"...the 1911 an old design that is more trouble than it is worth...."

[Barth]

I'm the Commander

I would hang on to the Tripp mags, never heard of them not seating before, sometimes they have to be really pushed into the well. I assume the factory DW mag works fine. Hmmm
If you decide to toss them, toss them my way.

I'm going to break the DW in first.
And then try the Tripp mags again.
Yes, the DW mags lock in and drop perfectly.
They are branded DW, but I'm guessing they might be Checkmate?
The V-Bob is definitely tight and needs 500 rounds down the pipe bad.
I've got 300 FMJ and 200 HST on hand.
When the Wilson mags arrive and the weather clears I'll light up the desert.
Still no word on my custom grips (sent second email requesting status).
Would like to break it in with the new grips on.
But I can't wait much longer to shoot this thing

Update:
This new to 1911 thingy is killing me.
My old school Sig P220 came NIB with 7 round mags.
The new P220s are 8 rounders.
I've got lots of the older 7 round mags just to be uber reliable.
The P220 45 has never ever FTF, FTE or return to battery
Never tried the 8 round mags in my P220, but understand they should fit and work fine?

Anyway, there's conflicting info on the V-Bob shipping with 7 or 8 round mags?
I thought the 7 and 8 round 1911 mags were the same size? (for Commander)
I've read some conflicting info on whether the V-Bob is shipped with 7 or 8 rounders?
Some not so close comparison of the Tripp 7 round officers to the DW.
The DW mags appear to be 8 rounders and the mag body is definitely longer.
No wonder the mags will not lock in.
They are clearly too short.
I've got a lot to learn here???
Just ordered 3 Wilson 47OXC Compact 7 Round Lo-Profile Steel Base Pad
And 3 Wilson 47DOX Compact 8 Round Lo-Profile OM Steel Base Pad.
Are only the 8 round mags going to fit???
CRAP

OMG Damn I thought Officer and Commander was the same thing?
In process of negotiation to return/swap Tripp and Wilson for correct size mags.
What a bone head

[Bills1873]

Don't fix it if it ain't broke! That applies well to the 1911 design.

[Barth]

Usa

Just ordered:
Wilson Combat 1911 Elite Tactical Heavy Duty +P Government/Commander Full Size 8 Round Magazine .45 ACP Lo-Profile Steel Base Pad Stainless Steel Natural Finish

These should work - LOL!

Nice to have an American sidearm.
Looking forward to carrying this bad boy.
1911s are obsolete? I call Bravo Sierra!

[Bawanna]

I think the 47OXC is an officers size mag and will be too short for your Vbob. If you can't return those there are a few officers size owners around here. I have one, Greg I'm pretty sure still has one. A few others. Should be able to send them back.
The Wilson 7 and 8 round mags are the same length and both should fit.

I use nothing but 47D 8 round Wilson mags. I don't know that I've ever even shot the DW mags, probably but not regularly.

I've never tried the Tacticals Heavy Duty Wilson mags since what I use works without fail.
PLus I turn away at anything that says Tactical. Like looking at cars that are described as "Rare".

[Barth]

I think the 47OXC is an officers size mag and will be too short for your Vbob. If you can't return those there are a few officers size owners around here. I have one, Greg I'm pretty sure still has one. A few others. Should be able to send them back.
The Wilson 7 and 8 round mags are the same length and both should fit.

I use nothing but 47D 8 round Wilson mags. I don't know that I've ever even shot the DW mags, probably but not regularly.

I've never tried the Tacticals Heavy Duty Wilson mags since what I use works without fail.
PLus I turn away at anything that says Tactical. Like looking at cars that are described as "Rare".

LOL - not a fan of the Tactical crap either.
But Wilson ETM mags seem like a fine choice.
I'll try them out.
Hope I can return the wrong size mags.
If not I'll be contacting my friends at Kahrtalk
Good to be here with the Good Boys!
Take Care old friend

[kenemoore]

If the Tripp mags are shorter than the DW's, I'm guessing you bought officer size by mistake. The 7 round Tripp full size mags are the same size as everybody else's 8 rounders, some folks think putting 8 in a mag originally designed for 7 is asking for trouble, don't have an opinion, own both.

