Springfield 1911 EMP 40S&W

How is the 40 EMP as far as holding up to high round counts and how is the recoil? I see very conflicting opinions with some saying it is very mild and some saying it is as snappy as G27. Any reliability issues once broken in?

I’m going to a school next month and will be shooting 1500 rounds of handgun ammo. I am currently carrying a commander sized 1911 in 45acp and love it more than anything I have ever carried. My agency issues 40s&w ammo and has said they will for many years to come. Instead of spending $400 out of pocket for 45 ammo, I have thought about picking up a commander sized 40 and there aren’t many options.

Loyaljeeper said:

How is the 40 EMP as far as holding up to high round counts and how is the recoil? I see very conflicting opinions with some saying it is very mild and some saying it is as snappy as G27. Any reliability issues once broken in?

I’m going to a school next month and will be shooting 1500 rounds of handgun ammo. I am currently carrying a commander sized 1911 in 45acp and love it more than anything I have ever carried. My agency issues 40s&w ammo and has said they will for many years to come. Instead of spending $400 out of pocket for 45 ammo, I have thought about picking up a commander sized 40 and there aren’t many options.

Click to expand...

I do not own an EMP because Im one of the "1911s should be in 45ACP" guys hahaha.

That said a buddy of mine has one and Ive shot it maybe 100ish rounds and its a dream to shoot. Hes never told me of any issues hes had with it and I enjoyed shooting it.

It was slightly snappy at first but it was very easy to manage once you got a mag or two through the gun.

I have however been shooting G23 and G27s for a while and am used to the G27 so that may be why the EMP handled well for me.

fmflorida said:

I do not own an EMP because Im one of the "1911s should be in 45ACP" guys hahaha.

Click to expand...

I used to be the type to believe that and that all 45 autos should be 1911s. Even as a caster and a reloader I can’t compete with the free 40 ammo.

I've never shot one myself, but generally speaking, .40cal pistols are more comfortable to shoot out of heavier metal-framed pistols, so it should feel significantly more comfortable out of a 1911 than a Glock 27.

That being said, .40 S&W wearing out firearms faster is one of those things which has been repeated for so long that it has become so grossly exaggerated that it might as well be considered an urban legend.
Seriously, the only guns .40 S&W has ever been known to wear out significantly faster where those which were rushed out to meet demand in the early 90s and as such were just 9mm pistols which were hasily modified for .40 S&W.
Furthermore, said firearms didn't wear out any faster than their 9mm counterparts would if fed a steady diet of +P ammunition.

Honestly, think about it for a second. If .40 S&W wore out firearms as fast as folks claim that it does, then where's the proof? Where is the photographic evidence of these .40cal pistols which have rattled themselves to pieces or are covered in stress fractures from the brutal battery of firing all that spicy .40 S&W ammo?

I mean, really... .40 S&W generates chamber pressures roughly equal to 9mm Luger, yet somehow it destroys scaled up 9mm pistols? It's an old wives tale, er...I mean, a tall tale told around the campfire amongst the very masculine men who enjoy a rousing tale of suspense featuring the rogues and outlaws who carry dangerous weaponry with reckless abandon which mirrors their self-destructive tendencies.

Rest assured, a .40cal 1911 will neither be painful to shoot, nor will it tear apart such a strongly-built, well-made, time-proven pistol, regardless of what folks who would also likely turn around and unironically call the same cartridge "fourty short-n-wimpy" might say.

Loyaljeeper said:

I used to be the type to believe that and that all 45 autos should be 1911s. Even as a caster and a reloader I can’t compete with the free 40 ammo.

Click to expand...

Hey I cant argue with free ammo. If I had a supply of that I certainly would reconsider myself haha.

Dirty Harry Callahan said:

I've never shot one myself, but generally speaking, .40cal pistols are more comfortable to shoot out of heavier metal-framed pistols, so it should feel significantly more comfortable out of a 1911 than....

Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply. I totally agree and I think for the most part I am still a fan of the 40s&w. The 40 emp has a carbon steel frame where the 9 has an alloy frame. With that said I’m not anymore concerned about any 40 wearing out over the same gun in 9 with a few exceptions. Especially a steel framed 40 EMP; it’s likely to see 3k rounds a year. As much as I love my lightweight 45 Commander I kind of wish it was a 9 or an emp in 40.

KLYDE said:

One draw back is that the EMP (Enhanced Micro Pistol) is a ground up build and not the same dimensions as a standard 1911. Thus it uses proprietary magazines made by Mec-gar. They are top notch mags, but must be purchased from Springfield.

Click to expand...

I don’t know that I am as worried about the magazine issue as I am it possibly not fiting some holsters. I need it to lock and carry in a Safariland ALS for a 4.25” Commander.

loyaljeeper, my 3 in 9mm EMP uses the same molded kydex holsters as my 3 in SA Micro 45 (Officers sized frame). The only thing proprietary would be mag pouches for the slightly smaller EMP mags. I can highly recommend KYTEX for mag pouches, simple, light weight, easy on off your belt (yet they stay in place during vigorous activity and inexpensive. Great folks with whom to deal.

It will actually be a 2.5” duty belt and a ALS level III with sentry. I am not worried about concealed carry; I’m sure my leather pancakes will work.

