Are Savage 1911s made by Savage?

[jski]

Or are they imported from wherever?

 

[kidneyboy]

Or are they made in the US for Savage by another company?

Not that there is anything wrong with either scenario.

 

[Dave DeLaurant]

That's a good question -- neither the Savage website nor any reviews I found specifically mention 'Made in USA'. A bit surprising these days.

 

[AustinTX]

At those MSRPs, they had better be.

(Edit: Had better be made in the USA, I meant to say.)

 

[Monac]

That's a good question -- neither the Savage website nor any reviews I found specifically mention 'Made in USA'. A bit surprising these days.

Maybe I'm just cynical or mean-spirited today, but if they don't say "Made in USA" then I would bet it isn't.

 

[someguy2800]

I noticed the right side of the frame in one of the videos says Springfield Massachusetts but I don't know if they are actually making them there.

I am looking forward to buying one from CDNN after they get discontinued.

 

[sabbfan]

According to the Guns and Ammo article I just read today the frame is made by someone else, the slide and barrel are made by Savage, a lot of the small parts are made by EGW, all assembled by Savage.

 

[lysanderxiii]

If the frame is not machined in the US it will be plainly marked as such, by law.

And technically, where ever the frame is machined within the US will have to be marked on the frame.

 

[someguy2800]

So who else makes 1911's in springfield mass? That is likely the answer to who is making the frames. Smith and Wesson comes to mind.

 

[Old Dog]

According the the latest episode of Guns & Ammo Television on the Outdoor Channel, the Savage 1911s are made in the USA by -- wait for it: Savage. Which basically means they can source steel or parts from anywhere, just have to assemble the guns INCONUS.

The models that have been shown off all look decent, albeit with front-cocking serrations (spawn of the devil) on all of them, a rail (no! say it ain't so) on one model, and no front-strap checkering on any of them (considering the price point, there should be, thank you Kimber and SIG). But they look to have trendy VZ G10 grip panels and decent Novak-style tritium nightsights.

 

[zaitcev]

albeit with front-cocking serrations (spawn of the devil)

That John Moses Browning guy was an agent of the devil, just look at this:

 

[Old Dog]

That John Moses Browning guy was an agent of the devil, just look at this:

Ah, a comedian, eh? IIRC, this abomination existed with milled plunge serrations (and later cut serrations) until around 1905, the cocking serrations were moved properly to the rear of the slide (some of the early models had knurled, rather than serrated areas. There were many reasons the 1900/1902 and other variants failed. Fortunately, some Colt engineer somewhere (not JMB himself) realized that one needed to keep the hand farther away from the muzzle and fixed these pistols, albeit for the relatively short production runs.

 

[CapnMac]

realized that one needed to keep the hand farther away from the muzzle and fixed these pistols, albeit for the relatively short production runs.

In some fairness, you need a near-muzzle grip for the takedown of those early models.

 

[Monac]

That John Moses Browning guy was an agent of the devil, just look at this:
View attachment 1126634

That's a wonderful photo, zaitcez. Thanks for putting it up. And if you took it, I envy your skills.

For those of you who like tiny details, I think that is a late production Model 1900 .38, or at least after they used up the early "rear sight safety" slides. The way the screws and pins are fire-blued is handsome.

 

[9mmepiphany]

...some Colt engineer somewhere (not JMB himself) realized that one needed to keep the hand farther away from the muzzle and fixed these pistols

That's just resistance to change speaking. While you shouldn't place your hand in front of the muzzle...or under it like the original 1911 press-check was taught (there's a reason it was called a press check and not a pull check)...grasping the slide where front serrations are currently located can be very safe.

The current modern technique is to grasp the slide with your support hand over the top, thumb pointing forward, and pulling back the slide as the strong hand pushes forward. It gives you more muzzle control (pointing downward instead of upward), more leverage (wrist more in-line) and avoids over retracting the slide and ejecting a round (the strong hand is your stop).

When forward slide serrations were popular in the 70s, they were used underhanded to avoid contact with optic mounts

 

[someguy2800]

It’s amazing I haven’t shot any holes in my hand on all the pistols I own with front cocking serrations.

 

[Old Dog]

That's just resistance to change speaking. While you shouldn't place your hand in front of the muzzle...or under it like the original 1911 press-check was taught (there's a reason it was called a press check and not a pull check)...grasping the slide where front serrations are currently located can be very safe.

In the immortal words of the legendary Patrick Swayze in the classic motion picture Road House, "Opinions vary."

So there I was, MCRD San Diego (back in the day before most of y'all were born) and SSGT Wilkins taught me the proper press check (yes, from underneath) on actual 1911s without FCS.. And in all my years (25 total military/21 total LE, reserve and full-time) I actually performed a press check (not on a range) maybe twice. Front cocking serrations chew up holsters. And, makers of 1911s with these can charge even more dollar. They do look cool when performed by Hollywood actors in action movies (not that Steven Seagal could be legitimately called an actor, but he did master the press check in several of his early flicks), but in real life, most of those using pistols don't need to check to ensure that they've got a round chambered (a lot of professionals have pretty good short-term memory) prior to jumping out of their Ferrari Testarossas, Hemi-Cudas or Mustangs and going in after the bad guys.

"Resistance to change?" Nah.

 

[9mmepiphany]

I used to do the 1911 press check with the thumb hooked into the trigger guard and index finger on the recoil spring plug and never felt uncomfortable with my finger just below the muzzle.

Worked with my 1911s and my Browning Hi-Power just fine. Didn't work as well with my S&W M-39 (full length recoil spring guide rod). Really wasn't feasible with my with my Walther PP and H&K P9S (sloping slide profile).

I prefer a clean slide on my 1911s and SIGs...learned to accept front serrations on the P320