Springfield 1911 9mm RO/EO magazine questions

JT

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  1. Which brand is the best value for the money? (Sufficiently reliable without brand-name over-pricing.)
  2. How obnoxious is the ten round mag functionally and aesthetically?
  3. Is there a better fitting mag loader for them than the MagLula brand?
Thanks!
 
Here's the obnoxious (not) fit of a 10 rounder in mine.

I don't know of any other mags that fit besides factory. I have not looked yet.

I have been told the mags are proprietary because the mag wells are smaller.
 

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Here's the obnoxious (not) fit of a 10 rounder in mine.
Thanks very much! That's pretty far from being obnoxious! Makes me wonder why the nine rounder in the first place.
 
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Thanks very much! That's pretty far from being obnoxious! Makes me wonder why the nine rounder in the first place.
They run more reliably supposedly. Ed Brown doesn't even sell ten round 9mm mags.
 
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Yet Wilson Combat does! Go figger!
I’ve bent ejectors in not just one, but two Colt 1911s in 9mm running Wilson mags. Tripps makes good ones, as does Metalform in my humble opinion. Dan Wesson ships Metalforms with their 1911’s last time I bought one, with the Wesson name on them, as does Dawson (made by Metalform).
 
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I’ve bent ejectors in not just one, but two Colt 1911s in 9mm running Wilson mags. Tripps makes good ones, as does Metalform in my humble opinion. Dan Wesson ships Metalforms with their 1911’s last time I bought one, with the Wesson name on them, as does Dawson (made by Metalform).
Good to know! I saw Metalforms on sale at Brownell's for ~$26, but I didn't know the brand so I didn't pay really close attention. Thanks!
 
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Good to know! I believe I saw Metalforms on sale at Brownell's, but I didn't know the brand so I didn't pay really close attention. Thanks!
I’ve owned five 1911’s in 9mm, and have run Tripps, Wilson, and Dawson (made by Metalform) mags. The Dawsons are my preference, although I run the Wilson ETMs in my SA RO .45acp.
 
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I’ve owned five 1911’s in 9mm, and have run Tripps, Wilson, and Dawson (made by Metalform) mags. The Dawsons are my preference, although I run the Wilson ETMs in my SA RO .45acp.

Wilsons are all I run in my.45 acp 1911s also. Just "0" issues at all!
 
Wilsons are all I run in my.45 acp 1911s also. Just "0" issues at all!
1911’s in 9mm are just odd that way. The platform was designed to run .45 which it does great, but my experience with 9mm in that platform is hit or miss, although I run one in matches almost every weekend.
 
My only worry about the 9mm 1911 is the 'rig' necessary in the mags to ensure proper feed. Hence my question. I have had no problem with the SA/Mec-Gars, but I am wary of any third party mag, due to that difference. There really aren't any other functional engineering differences between the .45 and the 9mm of which I am aware anyway.
 
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My only worry about the 9mm 1911 is the 'rig' necessary in the mags to ensure proper feed. Hence my question. I have had no problem with the SA/Mec-Gars, but I am wary of any third party mag, due to that difference. There really aren't any other functional engineering differences between the .45 and the 9mm of which I am aware anyway.
Long dangly ejectors
 
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Sufficiently reliable
JT, I am sure by this you mean as reliable as can be mechanically as close to perfect as can be manufactured. Never let price trump reliability. In the 1911 9mm platform you might have to try different ones to get as close to perfect as is possible. When using Wilson and Colt mags my 9s have never stumbled.....never. That does Not mean that is what You should do. Simply means they worked for me.
 
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Good to know! I saw Metalforms on sale at Brownell's for ~$26, but I didn't know the brand so I didn't pay really close attention. Thanks!
I know nothing about 1911s, especially 9mm versions.

But just as info, Metalform is as good as it gets (IMHO) for Colt-pattern 9mm mags. I have a half-dozen or more of them for my 9mm SBR.

That’s not to say they make good mags for your application, but they shouldn’t be ignored based on brand name.
 
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Metalform & Wilson Combat are my go to's
I don't know that I've had a failure (knock on wood) that I can blame on either of those.
 
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... they shouldn’t be ignored based on brand name
Oh, I wasn't. I just did not know anything about them ... hence the original question. In my past 1911s, I used only Colt mags, but that was centuries ago. :)
 
Oh, I wasn't. I just did not know anything about them ... hence the original question. In my past 1911s, I used only Colt mags, but that was centuries ago. :)
I didn’t know anything about them until I bought a Dan Wesson Valor 1911 that came with them, and then ordered some Dawson mags with their competition basepads and discovered they were all Metalforms. I don’t have any that actually say Metalform, but I am sure they exist.
 
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Springfield and Checkmate look& feel the same.
Kimber, Colt & Dan Wesson look & feel the same (metalform)
Wilson Combat looks & feels different from the others.
 

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Does anyone use Brownell's Gen 2 mags?
 
I'm reviving this thread to share some observations and to ask yet another question. I now own two Springfield (Mec-Gar?) mags, two Metalform mags, and two Brownell's mags. So far, none has malfed, but ...

Regardless of brand, these buggers are very difficult to unload manually. (And I really do not want to unload through the chamber.) In all cases, if I push the round forward to expel it from the mag, it 'nosedives' and won't clear the lip. This is true for most of the rounds in the mag until maybe the last few. Keep in mind that I have had no FTFs from any of them so far in running the gun, but this tendency worries me a little.

Am I being unnecessarily fussy? Is this just the nature of the altered mags? Is there some trick to unloading these mags?

As always, thanks in advance for any assistance (aside from the snark about a 9mm 1911, that is.)
 
Observation: I do not like the aesthetic of the ten round magazine -- no functional reason.
 
Am I being unnecessarily fussy? Is this just the nature of the altered mags? Is there some trick to unloading these mags?

I believe it's the nature of the caliber and the mags. They are a bear to unload. There are tricks, though. One is to carry a knife like a Kershaw Cryo Assisted Opening Knife. The titty-like assist is excellent for pushing the rounds out when the knife is closed. The second is to use an Uplula Loader for loading and unloading. On one side of the loader, there is a small titty that can be used to push the rounds out. Your hands will thank you for loading with this device.

And thanks to @fieldgrade for showing me these techniques.

Kershaw-Cyro-Assisted-Gray-BHQ-11101-jr-side-large.jpg Maglula-UpLULA-Magazine-Speed-Loader-Unloader-9mm-to-45-ACP-Black.png
 
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I think that just by virtue of being a Marine, and getting everybody elses leftover non-working vear, I may be used to it and never have an issue!

I may have fat fingers (look at my typos) but I love the 10 rounders. The small baseplate works in my meat hooks.
 
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