Opinions/Comments on my first 1911

Tally XD said:

I love it but I would advise to go with the 5" barrel model.

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+1. Have a Champion story from hell. Pistol would FTF / FTE with any ammo I tried shooting through it. When it did fire properly the cases were hitting me in the forehead. Yes, I tried different mags, new recoil springs and very thorough cleanings. Sent it back to SA FIVE times before it would run. When it arrived the last time it had the stuipid FLGR system installed. Made what was once a 15 minute cleaning a royal PITA taking it apart and putting it back together.

I'll give SA credit as they paid the dime on shipping both ways and FINALLY got it to run after I dumped serious money on ammo. Sold the gun for a loss as I couldn't trust it.

After talking to Mr. Wolff from Wolff springs and a few other highly regarded gunsmiths I will never own a 1911 with a barrel less than five inches long again! A 5" is just as easy to conceal and was set up from the beginning to function properly with a full length barrel. When you chop the barrel down slide velocity increases. When it speeds up everything must be in time or your going to have problems. Seen many other chopped 1911's give their owners fits and just cannot recommend one for SD

JMO and I'm sticking to it like glue.

I owned a LW Champion for awhile and put several thousand rounds through it. It had some initial teething problems: 10 1/2 lb. trigger, loose plunger tube and FTF, FTRB problems. I sent it back and turn around time was good. I still had some FTF problems and traced the problem to the Lee 200 gr SWC bullets I was loading and an extractor who's tension was too tight (seems to be a not uncommon problem with Springfield's). I lessened tension on the extractor and switched to Lyman's 200gr SWC and it fed 100% after that.

I liked the size of the Champion and the lighter weight. The pistol was also accurate and fun to shoot. I preferred the size to my 5" SS Loaded target. I sold the Champion to fund the purchase of a Dan Wesson CBOB which I like quite a bit more. I like the 4 1/4" gun with the conventional "g.i." bushing/guide rod set up but the main reason for the CBOB was I found a "high cut" in the trigger guard area and a high rise beavertail fit my hand better.

Springfield has good customer service/warranty repair and pays shipping both ways. The warranty also follows the gun which helps with resale.

BTW, breaking down the pistol isn't a big problem with the dual, captured guide rod system (which, according to Springfield is good for 10,000 to 15,000 rounds). It helps to have two "clips" (they include one. It wouldn't hurt to order a few spares) to attach to the guide rod as this lines up the take down notch on the slide for easier dis-assembly.