SMITH & ALEXANDER 1911 MAINSPRING HOUSING W/ MAGWELL

I steered away from these for several years. About five years ago when I started working on 1911s, I tried a few of these on a few different frames all of which left unsightly gaps. I decided to stick with Kimber magwells and Nighthawk mag wells. I finally ordered and tried a couple of these this week and I don't know if they've changed their dimensions, but they now fit perfectly. I bought two for my two Springfields and these will be what I stick with from now on.

Received it quick, its very strong, easy to install, great grip, and makes reloading quicker. One downside is it started rusting after a week. It is just along the checkering where your palm rests. It is very fine rust that is easy to clean, but I need to keep an eye on it.

i just put this on my 1911 Springfield parkerized loaded and it is just what i wanted. i went with the 1-piece because i liked the fact that the checking went all the way to the bottom of the maxwell which gives you more grip area for the heal of your palm then the ones that stop at the bottom of the factory frame. with this one everything is straight down the back strap and across the bottom of the magwell. fit was very nice and it looks as if it was made just for the parkerized finish, a little shinier but not that noticeable. it only took me about 2 mins to install and i had never done one before. i did look at video's which helped. i got the 8rd wilson combat magazines from Brownell's also along with the GI style flat spring guide rod kit. very happy with Brownell and they ship fast too.

I shoot USPA, IDPA, and Action Steel, so a mag guide is essential. This is a hefty guide, with a very solid/heavy feel to it (this is not a bad thing). This guide was very easy to install in a Springfield Armory Range Officer, everything fit perfectly. The flat black finish matches the gun's parkerized finish almost perfectly. The rear checkering feels great, not too rough, and offers a good grip.



Magazine changes are now considerably faster and easier than stock, and the gun looks more attractive than before!



Highly recommended.



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This magwell dropped right in to my Springfield GI with no fitting, which was good. I have used this product for a few years and, the value just isn't there. The checkering is advertised as 20 lpi, but it is the dullest 20 lpi I have ever felt. The checkering on an Ed Brown Maxi Well I bought recently has 25 lpi checkering, and it is noticeable sharper than the 20 lpi on the Smith and Alexander. The magwell opening on the Ed Brown is also wider than the S&A. The price you pay for the S&A just isn't worth it when the competition has better products for the same, or less money.

I have installed these magwells on my 1911 handguns both Govt. models and Commander sized. They are fantastic and mate up with all grips. My rave point is the one piece design...I have used other mag well/Speed chutes and all have been 2 piece. NONE have NOT shot loose no matter what Loctite is provided to keep the attachment screw tight. I even lost one screw unknowingly but never fear because I replaced it with one of these..as an LTC Instructor and NRA Instructor and as an everyday carry piece my 1911 HAS to be outfitted to not fail. These one piece designs do THAT admirably. I will have them on any 1911...

It fit most 1911s with only slight mod, the guide rails for the mainspring housing need to be beveled at the top. If you look at the one you took off, it is done the same. For the best trigger pull use a file to clean up the spring hole. I put this on my TRP and decided to blend the mag well into the pistol, if you take your time it is beautiful and it looks 100% better than the one that came with the TRP. I put one on every 1911 I own, you will like it.

I put this on a Springfield Armory 1911 in stainless steel and it matched the finish perfectly and fit very well. This magazine well is for the full sized flat bottomed grip panel style, not the ones with slant cuts at the bottom. Any flared magazine well on the frame will leave a slight gap above the mag-guide's lip, it's purely cosmetic.
The metal of the S&A mag-guide is tough, it took a good bit of effort for me to trim down the thick sides to fit slim-line grip panels that are half the thickness of normal gov't 1911 grip panels. This means the S&A Mag-Guide will stand up for a long time to abuse.

Installed this on the Colt Officers Model 1911 Mark IV Series 80. Fits like a glove without modification. Exceptional quality and flawless function.

I installed two of these yesterday . One in my Colt Gov. model and one in my brothers Remington R1 enhanced . Both went in easily and look great . Very happy with them .

I just purchased my first 1911 (Ruger) as a competition platform to build upon. This magwell has received great reviews all over the web and mine is no different.

It really opens up the magazine well without being bulky or comically large. My hands are medium-large and having that extra bit of checkered mainspring housing adds just the right amount to keep my whole palm in contact with the gun.

