[Steve in Allentown PA]

The guys at EGW are busily putting a 9x23 barrel in my Springfield 9mm. In anticipation of picking the completed gun up I purchased two Wilson .38 Super magazines which claim to hold 10 rounds each.

I can just squeeze 9 rounds of 9x23 Silvertips in these mags but I cannot get number 10 to go in.

I left one magazine loaded with 9 rounds for 24 hours, then unloaded it, then loaded it again in hopes of squeezing the 10th round in. No luck.

What gives? Should I toss these mags in the trash can? Does anyone have any experience with other brands of mags that actually WILL hold 10 rounds of 9x23?

 

[Steve in Allentown PA]

George (EGW) will probably be installing a Storm Lake 9x23 barrel. Conventional wisdom says that the only way to go in 9x23 is with a Bar-Sto but George tells me he's getting 9/16 inch groups at 55 yds with Storm Lake barrels. So, I said I didn't care what barrel he puts in it as long as it'll do 9/16 at 55 yds.

As to fitting 10 rounds of 9x23 in a brand new Wilson 38 Super mag, I tried again this morning to fit the 10th round in it. No go.
I wonder if the differences in case dimensions between a Super and a 9x23 are enough to prevent the 10th round form going in.

 

[Steve in Allentown PA]

John, your advice is timeless and is appropriate in many contexts. :smile:

I just got off the phone with Todd at Wilson and his advice was essentially the same. Put 9 rounds in it and let it sit for some indeterminate amount of time until the spring compresses enough to take the 10th round.

Maybe I'll load both mags up and put them under my pillow. Then your advice and my wife's exhortations may coincide. Hah!

Thanks for the advice. I'll give it another go.

 

[Steve in Allentown PA]

Maybe I'm just too nice a guy but try as I might, I still can't squeeze the 10th round in. I'll let them sit with 9 rounds in them for as long as it takes to compress those springs.

In the meantime, I think I'll pick up some Mag-Pack, McCormick, and Metalform .38 Super mags to see if there's any difference between these mags and the Wilson.

 

[Steve in Allentown PA]

The saga continues. I received the McCormick, Metalform, and Mag-Pack .38 Super mags today.

All three took 10 rounds although the McCormick gave me the most trouble with the 10th round.

Neither the Metalform or Mag-Pack would push the slide catch up to lock the slide back after the last round. The McCormick did not have this problem.

Meanwhile . . . I tried putting the 10th round in each of the Wilson mags again. It's been more than a week since I loaded each of these with 9 rounds. After a considerable amount of effort I was able to get the 10th round into each of these mags. The Wilson mags positively engaged the slide stop.

Bottom line: I'll be returning the Metalform and Mag-Pack mags for a refund. I'll be keeping the McCormick and Wilson mags.

Thanks to everyone who joined in the discussion. Hope my findings help someone else.