springfield operator questions

[twomoons]

guys,and this is for the sw 1911 owners,
is a springfield operator laoded with upgraded custom trigger work,done at the springfield company compare to the sw 1911 guns.i know so little about 1911 guns.and can only count on you 1911 shooters and owners who have tried all of them or some them to compare.the one i am looking at is 850 ,springfield loaded target.in 9mm
thanks for any advice friends
i am really wanting to get a 1911 sw 9 mm pro series ,but cant find any for lessthan 900.so is a loaded springfield as good as the 1911 sw pro series??

 

[azdover]

I am a diehard S&W revoler fan, currently owning a - 617, 625 3 inch, 625 4 inch, 627 4 inch, 66 3 inch, 686 CS-1 3 inch, 610, and finally, a "9"37 9MM conversion. I've owned a couple of S&W 1911s in the past and had nothing but good experiences with them.

However, at the risk of banishment from the S&W forum, this is my "Go To/Bump in the Night" weapon. At least it begins with an "S".

It's a Springfield MC Operator 45 ACP with a BladeTech paddle holster. Other than the bolt-on Surefire X200, Tripp Research 10 rnd mag, and Crimson Trace grips, the only mods it has are a LPA adjustable rear sight and refinished slide in Gun Kote. Trigger was great from the factory at 4.5 to 5 lbs with no creep. The gun will shoot POA to the sights or laser at 7 to 10 yards all day if I do my part.

One of my daily CCW weapons is the Springfield 9MM Loaded with adjustable sights.

The gun is lightly modified with a trigger job to eliminate creep while still maintaining a 5 lb trigger pull, undercut trigger, Dawson front FO sight, GI style thumb safety, and G10 grips. I load it with Winchester Ranger 9mm 127 gr. +P+. I found I'm a better shot with 9MM than 45 ACP when using only iron sights - figured a hit with a smaller bullet is better than a near miss with a big one.

Much as I love and practice with my S&W wheelguns, I've found I'm much more accurate with the 1911, especially in 9MM. The other thing I'll add is Springfield seems to have a great rep when it comes to customer service. I sent them, at their expense, a 10 year old 1911 that started having feed problems when shooting hollow points. As far as I could tell, I was at least the third owner. I got the gun back a week and a half later fixed at no cost to myself. Since then, the gun has fed and loaded every factory and reloaded hollow point and wad cutter that I could stuff in the magazine without a problem.

If you can get an S&W 9MM 1911 Pro for $900, I'd say go for it. I don't think you'll be disappointed. But from with I can tell looking at the web, you can also pick up a Springer 1911 MC Operator in 45 ACP for about the same price, or a Loaded 9MM for less. Either way, Springfield or S&W, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

However, don't forget to practice with something like one of these - it may make you a better 1911 shooter. It sure helps me.

Of course, this advice is worth exactly what you paid for it.

Good luck with whatever you choose,
Pete

 

[310Pilot]

I can't answer your question directly; however, I have a Springfield Champion "Loaded" model (one of the earliest Loadeds) that I bought new in 2000, and carried every day (and shot a LOT) until early this year - still carry it frequently, but have moved to a Colt's Lightweight Government Model for most of my carrying, when not carrying a revolver as a primary. The Springfield has been absolutely reliable, never a problem, with good accuracy. The trigger is an absolute delight (it was good from the factory, a bit of "breathing" on it made it incredible), and the gun is quite accurate. The Springfield Custom Shop has an excellent reputation, so, if the trigger work was done by them, it would turn a good pistol into a great pistol. Frankly, I would take the Springfield with a custom shop tuned trigger over a stock S&W 1911 in a heartbeat, and never look back. I love S&Ws, but the trigger job would definitely be a big plus for the Springfield. Also, I am not wild about external extractors on 1911s, and S&W uses them. One other "feature" of the S&W 1911s bothers me - the warning roll-market on the frame, and highlited! - that the gun can fire without a magazine inserted - well, duh!

In any case, I'm sure you will enjoy whichever gun you choose, but I'd be all over that Springfield!

 

[Dragon88]

I have only handled SW1911s in stores or that belonged to friends, so keep that in mind. SW1911s are kind of "soulless" in my opinion. They generally look very good, but there's nothing exciting about them, nothing that floats my boat if you will.

I recently purchased a Springfield Loaded model and absolutely love it. It's exactly what I wanted in a 1911 for a great price. I have shot it once and it produced a fist-sized ragged hole, perfectly centered with a six o'clock hold. I'm sure I could be happy with a SW1911, but I have zero regrets about buying my Springfield.

 

[samuelrp]

I cannot comment on the Smith 1911 because I don't own one. I can however reiterate what has been said about Springfield. Guarenteed for life, best trigger I ever pulled, highly accurate, a dream to shoot, less recoil than a glock 19, and will eat a hole in a target very quickly.

 

[SW CQB 45]

YOU RANG!!!!

Out of the box my MC OP was good to go for a duty weapon. cannot compare to SW as I dont own any of their 1911s.

of course, I could not leave well enough alone.

My duty carry with every 10-8 Performance part installed, tool steel action job, basic dehorn, custom magwell, all OD lower.

I am taking it to a 10-8 class in two weeks.

loaded are not custom triggers from the factory. they are usually good out of the box but not custom. Springers carry a lifetime warranty....which is hard to beat. Yes....SW does too.

 

[Kanewpadle]

I also own Springfield's. Two of them. A loaded stainless and a lighweight Operator. Excellent guns and Springfields always seem to be very accurate right out of the box.

The one and only thing I hate about them is the two piece full length guide rod. They always come loose. So I get rid of them and use a standard set up.