Wilson Combat 1911 Magazines

Guns Magazine, Oct, 2001

Very rarely will a federal law enforcement agency name names. When the FBI or the DEA solicits to purchase a new gun or ammunition, they couch their purchase order, known as a Request For Proposal, in generic terms. For instance, the government would never say it wanted to buy a 1911; it would say it wanted to buy a .45 caliber single-action semiautomatic pistol of steel construction with a grip safety, firing pin safety and a downwardly disengaged thumb safety.

Bearing that in mind, we were stunned to see the FBI's REP for a recent SWAT purchase that specifically stated the Bureau wished to buy Wilson Combat 1911 magazines. Instead of the usual "metal feeding device capable of holding eight rounds," the FBI just came right Out and named names -- Wilson Combat.

Bill Wilson's stainless steel .45 magazines are that good. They're the most wanted magazine in the FBI and anywhere else you want to look where serious 1911 shooters congregate. The Special Forces Operation Group Delta issues Wilson magazines. Top-flight IPSC and IDPA competitors exclusively use Wilson magazines.

Wilson's brushed stainless tubes are the Tiger Woods of magazines -- everyone else is competing for second place.

The secret is reliability. The feedlips are designed to feed anything from match wad-cutters to the most radical hollowpoints. The polymer follower has a natural lubricity that prevents jamming in the tube. The tube itself is precisely dimensioned. The floorplate is easily removed for cleaning. The bumper pad is easily replaced with a thin tactical style or a thick competition style.

Wilson Government Model magazines hold eight rounds, one more than standard. His Officers model magazines hold seven, one more than usual. They all feed as reliably as Shaquille O'Neal at a post-game meal.

We have tested Wilson's magazines more than any single product. We have carried them in our CCW guns, shot them in IPSC matches, banged away in countless practice sessions. Yes, we have worn one or two out -- nothing that a new spring and follower didn't cure -- but only after years of heavy use. We still have one that is scratched and dented, an old war horse we shot in the 1986 IPSC World Shoot. It still works just fine.

We don't mind naming names either. Wilson 1911 magazines are simply the best. They retail for $27.95 with the standard base pad.