Re: Looking to buy my first 1911
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Cookie the Swede</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I need some extra mags for my new toy. Should I get Springfield mags or some other. I will pay for good ones. I got some extra money from getting my TRP so cheap.
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I had a TRP that didn't like Wilson 47Ds. My Mil Spec and GI both do fine with them. It's one of those areas you have to be ready to spend money in (like ammo and training) if you want consistency whether in your abilities or the gun. Luckily you saved a good amount of money in your budget with this one. If I were in your shoes, I would initially pick up one of each of the magazines like McCormick's, Wilson's, Springfield's, etc. and test them with quality hardball like Federal AE45A2 or something similar. Mags in my experience are the first reliability issue. Once you find a magazine your TRP likes, buy as many as your budget will allow considering ammo and training if you can. Then number the magazines. Be ready to make problematic magazines "range only." Magazines are disposable. Don't ever get married to them and be willing to replace them often if needed or under heavy use. Once you've made sure you have about 10 of the same magazine that are 100% dead nuts reliable, ammo will be next. You can always follow the rule of thumb "they all fall to hardball" with the 45, but I prefer to use a quality production hollow point for self defense carry rounds. This gives you the issue of whether the throat/barrel will handle the ogive of any particular hollowpoint shape. For example, the Hornady TAP has a very straight ogive, where the Remington Golden Sabre has a very rounded ogive with a shape very near to 230gr ball. There are manufacturers with shapes that fall anywhere in between. When choosing self defense ammo don't choose based only on mathematical genius on some sort of chart about how lethal something is. Some of it is important, all things being equal, reliable, and available, but at the end of the day reliability should be priority #1. Hopefully this is already obvious. Once you've found the right mag, and have 10 that work reliably with your TRP and your self defense round, you need to get enough rounds in with your carry ammo to consider it reliable enough to trust your life to it. I would say minimally 400 consecutive trouble free rounds. Finally, the 1911 is not what I feel is a novice's pistol. It has many advantages and some disadvantages. You need to familiarize yourself with the 1911's manual of arms by getting some training and range time in. Dry fire practice is great, but I would #1) make sure no ammunition is in the same room while you are doing this and #2) not drop the slide on an empty chamber - lower it gently. If you haven't received training prior to doing any type of dry fire drills you may be reinforcing bad habits. Ask on some of the forums like 1911forum about reputable classes/instructors.