Springfield 1911 Mil-Spec

Want a quick history lesson on Springfield Armory, Inc.? Of course you do! The humble beginnings of Springfield Armory, Inc. can be traced back to 1974, when Elmer Balance licensed the "Springfield Armory" name for use with his 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, offering high quality firearms known for their reliability, durability and unmatched performance to the military, law enforcement and civilian markets.

A quick perusal of Springfield's official website will reveal the fact that they really only produce a few lines of firearms. Naturally, they refuse to turn their back on their roots and continue to dabble in the M1A market. They have also recently placed themselves at the head of the polymer pistol market alongside GLOCK with their XD and XD(M) pistols, which I highly recommend. But the company's bread and butter seems to be their extensive line of 1911 pistols, because as everyone knows, when you want a 1911 you go directly to Springfield Armory, Inc.

When John Browning designed the 1911 over 100 years ago, he did so with purpose. The result was a pistol whose every component was carefully and deliberately designed. Springfield Armory, in upholding Browning's legacy, decided to produce a pistol as close as possible to his original design with the exception of a few modern upgrades that are typical of USGI 1911 pistols. Their result was the mouthwatering Springfield 1911 Mil-Spec.

The Springfield 1911 Mil-Spec, as noted, includes a number of improvements, including high-profile 3-dot sights, high hand grips, a beveled magazine well, a polished feed ramp with throated barrel, a lowered and flared ejection port and angled slide serrations. A step above Springfield's G.I. model, the 1911 Mil-Spec features a 5-inch forged stainless steel barrel and an overall length of 8.5 inches. The forged steel frame and slide both feature a Parkerized finish to protect from rust and corrosion and are joined by cocobolo hardwood grips. The pistol also includes a standard trigger with a trigger pull that is rated between 5 and 7 pounds. Weighing in at a hefty 39 ounces unloaded, the pistol can be easily managed by a range of shooters. Other features include the beavertail grip safety and a manual thumb safety. Each pistol includes two 7-round magazines for a "7+1" capacity.

The Springfield Armory and John Browning were written into the history books for a reason. Springfield Armory, Inc. did a pretty good job of displaying that reason with their Springfield 1911 Mil-Spec. Consider this pistol for:

- Target shooting

- Personal protection

- Collections

- Much more…