Springfield Armory and Keepshooting.com – like peas and carrots

Because it has been discussed in just about every city on every radio station and television show, including "Good Morning America," we may as well discuss it here: the Stephen Strasburg innings limit.

For those of you not savvy to the world of baseball, Strasburg is a pitcher for the Washington Nationals, who currently hold the best record in baseball after suffering through six straight losing seasons. Since Keepshooting.com is not a team sports website, I will keep this brief and easy to follow.

Strasburg is a 24-year-old phenomenon. He is arguably the Nationals most skilled pitcher and was once referred to by Sports Illustrated as "the most hyped and closely watched pitching prospect in the history of baseball." In a nutshell, he is kind of a big deal. But in 2010, Strasburg tore his ulnar collateral ligament and required Tommy John surgery (look it up). This season marks his full-time return to the team, but as usual, there is a catch. Strasburg will be limited in the amount of innings he is allowed to throw as part of a rehab program and will eventually be shutdown. The inevitable early end to his season is controversial because the Nationals are primed to make a run at the World Series.

Now, the arguments for both sides of the debate open up another can of worms entirely and do not beg an explanation here. I really only wanted to use the example to get you thinking about shutdowns. That is because today, I want to discuss an arms manufacturer that has aimed to shut down its competition with its mighty product line. That manufacturer is none other than Springfield Armory.

Springfield Armory

The Springfield Armory, founded in 1777 by George Washington, was the United States' Federal Armory and the primary location for the manufacture of U.S. Military arms until its abrupt closure in 1968. Contrary to popular belief, the Springfield Armory located in Springfield, Massachusetts is, for all intents and purposes, unassociated with the modern arms manufacturer bearing the same name – Springfield Armory, Inc. 

The humble beginnings of Springfield Armory, Inc. can be traced back to 1974, when Elmer Balance licensed the "Springfield Armory" name for use with is company LH Manufacturing – the company responsible for the initial civilian production of the M1A rifle. Eventually, Balance sold the company and transferred the licensing to Robert Reese, who went on to form the company we all know so well today. Springfield Armory, Inc. now operates out of Geneseo, Illinois as an arms manufacturer and importer.

Though the company only has just over 35 years of experience, it has proven time and time again the quality, reliability, durability and nearly unmatched performance of its line – all qualities that are readily apparent in the Springfield XD and XD(M) series of pistols.

The Springfield XD

For years, the only viable option for those seeking a striker-fired polymer pistol was GLOCK. Apparently, that did not sit well with Springfield Armory and in 2002 they introduced the Springfield XD pistol to the United States market.

The line, which is actually manufactured in in Karlovac, Croatia by renowned Croatian arms manufacturer HS Produkt and sold as the HS2000, quickly rose through the ranks, surpassing many other polymer pistols in terms of quality, reliability and performance – generally anything that truly matters. When you think about it, it is not very surprising considering the factory-standard features that provide for all the aforementioned qualities.

All Springfield XD pistols include a factory-standard two-stage trigger put other double-action triggers to shame. They also boast a number of safety features like the loaded-chamber indicator and the striker-status indicator, which provide the shooter with visual and tactile confirmations as to whether the pistol is loaded and cocked. Add in the grip safety, ultra safety assurance (USA) trigger, drop safety and out-of-battery safety and you have a pistol that is at the top of its class in all of the areas that matter most.

Then, of course, there is the XD(M) series, builds upon an already strong foundation with match quality upgrades and a slew of other practical features. But I am straying from my purpose for penning this blog.

Springfield Armory and Keepshooting.com

You know me – I am never one to jaw on and on about a bunch of nonsense without a good reason. Now, after forcing you to sit through a bit of nonsense, I am ready to offer my good reason.

All this talk about Springfield firearms is the result of one simple thing. Keepshooting.com recently became an official Springfield Armory, Inc. stocking dealer in the state of Maryland, as well as online, which means a few different things for us and for you. If you are familiar with our Mossberg deal, then you may already have an idea of what to expect. If not, listen to this.

Being a Springfield Armory, Inc. stocking dealer means committing to carrying a number of firearms from the Springfield product line. As you may know, Springfield's line consists of dozens of firearms that range from the reliable XDs and XD(M)s to the iconic 1911 and M1A. We have researched everything they have to offer and have selected quite a few of their finest offerings, many of which will soon be stocked and ready to order are already available in our web store now. Those that are not are on the way!

Being a Springfield Armory, Inc. stocking dealer also means that we will be one of the few companies that will have an exclusive opportunity to check out and order new Springfield firearms as they are released. When a new 1911 gets put out, you will not have to look any further than Keepshooting.com to find it.

Finally, our commitment to being an official Springfield Amory, Inc. stocking dealer means that we will get excellent pricing on all of the Springfield firearms we have decided to carry. And as always, excellent pricing for us means excellent prices for you.

As noted, many of the Springfield firearms that spun out of this deal are already available in our web store today. Check out the "Springfield Armory" section of our website to browse firearms like the Springfield XD-S, the Springfield Loaded 1911-A1 and the Springfield M1A Loaded.