Combat or ccw..I changed my mind

[Hamilton Felix]

Something I noticed lately, since I started carrying more extra mags: 1911 mags can rattle. A magazine in each pocket of a light vest will weight it down against a breeze. But they rattle when you walk.

I got to thinking about this, came home and looked for a loaded double stack. The mag from a Springfield SD/M .45 doesn't rattle as much. I grabbed a loaded single stack H&K 9mm mag and shook it: more rattle. I'm thinking of loading a Beretta 92 mag and shaking it. But it seems like the rounds in a double stack push against the sides of the magazine, while single stacked rounds push on each other and are relatively free to rattle against the sides. I've had Glock nines in the past. I seem to recall that those mostly plastic magazines were quiet.

We've been talking about "loading up" and carrying more than we have in the past. Rattling or clanking as you walk is poor concealment. I think I have just made an argument for double stack pistols. A friend is a big Para Ord fan, but I'm attached to my Kimber Pro Carry. Do the rest of you notice this rattling difference?

 

[nammac]

Something I noticed lately, since I started carrying more extra mags: 1911 mags can rattle. A magazine in each pocket of a light vest will weight it down against a breeze. But they rattle when you walk.

I got to thinking about this, came home and looked for a loaded double stack. The mag from a Springfield SD/M .45 doesn't rattle as much. I grabbed a loaded single stack H&K 9mm mag and shook it: more rattle. I'm thinking of loading a Beretta 92 mag and shaking it. But it seems like the rounds in a double stack push against the sides of the magazine, while single stacked rounds push on each other and are relatively free to rattle against the sides. I've had Glock nines in the past. I seem to recall that those mostly plastic magazines were quiet.

We've been talking about "loading up" and carrying more than we have in the past. Rattling or clanking as you walk is poor concealment. I think I have just made an argument for double stack pistols. A friend is a big Para Ord fan, but I'm attached to my Kimber Pro Carry. Do the rest of you notice this rattling difference?

Try giving them a sharp rap on the bottom and/or backside (primer) of the magazine. I find that usually quiets mine. I have a combination of Kimber and Colt magazines...

YMMV

 

[teflon6string]

In the 80's, I carried a 1911 a lot, work and play. Now it's a tiny (+P hollow point) revolver with a shrouded hammer under Hawaiian shirts in the summer, flannels and jackets in the winter.

I've been admonished by avid 12-15 round-with-one-in-the-chamber aficionados, and I've grown a bit weary of the whole quick-draw lecture. We all have our own personal preferences. While I respect others, that's mine.

Having been in face-downs, I've taken the time to recognize/avoid/depart from what the kids today call "sketchy" situations, especially now that I have a family. I hope it doesn't come to it, but if the SHTF, I'll be the non-descript older gentleman with a pistol (I know how to use with either hand while moving quickly) concealed on my strong side.

 

[Hamilton Felix]

That whack on the back of the mag to line 'em up helps. But I think single stack had more potential to rattle.

 

[Ura-Ki]

I have not encountered 1911 mags that rattle, that's a new one for me. My single stacks have Colt mags, except my Kimber Pro carry II ( which uses the factory Kimber mags) and my STI's Use MecGear Mags. I would think any rattle in the mag would be from the rounds not set back against the back of the mag, but I have never had this. BTW, I was always taught too tap the back of my mags when I loaded them so that's probably why I haven't had that issue!

 

[Hamilton Felix]

It's not so much in the gun or even in a mag carrier on a belt. But in a pocket (where maybe that tap on the back is negated when it moves around) they will be heard when moving around. The corner of a fleece vest bumps my waist, and I hear the magazine in the vest pocket. I'll fiddle with my various mags when I get a chance. I think, along with thumping the back of the loaded mag, a strong spring is less likely to rattle than a weak one.