So it's time to trade the 1911 in on something new.

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KevinB

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I own a Springfield Armory 1911 loaded model that I enjoy. The problem is that it has never been very reliable. I bought the gun used several years back when I was younger and inexperienced. I let the gun shop talk me into it because it had “all the features I’d want later” and I ended up overpaying for it too. It’s been worked on by the previous owner and now suffers from failure to feed malfunctions. At first they were very very frequent. I put in a new recoil spring to see if that would help, and it did, but it still jams intermittently. Another issue is the gun shoots very far left for some reason. (Multiple shooters, not a problem I have with other guns.) The rear sight is actually drifted so far in the dovetail it overhangs the slide a bit. Now it’s just about dead on now, or pretty close, but I’d prefer not to have to adjust my sight that radically to get there. I’m no gunsmith, so really my only option would be to have the gun worked on professionally. However, I’ve already overpaid for the gun so I don’t really want to put more money into it, and it’s not really the style of 1911 I want anyway because I let the gun shop sway my decision. So after years of disappointment, I’m ready to dip my toe back into the .45 waters again.

First and foremost what I’m looking for is reliability. I’d like a make and model known to go bang every time, preferably right out of the box. Second is concealability. Now I am of the comforting not comfortable crowd, but it must be within reason. I did carry the full size 1911 and found it very easy and comfortable, and I use a proper belt and holster. The 1911 was about as heavy as I’d like to go, and something a little lighter would be better. I’d like to keep it under $600 also. I realize I could spend $2500 on a 1911 and it would be uber accurate and reliable, but I would keep it in the safe, not on my belt. I want to be able to scratch it, drop it, run it, and abuse it and not cringe every time I do. This is not to say I haven’t considered another 1911, I have, but it would probably be of the mil-spec variety, and it still must comply with the reliability requirements.

Guns I’ve thought of include the S&W M&P45/45c, Glock 30/36, XD45, XD45c, XDM, and the SA Mil-Spec 1911. What are everyone’s thoughts on these platforms? What have I forgot? As always I appreciate the time of everyone here at THR and I look forward to owning a .45 that I love and can come here to brag about.
 
Have you called springfield? Lifetime warranty, and they don't care that you're not the original owner. They'll probably fix it for free.
 
If you weren't set on 45 I'd trade you my XDm40. :cool:

Seriously, I'd at least give Springfield a call. As said, they will likely fix it for you, depending on the extent of work done to it.
 
I've communicated with them via email. They didn't just outright say one way or the other, but it sounded like they would charge. I explained the issue and asked for an estimate, and their reply was that they couldn't estimate because they don't know what all would need to be done. I really appreciate great CS, but I'd honestly feel like I was taking advantage to have them fix something for free that wasn't their fault.
 
I really appreciate great CS, but I'd honestly feel like I was taking advantage to have them fix something for free that wasn't their fault.
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Has it occurred that perhaps they would be happy to repair that weapon so as to prevent the next owner from publicly disparaging the product? I would let SA fix the gun and then decide on a course of action from there. When you get it back you just might find that it is precisely the weapon you had originally hoped for. I own a Loaded myself that has been flawless and I believe it superior to the other weapons you mentioned.
 
I'm with you man.

I bought a 1911 this year. Mine's reliable with round nosed ammo only. I can cope with it, but I shouldn't have to. It's just an old design. Came out before hollow points, that's for sure.

I'm not sure a $2500 1911 would be any better, reliability-wise, and a cheaper one would certainly not be.

I bought a CZ 97B a few weeks ago. I put maybe a hundred rounds through it. Some FMJ round nose and some round nose, flat point without any problems. I'll try semi-wadcutters and hollow points next.

That said, this gun probably isn't for you. It is thicker in the slide and grip than a 1911, and since it carries a couple more rounds, it is probably heavier too.

