Our remarkable ETM magazine has been completely redesigned with contributions from firearms specialist Larry Vickers. It features an indestructible tube construction, a lightweight aluminum base pad, follower cuts for smoother operation even in the toughest conditions and polished black fluoropolymer finish that gives it a sleek look.
Wilson Combat®, with a firmly established reputation for outstanding quality, the highest reliability, and superb service both before and after the sale has built hundreds of thousands of 1911 single-stack magazines. We get a lot of feedback about magazines, and magazine performance - and we listen. Our magazines have undergone 3 design and/or material changes, each carefully evaluated and proven before they were released to the market. The result of our latest effort is a completely redesigned magazine with the features we've heard you ask for.
The Wilson Combat Elite Tactical magazine started with a blank sheet of paper and 30+ years of 1911 and 1911 magazine experience. It has set a new standard in 1911 magazines while redefining state-of-the-art. We've blended the latest improvements in manufacturing and materials technology with our own real-world shooting experience to provide quality, quality, and more quality. From material selection to manufacturing process to final testing - this magazine is built like your life, and ours, depended on it, as someday it may. No compromises, just stone-cold reliability you can depend on. The ETM is primarily a combat magazine, but if you're a competition shooter, you just may gain that critical advantage that will move you past the competition. The real world for a combat pistol isn't always in a dry, protected environment. So we built the ETM to be impervious to the elements. Every component is manufactured from either a high-grade stainless steel or super tough nylon. We worried about grime and corrosion when we designed the ETM, so you will never have to.
MAGAZINE TUBE: The Vicker's Duty magazine tube has a completely sealed construction with rear witness hole that nearly eliminates lip spreading and ingress points for sand and debris.The ETM has the strongest magazine tube yet developed, virtually eliminating feed lip cracking, tube spread and cracking, and general fatigue, - some of the most common manufacturing and/or age-related defects in other magazines. The engineers working on the ETM have a combined 110+ years of firearms experience - the ETM is a showcase of their knowledge. They refined the radius for each bend in the tube to take advantage of the strength in the stainless steel they selected - and then devised a manufacturing process to provide the tight tolerances required to make those exact radius bends. The observation slots, moved to the rear of the tube, are located exactly where they need to be to maintain the structural integrity of the tube for years and years of use. After extensive testing we selected a grade and thickness of stainless steel optimized to provide superior stiffness without brittleness. No matter how many times you empty this magazine through your pistol, you can be assured the engineering expertise, design, material selection, manufacturing, and the quality control behind the ETM promises a lifetime of smooth and reliable operation.
ETM tubes are manufactured with a proprietary, custom designed welding process followed by a proprietary multi-step tumbling and finishing process. The internal and external finish, critical to smooth follower operation and insertion into the weapon, are the result of selecting the proper media and media-sequence in the tumbling and finishing process. We expended a lot of engineering time and expertise in developing the finishing process; when you get your hands on an ETM you'll be able to see and feel for yourself, we think you will agree it was time well spent. The improvements made to the ETM's follower and base pad have not previously been seen in a pistol magazine. This design combines advanced manufacturing technology with absolutely precise dimension control, assuring positive slide-lock after the last round has been fired. The innovative follower design with its extended skirt ensures stability in operation and minimizes creep from the tube when the magazine is empty. Super tough nylon was selected as the optimum material for the new ETM follower due to its proven durability and slick surface finish. This slick finish and the super smooth internal finish of the magazine tube result in the smoothest follower operation possible. Experienced shooters will notice this ultra-smooth performance when loading and firing.
MAGAZINE SPRING: The heat-treated MAX flatwire construction never gets stressed or over-compressed like a conventional spring and is guaranteed to never require replacement even after high round counts or daily, extreme duty use. We've found a stainless steel spring wire that has incredible spring life. There's no need to worry about leaving your mags loaded for long periods of time with this spring and will always be ready for use no matter the scenario. Another factor in spring life is the degree of compression when the magazine is loaded. Our engineers designed the ETM's base pad to allow a longer tube. Although the ETM is not appreciably longer than a typical magazine, it has more space for the spring to work without complete compression or excessive stress on the spring.
BASE PAD: The base pad of the Vicker's Duty mag is uniquely shaped and easy to grab under stress. It is weighted to drop free in any field conditions. The ETM's almost indestructible base pad provides a sure grip when pulling a magazine from a pistol or a tight pouch especially in a combat or competitive situation when seconds count in reloading. If you have ever been in the rain, trying to get a traditional magazine from a wet, tight pouch, you'll really appreciate this feature and it might save your life.
SKU: 800-45FS8B
Wilson Combat
SKU: 800A
Wilson Combat
SKU: 800-9FS10AB
Wilson Combat
SKU: 47DAB
Wilson Combat
I have a lot of 47D's but this is by far and away my new choice in magazine. The lack of witness holes down the side of the tube was a big draw. I no longer worry about sweat while carrying or dirt if I drop the mag during a reload at an outdoor match. The spring design is also very impressive and can imagine it will be hold up as advertised. The added tube length over the 47D definitely provides the extra security re: not over compressing the spring like they talk about in their videos on the Wilson Combat YouTube Channel. The aluminum baseplate is low profile enough that the overall length is still the same as my 47D's, and the design gives you something to grab a hold of if you need to strip a mag out that's better than the smooth-sided 47D based. I use these in my Les Baer and had issues properly seating the mag like another reviewer described in a review on the non-black version. I removed the baseplate and inserted the mag and marked where the bottom of the frame was on the front of the mag body and slide the baseplate back on and did the same. The lines almost overlapped, so some quick swipes with a file and ~1mm of material removed did the trick! A minor hassle well worth it given all the added benefits, I anticipate these will also keep tension longer than the 47Ds, and while a little stiff to load I haven't had the top round move around in these like the (still excellent) 47Ds. Worth the cost of entry for peace of mind!
This magazine works in my 2009, all steel Colt Commander. 8+1 rounds and never misses a beat. Loads and locks into place and releases easily. Locks the slide in rearward position after last round. I like the fact that the base shoe is lower profiled, for concealed carry. It only adds about 1/4" to the grip length, certainly not what a Maxwell would add in size/bulk. The increased dirt/dust proofing due to the reduction of the usually found, extra drilled sight holes is a plus. The coating is slick and the interior is smooth for proper function of the follower and spring which exhibits ample power for doing it's job. It may be a bit more expensive than other magazines in and out of the WC 1911 lineup, but in my estimation it is worth it. Thoughtful design and function. Could not be happier.
