Springfield 1911-A1 BUL M-5 Know anything about them?

[wbwanzer]

At my LGS I saw a Springfield made 9mm 1911 that appears to have been made for Israel and imported by CAI. It has a polymer frame and it holds 17 or 18. Is anyone familiar with these? Are they any good? I've never heard of them before.

Any input will be appreciated.

 

[Arp32]

Bul and Springfield are two different brands... Where did it say Springfield on the gun? Could be a mix & match...

 

[wbwanzer]

It said 'Springfield Armory' on the slide. Also said 'C.A.I.'. Possably made for Israel to be like the BUL M-5?

 

[9mmepiphany]

The BUL M-5 is made by BUL Transmark in Israel. Springfield Armory isn't a manufacturer but did import the BUL, from Israel, for a period of time.

If the one you saw was marked C.A.I., that means it was imported by Century Arms International

 

[Sam Cade]

Most likely someone just cobbled together a SA slide and guts onto a M-5 frame.

 

[Radagast]

FWIW I've owned a couple of Bul M5s in .38 super and 9mm. These were complete guns, not mixed and matched. They were very accurate in .38 super, reasonable in 9mm. Perfectly reliable in .38 super, extractor needed tweaking in 9mm. Note guns started as .38 super, 9mm barrel was added.
Kimber imported the Bul frames and mated their slides to them, Charles Daly imported complete guns, Marstar in Canada imported complete guns, some may have made it over the border.
Early Bul frames with a square cut trigger guard will not fit into standard 1911 holsters, later ones with the more traditional trigger guard shape will.
Bul make their own magazines, these may be hard to find. STI mags can be modified to work with a little filing of the body and mag lips.

 

[wbwanzer]

Thanks Radagast. I'll probably pass on it as I don't want to have to 'make' it work properly.

 

[Radagast]

Probably a good call. I don't think there has been a US Bul distributor since Charles Daly went broke. Once set up mine was absolutely reliable - even shot with only one finger and thumb on the grip. We have a great Bul distributor here in Australia, over there it would be an orphan with no spares support.