1911 Magazines, 7 rnd Vs 8 rnd

[TinkerBell]

ok, final argument here.

why do manufacturers continue to sell thier guns with 7 round magazines... I recently have purchased both a kimber and the new ruger sr1911 and both came with a 7 round magazine (to credit ruger it came with 2 mags, one 8 ad one 7)

so my question to you the "hive" is why do 7 round magazines still exist... should 8 rounders not have taken over the market by now, for the most part 8 round mags are sold by aftermarket providers more then they are included with factory guns.

 

[t-star]

for one thing, there's a PATENT on the 8 round follower , or at least there was- by some guy out of arizona- i've got a couple of those- it's also a lot easier to make a simple leg follower than it is the 8 rounder thing, even that it's made of plastic,and they're not always dependable- better to go with the tried and true 7 rounder- some of those early 8s had a nasty habit of springing out past the mag lips when they wore down a bit- you're NEVER going to wear down a STEEL follower

 

[TinkerBell]

some of those early 8s had a nasty habit of springing out past the mag lips when they wore down a bit- you're NEVER going to wear down a STEEL follower

that may be part of the argument, but frankly I view magazines as a consumable commodity that over time either need to be rebuilt or thrown away and new stock purchased.... so it is a moot point over normal "wear" items.

 

[indyelviskenobi]

One theory I have read about a long time ago but am not sure if there is any truth to:

Apparently, 7 round magazines work better with semi-wadcutter rounds for target shooting or IDPA. Supposedly the first semi-wadcutter round is likely to hang up on the if you load the magazine to 8 because of spring pressure.

I think I recall reading that at least one manufacturer (Colt, Kimber?) offers both an 8 rounder and a 7 rounder for this reason.

Maybe another CGNer can verify if I am remembering this correctly.

 

[colinjw]

Perhaps it is the " if it's not broken, don't fix it " thinking.

 

[t-star]

not everybody does- i have some 40 that are of various pedigrees and all that's been wrong with some of the south american ones has been a spring- it doesn't make sense to throw a perfectly good tube or follower
i shoot nothing but 200 grain swcs and my pistol has been throated for that- what i find is a pita is when i mix up the 7s and 8s going for a shoot- on the other hand , it's nice not to have to change mags

 

[newshot]

My dan wesson vbob came with flush fit checkmate 8 round mags.

 

[jackrabbit000]

The original 1911 was designed with a 7rd magazine and there must be a reason for it. IMO, 7 rd mags are more reliable than the 8 rd mags. 8rd mags have different follower and hybrid feed lips to make it possible to put 8rds into a magazine tube made for 7.