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When the Nighthawk Custom T4 gets holstered for concealed carry, a loaded Mec-Gar magazine (sometimes two) goes in my weak side front pocket. If something about these magazines looks just a bit strange, it’s because the Nighthawk is a 9mm. Now, let’s save the “John-Moses-Browning-would-never” and the 9mm vs. .45 discussion for another day. Today we’re just going to appreciate the gun for what it is the magazine for what it is, okay? Thanks.
And for the record, I think the 1911 is a great platform for the 9mm. There, I said it. Okay, where was I? Oh, yes…
These Mec-Gar magazines are officially the company’s “1911 Officer 9mm 8 Standard.” Straightforward product nomenclature, simple and clear, these magazines retail for $25.25 (blue) and $27.90 (nickel). Design-wise, they of course look very similar to the magazine that shipped with the Nighthawk and they function just as well, meaning perfectly. The nickel mags feel a bit more smooth than the blued mag but I like how the blued mag looks when looking at the baseplate when it’s seated in the gun.
Each magazine, as the name suggests, holds eight rounds of 9mm. The rounds go in easy, pressing a steel follower against a higher tensile music wire spring, down a heat-treated, carbon steel tube. A welded butt plate finishes it off and, when inserted, sits flush with the T4’s stocks. Seven witness holes on both sides of the magazine tell you instantly how many rounds are loaded.
In action at the range, I forget all about the Mec-Gar magazines because I just run through them, enjoying the Nighthawk’s flawless design and performance. In other words, while I know which magazine is which, it doesn’t matter. They all send the rounds up, without fail.
The only real debate that’s left is how many backup magazines to carry. They’re small, so two in a weak side front pocket isn’t out of the question. And, compared to a “normal” 1911 magazine with eight rounds of .45 on board, the 9mm Mec-Gar’s are lighter in weight. For those of you who like to track such things, it’s 213g for a loaded .45 vs. 170g for a loaded 9mm.
Seems like a winning combination. But I wonder what Mr. Browning would say…
— Mark Kakkuri
