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Thread: 18.9 magazines?

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  1. #1
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    18.9 magazines?

    Did I read somewhere that the new Remington 1911 double stack 9mm magazines will work with the Para 18.9 guns?

    Are there any other sources (OEM) for mags that'll work in an 18.8?

    Are there any sources for a metal baseplate that'll work with an 18.9 magazine (the little "tab" on one of my polymer base plates came off) ?

  2. #2
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    Quote Originally Posted by texas yankee View Post
    Did I read somewhere that the new Remington 1911 double stack 9mm magazines will work with the Para 18.9 guns?
    I don't know what you have read, but it is my understanding that Remington magazines will work in Para-Ordnance pistols.

    Are there any other sources (OEM) for mags that'll work in an 18.8?
    "OEM" means "Original Equipment Manufacturer." Para-Ordnance made their own magazines, so there is no other OEM source.

    Are there any sources for a metal baseplate that'll work with an 18.9 magazine (the little "tab" on one of my polymer base plates came off) ?
    No.

    Rock Island double stacks are close to Para-Ordnance in configuration, and I have seen reports (unconfirmed) that Rock Island magazines can work in Para pistols with minor alterations.
    https://advancedtactical.com/product...sfp=1410322677
    Hawkmoon
    On a good day, can hit the broad side of a barn ... from the inside
    Last edited by Hawkmoon; 16th February 2019 at 23:44.


  3. #3
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    Thanks very much ! I saw magazines for P18, but that seller says that they won't fit an 18.9 - I thought that the P18 and the 18.9 were the same thing?
    Last edited by texas yankee; 17th February 2019 at 10:07.


  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by texas yankee View Post
    Thanks very much ! I saw magazines for P18, but that seller says that they won't fit an 18.9 - I thought that the P18 and the 18.9 were the same thing?
    You're right. I'd make a note not to trust that seller's information. Para's nomenclature for its own products DID change several times, but the dimensions of their magazines did not, except for some of the very, VERY early guns and kit frames produced -- but none of those were in 9mm, as far as I know.

    There are some aftermarket, Italian (Mec-gar) P18.9 magazines. They usually hold 17 rounds, though. Frankly, stock Para mags aren't too keen for that 18th round to be inserted, so I wouldn't hold that against those Italian mags. I haven't used any in my P18.9, but I haven't heard anything bad about them. Some 1911 doublestacks that borrow heavily from Para seem to use these magazines as OEM (the one in Hawkmoon's Armscor link is eerily similar to them).

    Double-stack Paras are used by some IPSC competitors, so there are many aftermarket basepads out there, if you've lost your polymer doohickey on the baseplate. The magazine's width is identical to that of STI/SV mags, which helps. Generally speaking, those 'racing' parts add 1-2 rounds (or more) to the magazine, obviously by extending the available length... and if you don't go overboard, they might even work. If you entertain the thought of such an extended magazine, do note that the ribs on the side of your Para mags do NOT extend all the way to the bottom, so getting a '+3' basepad may cause the bottom few rounds to reach the wide part of the mag, causing all sorts of mischief.

    There are some people who use STI mags in their Paras. It's possible, but it requires modification to the mag catch notch and is, IMHO, a terrible idea: you lose 1 round of capacity and gain the ability to break your ejector if you over-insert the magazine - something not possible to do with proper, Para magazines (FYI: you can annoy a lot of STI/SV fans by bringing this up).

    Here are some links that might prove useful.

    https://www.gunpartscorp.com/products/1790830
    https://www.gunpartscorp.com/products/1371120
    https://dawsonprecision.com/extended...son-precision/
    Too many people miss the silver lining because they're expecting gold.
    M. Setter

  5. #5
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    Great information - thanks !

  6. #6
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    Well, I loaded up one of the new Mec-Gar magazines I purchased (https://www.mec-gar.com/pistol-magaz...18-17-Standard), along with several other magazines that have been working OK, and I went to the range. The other mags worked fine, which tells me that the gun is working fine, but with the new mag there was a problem extracting the spent round from the chamber about every 4th round. I've attached a picture of the jam. I was using steel-cased rounds with the new mag, but I had been using steel with the other mags, too. From the picture, it looks like the next round might be up too high and thus preventing the spent round from being fully extracted - but why would that happen only every 4 rounds or so? When I dropped the mag, the spent round extracted and ejected normally - any thoughts?
    IMG_2600.jpg

  7. #7
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    Try it with brass-cased ammo. I won't allow steel-cased or aluminum-cased ammo near any 1911.
    Hawkmoon
    On a good day, can hit the broad side of a barn ... from the inside
    Likes (1) :
    Rick McC. (6th March 2019)


  8. #8
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    You fieldstrip the gun, insert a loaded magazine in the frame and try to compare them, to see if they really present the top round any higher. If they do, check for any likely interference with the ejector.

    Just eyeballing the magazines out of the gun won't cut it, because that wouldn't take into account any differences in the height/position the mag catch notch.

    But as Hawk says, steel cased ammo isn't a good baseline. Check the ammo for inconsistencies in the case rims, and while you're at it, the shape of your extractor.
    Too many people miss the silver lining because they're expecting gold.
    M. Setter

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Hawkmoon View Post
    Try it with brass-cased ammo. I won't allow steel-cased or aluminum-cased ammo near any 1911.
    Same here!
    "Sights are for the unenlightened."

    Rick

    IDPA Certified Safety Officer

  10. #10
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    Good point on the steel cased ammo. I've found that most all of my guns are fine with steel cased ammo in place of brass, but there are a few that won't run reliably on steel - the chamber on one 1911 couldn't accommodate variances in steel cased ammo - the gun wouldn't go into battery because some of the steel cased rounds wouldn't go all the way into the chamber - the gun wouldn't go into battery.

    I've got two other gun projects in front of the 18.9, but I plan to do some measuring with the slide off to see how the rounds are presented with the different magazines - I'll post pictures when I get to it. Thanks again for the continued guidance!
    Last edited by texas yankee; 7th March 2019 at 06:59.


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