Post by XavierBreath on Mar 30, 2004 14:20:35 GMT -5
I became interested in handguns during the height of the Wondernine Revolution. I was in the military when we transitioned from the venerable old 1911 to the M9 Beretta 92FS. Sidearms in particular are a personal thing to a man in the military. I heard all the arguments from the old salts who wanted to keep the 1911. Like most changes, the troops did not like the change to an unproven sidearm. When I got out of Uncle Sugar's Boy's Club in late 1991, the first major purchase I made was a Beretta 92FS. It took me years to see the wisdom of the old salts I had fought with.
A decade later, my son acquired a Colt 1991 Officer's Model, and I was amazed at it's accuracy. I was also intrigued by it's utilitarian business like design. Then one afternoon at my local gunstore, I noticed a Springfield Mil-Spec in the case. It was a rather uninspiring looking pistol, with black plastic grips and a dull black parkerized finish. I listened while the counter guy gave me the internet rumor that the NM serial number meant this pistol had a leftover National Match frame. I looked at the $499 price tag, and decided that perhaps it was the day to buy a 1911. The NM rumor ended up being horse hockey, the pistol ended up being a diamond in the rough. The pistol came with two magazines, a coupon for a bunch of goodies, but best of all, a lifetime warranty.
The Springfield Mil-Spec is a Series 70 type pistol, meaning it has no firing pin safety. Instead, Springfield uses a lighter titanium firing pin. This is the only proprietary part. All other parts can be replaced with Colt Series 70 parts. The Regular Mil-Spec (as opposed to the WWII model) has a lowered and flared ejection port. It has generous three dot sights that are quick to acquire. It also has a slightly extended tang on the grip safety that effectively eliminates hammer bite. At the time of this writing, the Springfield Mil-spec is available in Government length as well as Commander (Champion), and Ultra Compact (3.5 inch). There have been reliability problems reported with the Mil-Specs in Ultra Compact length, but nothing that the factory could not iron out. The Mil-Spec now comes in several finishes....parkerized, stainless steel, two toned (parkerized slide, stainless frame), olive drab Armor Kote, Springfield's teflon based coating.
The frames and slides of the Springfield Mil-Spec are forged. The barrel is a two piece barrel, a reservation for some, but a non-issue for others. Some have a Chamber Indicator Slot cut into the barrel hood to allow a shooter to see brass in the chamber. All have the Integral Locking System built into the mainspring housing. The ILS is a rather ingenious locking device that only takes a turn of a discrete keyway to lock the weapon's hammer in place, thus disabling it. What's ingenious about that you ask? Well you can get rid of it by changing out the mainspring housing, mainspring, and the mainspring cap. The housing is routinely swapped out by 1911 shooters anyway. The cap is a three dollar part. Thus you have a choice of whether you want the device. Springfield has preserved the original format of the 1911 while still incorporating a drop safety as well as an integral safety. Both Kimber and Colt have extra mechanical mechanisms for a firing pin safety. Springfield's solution is simple, elegant and smart.
Here is a picture of my Springfield Mil-Spec new, with only the grips and grip screws changed.
My Springfield Mil-Spec was a decently accurate gun out of the box. It would shoot average two inch groups with an occasional flyer at 25 feet. An experienced 1911 shooter could have done better, as I was new to the caliber and platform. One of the first things I did was change out the stainless steel bushing my Mil-Spec came with. I just did not like the silver bushing on a parkerized gun. I ordered a King's bushing and slowly went about fitting it. Over 3000 rounds later, it still requires a wrench to remove. The King's bushing had the Midas effect on this gun. It went from scattered groups to single holes. The change was so immediate that I have to credit the bushing and not my growing experience with the gun. To date I have well over 3000 rounds through this pistol with only one stovepipe in the first fifty rounds. That was likely my fault, from limpwristing. I use Wilson Combat magazines in the pistol, but it functioned fine with the stock Springfield magazines as well.
Out of the box trigger pull was a crisp 5-6 pounds. To lighten the trigger pull, I installed a Colt trigger from my Commander, an 18 pound mainspring (along with a 20 LPI checkered mainspring housing to get rid of the ILS) and a bit of Brownell's Action Magic grease on the sear nose. I installed a King's wide spur hammer, simply because I like the looks of it. After a night of dry firing the pistol at liberals on the television, the action polished up to a crisp three pound trigger with a light take up and no creep. After I lightened the mainspring to 18 pounds, I received the occasional lightstrike. I rectified this by cutting two coils off the firing pin spring, thus lightening it as well. The lightstrikes were eliminated.
