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....take the base plate of a Kimber 1911 mag? I've tried everything I can think of and still can't get it off.

Plasma cutter.

Failing that, just stick it into the berm and shoot it a few times.



Do the Kimber's actually have removeable (without the above methods) baseplates? All my 1911 mags have them welded on.

I personally like the Wilson magazines. I do you use the Kimber in 9mm because Wilson does not make mags in 9mm. To answer the question, push down on the follower. Push something like a small punch through one of the holes so that the punch is holding down the spring but not the follower. You need to pick a hole near the bottom of the mag. Then you turn it upside down and shake it. You may have to reach in with a small screwdriver or dental pick and pull up on the follower. You can then work the follower out the top. You have to angle it back a little to do this. Then, remove the punch and let the spring out. This should do the trick "I Think?"

carlson1 -- I use Wilson 38 super mags in my 9mm Kimber without any problems. In fact I like them better than the Kimber factory 9mm mags.

carlson1 wrote:I personally like the Wilson magazines. I do you use the Kimber in 9mm because Wilson does not make mags in 9mm. To answer the question, push down on the follower. Push something like a small punch through one of the holes so that the punch is holding down the spring but not the follower. You need to pick a hole near the bottom of the mag. Then you turn it upside down and shake it. You may have to reach in with a small screwdriver or dental pick and pull up on the follower. You can then work the follower out the top. You have to angle it back a little to do this. Then, remove the punch and let the spring out. This should do the trick "I Think?"

I think that is the procedure for the "Kimber Mags", but what about the McCormick mags? (I have seven seven rounders for my Compact Stainless)

Houston1944 wrote:carlson1 -- I use Wilson 38 super mags in my 9mm Kimber without any problems. In fact I like them better than the Kimber factory 9mm mags.

I never thought of that and the folks at wilson did not suggest it, but I will be trying it. I think Kimber are Mec-Gars, but I am not really excited about either one. Thanks for the tip.

With the exception of Wilsons, I don't know of any 1911 magazine that has a removable baseplate. And I'm not too sure about the Wilsons.

On a standard 1911 magazine (Kimber, Colt, Mec-Gar, McCormick, etc), use Carlson1's method if you decide to remove the follower.

My 9mm come off, but my I am not for sure about the .45's I was assuming they did, so I answered the question. If someone finds out I would like to know.

Easier way, for me at least. Wilson & Chip MC Power Mags for sure, & any other mag I know of that has small hole in the center of the Plastic base plate.
Does not work on mags w/ welded plates.

Turn mag upside down incert small punch into the hole in center & push down. I use a large paper clip. They are strong enough. You will feel the base release. Push the plastic base off toward the front. It will come off & there will be a metal base under it. It will now slide off to the front. Spring will come out & follower. THere are lips on the bottom too so the spring will not "fly out". You will have to work it out one coil at a time.

Clean away.

Reinstalling spring.
Follower on top of spring & insert them. There are lips on the bottom of the mag that will hold each coil of the spring as you work it in. When the follower gets to the top make sure it is propperly in place at the lips. When the whole spring is in, insert the steel base w/ the BUMP up. Push the steel base in & the plastic pad will slide in until the BUMP snaps in the whole.

Well, maybe the Kimber mags aren't able to be diassembled. I have both KimPro and Wilson mags for it, but the factory mag works just fine with it so I was going to buy a bumper pad for it and use it as a back up. With the factory base plate, the screws are positioned so that the bumper pad does not line up with the edges of the mag, so I was going to replace it with the one that comes with the Kimpro bumper pad kit.

What bumper pads do you have? By the way you will have a very hard time drilling the holes, trust me. Use a lot of caution and have a lot of bits on hand.

The Kimber mags appear to have the baseplate permanently affixed. I'm pretty handy taking things apart and couldn't figure out how to remove the faceplate without physically altering the magazine.

Wilson does sell mags which have a removable baseplate. I was hoping to find mags that sit flush but settled for a few of theirs along with the thinnest baseplate they have. I'd say the bottom sticks out about .20 - .25 inch. They do feel more sturdy than the Kimber mag that came with the gun.

carlson1 wrote:What bumper pads do you have? By the way you will have a very hard time drilling the holes, trust me. Use a lot of caution and have a lot of bits on hand.

I bought a kit that has the Kimber Kimpro pads for it. The kit comes with 2 pads and 2 new base plates that are already drilled and tapped. I was just trying to replace the factory base plate with the new ones that come with the kit.

The factory mag was also already drilled and tapped but the holes must be placed differently because the pad sits a little far forward and I'm anal about stuff like that.