Another nice day in South Central Kentucky, so I loaded up the backpack and went to the field to try out the new Springfield 1911. To get a semi apples to apples comparison, I took along my 4566 TSW Ky State Police. The 4566 is a few ounces heavier than the 1911 and a 1/4 longer on the barrel, but close. The trigger pull on the 1911 is different than all of my 3rd gen S&W's, so it took a little while to get accustomed to the straight pull, instead of the arc of the S&W. At first I tried the POA and shot high, then converting to the 6:00 aim for better results. I started with Winchester 230 gr ball, then switched over to handloads of 200 gr Hornady XTP over 5.8 gr of W231. Both pistols were more accurate with the handloaded. The 1911 is far more accurate than the shooter, but I was able to hold a 3" group at 25 yards off hand shooting, where the 4566 would be around a 4" group. I will say that felt recoil is much easier with the 4566, but I attribute that to the Hogue grips. I took along a 5 pound Butternut Squash the wife had in the refrigerator, I got tired of looking at it for about a month. The Hornady XTP's made a mess of it very quickly. I did happen to retrieve one of the bullets and included a picture. All in all, I do like the 1911, but there is a learning curve that I have to live with, like a cut on the thumb from a very sharp ambi safety. I do think I will keep it, it will not replace any of the S&W.
