January 12th, 2023
6minute read
Shame.
Thats what I have felt.
It was a new Springfield Armory Mil-Spec 1911.
As a retirement gift, the Springfield Armory Mil-Spec 1911 is a fine gun to receive. The author’s was customized by his department before its presentation.
Bookends as it were.
Military and law enforcement handguns from different centuries.
The history was not lost on me.
Springfield Armory Mil-Spec 1911 pistols are great-looking pistols offering one of the industry’s best values.
Still On Duty
That was two years ago.
The Springfield Armory 1911 co-existed in the safe with a stainless steel revolver and four semi-automatics.
All but the Mil-Spec were duty weapons I had carried on the street.
While the gun was a presentation piece, it is still a shooter. The author spent time on the range with it and acquitted himself well.
The 1911 was not lonely, just…neglected.
My embarrassment caused me to order a holster, spare magazines, and 230-gr.
FMJ and JHP standard-pressure ammunition.
A gift that shoots is the best kind of gift. The author had great success in punching paper with Remington and Winchester ammunition.
I was going to shoot my way to redemption.
The Springfield Armory model I was given is the Defend Your Legacy Series 1911 Mil-Spec .45 ACP Handgun.
Three-dot steel sights and a lowered and flared ejection port ensure modern reliability and performance without breaking the bank.
The author takes his first shots with the Springfield Armory Mil-Spec 1911 pistol. The recoil of the .45 ACP was modest.
After retiring from my last agency, I was hired by my second department as a commander.
And my six-decades-worn eyes dont help.
Still, I think I rate solidly on the positive side of a bell curve of our shooters.
The first shots from the Mil-Spec 1911 made for a pair of nice groups to the chest and head of the B21 target.
Range Time
When the anticipated day arrived, I met our rangemaster.
He worked the slide and nodded.
Wow, nice and smooth.
Pleased with the pistol and shooting, the author poses with his Springfield Mil-Spec 1911 pistol.
He smiled, Itll get better.
The trigger was very crisp.
I then holstered the gun and slowly drew and practiced with the Mil-Specs thumb safety.
The process was very reminiscent of our AR-15 drills using the safety lever and trigger.
Always starting with the rifle on safe and returning there after addressing the target downrange.
Kind of a push-me, pull-you for the right hand.
A thumb break holster would line up these actions more in sync.
I fixed a B21 target to the frame and slapped a Peel & Stick to its belly.
We ran the yet-intact targets out to 12 yards.
Bam, dead center.
The Peel & Stick splatter made that pretty obvious.
This felt much more…mechanical, in a good, old-school way.
The heft of the Mil-Spec negated the recoil of the .45 ACP.
In about two hundred rounds, we had two failures to feed.
A few more boxes of ammo would smooth that out.
The RM and I did a couple of fast mag dumps at five yards.
The Mil-Specs weighty two-and-a-half pounds kept the muzzle in check.
The same was true at 25 yards offhand.
Onward and Upward
So, my previous state of discomfiture was now eased.
A simple trip to the range with the Springfield Armory Mil-Spec 1911 had restored my honor.
The sum and substance here is that I respect the design and function of Mr. Brownings M1911 pistol.