Ones I would consider if I were you:

  • Beretta PX4 Storm
  • Stoeger Cougar 45 (they DID make them in 45, right?)
  • Glock 36 w/Pearce grip extension to prevent the magazine pinch
  • SW99 in 45 (used, no longer made)
  • EAA Witness 45 (they make several models, and are universally liked)
  • Bersa Thunder 45 UC
  • HK USP Compact
  • Sig Sauer P220 (single stack, available in SAO!)
 
I would let SPRINGFIELD ARMORY fix the gun. They have great C.S. I have 3 S.A. 1911 A-1's & ! LUV them ! See if you can talk to Deb. She is relay nice and explains things very well. I appreciate your honesty about not wanting to take advantage of S.A., but it is their life time warranty. you are also a potential new customer. once they fix it I think you might just keep your springer. :)
 
I'm going to have to agree with several here ... send it to Springfield. They would be glad to make it right since it has their name on it. If you feel like you're taking advantage of them, just be 100% honest with them and let them decide if they want to fix something that's not their fault. From everything I've read about Springfield CS they'll be just as eager to fix it regardless of who caused the problem.

When you get it back if you still don't trust it then sell it and buy something else, but you've already got quite a bit invested in this one so it would be nice to see you salvage it.
 
I have to concur with many others here...send it to Springfield, they'll get it taken care of the right way. Springfield makes a great 1911. My Springfield Operator and TRP give my Wilson CQB a run for the mone on the accuracy and reliability end, but the Wilson is head and shoulders above in terms of build quality (fit and finish), trigger, and smoothness of action.

If you still don't want to hang on to the Springfield 1911 after it's been fixed up by the folks at Springfield and you still want a .45 Auto, here's a few to give a good hard look at:

Glock 21 (I'm not a fan at all, but can't argue with the success these have)
Smith and Wesson M&P .45 (decent but the trigger can leave something to be desired)
Springfield XD .45 (good gun, but a little bulky)
HK USP 45 (great gun but a little bulky)
HK .45 (great gun)
Sig P220 (great gun but I'll take a 1911 for a single stack .45)

Any of the above would serve their purpose well.
 
It’s been worked on by the previous owner and now suffers from failure to feed malfunctions.
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Springer should not work on this gun for free. If the previous owner modified or worked on the gun then all bets are off. It's poor reliability at that point cannot be laid at the feet of SA IMHO. Telling someone to have SA fix something they are not responsible for does nothing but drive up the cost of SA guns. It is poor form and IMHO dishonest, unless you fully disclose that a kitchen table smith has modified the gun. Either way I would not feel right having the manufacturer pick up the costs to repair a problem they did not create.

If you do not like the 1911 get something else. Life is too short to keep something you do not shoot or do not want.

The following are all worth taking a look at: It all depends on what fits your hand well and points naturally for you. Its hard to tell you which that will be over the interweb.

Sig P220
Glock 21
CZ 97
FN45
HK45
 
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rellascout said:
Springer should not work on this gun for free. If the previous owner modified or worked on the gun then all bets are off. It poor reliability at that point cannot be laid at the feet of SA IMHO. Telling someone to have SA fix something they are not responsible for does nothing but drive up the cost of SA guns. It is poor form and IMHO dishonest.
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If you tell Springfield up front that "It’s been worked on by the previous owner and now suffers from failure to feed malfunctions." and they still say "no problem, ship it on over and we'll look at it" I fail to see how that would be poor form and dishonest.
 
Fixing it and keeping it would be my first suggestion unless as rella suggests you are unhappy with the platform. Next would be to fix it and sell it to fund a commander or officer. If you prefer a non-1911 then others have given plenty of good suggestions.

It can be made reliable and can still compete with any design in those terms. It's trigger, accuracy and aftermarket support are what make it preferable.

Send it in, be honest, be polite but please don't pass it along with reliability issues. Best of luck.
 
