I’ve read this thread before and there is a treasure trove of information contained in this thread.
If there’s one component of a semi-auto pistol that will give you headaches, it is the magazine. Other than bad ammunition, nothing creates more potential for functioning issues than the magazine.
The 1911 is a bit of an outlier due to its age. It was originally designed to work with 230gr. FMJ and it did that amazing well. It was only when people started feeding 1911 pistols with SWC and Hollowpoints that alternative magazines were needed. So as the 1911 scene expanded to include semi-wadcutters, Short SWC’s, HP’s and other bullet styles, the magazines had to catch up. The shooters, gunsmiths and experimenters figured out what needed to happen, and they came up with some excellent solutions. However, as has been pointed out in this excellent thread, that resulted in several variations of magazine feed lips. This isn’t a problem for knowledgeable users of the platform.
I think the younger generations are a bit spoiled when it comes to magazines. If you grew up in a world of Glocks, SIGs and the like, you just buy factory magazines and call it a day. The development work has been done for you. It’s only when you step back into the older world that little things like different magazines for different bullet profiles appear on the scene.
A Big Thank You to all that contributed to this thread.