Key Considerations
Your life may depend on your pistol. After all, that’s why you have it! You don’t want to find out you have a sub-par magazine at the wrong time. Before you buy, there are a few things you’ll need to know about 1911 magazines.
Types of Magazines
There are two main types of pistol magazine: single stack and double stack. Single stack magazines have the cartridges stacked directly on top of each other. This allows for better reliability, and a slimmer grip for easy concealment.
They also weigh less, keeping the pistol more front heavy and reducing recoil. On the other hand, single stack magazines have a lower capacity.
Double stack magazines have the cartridges stacked in a staggered configuration. On the one hand, you can carry more ammo this way. On the other hand, the magazines and grips are thicker, and harder to conceal. They can also make the gun back heavy due to the increased weight. Because the cartridges have to slide diagonally against each-other to load, double stack magazines can sometimes bind up.
The original “officer’s” model pistol had a 7 round magazine, but was soon replaced by the “government” model, which holds an 8-round magazine. Most modern 1911s are government model, although there are still officer’s model pistols in production. There are also extended magazines available. Most of these hold 10 rounds. Extended magazines increase the profile of the gun, and make it harder to conceal.
A few manufacturers have started making double stack 1911s. These companies include Armscor, Para Ordinance, Strayer Voight and STI. Double stack magazines have a capacity of 12 rounds, with extended versions available that will hold up to 14 rounds.
Cleaning Your Magazine
If you know anything about firearm maintenance, you probably clean and oil your pistol after every use. But your magazine also needs to be cleaned from time to time. It’s part of your gun, too!
As the chamber gets pushed open by the recoil, some exhaust escapes through the bottom of the chamber and into the magazine. This amount is insignificant to the amount that escapes through the barrel, but it’s enough to cause carbon buildup and fouling over time.
Not only that, but magazines are more likely to get dropped than a pistol. If they get dropped in dirt or sand, some is going to end up inside them. They can also collect pocket lint, and oil from your skin can cause dust to stick to them.
The easiest way to clean them is to scrub the follower with a toothbrush to scour off carbon buildup. After that, you’ll want to wipe it with a clean patch to remove any bits your toothbrush didn’t take off. If the floor plate is removable, you’ll want to take it off and clean inside. Wear eye protection when you do this. The spring can cause parts to fly out. Wipe down the inside of the body, clean and oil the spring, and clean the bottom of the magazine. Put it back together, and you’re good to go.
If your floor plate isn’t removable, buy a magazine cleaning brush. These are T-shaped, inexpensive, and can be found at most stores that sell pistols. Make sure to get the correct size. Using one that’s too small won’t get your magazine clean, and a large one can damage the spring.
How to Carry a Spare Magazine
There are a variety of ways to carry a spare magazine. When going into the range, always check your state laws first. Most states will require the pistol to be unloaded, and stored separately from any ammunition. If you’re shooting competitively, make sure to be careful with any bag the magazine is stored in. The last thing you want to do is drop it or bump into something and damage your mag.
Of course, if you have a concealed carry permit or your state is constitutional carry, you have far more discretion. How you carry your magazines will, in part, depend on how you carry your pistol. If you have a pocket holster, you’ll probably want to have a spare magazine in your other pocket.
For an IWB holster, the easiest thing is usually to keep a spare mag in the pocket next to the holster. Some holsters have slots or pouches for extra magazines. If you’re using one of these, congratulations! You’ve just freed up some pocket space for your car keys.
If you’re wearing a tactical vest, you’ll probably have plenty of pockets to choose from. In the event that you’re wearing a shoulder holster, the breast pocket of your sport jacket is an ideal place to store an extra mag.
Do I Really Need a Spare?
Whether your pistol is for target shooting or self-defense, you should definitely have at least one extra magazine. The reasons are different, though. Let’s take a look at both of these situations.
Target Shooting
As we’ve already discussed, competitive target shooting can come down to hundredths of an inch. When you’re trying to get that kind of accuracy, every little detail matters. The tiniest nick on the cartridge, whether because of awkward feeding or damaged magazine housing, can make the difference between winning and losing.
No matter how careful with your magazine, things can happen. You drop your bag, or someone yells your name at the wrong time and you fumble the magazine. Suddenly, your magazine is damaged, and you need to start shooting in ten minutes. In this situation, a backup mag can save your match.
Self Defense
Depending on who you ask, police typically hit their target between 20 and 40 percent of the time. There are stories of police officers firing eight rounds at a suspect ten feet away, and missing with all of them. That’s the effect that adrenaline can have even on trained police officers. For the average homeowner, accuracy is likely to be worse.
The point of this is that you should be prepared to miss a lot in the event of a home invasion. In the event that there is more than one intruder, you’re more likely than not to need an extra magazine or two. There’s no replacement for training at the range, but having a lot of ammo comes close.
Bottom Line
As you can see, what type of magazine you’ll want will depend on what type of shooting you do. For self-defense, just about any magazine will do, as long as it doesn’t jam. For target shooting, you’ll want a smoother-feeding design that’s gentle on your cartridges.
If you own a standard, .45 ACP pistol, you’ll find that you have plenty of options for any purpose. This gun is like the AR-15: so popular that everyone makes accessories for it. If your 1911 accepts a non-standard caliber, you’ll need to accept that your options are limited. With the exception of .10mm, non-standard magazines are few and far between.
Regardless, you’ll need to think about comfort and balance. A 10-round magazine is about 25 percent heavier than an 8-round magazine, and will affect your balance and accuracy. If you prefer a front-heavy pistol for reduced recoil, you’ll have to decide whether you need accuracy more than those two extra rounds.
On the other hand, you may prefer a more back-heavy pistol to begin with. If that’s the case, you’ll have an easy choice.
We’ve also talked about the difference between target shooting and home defense shooting. The differences are significant, and you’ll need to take them into account when you’re buying extra magazines.
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