August 25th, 2019

9minute read

Some people cant carry more than a .380.

Physical size is a factor.

So is physical shape, in the sense of both configuration and condition.

Side view of the new Springfield 911 pistol

Wardrobe required for work or chosen for daily life may be a factor.

It tends to come up short in wound ballistics as well.

Springfield Armory knew that when they came up with their new 911 pistol in .380.

Top of the Springfield 911 slide

Can this pistol manage that?

Read on in my Springfield 911 review …

Springfield didnt ignore the 9mm fans, though.

It was flat, slim, and easy to shoot straight in spite of its tiny sights.

Octo-Grip and G10 grip panels on the Springfield 380 ACP pistol

Colt resurrected that concept with their Government .380 and Mustang series.

At the risk of oversimplification, these were partly resurrected 1903/1908 models, and partly scaled-down 1911 models.

Colt still lists the Mustang in their catalog, and today the concept is increasingly popular.

Rear night sight with hard front edge Springfield Armory 911

Others have more or less copied it, notably Browning Arms.

(Why curl down the thumb?

Having discussed the bad news with the .380s power level and slide cycling, lets discuss the good news.

What comes in the box with the Springfield 911

Ability to shoot accurately is thus critical, and trigger pull characteristics are thus critical as well.

Our test sample averaged 8.73 pounds, very consistently, on a Lyman digital trigger pull scale.

Thats the science part.

Demonstrating the small size of the 911 magazine

Now, lets talk about the human factors part.

At least one estimated less than half.

Personally, Id have put it in the six-pound range.

Pocket holster for the Springfield Armory 911 handgun

Explanation: the short trigger reach gets more finger onto the trigger.

This in turn gives more leverage.

More leverage equals less effort to press that trigger to the point of the shot.

Massad Ayoob shooting the Springfield 911

Dry fire a Springfield Armory 911 in the gun shop and see for yourself.

Youll say, No WAY thats almost nine pounds.

Tiny pocket guns like this one get cut a lot more slack.

Accuracy test of Springfield 911 with Winchester PDX1 ammo

Winchesters relatively new PDX-1 95-grain hollow point, however, was the star of the show!

It did, but still not quite to point of aim/point of impact.

Even at seven yards, hits were a bit low.

Shot group accuracy measurement of Remington UMC ammo

Its a bank of six eight-inch steel discs.

The 911 carried flat against the thigh, and in pocket carry I found the ambi thumb safety reassuring.

The twin levers are the optimum size, and adjusted perfectly for positive but easy on- and-off.

911

Some small .380s can have a nasty kick.

It sounds like a cliche, but it really did feel as if I was shooting a .22.

The sights didnt really seem to move on recoil.

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The front sight on ours needed to be a tad shorter, though.

In hundreds of rounds with multiple shooters from big to small, we only had one problem.

When I was shooting the plates, I had repeated stoppages, all 12 oclock misfeeds.

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Cant put my finger on it.

Overall, the test crew and I liked the little 911 pistol.

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