More Wilson 47DC's, if you like the lower-profile base pad. Wilson 47D if you want the slightly larger base pad.
I bought 47D's for my Remington R1 Enhanced, but I also ended-up adding a Smith & Alexander mag guide, so the larger base pad was a plus.
"America is at that awkward stage. It's too late to work within the system,,,, but too early to shoot the bastards." -- Claire Wolfe "If we let things terrify us, life will not be worth living." -- Seneca the Younger, Roman Stoic philosopher
I have only used the Wilson 47Ds in all of my 1911s since Bill brought them to market. After many thousands of rounds, I wouldn't use any other magazine.This message has been edited. Last edited by: FPNunes,
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Posts: 1613 | Location: Missing New England everyday | Registered: March 14, 2005
For me and my 1911s, it’s the model 47 seven-rounder equipped with their low-profile steel basepad. I have a pile of these in both black (Model 47CB) and stainless (Model 47C) finish. These are the only 1911 magazines I use.
"The sea was angry that day, my friends - like an old man trying to send back soup in a deli." - George Costanza
Wilson 47D/47DC mags can be fine, as long as you remember that they are a 40+ year old design originally intended as a way to have 7+1 in the 1911 after a slide lock reload, instead of the 6+1 of a standard 7 round 1911 magazine of that day.
That is, 47Ds were not intended to be carried with 8 in the magazine plus 1 in the chamber. Fully loaded 47Ds were intended to be inserted with the slide locked back, to end up with 7+1 once the slide is released. In some 1911s, they won't even seat when the slide is forward and the magazine is fully loaded with 8 rounds. Even when they can be seated with the slide forward, using them for 8+1 can overstress the internals, which can cause premature weakening of the magazine spring and reliability issues over time.
This stems from the fact that both the 7 round and 8 round 47 series mags use the same magazine body and spring, with just a slight follower change in the 8 rounders to allow for barely enough room to cram the 8th round inside the magazine body.
Wilson's newer 500 series Elite Tactical mags, on the other hand, were specifically designed for 8+1 carry. The ETMs are slightly longer in length than the 47 series and were built from the ground up around 8+1 carry, rather than simply shoehorning an 8th round into a 7 round magazine body/spring like the 47D/47DC.
As a result, I use 47Ds as range magazines with 7+1, and ETMs for serious use with 8+1.
Skip them all and stick to Metalform 7rd magazines in stainless with the welded baseplates and rounded metal followers.
I toss, give away, or intentionally avoid the rest, and I find 47Ds to be the worst of the bunch. Never understood the appeal. It's a crap design, imo.
Originally posted by Jim Watson: Wilson 47D is the best. Wilson ETM is the improved most bestest. Ain't advertising wonderful?
The last single stack magazine I bought was CMC RPM.
I never understood all the hoopla about the Wilson/Rogers Magazines, never liked the Plastic Follower, either--Last Single Stack 1911 Mags I bought were CMC Power Mags, IIRC, and they're rockin' along just fine...
Posts: 651 | Location: Griffin, GA, USA | Registered: November 03, 2004
Originally posted by RogueJSK: Wilson 47D/47DC mags can be fine, as long as you remember that they are a 40+ year old design originally intended as a way to have 7+1 in the 1911 after a slide lock reload, instead of the 6+1 of a standard 7 round 1911 magazine of that day.
That is, 47Ds were not intended to be carried with 8 in the magazine plus 1 in the chamber. Fully loaded 47Ds were intended to be inserted with the slide locked back, to end up with 7+1 once the slide is released. In some 1911s, they won't even seat when the slide is forward and the magazine is fully loaded with 8 rounds. Even when they can be seated with the slide forward, using them for 8+1 can overstress the internals, which can cause premature weakening of the magazine spring and reliability issues over time.
This stems from the fact that both the 7 round and 8 round 47 series mags use the same magazine body and spring, with just a slight follower change in the 8 rounders to allow for barely enough room to cram the 8th round inside the magazine body.
Wilson's newer 500 series Elite Tactical mags, on the other hand, were specifically designed for 8+1 carry. The ETMs are slightly longer in length than the 47 series and were built from the ground up around 8+1 carry, rather than simply shoehorning an 8th round into a 7 round magazine body/spring like the 47D/47DC.
As a result, I use 47Ds as range magazines with 7+1, and ETMs for serious use with 8+1.
I have learned something new here. Thanks for your insight.
Posts: 4173 | Location: Texas | Registered: April 16, 2012
Wilson magazines, specifically the 47 series, have the basic flaw of trying to stuff too many rounds into too short a body. Wilson will replace your mags when they fail...because they always do.
If you must have a magazine from that era, go with the Chip McCormick(CMC)PowerMags. Be aware that that CMC magazines is now owned by Wilson since Chip retired.If you're set on buying the Wilson name, do yourself a favor and get the newer ETM ones.
ACT-Mag and MEC-Gar make nice mags at very reasonable prices. Metalform magazines are a great value if you don't mind welded on baseplates.
The important thing to remember is that 1911 magazines should be considered consumable items, like brake shoes, and need to be replaced when their lips start to spread
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Posts: 14288 | Location: northern california | Registered: February 07, 2003
I have a bunch of 47s and ETMs, they work fine for normal use but I’ve yet to be mean to them. (Dropping them in the sand repeatedly in USPSA where I learned the PowerMags were awful for that and the Metalforms shined)
Metal form seems to have really reduced their lineup and stopped selling the versions I used to buy. I only started buying Wilson’s when I found I could get them at a good price. I sure don’t need them but I keep buying them. I have a 1911 mag problem.
_____________________________________________________ Sliced bread, the greatest thing since the 1911.
I'm not a big fan of 47Ds. Springs don't seem to last very long. I tend to replace the guts with Tripp 7 kits and turn them into 7 round mags.
I've yet to wear out an ETM magazine. Recently I've been buying the Vickers mags. They're pricey and too long for guns without mag wells (for my eye at least) but they seem super solid.
