Has Ruger changed Mag suppliers?

skipper49 · Oct 21, 2012

The mags that came with my SR1911 seventeen months ago are the extremely nice Checkmates with HIGHLY polished stainless bodies, and the proper flat, split metal followers, WITH the dimple. The only update was the addition was that of a skirt at the front of the follower, and a good improvement IMHO.
Yesterday, in my local gun shop, I looked at new SR mags and they are completely different. The body had a VERY flat finish that was decidedly NOT polished or slick. The follower has lost it's skirt as well as the JMB dimple.
I think I'll stick with the Checkmates like the ones that came with my pistol, not to mention I'm saving about ten bucks doing it. I really like these mags.
Anyone else notice the change?

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skipper49 · Oct 22, 2012

Just had a flashback. I'm wondering if the mags the guy was showing me were 345 mags. Seems to me that the 345 mags look like the ones I described above. Hope that's the case and that Ruger is still using the excellent mags that they started with in the SR1911.

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Pat-inCO · Oct 24, 2012

Since every reasonable 1911 mag made in the last thirty years will work,
isn't this just a matter of individual preference? :shock:

skipper49 · Oct 24, 2012

Well Pat, to a large extent, you are correct, but I've owned 1911's for 40 years, and in those years I've had a good number of mags that wouldn't work in "this or that" pistol. A good way to get a large body of evidence on the state of 1911 mags is on the magazine sub forum of M1911.org. It is a literal treasure trove of information on the 1911 magazine. Just the amount of info being posted there today is evidence of the problem. HOWEVER, one of the, if not the biggest problems is, the lack of consistencey between the pistols themselves.
1911's are not the only afflicted pistols, however. From time to time we hear of mag related problems with other "top tier" brands such as Sig, Beretta, and others. And not just individual mags,but large lots.
On one of my Ruger P89's or 95's, as long as I use genuine Ruger factory mags, or Meg-Gars, I'm pretty dog gone sure it's gonna work, but WAY not so confident with any other brand. As far as the 1911 is concerned, it has long been established that you MUST try any mag in it before you trust it, and even THEN, it must be with the ammo you plan to carry.
My Ed Brown may be a really great pistol(and it is!), but it may not like certain mag designs.
Magazine design, especially for the 1911 is a very complex affair,(feed lip geometry,follower design, spring rate,etc) but I'll agree that they've never been better than those produced today.

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mattsbox99 · Oct 27, 2012

Just looked at a 38XXX one my local shop just got in and they are Checkmates, the same as my 025XX SR1911.

dakota1911 · Oct 29, 2012

I have a pile of mags and everything I have shoved in my now two work. One thing is you may want to peel off that warning label that comes on the mags from Ruger.