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(c) 2010 Chip McCormick Custom, LLC™. All Rights Reserved.
CMC Mags Frequently Asked Questions...
What are the advantages & function of the follower designs incorporated in POWER MAG™, MATCH GRADE™ & SHOOTING STAR™ 1911 Magazines?
Q. What are the differences between CMC's Magazines?
Since 1986, you’ll get what you pay for with any of CMC’s 100% made in the USA, 1911 magazines. CMC mags all incorporate designs unique to CMC mags. All CMC mags have always been backed by a 30 day satisfaction guaranty when purchased from participating dealers. With CMC mags you also received the benefits of unsurpassed; customer satisfaction, customer service and technical support!
Power Mags™ are truly combat proven 1911 magazines, as they have long been in use by America's most elite federal agencies and military special ops units. All Power Mag series magazines which include design upgrades enhancing feeding, reliability, and yield function with a wider selection of ammunition; are specifically designed for increased survivability under the most extreme types of usages. Pound for pound and size for size, Power Mags yield the longest possible service life of any 1911 magazines. As the name implies, Power Mags are the strongest and powerful of all CMC 1911 magazines. For increased reliability and service life 8rd Power Mags have three more additional spring coils as compared to flush fitting, fixed base magazines like CMC’s Match Grade and Classic mags. When compared to other brands , Power are clearly much leaner and sleeker than the chunky, protruding dimensions other brand mags must be to compete. Power Mags are also designed with removable bases for more thorough cleaning. There are several optional sizes of retro-fit base pads for Power Mags, designed to facilitate all applications ranging from concealment/duty usages to high end competitions.
Match Grade™ mags are flush fitting with screw on base pads optional. In addition to higher quality and tighter tolerances, Match Grade mags are not only built on the same tooling as Power Mags, but also have the same design upgrades for enhanced feeding, increased durability and for function with a wider selection of ammunition.
Match Grade™ and Power Mag™ magazines are of much higher quality with much tighter tolerances, and require fabrication tooling costing more in the range of $400,000.
CMC’s Classic Shooting Star™ series extra capacity magazines are built to the original military tolerance specifications (Mil-Spec) for 1911 mags. These are the same minimum standards used by other brands except with the exceptions of CMC’s Match Grade and Power series magazines, which are in a higher class all their own. Classic mags are flush fitting with the bottom of the pistol. Flush fitting is sometimes a specific preference for some people. However, a screw on base pad is available for those who want extra material on the bottom of the magazine for assisting with positive insertion and seating of the magazine into the pistol. The Classic grade of magazine requires fabrication tooling costing in the range of $80,000.
A. The main difference between the Power Mags™ and the Power Mag+™ is in the follower design and the way each design functions. Of course, once you begin with a truly high quality magazine tube (which only a few out of the dozens of 1911 magazine manufacturers actually have) the main difference in the various brands is the follower, and the level of reliable function it yields.
ThePower Mag+™ follower is such that it is more stabilized and remains within the confines of the magazine tube. Power Mag™ follower jumps forward at the point of engagement to the slide stop, yielding the most positive engagement possible as compared to any other follower design in use today. Over the years our many federal law enforcement and military special ops customers have informed us that they are not only extremely concerned with feeding, but also reliable slide lock upon last shot fired (notifying weapon empty). Power series mags have achieved such great reputations because they excel every area function and service life. The two follower designs accomplish the tasks in different ways. Since in some cases the Power Mag™ follower can make contact with the pistol receiver and the Power Mag+™ cannot, for pistols with aluminum frames we recommend the Power Mag+™ series magazines.
The new 2010 Power Mag+™ series magazines are were introduced to the public on January 19, 2010. We're certain it's our best 1911 magazine ever.
Q. Is Chip McCormick still producing the AR Trigger Group?
A. Not any longer. The company has been sold to another group. More information can be found at their website: www.cmctriggers.com
Q. What are the advantages & function of the follower designs incorporated in Power Mags™, Match Grade™ & Classic Shooting Star™ 1911 Magazines?
A. Dating back to 1986, the original follower design as used in CMC and Shooting Star magazines has been the only follower design used in all CMC .45 cal-1911 magazines. The design was born with a specific set of objectives; to offer the most serious types of shooters the very highest levels of reliability in every area of function, and longest possible service life. With this original follower design, CMC came to become the number #1 seller of high end aftermarket .45acp caliber 1911 magazines.
The dynamics (fore and aft movement) of the original CMC follower is exactly the reason it is so well known for its enhancements to function. Among the numerous advantages this original follower design yields, one of the functions it has excelled at better than any other design is reliable slide lock upon last shot fired. All of these original followers purposely jump forward at the point of engaging the slide stop upon last shot fired in order to obtain appreciably more engagement to the slide stop than any other fully retained design had previously been able to obtain. The importance of that function (slide lock upon last shot fired), especially with law enforcement, military, self defense and even competition applications is that it offers the most reliability for locking the slide open and signaling to the shooter that the weapon is empty; an extremely important feature for those who use their weapons as serious tools.
All of CMC’s unique and very advantageous follower designs are such that the follower itself is also a spring, adding additional strength to that of the internal coil spring. Additionally advantageous for reliability and service life, CMC’s follower designs allow for each of the internal spring coils to be wider and longer in design, yielding more spring strength, as compared to any other brands of extra capacity 1911 magazines. All other brands incorporate follower designs that are either skirted around the bottom or have front and back downward extending appendages, both of which necessitate the use of smaller spring coils, which requires more spring coils being stacked into longer magazine tubes in order to make up the loss of strength caused by the other types of follower designs. The combination of CMC’s follower and coil spring designs yield more strength in any given length of magazine tube as compared to any other extra capacity 1911 magazines of similar size. The final end result with CMC mags are; much leaner, sleeker magazines as compared to other brands with their fat, chunky bases that also extend noticeably further below the pistol’s receiver. For those who desire more to be extending below the pistol receivers, yet still desire all the advantages of CMC mags, CMC offers longer/extended bases.
Unlike any types of 1911 followers incorporating plastic materials, CMC’s unique all steel follower designs are vastly superior in strength, never wear out, and are impervious to heat. Unlike any skirted followers or followers with front and back downward extending appendages, CMC followers require only a minimum of bearing surfaces to the inner walls of the magazine tube. Less bearing surface yields much less friction, greater margins for continued reliable function when used in dusty and/or grimy environments, and/or when cleaning and maintenance is not practical in between usages.
For consistent manual initiation of slide lock when bench testing, and/or any non-live fire activity with the magazines in a pistol, simply first press down on the top/forward most section of the follower before each insertion of the magazine into the pistol, in order to replicate the position the follower would be in after feeding the final round and to achieve function most similar to the live fire function of the magazine regarding slide lock.
On All Orders Over $10!
Continental US only.
