I've had an 1911 itch for about a year now, but just could not decide on which one and how much to spend. I thought it was down to a S&W PD scandium or Colt SS Commander.......until I saw a NIB Springfield Armory Champion (4'' barrel - parkerized) at $489 with case & accessories. Deal!
What a super value and a nice shooter. I took off the wooden GI stocks & put on a pair of Hogue rubber palm swell/stippled rubber grips and off to the range.
Things went pretty well. I put 100 rds of 230gr Magtech FMJ and 100 rds of Fiocchi 230gr FMJ down range. Those little GI sights are pretty usable considering how small they are. The SA GI is very naturally pointable and accurate. I was putting holes on an 8" Shoot-N-See target at 50' off-hand without much effort.
I did however have the last empty case jam up against the barrel after extraction rather that being ejected about 5 times, always the last round.
I only had the one new SA magazine, so next trip I'll take a new Kimber mag and some older Colt mags that I know feed without issues and see what happens
I didn't expect miracles from a basic GI 1911. It did not feed with Speer Gold Dot (flying ashtray) hollow points, but feed Federal Personal Protection with out too many issues. I bought it to shoot ball ammo anyway, so I'm not bothered too much by the balking with HP ammo right now.
All in all, I'm pleased with this SA GI Champion. It shoots well and didn't break the bank. With a little tweaking of magazines I'll get it 100% soon I'm sure.
What a super value and a nice shooter. I took off the wooden GI stocks & put on a pair of Hogue rubber palm swell/stippled rubber grips and off to the range.
Things went pretty well. I put 100 rds of 230gr Magtech FMJ and 100 rds of Fiocchi 230gr FMJ down range. Those little GI sights are pretty usable considering how small they are. The SA GI is very naturally pointable and accurate. I was putting holes on an 8" Shoot-N-See target at 50' off-hand without much effort.
I did however have the last empty case jam up against the barrel after extraction rather that being ejected about 5 times, always the last round.
I only had the one new SA magazine, so next trip I'll take a new Kimber mag and some older Colt mags that I know feed without issues and see what happens
I didn't expect miracles from a basic GI 1911. It did not feed with Speer Gold Dot (flying ashtray) hollow points, but feed Federal Personal Protection with out too many issues. I bought it to shoot ball ammo anyway, so I'm not bothered too much by the balking with HP ammo right now.
All in all, I'm pleased with this SA GI Champion. It shoots well and didn't break the bank. With a little tweaking of magazines I'll get it 100% soon I'm sure.
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