A mini range trip with a mini report.
I'm trying out a Springfield Armory Stainless Steel GI .45. I'm not really a big 1911 guy and don't think I ever will be, but I like classic guns even if they're not my main thing. Course by classic drool inducing guns I usually think of WW2 rifles and old S&W revolvers, but the 1911 is a classic design too.
This isn't the greatest 1911 out there, but it's not supposed to be. It's as if Rossi in their heyday had made a 1911: it's Brazilian and it works. It's a little rough. I've seen rougher. I've also seen much better. Heck I've gotten so lucky as to shoot much better.
But for function I can't knock it. It spat 100 rounds of 230 grain ball at trembling paper as well as anything. And even though this gun has a few rough spots and even a scratch or two on it that I think came from the factory, replace those tacky grips with the good ones from the parts bin and suddenly it looks much nicer than it has any right to.
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I had to order some hardware to change the grips with, plus my friend said he'd mail me his magazines so I could at least use them. That was nice of him he didn't have to do that. I thought it all looked rather nice.
Shooting one econobox of .45 ball is hardly a good test of a firearm, but it's not something I want for serious social work. It's strictly because it's there. Not everything has to be plug ugly and all business. It's okay to have a little fun every once in a while.
Slide to frame matchup isn't exactly pristine but in my extremely limited knowledge, I'd call it pretty good for a gun at this price point. I've noted that on this model a lot of people complain their barrel bushings are way off center or canted a little bit and this one's pretty straight. The slide stop is just awful, it works like it should but to discuss its ergonomics is to discuss the external safety on a Glock: you're talking about something that ain't there. Luckily in actual usage, the slide stop doesn't seem to come up too often unless there is something I don't know yet. From what I know you aren't even supposed to close a slide shut on an empty chamber on a 1911 except for a function check.
It shoots. Pull trigger go bang. I have to admit despite all this, it's a viable weapon or so it seems thus far. I have no plans to carry it. Lubing it every 20 minutes would drive me bonkers for one thing.
Take down and reassembly was slightly better the second time around. It was a circus the first time. I now know the real reason the military went to the M9.
I have to admit though, if I were used to this style pistol and knew more about it and how to work on it, I could see having something like this locked in a car, stashed in a go bag, or just buying it for the sake of gutting it and screwing it up by pretending I was a gunsmith.
Here's a fundamentally dishonest picture. I threw away the target I shot with the 1911 because I am an idiot, I used this one just because I like to pretend I can take good pictures sometimes (I can't). I kept this one from a while back because I liked the strangely positioned large holes I shot in it. I had one that looked like a smiley face too once but never did get a picture of it.
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But anyway I think this is a good gun overall and probably the right 1911 for me. Like I said, not everything is for killing mutants. Having something because it's fun to play with and looks cooler than it should is okay too.
I'm trying out a Springfield Armory Stainless Steel GI .45. I'm not really a big 1911 guy and don't think I ever will be, but I like classic guns even if they're not my main thing. Course by classic drool inducing guns I usually think of WW2 rifles and old S&W revolvers, but the 1911 is a classic design too.
This isn't the greatest 1911 out there, but it's not supposed to be. It's as if Rossi in their heyday had made a 1911: it's Brazilian and it works. It's a little rough. I've seen rougher. I've also seen much better. Heck I've gotten so lucky as to shoot much better.
But for function I can't knock it. It spat 100 rounds of 230 grain ball at trembling paper as well as anything. And even though this gun has a few rough spots and even a scratch or two on it that I think came from the factory, replace those tacky grips with the good ones from the parts bin and suddenly it looks much nicer than it has any right to.
I had to order some hardware to change the grips with, plus my friend said he'd mail me his magazines so I could at least use them. That was nice of him he didn't have to do that. I thought it all looked rather nice.
Shooting one econobox of .45 ball is hardly a good test of a firearm, but it's not something I want for serious social work. It's strictly because it's there. Not everything has to be plug ugly and all business. It's okay to have a little fun every once in a while.
Slide to frame matchup isn't exactly pristine but in my extremely limited knowledge, I'd call it pretty good for a gun at this price point. I've noted that on this model a lot of people complain their barrel bushings are way off center or canted a little bit and this one's pretty straight. The slide stop is just awful, it works like it should but to discuss its ergonomics is to discuss the external safety on a Glock: you're talking about something that ain't there. Luckily in actual usage, the slide stop doesn't seem to come up too often unless there is something I don't know yet. From what I know you aren't even supposed to close a slide shut on an empty chamber on a 1911 except for a function check.
It shoots. Pull trigger go bang. I have to admit despite all this, it's a viable weapon or so it seems thus far. I have no plans to carry it. Lubing it every 20 minutes would drive me bonkers for one thing.
Take down and reassembly was slightly better the second time around. It was a circus the first time. I now know the real reason the military went to the M9.
I have to admit though, if I were used to this style pistol and knew more about it and how to work on it, I could see having something like this locked in a car, stashed in a go bag, or just buying it for the sake of gutting it and screwing it up by pretending I was a gunsmith.
Here's a fundamentally dishonest picture. I threw away the target I shot with the 1911 because I am an idiot, I used this one just because I like to pretend I can take good pictures sometimes (I can't). I kept this one from a while back because I liked the strangely positioned large holes I shot in it. I had one that looked like a smiley face too once but never did get a picture of it.
But anyway I think this is a good gun overall and probably the right 1911 for me. Like I said, not everything is for killing mutants. Having something because it's fun to play with and looks cooler than it should is okay too.
