WWI Period Lanyard loop 1911 magazines

[Texas Lawdog]

You got it, Brother Will!

[Texas Lawdog]

I received the lanyard magazines from IMA today. I am very pleased with them. I think that they are a bargain at $30. for the pair. They are fully blued, unlike my original ones which are two-toned. I would recommend them. They are repros and that is what you are paying for.

[RattlesnakeJack]

TL:

Thanks for the report!  Sounds like they are pretty good for the price. 
Now I have a really onerous task for you ..... 
Can you go to the range and put some rounds downrange from them and then let us know how they function?
(As they say: "Dirty job, but somebody has to do it." )   

[Advertising]

[Texas Lawdog]

Jack, We have a new indoor range in town that I have yet to visit. I plan going up there on Wed. or Thurs of next week.  I bought a used Rock Island 45 during the winter that I haven't shot yet.  I feel like one of them gun magazine writers.  I've got some target ammo on order that should be here next week. Hopefully the plan will come together next week.

[St. George]

Take 'em apart and clean them thoroughly first.

New GI-issued magazines often needed to break in a bit if not cleaned and lubed, so I can only imagine how Pakistani-made magazines will behave.

Vaya,

Scouts Out!

[Mule Ear Mortensen]

I tried out two of the lanyard loop 1911 mags from tsaknives and here's what I found.

Shipping was fast and professional.

One mag would insert and drop free of the 1911 with authority everytime with rounds in it or more importantly when empty.

The second mag inserted easily but was a little out of spec. leading it to hang up when the mag release was hit whether empty or full.

Both mags fed 100% reliably from the get go. Both appear to have an 8 round capacity and the witness holes to verify the 8th round. Neither mag could be made to load the 8th round when new due to stiff springs. Since I distrust 8 round mags I have not tried to get an 8th round in since the failed first effort. Vinegar easily removed the blueing on the outer mag body to give them the two tone effect of the originals and enhanced my impression measurably. My lanyards clipped on with little fuss though unclipping required some strategy.

I did use them successfully to win my category at a local annuals WB side match.

Pros: work great and look good.

Cons: extra witness hole seems to undermine authenticity, hate to have to pull the second mag out on the clock since it won't drop free.

would recommend though a little pricey. Would buy again.

[RattlesnakeJack]

Texas Lawdog:

Have you used your IMA lanyard-loop mags?  Can you report on function and reliability?

[Pitspitr]

It's been a while since I bought mine but looking at the IMA web site I believe it is where I got mine. I can report that it is one of the best magazines I own. I had a feed issue with the first round I fired from it but since then there have been no issues either in feed reliability nor in dropping free when empty. I use it and the lanyard ring mag that came with my Cimarron 1911 as my main WB match mags. I have used the IMA in both the Cimarron and the High Standard 1911-A1 that I previously owned and it functions equally well in both. I also own Kimber, Colt and US mil-surplus mags and the IMA is my favorite.

[Col. Riddles]

I almost bought a pair of the mags from IMA until I got to the checkout and saw that they were gonna hit me up for $10.55 UPS ground shipping. It would  take at least a week to get from NJ to Tx via UPS. I could have them in 3 days via USPS Priority Mail for $4.95. USPS would provide them with all their boxes, envelopes, tape & shipping labels free of charge. They wanted $10.60 for Priority Mail if I had a PO Box. I don't like being ripped off by some company who wants to charge $5.65 for grabbing a couple mags out of a bin, dropping in them in a box or envelope & typing up a mailing label, slapping it on the pkg & dropping them in another bin for the PO or UPS to pick up. They want to sell a product but want to charge the customer for getting it ready to ship. What do they expect, the product to jump out of the stock bin & get itself ready to ship? It cost them a sale. I told em so too.   I probably won't hear back from them until Monday.

When I had a mailorder business I never charged my customers a handling charge, just the actual postage. I considered it part of the expense of doing business.

Anybody know where I can buy a couple of these w/o getting shafted?


 

[Garand]

I have 7 original pre 1916 Colt magazines with the lanyard loop and they are the best functioning magazines that I have ever used, with the exception of Wilson 47D's that I use for other shooting disciplines. For the first mag in the pistol during a match, originals can't be beat, but reloading the gun with a second mag is a bit hard on the hands.

[Grapeshot]

A few years back I found some lanyard loop 1911 mags at "Cheaper Than Dirt".  They were priced right for 3 each for $??.  Anyhow, they work perfectly in my Springfield M1911A1.  I have subsequently replace the Mainspring housing on the Springfield with a M1911 flat M/S housing w/lanyard loop.

Passes the 10foot rule.

[Grapeshot]

Those mags look good.  The only issue I have with then is that the originals were blued only on the bottom half of the magazine.  There was a slanted line of demarcation separating the blued half from the bare metal tops.[/color]

[St. George]

That's because the lips were hardened and the bluing process only dipped that part of the magazine that might become expose to weather.

Scouts Out!

[RattlesnakeJack]

I remember reading somewhere that the "two-tone look" can be approximated by setting all-blue magazines lips-down in a container of vinegar.   

Trust me, vinegar will remove bluing!  Found that out the hard way, years ago, when I thought - vinegar being so good for removing BP fouling from brass - I'd swab out my bore with a vinegar-saturated patch ....

[St. George]

'Vanish' toilet bowl cleaner 'will' remove bluing - no problem.

Vaya,

Scouts Out!