I just put a 9mm Kart conversion in my SS 1911 government 38 super and am overall very pleased. I purchased a couple of Springfield style 9mm magazines since they seem to be very well rated and my 38 super mags are working ok as I add more rounds to the breakin of the gun.
My question is when I use the Springfield mags there is a definite amount of play with the magazines fully seated. I don't see the play with the Colt 38 super mags. I looked on line and JP rifles offers an elevated mag catch to fix the play problem. It should be noted that I am not having any misfeeds even with the play.
Is this a real problem? I have never had any issues like this with any of my 45's. The JP catch is really expensive and I don't want to fix it if it is not broke. Any advice would be appreciated.
EGW (Evolution Gun Works) sells a mag catch that raises the mags and runs $29.99. You can check out their website: www.egw-guns.com
It is listed under the 1911 parts, then click on frame parts.
I have used them to help feeding reliability when using hollow point ammunition. It raises the magazine about .020". You may not have any feeding problems with round nosed lead or jacketed bullets, but HP's may be different. I prefer not to have excessive play in the seating of the mags, but if you run several hundred rounds without a misfeed, then I wouldn't worry about it. I personally prefer the new Wilson ET 9mm mags, and use them in my .38 Super conversion. I fitted a W/N ramped Kart barrel.
Thanks for the info. I have not tried the Wilson Mags yet. Regarding reliability I have not had any misfires so far but I am also using 124 cast bullets. Have not tried any hollow points yet.
I always recommend using a 9mm ejector, which is longer than any aftermarket .38 Super ejector. The longer ejector allows the case to be ejected faster. This helps to improve the overall feeding reliability. My Colt 9mm conversion has been extremely reliable, and I have used the longer ejector since I fitted the Kart barrel. I also have an STI hi-cap that I fitted with a Kart 9mm barrel. I also used the longer 9mm ejector with this gun, and it functions flawlessly as well. I now use the STI in IDPA competition.