Introduction

The very first firearms-related article I wrote dealt with 1911 magazines. (You can find it here.) That article examined how an eclectic selection of 1911 magazines interacted with the slidelock and fed ammo.

Although the prior analysis produced several interesting discoveries, it was more survey than exhaustive analysis. The magazines were treated as entire units; though this approach was appropriate for the the questions at hand, it raised more questions than it answered. Specifically, the dramatic differences observed between magazines with tapered and straight feed lips made me wonder which part of the results could be attributed to the feed lips as opposed to the shape of the follower. Furthermore, the last analysis only looked at ball ammo; would different bullet shapes such as hollowpoints or wadcutters make a difference?

There was only one way to find out, and you're reading its writeup.

Another casual look at magazines.