The reason for 4 stars instead of 5. It hangs down about a millimeter lower than the frame, creating a very small gap. Functionally this is not an issue at all, but it doesn't look great and the sharp front corners of the magwell have already snagged fabric brushed against it. The thing to keep in mind is that virtually everything with a 1911 needs to be "fit" and this is not exception if you want it to be all it could be. I don't trust myself enough to "blend" the magwell with the frame and will likely end up taking it to my local gunsmith to have it worked on.

I would, and will, buy another for future 1911 projects, just be aware it may not be a totally "drop-in" item if that's what you're looking for.

After reading all of the reviews I thought I was getting a nice machined piece. What I received was cast and still had some casting marks which required some massaging. I installed this in a Les Baer 1911 and the magwell itself had a 1/16 inch gap between the magwell and frame. I put the magwell in a vise and tapped the mainspring housing with a rubber mallet and was suprised when it bent so easy. It now fits OK but I was expecting a much higher quality item. Cast is ok but at least machine the little pimple marks off .

Installed on a GSG .22. Powder coated housing matte black with the guide left ss gave it a good look. No filing required, fit perfect. I did have to doctor up some checkering lines with a knife point before coating.

I really like the S&A Magwell. It is very strong and I really like the one-peice construction. With that being said, the bottom of the mag well may not lay flat against many 1911's because it is cut at a generic angle. The prongs can be bent bot up and down as well as in and out. Just go slow and be careful.

Other than that, all you need to do is blend the magwell with your guns magwell so it make one nice big opening and your in business. Anyone with a little patience can do this, so don't fret about ordering this product. It will last a very long time.

My hands are a kinda wide, and a 1911 gov't bottoms out right on my pisiform (the bony prominence where one's "pinkie" meets the wrist)and is distractingly uncomfortable after a couple reloads. The Smith & Alexander mag guide added just enough length to fill out my grip and feel perfectly solid, with a negligable amount of additional weight. I am really excited to shoot with it, it just feels so natural and is really the missing piece. I think that I will want to blend it into the frame's mag well as there is about a 1/8" overhang. Be sure to order new internals if you have a Springfield with the ILS.

Got this to go on my Kimber Custom II. Fit 100% perfect without any modifications. Finish is excellent and not very far off from the kimbers. All in all, very satisfied.

This is a great mainspring housing. There was no fitting required, at least in my case, and it looks amazing. The straight mainspring housing feels better than the arched, especially when paired with a long trigger, however your mileage may vary as everyone has different preferences. This is a great mag well, and is definitely worth the price. If you're switching from an ILS mainspring housing, I recommend getting the mainspring housing rebuild kit from Brownells.

Bought to help with magazine changes during Pin shoots where time is critical. My Springfield GI 1911 does not even have a bevel in the mag well so magazine changes were cumbersome sometimes. The S&A GM Blue Flat Magazine Guide fit perfect and solved the mag change issues. There was no gap and the fit was even on all sides. I would recommend this product to a freind. If other S&A products are made this well I would not hesitate to buy any of them.

Ordered several of these to upgrade Colt 1991A1's and a GSG-1911. Popped right into the Colt's without any difficulty. (haven't done the gsg yet).
I did have to do some fitting at the opening as my mag wells were already flared. Didn't take long, and the guns function flawlessly, and look so much better. One came in the nice flat black that others have noted, but one did come in that sort of purplish color. Not noticable at a distance. Excellent upgrade that someone can do without the aid of a gunsmith.

Installed on my Springfield MC Operator. Installation was a breeze with the correct parts and tools but as others have reported, the magwell does not sit flush to the bottom of the frame leaving an obvious gap. The gap on the right side is slightly more pronounced than the left. The sharp points of the checkering look somewhat dull and uneven compared to the factory Springfield MSH. Not exactly what i'd expect from a [$] part but I love the design of the S&A magwell over other brands. I'll be ordering a replacement and will report back.

I prefer arched housings on my Gov't model 1911s. Since installing the S&A arched housing magwell combo to my Colt Defender, it now fits and feels like a well-worn glove and replicates the 5" in a smaller and more comfortable package on those long days of carry.
Since S&A provides OEM parts for Colt, the fit and finish are exemplary, the design perfectly executed and has functioned as a true 'drop-in' part! Additionally, I hoped for and got the sensation of the balance now centered in my hand and not the top heavy feel that aluminum or polymer framed guns often give. The piece just plain satisfied all that I wanted it to and nothing in the way of trade-offs or negatives to put up with.

