That is because the Ruger mags are the only ones properly made (by Mec-Gar, I think), and exact same here with my 1983 Mini. I use only Ruger branded mags in my Rugers, and even some of the newer rimfire have been mighty rough out of the box, as for handguns and loading button drag.

LOL the hair splitting term on my choice of words. No problems here.
This is my first 1911 since I was in the military.
If I keep it remains to be seen. Don't know the number of years they have been around, but damn the things should be, pardon the term "Bullet proof" by now!

they were "bulletproof" when new, and are, when made to spec. Many makers mess with "improving" (when actually cost cutting, and selling cosmetics) a design which was a legend in durability and reliability through two major world conflicts. Any guns used in the military today by almost anyone living, were guns from those wars, and experience not a barometer at all of what the guns were when not beat and worn to pieces. And, again, many new are nowhere close to spec., and are only reverse engineering efforts missing things in those efforts. A spec gun, magazines, ammo WILL work just as original, out of the box and no "break in" required until it hopefully wears into an operational configuration. And they still do. I would not trade any one of my in-spec guns, new or old, for any four "new and improved!" guns.

EXACTLY!!
only Ruger mags in the mini!!!
does anyone remember how hard it was to get the Ruger 30 round mags back in the day???
almost impossible!! until the Brady bill sun shined...
as a result, I now have way too many....it's a thing...well, was a thing....when they finally became somewhat easy to get, I just could not get enough....then Sandy Hook....and the scare thing again...good lord, how many 30 round mags does a guy need??? way less than I now have...
:-)Rocky

This old loosy goosy series 70 will digest anything from any mag that I have. straight shooter, better than I am.

Pat, that is what in-spec gets you, a gun which works. You might have had an entirely different take on its reliability, had you bought ball (which everybody KNOWS should work in any magazine and gun) and used the hybrid mags supplied with my most recent Colt.

I think my mini is an 83 also.

Rocky, as for the 30rd mags hard to get "back in the day", considering Ruger ONLY sold them to military and law enforcement, stolen is almost always hard to get compared to over the counter, excepting anything gun related in NY, CA, NJ, CN etc etc.

And a very fine vintage it was.

Yeah, I put a barrel strut on it and had a good trigger job done on it and it's a real treat to shoot.