The steel bottomed office mags are model 7R-45-WO. The 7 round steel bottom full size are 7R-45-WG. The only difference is the last letter. Do they have an all metal follower? If so, then they are officer size.

I think the DW mags are made by checkmate, never had any issue with those either, just prefer Tripp. I used to have Wilson's as my goto , but the Tripp's seemed better made. The new ETM mags are very good, and I don't own any but my birthday is coming up if anybody cares.

[finpro]

I did not see the previous several posts, so this may seem like piling on. Here it is for any value it may have.

I own a DW Commander Classic Bobtail, an earlier version of a V-Bob, in terms of size and shape. Mine, which was bought in 2010, came with two 7 round blued welded bottom magazines marked with a DW logo, but no manufacturer name. The mags that came with my newer 9mm DW ECO were of the same type, except stainless, and had the DW logo and also marked "Checkmate". There are two basic 1911 pattern mag sizes, those for the full size government model AND the Commander or roughly similar barrel length models, which usually hold 7 or 8 rounds in .45 and a smaller size for the shorter Officers model grip, with one round less. The shorter Officers mags will not lock into a model with the longer grip.

For any information on DW pistols, email them at info@cz-usa.com or keith@cz-usa.com and mention Dan Wesson in the header. They have always gotten back to me very promptly.

I have read that some people think a 7 round 1911 mag makes for more reliable feeding and function. This was the original configuration of 1911 mags. Someone found that adding about 1/8th inch to the mag's length and some other changes could allow the mag to hold 8 rounds, with only a tiny difference in length when loaded. Some newer mags are even longer and are said to be more reliable, but stick out noticeably more. FWIW, I have never had a problem with the Wilson shorter 8 round mags (47D) and many IDPA shooters use them. I looked up the Wilson mags that you mentioned and they are for smaller grip lengths. You DW uses full sized mags, so they will NOT work for you. You want models 47D (8 round) or 47C (7 round).

Tripp mags are of very high quality and I suspect, if they do not fit, you have the wrong size. This company is run by one of the finest gunsmiths in the US. When my local gunsmith, who built my custom guns, died, I sent a troublesome gun to Virgil Tripp and he fixed it perfectly. He is the "T" in STI guns, though I do not think he is connected to the company any more. Good luck with this.

[Armybrat]

Makes me kinda sad though - gave away all three of my 1911s over the past three years. Sent my Remington R1 some time ago to my landman in North Dakota in appreciation for all the good work he's done over the past 7 years. When the DIL saw my Colt Series 70 Stainless Government early in 2015, she had to have it, so there it went. Then in 2015 gifted my last one (and oldest), a Springer GI Stainless, for Christmas to my middle son who didn't have any semiauto pistols.

BTW - My landman was carrying the Remington when he visited the North Dakota pipeline protesters' camp a couple of months ago when all their hubbub was going on to impress the media. No problems were encountered, thankfully.

Anyhoo, I did pass up a great deal at GrabAgun recently when they ran a special on the Colt 1991 A1 Stainless for $650. Shoulda grabbed one, but Christmas expenses & all.

I did gift my new Ruger Super Blackhawk .44 Magnum to one son and my Model 29 S&W to another for this last Christmas. Told the wife today that there seems to be some extra room in the safe.

[Bawanna]

Sounds like there's lots of room in your safe to me.

I'm wide open to adoption and don't bother me none for folks to tell me I was adopted. Dad.

[berettabone]

The 1911 is a fine design. It's four main weak spots, when compared to modern guns, are weight, reliability, simplicity and capacity. None of these speak to quality but rather to the evolution firearms has seen in the last several decades. Polymer has changed small arms. Just as the Walther PP revolutionized the small pistol world, giving us the venerable PPK, the pocket gun class has adopted polymer as the standard. We still like our steel but the ounces saved by polymers is too impressive to ignore. IMHO, our venerable steel icons are still good at what they did, just not as well suited to today's needs. If I knew I was headed for a fight, I would not take my 1911 but rather one of it's modern cousins, (a HK USP for example), and not look back.