If you tell Springfield up front that "It’s been worked on by the previous owner and now suffers from failure to feed malfunctions." and they still say "no problem, ship it on over and we'll look at it" I fail to see how that would be poor form and dishonest.
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This. I bet that even if you tell them this, they'll still fix it for free. I've read some pretty amazing stories about their customer service.
 
How did anyone not say this.. MOST issues with 1911s are the magazines. Did you try other magazines? Yeah I know you don't want to throw more money at it, but, a Wilson Mag thrown in with selling the gun will only help you sell it.
 
If you tell Springfield up front that "It’s been worked on by the previous owner and now suffers from failure to feed malfunctions." and they still say "no problem, ship it on over and we'll look at it" I fail to see how that would be poor form and dishonest.
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If you fully disclose it might not be honest but it is poor form IMHO. This customer might not pay for the repair but everyone who buys a SA in the next 60 days is. The cost for non-warranty work picked upby the manufacturer gets passed down the the customer in the form of price increases.
 
SA is great, I had a Champion I bought second hand. It had a problem feeding some hollow points. I sent it to SA to get it armory coated OD black and just MENTIONED on the phone, that ie had a few little stoppages when trying to shoot HPs. It came back with a full tear down refit and the coating done perfectly, and they also dovetailed and installed a new tritium front sight because the stake on one that had to come off for the coating would not go back on. They did EVERYTHING free except the coating which only cost $150.00. GREAT customer service.
 
I want to thank everyone for their feedback. I'll try to touch on everything that's been said.

First and foremost it sounds like I need to call Springfield. I plan to be completely honest about the situation, and as I stated earlier, I have already had explained the issue in my email. The email response I received sounded like I would be paying, which I think is fair. My sentiments were echoed by rellascout precisely. I get a little peeved by what some people think should be fixed for free by the factory. I believe this cost does trickle down the line at some point to the consumer. I'll probably end up shipping the gun for an estimate, but if it's more than I'm willing to spend I'll probably just pass on any repairs. As I said, I overpaid, I’m already going to take a huge hit on the gun, and anything further is just digging a deeper hole. Now let me explain one thing. This by no means should imply I'm going to "dump" the gun on an unsuspecting buyer. If it’s sold it will be with full disclosure, and the fair price that it would sell for would put them in a much more financially reasonable position to have any work done (or do it themselves).

I saw that someone mentioned magazines as a possible problem, and I appreciate the info. I was already aware of this though and the malfunction occurs with factory SA mags, and the Chip McCormick shooting stars I’m currently using.

Thanks to those who mentioned some platforms I hadn’t thought of. I’ll be researching.

I’m looking hard at Springfield Milspecs, anyone a fan? I realize I’m losing some of the features of the loaded, but that’s actually my preference now that I’ve shot more 1911s. If I were to get another, I want a single sided safety, like the spur hammer, prefer a smooth front strap, and I don’t like front slide serrations. Just like the looks of those plain jane 1911s. I found out I actually didn’t want all those “features” I would supposedly want later.
 
rellascout said:
If you fully disclose it might not be honest but it is poor form IMHO. This customer might not pay for the repair but everyone who buys a SA in the next 60 days is.
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Nah. Think of it as an investment in a long-term customer.

You, along with so many manufacturers of goods, do not get it yet.

Apple realized it long ago. Ruger too. Maybe Springfield Armory as well. We'll see. They seem to be doing OK with their own business decisions, and they have a great reputation for customer service.

A competent gunsmith at SA can probably glance at it and fix it in a matter of 10 minutes. Said 'smith is probably responsible for a LOT of repeat business; well enough to pay is own salary and then some. ;)
 
under 600 , no problem
Metro Arms, American Classic II
Accurate, reliable and a great price for a great gun, every bit as good as my kimber.
Personally I would skip the SA mil-spec. I almost bought one. but for less i got more gun.
SA is all parts gun. built in Brazil with a lot of parts imported from surrounding countries.

Kimber, built in America, was my first 45,
 
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