I really like the teardrop shaped thumb safety on a concealed carry 1911, but this 1911 was not to be a CCW gun. Thus I installed an Ed Brown extended ambi-safety. I went through several sets of grips before I finally settled on Kim Ahrends cocobolo checkered grips. They will stay on the pistol. I rarely change grips again once I find a set that I like for a given pistol. I also installed a Chip McCormick drop in rear sight.
Here is a photo of the pistol after these modifications.
I would recommend the Springfield Mil-Spec right alongside the NRM Colt as the perfect choice for the 1911 novice. It is affordable, reliable, durable, and incredibly addictive. Even if you never loosen a grip screw, you will find this pistol to be an incredible value. People have taken it straight from the counter to IDPA matches, with little more than a squirt of CLP on the rails, and found it to be 100% reliable. In the past, Springfields have taken a hit compared to Colts and Kimbers at the trade-in counter. I expect this to stabilize in the future. To take the hit, an owner must trade in the pistol. I don't ever expect to trade mine in, so it's a non-issue for me. For the person who wants to venture into the world of John Moses Browning's 1911 brainchild and see if they will enjoy a gun of infinite possibilities, undisputed effectiveness, and incredible value, the Springfield Mil-Spec is a $500 ticket to never seeing any handgun in the same way again. The 1911 raises the bar for all handguns. The Springfield Mil-Spec raises the bar for affordable 1911s. Get one. You will not regret it.
www.springfield-armory.com/prod-pstl-1911-ms.shtml
Regular and WWII Mil-Spec Differences:
Original Mil-Spec
PB9108L
Around $500
N or NM serial number
Lowered and flared ejection port
Slanted slide serations
Stainless barrel with chamber indicator
Three dot sights
Stainless bushing (some are parkerized)
Rounded front strap
Less machining marks under slide
Has crossed cannons logo on slide
No lanyard loop
Serated slide stop and mag release
Civilian teardrop safety
Short serated trigger
Sear and hammer pins are flat on right side
Black checkered plastic grips
Comes in parkerized, stainless and various sizes
Plastic box
WWII Mil-Spec
PW9108L
Around $400
WW serial number
GI style high ejection port
Straight slide serations
Parkerized barrel with chamber indicator (chamber indicator omitted on some newer models)
Military sights
Parkerizeed bushing
Blockier front strap (newer models have the rounded frontstrap)
More machining marks under slide
No ".45 Cal" or crossed cannon logo on slide
Lanyard loop
Serated slide stop and mag release
Sear and hammer pins are domed on right side
Civilian teardrop safety
Short serated trigger
Black checkered plastic grips (brown grips on newer models, and Springfield will send brown grips to you if you have an older model) Newest ones have wood.
Parkerized finish, Stainless, Olive drab
Cardboard box, now Green Plastic Box
A decade later, my son acquired a Colt 1991 Officer's Model, and I was amazed at it's accuracy. I was also intrigued by it's utilitarian business like design. Then one afternoon at my local gunstore, I noticed a Springfield Mil-Spec in the case. It was a rather uninspiring looking pistol, with black plastic grips and a dull black parkerized finish. I listened while the counter guy gave me the internet rumor that the NM serial number meant this pistol had a leftover National Match frame. I looked at the $499 price tag, and decided that perhaps it was the day to buy a 1911. The NM rumor ended up being horse hockey, the pistol ended up being a diamond in the rough. The pistol came with two magazines, a coupon for a bunch of goodies, but best of all, a lifetime warranty.
The Springfield Mil-Spec is a Series 70 type pistol, meaning it has no firing pin safety. Instead, Springfield uses a lighter titanium firing pin. This is the only proprietary part. All other parts can be replaced with Colt Series 70 parts. The Regular Mil-Spec (as opposed to the WWII model) has a lowered and flared ejection port. It has generous three dot sights that are quick to acquire. It also has a slightly extended tang on the grip safety that effectively eliminates hammer bite. At the time of this writing, the Springfield Mil-spec is available in Government length as well as Commander (Champion), and Ultra Compact (3.5 inch). There have been reliability problems reported with the Mil-Specs in Ultra Compact length, but nothing that the factory could not iron out. The Mil-Spec now comes in several finishes....parkerized, stainless steel, two toned (parkerized slide, stainless frame), olive drab Armor Kote, Springfield's teflon based coating.
The frames and slides of the Springfield Mil-Spec are forged. The barrel is a two piece barrel, a reservation for some, but a non-issue for others. Some have a Chamber Indicator Slot cut into the barrel hood to allow a shooter to see brass in the chamber. All have the Integral Locking System built into the mainspring housing. The ILS is a rather ingenious locking device that only takes a turn of a discrete keyway to lock the weapon's hammer in place, thus disabling it. What's ingenious about that you ask? Well you can get rid of it by changing out the mainspring housing, mainspring, and the mainspring cap. The housing is routinely swapped out by 1911 shooters anyway. The cap is a three dollar part. Thus you have a choice of whether you want the device. Springfield has preserved the original format of the 1911 while still incorporating a drop safety as well as an integral safety. Both Kimber and Colt have extra mechanical mechanisms for a firing pin safety. Springfield's solution is simple, elegant and smart.