I installed the magwell on my Kimber Custom and it was a perfect fit. I like how S & A put the checkering all the way to the bottom of the magwell, which give you a perfect grip in the palm of your hand. Can't find a better magwell for the price. Thanks Brownells.

[...] so I chose this product as a substitute. I installed this a S&W 1911PD with no modifications to the weapon required. I was a little disappointed with the fit along the rear of the grip area but after comparing the frame dimensions with other 1911's I have, I believe the fault lays with S&W's scandium frame specs rather than this product. The finish was a matte black which matched the host pistol well. Workmanship was excellent. There is a slight gap between the mag well and the bottom of the frame. Unless you plan on beveling the magwell to blend it in with the frame, this won't be a problem.

I have a kimber pro carry II and this thing was the ticket. It matched my stainless gun perfect, and didn't take any filing at all. Took it right out of the package and fit. Couldn't ask for any more.

I installed this myself on my STI Spartan by watching a video on youtube and following along. The magwell is nice and smooth and looks great, but there is a gap between the bottom of the grip and the top of the magwell. I believe that this is due to the way the gun was made, not the magwell its self. If I had another 1911 that I wanted a full checkered backstrap on I would get another one of these. The spartan will probably get Techwell grips and magwell to hide/prevent the gap that this magwell made.

After reading a lot of hype about how great the one piece S&A magwells are I bought one. The part did appear to be made well and did drop in my Springfield. It functioned flawlessly. The downside was a significant gap on both sides of the mainspring housing. It would wiggle from side to side. It also stuck out very far to the rear. I would have had to squeeze the frame to fit it. I would rather file down an oversized mainspring housing. Buy an Ed Brown instead.

Put this into my Springfield Armory MC Operator. It was darn near perfect. Dropped in tight with only a fraction of a millimeter of space between the magwell and the bottom of the frame. The checkering that goes all the way to the bottom is also excellent. Cant find beter anywhere.

Purchased the magwell for my stainless Kimber TLE.
The finish is a perfect match for the rest of the frame and its fit is excellent.
I would recommend it highly.

This solid one-piece grip safety and magazine guide from Smith & Alexander is an excellent upgrade to replace the ILS Main Spring Housing used on Springfield's "Loaded" and other models. Be sure to install an Ed Brown Spring & Plunger Kit as part of this simple upgrade.

I have been using this product on my 1911 builds for 25 years. Nevr dissappointed.

[...]Not being anywhere near what one would call a gunsmith, I looked on line and found a 1911 take down video on YouTube. 20 minutes later and I had it fitted to my SW1911 - no machining necessary, no adjustments required - the mags slide in and out effortlessly. Great product and a very satisfying installation!

Just like the headline says, this thing is great! Put it on my Springfield loaded and it went on with ease. Highly recommend it to those wanting to upgrade and I really like the arched back which simulates every other modern pistol I have. Also like that it is one single piece, no screws or anything.

I love the S&A magwells. Back when I was a kimber man I had one and loved it. I was a little worried because the one I used to have had a purplish color and I didn't think it would look good with the Springfield Armory's TRP Armory Kote but the Magwells I received were more of a matte black than blued and I am happy as can be. They fit perfectly and the Ahrends cocobolo grips I installed mate with the magwell like a gunsmith put them together. BRAVO!

Installed in minutes easily on my Colt 1991. I also added an Ed Brown 19# main spring which I also purchased from Brownells in a 5 pack for around $6.00. I did not have to do any alterations/fitting to get this on the gun, and it looks like it came installed from the factory! Matches the finish on the gun perfectly, and sits tight on the bottom of the hand grip.

Increased comfort for those with larger hands as it extends the length of the grip an extra 1/4 inch, with checkering to the base unlike most every other magwell. Large funnel works as described to make mag changes easier and faster.

I used this to replace my flat mainspring off a Custom Shop Kimber that already had a mag guide. Way more comfortable than the flat version. It's built way stronger than the Kimber version, and it still didn't put my gun over the weight limit for those of you shooting IDPA or USPSA/IPSC. I'd give it 5 stars, except the original Kimber magwell was slightly larger, but I haven't had any problems with reloads despite this.