I can't comment on long term issues but I really like my EMP 4" in .40SW. I am a real fan of the .40 and have two RIA 1911s and a high end custom Remsport frame 1911 in the caliber. I have never had an issue with the recoil and think the issue is blown out of proportion by those who have no true experience with the caliber. I use my basic 1911 holsters as the outside dimensions of the EMP are the same as a 1911 except for the grip/frame. I use the Blackhawk Serpa for duty type situations and a Roy Baker pancake for concealed carry. Love my EMP .40 4".

galena said:

I can't comment on long term issues but I really like my EMP 4" in .40SW. I am a real fan of the .40 and have two RIA 1911s and a high end custom Remsport frame 1911 in the caliber. I have never had an issue with the recoil and think the issue is blown out of proportion by those who have no true experience with the caliber. I use my basic 1911 holsters as the outside dimensions of the EMP are the same as a 1911 except for the grip/frame. I use the Blackhawk Serpa for duty type situations and a Roy Baker pancake for concealed carry. Love my EMP .40 4".

Click to expand...

That’s great to hear. I’m not recoil sensitive and find 40 very controlable in most compact and full-size guns. It doesn’t feel any worse than a 38spl in a midsized revolver.

Do the 4” EMPs produce tight groups?

Loyaljeeper said:

That’s great to hear. I’m not recoil sensitive and find 40 very controlable in most compact and full-size guns. It doesn’t feel any worse than a 38spl in a midsized revolver.

Do the 4” EMPs produce tight groups?

Click to expand...

I haven't tried any NRA Bulls Eye shooting but my experience with the 4" EMP has been great. I can routinely keep a full magazine string on my 9" steel gong with no problems at 25 yards. I shot my old dept qual course and all my shots were in the A zone of an IPSC target with the three required head shots right where they were intended. Our course calls for 34 shots on two side by side targets from arm's length back to 20 yrds. Strings are from the holstet and from 3 to 12 seconds and include empty chamber strings and FTF either double feed or simple failure to eject a spent round. In the hands of a competent shooter I think the 4" EMP will compete with any duty pistol.

See if there isn't someone in your agency you can borrow a 1911 in .40 from for the class. You might check with whoever is putting the class on to see if they have something you can use. Most classes have guns available.

max said:

See if there isn't someone in your agency you can borrow a 1911 in .40 from for the class. You might check with whoever is putting the class on to see if they have something you can use. Most classes have guns available.

Click to expand...

That’s a slim chance because there aren’t too many 1911s in 40, and none carried in my state agency. Of the 40 or so LEOs in my agency there are only two 1911s and both are 45. The EMP, one Rock Island model, a Sig Nightmare, and some discontinued Kimbers that apparently never worked right and unfortunately only the EMP is the only commander sized.

Loyaljeeper said:

That’s a slim chance because there aren’t too many 1911s in 40, and none carried in my state agency. Of the 40 or so LEOs in my agency there are only two 1911s and both are 45. The EMP, one Rock Island model, a Sig Nightmare, and some discontinued Kimbers that apparently never worked right and unfortunately only the EMP is the only commander sized.

Click to expand...

RIA made a Mid size (CMDR) 1911 in .40. They no longer list it on their web site. I bought one in 2015. Take a look at Gun Broker, there is one advertised as new listed there now.

I've got one in 9mm and one in .40. The 40 shoots about the same as the 9 because the added weight helps tame the recoil. I shoot the .40 better than the 9, but not by much.

The only issues I have had is on both the ejector came loose (they are glued in place) and had to go to SA for warranty work to have the ejectors drilled and pinned. The .40 EMP is a great gun but my EDC is a compact .45 1911.

Update:

I am officially a firearms instructor for my agency.

Long story short, I ended up taking a 9mm EMP to the firearm instructor class. I just spent $300 out of pocket on 9mm ammo. We ended up only shooting about 1,000 rounds anyway

The range report:

The EMP held up well. There was not a single malfunction. Some occasional failures of the slide to lock back on an empty mag though. I imagine I could have shot the 45 commander as well or maybe even better. I found myself shooting way too fast; not something I think I could have easily done with the 45 commander. My self-esteem was a little low as I shot some of the lower scores in the class, but the instructors stated we were one of the best shooting classes ever. With that said, I guess I shot average among professionals becoming firearms instructors. I was so thankful for the 10 round magazines. It would have been chaotic for me having to use eight or nine round magazines.

Takeaways: I have to slow down, and I have picked up some bad habits shooting over the last three years without a coach. I am primarily talking about my stance. I was completly squared off against my target like a linebacker and had my shoulders dipped and rolled towards the target. I was also doing my mag exchanges too far down towards my waist instead of up closer to my eyes; ironically something I never had a problem with in the past. I even had a firearms trainer at one of my old agencies tell me I needed to drop the gun down just slightly below eye level to do mag exchanges.

Agency weapons:

I was the only one out of 15 students not using a Sig P320 or a Glock. There was still as many Glock 22s as there were 17s or 45s. It appeared the Glock 22 guys shot as well as anyone using a Glock 17 or 45. I will say though, the top shooter in the class had a P320 in 9mm. I asked him if he shot the Sig better than a Glock. His reply was he typically shot Glocks better.

Springfield Modell 1911 Commander .40

I use a Glock Model 23 .40.
I felt that the recoil was a mite "Snappy" as I was using 180 gr FMJ ammo.
On recommendation I started using 165 gr FMJ ammo which now the recoil is pleasant