sm
member
I am not Stephen A. Camp; this is just a quick review of Springfield's G.I .45. Stock number PW9108LP as listed here: http://www.springfield-armory.com/prod-pstl-1911-GI.shtml
Image here: http://www.springfield-armory.com/images/pistols/PW9108LLarge.jpg
This pistol was bought at a Franchise Sporting Goods , on sale for $429 at the time by a friend of mine. Checked over at the store, contents of box and instructions and brought home. Later a more close inspection, wipe down and stuck in the safe.
Owner has quite a few 1911-A1s and other 1911 style pistols and this was just one more.
Decided it was time to actually shoot this gun after just sitting in the safe for about 18 months.
1911Tuner I am not as well. The owner of this gun myself and a few others, decided to keep it simple, as we understand many folks do not have chronographs, do any reloading, are not gunsmiths. Instead - "we want to see if the gun runs, and how well". Internet will share one has to do all sorts of things to a pistol to make it work. Owner, myself and others - well - while we miss the old days before litigation, penny-pinching and ...like mentors shared with Owner, myself and others. - Just shoot the durn gun.
Cleaned again, lubed with Singer Sewing Machine oil , we headed out.
Besides the one factory magazine, a slew of USGI/Colt 7 round magazines , dimple followers, Chip McCormick 7 round magazines, Clark 7 round magazne, Kimber factory 7 round magazine were used.
Ammunition was loaded into magazines before heading out. Ammunition consisted of Fiocchi 230 gr FMJ, American Eagle 230 FMJ, Federal Classic 230 FMJ, Fiocchi 200 gr JHP, Fiocchi 230 gr JHP and some "old stuff".
Run what you brung as Mentors used to say.
Owner grabbed the factory mag of "old stuff" CCI Flying Ashtray. Slapped mag in , retracted slide, let fly and just shot the durn gun.
Gun ran.
Gun has to feed and extract ammunition. Some say owner, myself and others are a bit too practical. So be it- fact is, gun must feed and extract ammunition, with a semi-auto, the magazine is a valuable part of feeding and extraction. If the gun will not feed and extract ammunition, it does not matter the caliber, the number of rounds the magazine holds, what type of ammunition, penetration or expansion of ammunition - Gun gotta run.
Magazines are numbered. So ammunition type was simply notated to magazine number.
I had 20 magazines of Fiochhi 230 FMJ and just shot the durn gun. Shoot, leave one in chamber, slap another magazine and fire.
Sometimes let it go to slide-lock. I shot one handed, weak handed, using "light grip with thumb and trigger finger" , pistol upside down, port down, port up, and shooting over my head and back toward target.
No malfunctions.
Field strip, look at gun to see how wearing, wipe of debris with a cloth, light lube with Singer Sewing machine oil and time to let the others shoot this gun the remaining 10 magazines we had.
No Malfunctions with 210 rds fired through this gun running out of daylight, time to stop.
Gun was Field stripped, chamber only cleaned, we concern ourselves with feed and extraction. Clean chamber with bronze brush and any bore cleaning was the one pass through the bore.
Breech face and extractor cleaned with a pipe cleaner. Pipe cleaner to clean rails and other areas.
Lubed with some old LSA wiped off ready to go.
The next outing was USGI/ Colt 7 round magazines . We had proven the gun ran with other magazines. 1550 rds of Fiocchi 230 gr FMJ was run through this gun as fast as could and the targets were from 3 yards to 15. Targets were 4x6 index cards for the most part.
No malfunctions.
Gun was not cleaned. Just wipe down and put up. The next range trip was a nice surprise for me, some old 200 gr LSWC HG68. 1000 rds and no malfunctions.
Owner stripped the gun, none of us were present "everyone runs off when a gun needs to be cleaned". Still the gun was taken down, Lead -Away the bore, and Lubed with the old orange bottle of Hoppe's gun oil.
Stocks replaced with some old double diamond walnut.
Accuracy? This pistol kept all rounds on 6x4 and 3x5 index cards out to 15 yards Knocked down all tin cans and at 3yds using a 3x5 index card folded in half , from conceal to first shot wristwatch time " one second" .