Agreed......................good design for target shooting, but there are a lot of better choices for defensive firearms.

[kenemoore]

Well... Carrying a 1911 requires at least three things, that the average person may not have or want. 1. Maintenance, 1911's require more than the newer polymer pistols, they require more frequent cleaning, and the springs have to be replaced, fairly often. 2. Training, you have to practice sweeping the thumb safety, something you may forget in a stressful situation. A good holster, you cannot EDC a 1911 comfortable with a cheap nylon holster.

I have never had reliability issues with my 1911's, but I understand and maintain them like they need to be maintained. I admit that my early exposure in the military may be a factor.

If you are willing to handle the issues mentioned above, the 1911 is an awesome weapon best trigger I've ever experienced, low recoil, easy to point shoot, the list goes on and on.
Why do I carry one, because it's what I shoot best. Period.
I own and carry others on occasion, but I always come back to my favorite. After carrying a 1911 all day, everyday, when I decide to go with my K9, fills like I'm carrying nothing. I understand how some come to expect that.

I would never recommend a 1911 as an EDC for a newbie, too much to learn, to much maintenance required. I tell everyone to try a G19 as there first weapon. These little Kahr pistols can be a challenge for newbies too, but they learn.

I have many friends that are gun guys, there were three of us 1911 guys, now I'm all alone. Everyone else has transitioned to something else. One friend has moved to high capacity because he thinks he will encounter multiple foes, another has gone for comfort and carries a Shield 9mm now.

[berettabone]

Personally, I would NEVER tell anyone to try a G19 as their first firearm.........in as much as there's a lot to do with a 1911, there is nothing to do with a g19, which is just as bad.........................not a trigger for a beginner IMHO.

[DeaconKC]

Most 1911 problems come from poor magazines [MecGars are excellent btw], lack of lubrication, or trying to fit a 1911 too tightly. Any gun with ultra tight tolerances will experience problems when dirty. It was designed to be loose and we have only been making carry ones tight the last 25 years or so.

[Bawanna]

John Browning was the smartest man alive. He never intended to put a safety on the thing at all.

Military required it. The thing is every thing about the 1911 is natural. When I draw my thumb is on the thumb safety. Almost without thought if you tense up (insert stress here) the natural reaction is to squeeze the safety down.

Now you have a Glock, where you have to remember to keep your finger off the trigger till your ready for the bang.

The grip safety is a no brainer, I know a few guys who's hands just don't positively squeeze it good enough and they pin them.

I don't need that nor would I want to pin mine.

Ironically it was Glock that made me feel safer and comfortable carrying a 1911. All you got is the trigger. Mess up, put your finger on the trigger and you better be ready to shoot. Now I'm not comfortable carrying a Glock. Strange huh?

At least with the 1911 you got that thumb safety which is a natural motion. I sweep the non existent thumb safety on my PM45, or my K40 or K9. Natural move.

[finpro]

Don't we all have to remember and train to keep our fingers off the trigger until ready to fire? If someone can't or won't do this, maybe he should reconsider carrying a pistol. I realize this is a concept that was not always taught. In a WWII era US Army pistol training film shooters kept fingers on the trigger and shot from waist level with one hand. I think we do it better now.

Of course, Browning's original 1911 was very different from today's. His was loose by design for reliability and had crude sights. By today's standards, it was not more than minimally accurate. It was the reinvention and development by post WWII custom gunsmiths and shooters like Jeff Cooper who developed its potential accuracy, which probably diminished its combat reliability. I wonder how Browning would have designed it if he had access to modern manufacturing and design techniques. He designed the 1911 when skilled labor was cheap, technology was expensive and cavalrymen carried pistols. Now technology is cheap, skilled labor is expensive and machine guns ended cavalry charges. My guess is he would design firearms very differently. I assume simplicity of design, manufacturing economy, light weight and high firepower would be priorities.

Under the right circumstances, 1911s are superb weapon. Few production guns can outshoot a properly functioning, high quality 1911. In my IDPA experience, if someone has a gun problem, unrelated to ammunition, it probably involves a 1911. Include me in this. There are too many things that can and do go wrong with them.