I picked up a Springfield Armory 1911a1 Milspec.

I prefer the traditional style 1911, as close to the GI models of days of yore as possible.

I have a nice basic blued Colt 1911 series 80, I I decided to try out a SA version of the GI style.

Fit and finish is OUTSTANDING. It’s a tight pistol with zero slide/frame play. Barrel lockup is tight, with zero movement fore or aft. Thumbsafety is perfectly executed, and the grip safety has zero rattle.

Parkarized finish is attractive, as are the cocobolo wood panels.

I like Colts, but this Springfield is top notch, especially considering the price.

Anyone else like their Milspec Springfield? Thoughts on reliability and longevity?

Attached Images

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I've owned several over the years, although it's been a while since my last one. Do they still have the ILS (lock) on the MSH? They did when I owned the ones I had...but it was an easy swap out, which I did. I had no complaints about mine, and SA's service is reported to be top notch (I never had to use it.)

I don't know how long I've had mine, but it's been several years...maybe 15 or more. It has always functioned flawlessly with me and the accuracy seems very good.

I'm a little embarrassed to say, though, that a good friend of mine, who happens to be an excellent shot with just about any firearm, shoots my Springfield much better than I do. But still, it works great for me and I can't complain.

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Pack light and cinch tight.

I currently own 4 Springfield 1911s. A 1911A1, a Range Officer, a Lightweight Operator and an Ultra-Compact all in .45acp.
I bought the 1911A1 in 2001. Its the equivalent of the current Mil-Spec Model that you have. This is my IDPA gun and has been rode hard and put up wet more times than I can count. Somewhere north of 30,000 rounds, the barrel lug cracked. Springfield paid shipping both ways, repaired the gun at no charge and had it back to me in 8 days! They have the best customer service in the business.
I still have and shoot this gun. Best guess is that its doubled the round count since it was repaired and its still going strong.
I'm a firm believer in Springfield Armory.

Thanks for the detailed testimonial. 30,000 rounds is impressive. Sounds like a great choice

I have two of the GI 1911A1.One parkerized and one stainless.Great copies of the original WWII guns.

Is Remington still making their 1911? R-1? How do they compare to Springfield? I've never see the Remington.

I shot one for eight years, never a problem. I should have kept it.

Have several Springfields. All have been excellent. For the money I think best deal out there.

I have a
1 stainless target in 45
2 stainless target in 9mm that prior owner customized
3 LW 5 inch
4 LW compact officer size frame w 4 inch slide
5 RO in 9mm one of the original pasteurized RO pistols before they started calling everything a RO

Yep I think you could say I like Springfields pistols even though I have other makes of 1911s.

EXCELLENT guns and BEST service dept people in the business IMHO.
Have two 1911 Range Officers: 45 blued; 9mm Stainless (with a Sig conversion (bbl and mag) in 38 Super just to spark conversations at the range).
J

I currently have 4 1911s, two in the safe and two awaiting permits to come home. Of these, only one is a Springfield Armory ... A Trophy Match purchased in the 1990s. It was purchased because Colt's QC on the Gold Cup had slipped drastically. My Trophy Match is very dependable. It is getting more of a work out now that I am disabled. Less than a month after it was purchased, it was recalled. It was repaired in under 2 weeks and has never returned to the factory.

As times have changed and finances have become a concern, different makes and models are coming home. A Ruger Commander (45) and an ATI Commander (9) are going to be my go-to workhorses.

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Judge control not gun control!

I've got one SA Mil Spec. Several years ago Springfield Armory made a limited run of factory nickeled ones chambered in .38 Super.

I've got this one...

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C & L

They make a great product and if needed very good customer service. Enjoy your purchase!

That is very pretty

I have the standard milspec. Runs well. A friend has asked to buy it, and as I'm not allowed to shoot 45 much anymore, he will get it as it came to me.

I compare it to my service pistol, which will shoot well under the worst conditions. The SA is more accurate, but then it is newer by 70+ years.

SA customer service is great most of the time. I did have an EMP 9 which needed several trips back. There was always a good description of what was done, and a couple of free mags along the way. But they failed me when I needed to get rid of the ambi safety, which kept bumping off during the day. They would not help with that, so I eventually sold it for what I had in it, which was not as hard as I feared.

Someone asked about the Remington R1. I bought the R1S (milspec, stainless) when Gander was closing. They had it marked down drastically, and it qualified for the $100 Remington rebate, so I snagged it. Good fit/finish, but doesn't compare to the SA in that regard. But at a couple hundred $$ less, no complaints. It will likely go the gift route to a friend who helps with my chemo road trips.

I got the milspec probably some 15 or so years ago for a Bullseye gun. After shooting a few 100 rounds in it I sent it out to a prominent smith (who recommended I get this one) to work his wonders on it. Have to laugh about it. I spent $460 for the gun and another $750 to make it shoot straight, and shoot straight it did. Less than 1.5 inches at 50 yards off a Ransom Rest. Never one hiccup with this gun. A Les Baer for that accuracy would have been a lot more then. Still a Springfield fan. Good company. Enjoy.

I have the compact 45acp and am glad to read the report on 30,000 rounds. This means I should have about 20,000 to go. Bought the pistol from a young man who had bought new and fired 1/2 box and put on new grips. Sold it to me for $250.00 plus grips, 1/2 box of shells, of course this was in the early 90's. It did have a problem feeding some
180 gr JHP.

I bought one a few months ago, a 9mm, EMP. I got it used, but it might as well have been NIB. It came in the plastic carry case with three magazines, and the papers. I think it had been fired, but don't know for sure.

Anyway, I've only put a couple of boxes of ammo through it. Mixed HP and my FMJ reloads. No problems.

Lousey cell phone pictures.





It would be my ideal carry gun, but I've got an LC9s that's a lot lighter.

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John 3:16 .

I have a Springfield Armory built on the national match frame 45 caliber of course. Aside fom the 200 rounds of jacketed ball ammo it has only been fired with 230 grain hard cast bullets.Last year I noticed that the grip safety was acting up. With the hammer cocked and you grabbed the pistol by the grip safety the hammer would drop. Not all the time mine you. Sent it in to a very talented local smith that came well reccomended. Found out that the problem was with the grip safety itself as everything else was in excellent condition. So in a week or so should have my old 45 back. Mine has a round count of over 40k rounds.all with the grease balls.
3lb trigger pull and adjustable rear sights. Old eyes need all the help they can get. Frank

Texas Star wrote:I have one of the 1911R1s that I bought when they first came out. Excellent pistol. Very well made, accurate and has the best out of the box trigger pull I've ever seen. But they just don't seem to be catching on. I guess there's just too many other 1911 makers out there. Resale value on them doesn't seem to be very good. In its price range, I think its one of the best 1911s out there.

I don’t own a SA Milspecn 1911, but I own a Range Officer (one of the earlier, standard models), and it has been absolutely fantastic. Reliable, accurate, and didn’t break the bank. It gets used more than my other, “nicer” 1911s.

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Some Might Say.