Owner and myself kept all round inside this index card shooting as fast we aquired sight picture. Repeated at 5 using playing cards and 7 yards using playing cards. WE both shoot a Weaver -ish style and we were shooting as if matters were serious. Just run the gun and get hits as fast as can.
Owner is a Lady, 5' 2 1/2" ( don't forget that 1/2") size 6 surgical glove is a bit tight and size 6 1/2 a bit loose. Her left ring finger is a size 5 3/4. "Always been one between sizes and don't fit in" .
She carries a full size 1911 IWB fine. She likes to wear a belt slide on the range besides a OWB. She likes to practice as she carries. She can draw and shoot the 1911 weak side, with no ambidextrous safety as well.
Unknown to me was the fact she bought two more of these. These will be rung out, and "maybe" replace some parts, like the stocks, and mainspring housing, extractor and such. She will leave these stock as well.
Side-Note: We never touched the extractor on this one, except to remove, clean, re-install. She had a old Colt extractor, we tried it, it worked in just testing in the slide. We did shoot 4 magazines with it, to make sure we had a backup.
Our concern was the extractor not going to work. We were wrong.
Stock extractor is not MIM. While not a old GI extractor - this is a "good one!"
If it ain't broke - don't fix it, so factory one stuck back in and still being used.
Gun we tested already has spare recoil springs and such set up and ready to go. She keeps spares of tested parts on hand.
She [strike] stole [/strike] talked favorite uncle out of 500 rds of Federal Hydra-Shock 230 grain JHP and no malfunctions with 250 rds fired and using 5 USGI 7 round magazines, so this is her Carry Load with these 5 magazines as so marked.
Review : The gun run, shot what aimed at out of the box. She trusts this gun and CCWs this gun as part of her rotation with other bone stock 1911-A1s
She has other 1911s and 1911-A1s- she decided to set in the safe and not use for CCWs for sentimental reasons.
Two feral cats and a dozen ground hogs have fallen to this G.I. Mil-Spec. Distances on the ground hogs vary from "eww close" to out to "I forgot to count steps". Feral cats fell from 22 to 37 steps.
$429 , I'd say she did fine. I like the gun, and I would carry it. In fact I have.
Steve
Image here: http://www.springfield-armory.com/images/pistols/PW9108LLarge.jpg
This pistol was bought at a Franchise Sporting Goods , on sale for $429 at the time by a friend of mine. Checked over at the store, contents of box and instructions and brought home. Later a more close inspection, wipe down and stuck in the safe.
Owner has quite a few 1911-A1s and other 1911 style pistols and this was just one more.
Decided it was time to actually shoot this gun after just sitting in the safe for about 18 months.
1911Tuner I am not as well. The owner of this gun myself and a few others, decided to keep it simple, as we understand many folks do not have chronographs, do any reloading, are not gunsmiths. Instead - "we want to see if the gun runs, and how well". Internet will share one has to do all sorts of things to a pistol to make it work. Owner, myself and others - well - while we miss the old days before litigation, penny-pinching and ...like mentors shared with Owner, myself and others. - Just shoot the durn gun.
Cleaned again, lubed with Singer Sewing Machine oil , we headed out.
Besides the one factory magazine, a slew of USGI/Colt 7 round magazines , dimple followers, Chip McCormick 7 round magazines, Clark 7 round magazne, Kimber factory 7 round magazine were used.
Ammunition was loaded into magazines before heading out. Ammunition consisted of Fiocchi 230 gr FMJ, American Eagle 230 FMJ, Federal Classic 230 FMJ, Fiocchi 200 gr JHP, Fiocchi 230 gr JHP and some "old stuff".
Run what you brung as Mentors used to say.
Owner grabbed the factory mag of "old stuff" CCI Flying Ashtray. Slapped mag in , retracted slide, let fly and just shot the durn gun.
Gun ran.
Gun has to feed and extract ammunition. Some say owner, myself and others are a bit too practical. So be it- fact is, gun must feed and extract ammunition, with a semi-auto, the magazine is a valuable part of feeding and extraction. If the gun will not feed and extract ammunition, it does not matter the caliber, the number of rounds the magazine holds, what type of ammunition, penetration or expansion of ammunition - Gun gotta run.
