With a Bang and a Boom!

[stickmaker]

When I was out shooting, yesterday, the no-name standard mag I was using in my Mk 4 Series 80 M-1911 started acting up. At the end of the third or fourth magazine full, the slide wouldn't lock back, and the magazine was very difficult to extract. Naturally, I only brought the one. I discovered that the follower was partially escaping from the lips, hence failing to engage the hold-open and hooking on the frame. I could extract it easily by manually locking the slide back and pushing on the follower with a finger, so I was able to continue the test shooting. When I got home I examined it more closely. It was well-worn and cheap (the bottom was welded in place, prohibiting easy disassembly) so I just tossed it.