Post by Sgt K USMC on Feb 26, 2008 22:34:08 GMT -5
I've always been an 'iron and wood' fan when it comes to firearms. No real reason behind this other than personal preference, as I like the feel of wood grain accents and the weight of a real metal weapon in my hands when I go to shoot.
I also prefer 45 caliber as opposed to the more popular 9mm and 40 caliber round, which I will some day cover in ammunition.
The most famous of all pistols, bar none, is the 1911, introduced by Colt Arms and pressed into military service to replace the lighter caliber service revolvers of the period. The weapon was so durable and reliable as to become an icon of not only pistols, but of an era, and became the 'benchmark' by which all other pistols are generally manufactured to beat or are tested against during their design phase.
While there are a handful of pistols that can indeed outperform the 1911, it is highly doubtful that any will ever outlast it, and with every generation of technological advances that produce a new era of production firearms, a new generation of 1911's is made to redefine the standard of excellence that those four numbers has evoked over it's operational life time.
Now that all of that has been said…
MY 1911:
For years I had been looking for 'the right 45' I knew that I wanted a 1911, and due to my size, (I'm a small guy) I knew that I would need one that was not a full framed weapon as my carry piece.
Up until a fortunate accident at a gun show in Yuma AZ. I was under the impression that the only non-full sized 45 was the Colt Commander 1911, which is an ultra carry and has a price tag that is outside of my acceptable limit for the weapon type and brand. I found my 1911 Champion, a mid sized 45, at a dealers table and made the mistake of not asking enough questions before rapidly buying it. (Which is another story unto itself) The price for the weapon, (used) was reasonable at $600. (In reality I only paid $100, part of the other story)
Anywho. I took the weapon to the local range and couldn't hold a grouping at all, even at 5 feet, regardless of if I was shooting free hand or on a bench rest. My 'groupings' were so utterly off as to be considered 'wild' shots in fact, which was almost enough to make me regret my purchase… So I called Springfield Armory the next day and advised them of the above facts.
Now get this.
The weapon was used, bought at a gun show, and was a model and series they no longer actually made… BUT, they told me to send the weapon in to them, THEY would pay for the shipping costs AND if anything was wrong with the weapon THEY would fix or replace it FOR FREE.
Needless to say, my pistol was in the mail the next day, 3 weeks later it was sent back to me with a $300 competition barrel to replace the old one (which was the cause of the bad groupings) A FREE hard shell pistol case, a FREE 8 round magazine and a detailed report of the problem and the steps taken to correct it.
Now, normally I will focus on the pros and cons of the weapon itself, and mainly I will focus on design an mechanical issues… but this was so extraordinary as to merit being mentioned specifically as an overall pro for the weapon itself; sometimes good customer service DOES make up for a bad initial pick.
After getting the weapon back I returned to the range and found that I could hold half dollar groups at up to 25 yards in the free hand. This FAR outshined ANY expectation I had of this pistol, new or used, and ensured that this is a weapon I will be holding on to for a long time to come.
The only real downside of the Springfield 1911 runs, not just the Champion, but all of them, are the sights. Their 1911's use low profile sights to limit the possibility of hanging up on a holster, unfortunately however they are EXTREMELY low profile sights with a fixed front blade and a rear sight that is difficult to line up for a proper sight picture.
I HIGHLY recommend that anyone who purchases a Springfield 1911 consider this when they purchase the weapon and plan on changing out the sights right off the bat so as to avoid the frustration that will follow as you try to figure out if it is the weapon or you that is knocking you off target.
Overall:
The weapon is amazingly accurate and reliable but can be temperamental when using high capacity magazines.
Because it's a 1911 you can accessorize it with any of the millions of parts floating around easily and inexpensively with little to no fear of having the supply cut off.
The trigger pull is very consistent and even at around 6 lbs with little to no wiggle.
Recoil is light but it lets you know it is there, and unlike most compacts is so minimal as to feel more like a full sized 9mm than a half sized 45.
Once the sights are replaced the weapon is worthy of a 5 star rating and will never lose it's value as either a service weapon, collectors piece or investment weapon.
Magazine capacity is standard at 8 rounds, although 10 round high caps are easily purchased at nearly any gun store or online and come with a plastic filler attachment that will cause it to go flush with the weapons butt plate. However, it should be noted that for some reason the high caps have a tendency to cause the last two rounds to bounce into the breach during loading, and as a result, tend to toss the shot.
Most magazines are unfortunately designed with all metal parts and followers (which I hate) which have a tendency to cause sluggish loading at times; as such, if you do purchase all metal magazines with the metal followers I recommend modifying them with Teflon or plastic follower end caps. This modification will drastically improve magazine performance.
