform well with JHPs or standard ball ammo. It’s smart to test your preferred ammo types with your magazines to ensure they feed reliably. Pay close attention to the magazine’s design and its compatibility with the ammo you plan to use most often.

Base Plates 

At the bottom of your magazine sits a baseplate, and with 1911s, the design differs widely. Your most basic magazines are flat-bottomed, flushing magazines. Beyond that, we get into bump plates, which separate into two designs. We have standard bump plates and tapered bump plates. 

A standard bump plate is a square made from polymer or metal and helps the magazine absorb some pain as it falls to the ground. These also form a lip that makes it easy to draw from a magazine pouch. These add a layer of protection to the magazine and also prevent the magazine from being over inserted. 

A tapered baseplate looks like a triangle, and the tapered design provides you grip points should the magazine be stuck in the gun. I prefer these designs personally and have found them to be extremely handy. 

Common 1911 Magazine Issues 

With so many magazines out there, you might be wondering what issues most mags for the 1911 are prone to suffer from. It’s important to remember that quality matters, and you often get what you pay for. Cheap magazines might work brilliantly for a few years, but might wear quickly as well. 

Here are a few common issues you’ll see with very old, high-quality magazines or very cheap magazines. 

Spring Tension Softens: One common issue with 1911 magazines is softening spring tension, especially in cheaper models. Poorly made springs wear out faster, leading to various malfunctions. One serious problem is the bolt-over-base misfeed, where the slide returns faster than the magazine can feed, causing a jam between the slide and chamber. Another issue occurs when a round doesn’t fully enter the chamber ahead of the extractor, requiring manual slide manipulation to resolve.

Feed Lip Spread: As magazines age, feed lips can spread out of tolerance, resulting in double feeds or the magazine getting stuck in the gun. Feed lips that tilt upwards can cause jams and failures to feed. Fixing feed lips requires specific tools and expertise, making it impractical for cheap magazines.

Over Insertion: Mismatched magazine length to the gun can lead to over insertion issues. Compact 1911s using full-sized magazines can cause damage as the slide forcefully interacts with the magazine. Baseplates like those on CMC Power Mag + designs prevent over-insertion while allowing extended magazine use.

The Wide World of 1911s

1911 magazines are not necessarily prone to more failures than other magazines. The thing is that everyone makes 1911 magazines. Not everyone makes SIG P320 mags or Glock mags. When you have a wider variety of magazines available, you are more likely to find junky ones. This is especially true when you consider that the 1911 is a gun made around the world. 

It’s smart to be picky when selecting your 1911 magazines. Don’t flake out and choose the cheapest ones available to you. Be smart and remember quality costs, but it also pays. Hopefully, you know what you need to know about 1911 magazines, but if not, ask your questions below. 

Clean your Magazines 

If you are having weird feeding issues that cause inconsistent reliability, the magazines may not have a mechanical problem. They might just be dirty. Take them apart, use a dry rag and air duster to clean them out if sand is the issue. Suppose they are just caked in carbon and filth. Use warm water, soap, and a rag. I don’t recommend oiling magazines because oil attracts dirt and sand. 

There are many ways to approach cleaning and to add to what I just mentioned above I have found a great video showing how to disassemble, clean and reassemble the Wilson Combat Magazines.

Best 1911 Magazines – FAQs

Can hybrid feed lips improve the reliability of my 1911 magazines?

Yes, hybrid feed lips can significantly boost your 1911 magazine’s reliability. They provide better control over cartridge alignment during feeding, reducing malfunctions, especially with varied ammunition like hollow points and semi-wadcutters.

What makes Springfield magazines different from other 1911 magazines?

Springfield magazines are tailored specifically for their unique 1911 models, like the EMP series. These proprietary designs often have different dimensions or features optimized for Springfield’s firearms, ensuring top performance and reliability.

How do Shooting Star followers improve the performance of 1911 magazines?

Shooting Star followers, created by Chip McCormick, ensure smooth, reliable feeding. Made from self-lubricating materials and designed to prevent tilt and binding, they enhance the overall reliability of your magazine.

What features should I look for in reliable 1911 magazines?

Reliable 1911 magazines should have strong, durable springs, robust construction (often from stainless steel), precise manufacturing tolerances, and features like anti-friction coatings or hybrid feed lips. Brands like Wilson Combat, Mec-Gar, and Chip McCormick are well-regarded for producing reliable magazines.