Magazines are numbered. So ammunition type was simply notated to magazine number.
I had 20 magazines of Fiochhi 230 FMJ and just shot the durn gun. Shoot, leave one in chamber, slap another magazine and fire.
Sometimes let it go to slide-lock. I shot one handed, weak handed, using "light grip with thumb and trigger finger" , pistol upside down, port down, port up, and shooting over my head and back toward target.
No malfunctions.
Field strip, look at gun to see how wearing, wipe of debris with a cloth, light lube with Singer Sewing machine oil and time to let the others shoot this gun the remaining 10 magazines we had.
No Malfunctions with 210 rds fired through this gun running out of daylight, time to stop.
Gun was Field stripped, chamber only cleaned, we concern ourselves with feed and extraction. Clean chamber with bronze brush and any bore cleaning was the one pass through the bore.
Breech face and extractor cleaned with a pipe cleaner. Pipe cleaner to clean rails and other areas.
Lubed with some old LSA wiped off ready to go.
The next outing was USGI/ Colt 7 round magazines . We had proven the gun ran with other magazines. 1550 rds of Fiocchi 230 gr FMJ was run through this gun as fast as could and the targets were from 3 yards to 15. Targets were 4x6 index cards for the most part.
No malfunctions.
Gun was not cleaned. Just wipe down and put up. The next range trip was a nice surprise for me, some old 200 gr LSWC HG68. 1000 rds and no malfunctions.
Owner stripped the gun, none of us were present "everyone runs off when a gun needs to be cleaned". Still the gun was taken down, Lead -Away the bore, and Lubed with the old orange bottle of Hoppe's gun oil.
Stocks replaced with some old double diamond walnut.
Accuracy? This pistol kept all rounds on 6x4 and 3x5 index cards out to 15 yards Knocked down all tin cans and at 3yds using a 3x5 index card folded in half , from conceal to first shot wristwatch time " one second" .
Owner and myself kept all round inside this index card shooting as fast we aquired sight picture. Repeated at 5 using playing cards and 7 yards using playing cards. WE both shoot a Weaver -ish style and we were shooting as if matters were serious. Just run the gun and get hits as fast as can.
Owner is a Lady, 5' 2 1/2" ( don't forget that 1/2") size 6 surgical glove is a bit tight and size 6 1/2 a bit loose. Her left ring finger is a size 5 3/4. "Always been one between sizes and don't fit in" .
She carries a full size 1911 IWB fine. She likes to wear a belt slide on the range besides a OWB. She likes to practice as she carries. She can draw and shoot the 1911 weak side, with no ambidextrous safety as well.
Unknown to me was the fact she bought two more of these. These will be rung out, and "maybe" replace some parts, like the stocks, and mainspring housing, extractor and such. She will leave these stock as well.
Side-Note: We never touched the extractor on this one, except to remove, clean, re-install. She had a old Colt extractor, we tried it, it worked in just testing in the slide. We did shoot 4 magazines with it, to make sure we had a backup.
Our concern was the extractor not going to work. We were wrong.
Stock extractor is not MIM. While not a old GI extractor - this is a "good one!"
If it ain't broke - don't fix it, so factory one stuck back in and still being used.
Gun we tested already has spare recoil springs and such set up and ready to go. She keeps spares of tested parts on hand.
She [strike] stole [/strike] talked favorite uncle out of 500 rds of Federal Hydra-Shock 230 grain JHP and no malfunctions with 250 rds fired and using 5 USGI 7 round magazines, so this is her Carry Load with these 5 magazines as so marked.
Review : The gun run, shot what aimed at out of the box. She trusts this gun and CCWs this gun as part of her rotation with other bone stock 1911-A1s
She has other 1911s and 1911-A1s- she decided to set in the safe and not use for CCWs for sentimental reasons.
Two feral cats and a dozen ground hogs have fallen to this G.I. Mil-Spec. Distances on the ground hogs vary from "eww close" to out to "I forgot to count steps". Feral cats fell from 22 to 37 steps.
$429 , I'd say she did fine. I like the gun, and I would carry it. In fact I have.
Steve