And as I indicated above. The customer service is AMAZING!
I also prefer 45 caliber as opposed to the more popular 9mm and 40 caliber round, which I will some day cover in ammunition.
The most famous of all pistols, bar none, is the 1911, introduced by Colt Arms and pressed into military service to replace the lighter caliber service revolvers of the period. The weapon was so durable and reliable as to become an icon of not only pistols, but of an era, and became the 'benchmark' by which all other pistols are generally manufactured to beat or are tested against during their design phase.
While there are a handful of pistols that can indeed outperform the 1911, it is highly doubtful that any will ever outlast it, and with every generation of technological advances that produce a new era of production firearms, a new generation of 1911's is made to redefine the standard of excellence that those four numbers has evoked over it's operational life time.
Now that all of that has been said…
MY 1911:
For years I had been looking for 'the right 45' I knew that I wanted a 1911, and due to my size, (I'm a small guy) I knew that I would need one that was not a full framed weapon as my carry piece.
Up until a fortunate accident at a gun show in Yuma AZ. I was under the impression that the only non-full sized 45 was the Colt Commander 1911, which is an ultra carry and has a price tag that is outside of my acceptable limit for the weapon type and brand. I found my 1911 Champion, a mid sized 45, at a dealers table and made the mistake of not asking enough questions before rapidly buying it. (Which is another story unto itself) The price for the weapon, (used) was reasonable at $600. (In reality I only paid $100, part of the other story)
Anywho. I took the weapon to the local range and couldn't hold a grouping at all, even at 5 feet, regardless of if I was shooting free hand or on a bench rest. My 'groupings' were so utterly off as to be considered 'wild' shots in fact, which was almost enough to make me regret my purchase… So I called Springfield Armory the next day and advised them of the above facts.
Now get this.
The weapon was used, bought at a gun show, and was a model and series they no longer actually made… BUT, they told me to send the weapon in to them, THEY would pay for the shipping costs AND if anything was wrong with the weapon THEY would fix or replace it FOR FREE.
Needless to say, my pistol was in the mail the next day, 3 weeks later it was sent back to me with a $300 competition barrel to replace the old one (which was the cause of the bad groupings) A FREE hard shell pistol case, a FREE 8 round magazine and a detailed report of the problem and the steps taken to correct it.
Now, normally I will focus on the pros and cons of the weapon itself, and mainly I will focus on design an mechanical issues… but this was so extraordinary as to merit being mentioned specifically as an overall pro for the weapon itself; sometimes good customer service DOES make up for a bad initial pick.
After getting the weapon back I returned to the range and found that I could hold half dollar groups at up to 25 yards in the free hand. This FAR outshined ANY expectation I had of this pistol, new or used, and ensured that this is a weapon I will be holding on to for a long time to come.
The only real downside of the Springfield 1911 runs, not just the Champion, but all of them, are the sights. Their 1911's use low profile sights to limit the possibility of hanging up on a holster, unfortunately however they are EXTREMELY low profile sights with a fixed front blade and a rear sight that is difficult to line up for a proper sight picture.
I HIGHLY recommend that anyone who purchases a Springfield 1911 consider this when they purchase the weapon and plan on changing out the sights right off the bat so as to avoid the frustration that will follow as you try to figure out if it is the weapon or you that is knocking you off target.
Overall:
The weapon is amazingly accurate and reliable but can be temperamental when using high capacity magazines.
Because it's a 1911 you can accessorize it with any of the millions of parts floating around easily and inexpensively with little to no fear of having the supply cut off.
The trigger pull is very consistent and even at around 6 lbs with little to no wiggle.
Recoil is light but it lets you know it is there, and unlike most compacts is so minimal as to feel more like a full sized 9mm than a half sized 45.
Once the sights are replaced the weapon is worthy of a 5 star rating and will never lose it's value as either a service weapon, collectors piece or investment weapon.
Magazine capacity is standard at 8 rounds, although 10 round high caps are easily purchased at nearly any gun store or online and come with a plastic filler attachment that will cause it to go flush with the weapons butt plate. However, it should be noted that for some reason the high caps have a tendency to cause the last two rounds to bounce into the breach during loading, and as a result, tend to toss the shot.
Most magazines are unfortunately designed with all metal parts and followers (which I hate) which have a tendency to cause sluggish loading at times; as such, if you do purchase all metal magazines with the metal followers I recommend modifying them with Teflon or plastic follower end caps. This modification will drastically improve magazine performance.
And as I indicated above. The customer service is AMAZING!