ZoidMeister
Well-Known Fanatic
I don't do "review" threads often, but with my affinity for adding magwells to many of my full-size guns, I thought I would detail a bit of my journey.
I began by picking up a few Smith & Alexander one-piece magwells. They filled three of my early priorities - they offer them with arched mainspring housings, they are largely "drop-in", and they cost less than $100.
The next version I played with was the Ed Brown two-piece. While they do not offer an arched version, they are largely drop-in, are close to my preferred price of $100 or less but do offer my preferred texture - skip line checkering.
The latest is a new introduction by Stan Chen. The Stan Chen SI magwell.
Left to right - S&A, EB, Stan Chen SI
Below are photos of all three varieties installed in ZOIDS1911. My thoughts follow:
The S&A is pretty straight forward. The versions I have are MIM I believe. Better than plastic, but not machined. They have all been "drop-in" fitting.
Next, the Ed Brown: I was first introduced to the Ed Brown two-piece on the Executive Elite II I bought. I liked the skip-line checkering a lot, even though it wasn't an arched mainspring. I bought one of these for my ZOIDS build. It too was "drop-in" fitting.
Both the S&A and EB have straight cut, no frills beveled magazine openings. They do their job. I haven't blended any of the frames I have these installed into, but these guns are not positioned to be full-custom build dress either.
I began by picking up a few Smith & Alexander one-piece magwells. They filled three of my early priorities - they offer them with arched mainspring housings, they are largely "drop-in", and they cost less than $100.
The next version I played with was the Ed Brown two-piece. While they do not offer an arched version, they are largely drop-in, are close to my preferred price of $100 or less but do offer my preferred texture - skip line checkering.
The latest is a new introduction by Stan Chen. The Stan Chen SI magwell.
Left to right - S&A, EB, Stan Chen SI
Below are photos of all three varieties installed in ZOIDS1911. My thoughts follow:
The S&A is pretty straight forward. The versions I have are MIM I believe. Better than plastic, but not machined. They have all been "drop-in" fitting.
Next, the Ed Brown: I was first introduced to the Ed Brown two-piece on the Executive Elite II I bought. I liked the skip-line checkering a lot, even though it wasn't an arched mainspring. I bought one of these for my ZOIDS build. It too was "drop-in" fitting.
Both the S&A and EB have straight cut, no frills beveled magazine openings. They do their job. I haven't blended any of the frames I have these installed into, but these guns are not positioned to be full-custom build dress either.