Sti 2011 Mag Dimensions

[Josh Ashman]

Does anybody happen to know the thickness of an STI 2011 mag? I'd also like to get anybody's thoughts on "shimming" a std 1911 mag out to the STI's thickness and building a mag pouch from that.

I appreciate any feedback available, thanks!

Josh

[Lobo]

Josh: Much will depend on your mag pouch design. Pouches with snap-flaps allow for some variations in mag size, but also require some fairly close fitting of the snap-flap to the mag bottom plate (they vary as much as the magazines, maybe more so).

Open top pouches rely more on close fitting to the magazine for retention. For the best possible fit I would recommend using the actual magazines to be fitted.

With a few exceptions, magazine dimensions are remarkably similar. Those exceptions include the Glocks (polymer body magazines with much thicker walls than steel magazines), Colt 1911's (same basic mag dimensions from one caliber to the next, with ribs formed into the mag walls for the smaller calibers such as 9mm and .38 Super). Other than these, single stack steel magazines in the same calibers from different makers will usually be quite close in body dimensions, with different lengths, feed angles, and base plates. Double stack magazines in the same calibers are also very similar in mag body dimensions.

So for the STI 2011 (double stack .45ACP) mags I would expect the mag bodies to be pretty similar in dimensions to the XD .45ACP mags, Para Ordinance, and others.

The Springfield Armory XD .45 mags are actually very close in body dimensions to the Glock polymer mags in 9mm, .40 S&W, and .357 Sig. The primary differences are overall length, taper to feed lips, angle of feed, and bottom plate dimensions and profiles.

Years ago I found that just about every gun shop and pawn shop has a box or drawer full of pistol magazines. Some are a bit damaged, others may be hard to identify. I have picked up dozens for a few dollars each and all have found some use in the leather shop over time.

If your customer can't (or won't) send you one of his magazines to use for patterning and forming you might get the dimensions from him, then use those to select another mag that is close enough to form a pouch for it.

[Josh Ashman]

Thanks Lobo,

I appreciate the info. I have a .45 XD mag and wondered if somebody might chime in with the STI double stack thickness so I could feel comfortable using it or maybe tape some heavy skirting to the sides of a std 1911 mag and use that. I've been waiting for a week or so for the customer to send me a mag and I got time to fit the order in. I thought if somebody had the info I needed I could get by without it and button this deal up.

Thanks again for your input and taking the time to share your thoughts on the matter.

Best regards, Josh