Here is a picture of my Springfield Mil-Spec new, with only the grips and grip screws changed.
My Springfield Mil-Spec was a decently accurate gun out of the box. It would shoot average two inch groups with an occasional flyer at 25 feet. An experienced 1911 shooter could have done better, as I was new to the caliber and platform. One of the first things I did was change out the stainless steel bushing my Mil-Spec came with. I just did not like the silver bushing on a parkerized gun. I ordered a King's bushing and slowly went about fitting it. Over 3000 rounds later, it still requires a wrench to remove. The King's bushing had the Midas effect on this gun. It went from scattered groups to single holes. The change was so immediate that I have to credit the bushing and not my growing experience with the gun. To date I have well over 3000 rounds through this pistol with only one stovepipe in the first fifty rounds. That was likely my fault, from limpwristing. I use Wilson Combat magazines in the pistol, but it functioned fine with the stock Springfield magazines as well.
Out of the box trigger pull was a crisp 5-6 pounds. To lighten the trigger pull, I installed a Colt trigger from my Commander, an 18 pound mainspring (along with a 20 LPI checkered mainspring housing to get rid of the ILS) and a bit of Brownell's Action Magic grease on the sear nose. I installed a King's wide spur hammer, simply because I like the looks of it. After a night of dry firing the pistol at liberals on the television, the action polished up to a crisp three pound trigger with a light take up and no creep. After I lightened the mainspring to 18 pounds, I received the occasional lightstrike. I rectified this by cutting two coils off the firing pin spring, thus lightening it as well. The lightstrikes were eliminated.
I really like the teardrop shaped thumb safety on a concealed carry 1911, but this 1911 was not to be a CCW gun. Thus I installed an Ed Brown extended ambi-safety. I went through several sets of grips before I finally settled on Kim Ahrends cocobolo checkered grips. They will stay on the pistol. I rarely change grips again once I find a set that I like for a given pistol. I also installed a Chip McCormick drop in rear sight.
Here is a photo of the pistol after these modifications.
I would recommend the Springfield Mil-Spec right alongside the NRM Colt as the perfect choice for the 1911 novice. It is affordable, reliable, durable, and incredibly addictive. Even if you never loosen a grip screw, you will find this pistol to be an incredible value. People have taken it straight from the counter to IDPA matches, with little more than a squirt of CLP on the rails, and found it to be 100% reliable. In the past, Springfields have taken a hit compared to Colts and Kimbers at the trade-in counter. I expect this to stabilize in the future. To take the hit, an owner must trade in the pistol. I don't ever expect to trade mine in, so it's a non-issue for me. For the person who wants to venture into the world of John Moses Browning's 1911 brainchild and see if they will enjoy a gun of infinite possibilities, undisputed effectiveness, and incredible value, the Springfield Mil-Spec is a $500 ticket to never seeing any handgun in the same way again. The 1911 raises the bar for all handguns. The Springfield Mil-Spec raises the bar for affordable 1911s. Get one. You will not regret it.
www.springfield-armory.com/prod-pstl-1911-ms.shtml
Regular and WWII Mil-Spec Differences:
Original Mil-Spec
PB9108L
Around $500
N or NM serial number
Lowered and flared ejection port
Slanted slide serations
Stainless barrel with chamber indicator
Three dot sights
Stainless bushing (some are parkerized)
Rounded front strap
Less machining marks under slide
Has crossed cannons logo on slide
No lanyard loop
Serated slide stop and mag release
Civilian teardrop safety
Short serated trigger
Sear and hammer pins are flat on right side
Black checkered plastic grips
Comes in parkerized, stainless and various sizes
Plastic box
WWII Mil-Spec
PW9108L
Around $400
WW serial number
GI style high ejection port
Straight slide serations
Parkerized barrel with chamber indicator (chamber indicator omitted on some newer models)
Military sights
Parkerizeed bushing
Blockier front strap (newer models have the rounded frontstrap)
More machining marks under slide
No ".45 Cal" or crossed cannon logo on slide
Lanyard loop
Serated slide stop and mag release
Sear and hammer pins are domed on right side
Civilian teardrop safety
Short serated trigger
Black checkered plastic grips (brown grips on newer models, and Springfield will send brown grips to you if you have an older model) Newest ones have wood.
Parkerized finish, Stainless, Olive drab
Cardboard box, now Green Plastic Box
