Springfield Loaded - Showing off and 1 question

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JoeMal

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I got my Springfield Loaded .45ACP 1911 today...love it. This is my first 1911, and also my first Springfield, and I'm quite happy with the quality of the weapon. The fit and lockup is extremely tight. I've taken it apart and cleaned it, it was lubed heavily from the factory. I plan on getting it to the range tomorrow or Thursday; I will post a range report when I can.

I do have one gripe about the gun. The magazines (both) take some serious force to be properly inserted into gun...so much that I thought I was going to break something when I first got the gusto to press hard enough to get them inserted. If I depress the mag release, they slide right in. Which leads me to believe it's an internal part that catches the mag (sorry for the lack of technical terms). Is this something I should call Springfield about? Or should I just use it like it is? I assume it will loosen up a bit with use. There's a screw on the opposite side of the mag release...if I loosen this screw, will it move that internal piece out of the way a little to make mag insertion easier? Once again, sorry for my lack of knowledge regarding this I just don't want to go tweaking something and screw something up....I know 1911s are kinda picky.

Anyway, thanks to anyone who can comment about the magazine issue. Here are some pics

*EDIT* I wanted to post this because of the great service I got. I in no way work for these folks, I just wanted to post about my experience with them. Online Gun Deals (The Exchange is their actual store name) in SD is where I bought this. EXTREMELY good customer service. Quick replys via email, and when I was on the phone with them, they were more than willing to speak kindly and friendly with me, answering all of my questions, regardless of how busy they were (I could hear lots of activity going on in the background, as well as other phones ringing). Prices were fair also. I would recommend them 100%

EDIT2* Range report: Shot 200 rounds today; started with 100 Federal and finished with 100 WWB. In the first 60-70 rounds, I had 2 double feeds but didn't experience any issues after that. I'm not sure if I should blame the brand new gun or factory mags. When I get some extra cash I plan on buying some new magazines for it...not sure whether I'm going to get Chip McCormicks, Mec-Gars etc but I will get a few and see if that makes a difference. The wife still needs to shoot it so another range session will be in the works here shortly and I'm anxious to see how it performs then also.

Accuracy was pretty good from the 7-10 yards I was shooting at. I'm a Glock guy so shooting this 1911 was much different for me. Occasionally I was shooting dead-on, other times I was shooting low left. I would bet my trigger control is to blame for this and will improve with experience. I was going to take a picture of the targets I was shooting at but I completely forgot to do so before I left the range.

Overall I'm happy with the gun and look forward to putting more rounds downrange with it.

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Mine was the same way when I got it, after a while it got smoother, not gonna hurt it though, and if you did SA will fix it!
 
What you are bumping up against is the magazine catch...the internal part of the magazine release that actually fits into the cutout in your magazine. You'll notice a line starting to wear into the magazine body where the catch is bearing against it.

DO NOT loosen the retaining screw on the magazine release/catch. It is supposed to be either engaged or disengaged. It's function is to keep the magazine release from coming out of the frame when you depress it.

You could call Springfield if you think the force needed to insert the magazine is excessive. I've never noticed, but them I slam my magazines into my gun pretty hard
 
Thanks guys

I have inserted the magazine several times since last night when I got the gun...basically just slamming it in, ejecting, slamming it back in, ejecting, etc over and over and I can already tell a difference in the amount of force it takes to get it in the gun. I figured this was just a tight tolerance issue that would be worked out over time, I just wanted to make sure. I don't think it's worth sending it back at this point.

Now I'm onto looking for some black grips for it. I was hoping for more of the red-looking grips but this gun came with grips that are more brown looking. I think black grips will look great with the black sights. I've seen some nice looking VZs but I think I will shop around to see what all is out there. Being my first 1911 I have a lot to learn about the aftermarket goodies available :)
Thanks for the support!
 
Something like this?

Grip03-BC_IMG_2939__26697_zoom.jpg


It is from 10-8 Performance and is called Black Cherry
 
Yeah those look great. I'm not sure what I want to do about grips...not sure I feel like spending $50+ for a set of grips...let alone 70 plus shipping. I'll have to do some digging or maybe buy used.
 
Ya I'm good on that...student loans are getting the most of my money right now...which sucks because what do you know, nobody is hiring. Go to school kids and get your degrees! (And hope you can find a job when you're done!)

I'm lucky to even have the 1911
 
Very nice. Thanks for sharing.
I've found the magazine catch get's easier to slide past with time. I still generally depress the button. Why hammer on something that doesn't need it. You'll probably find that the mag release has a rough tapered surface. This will polish out over time.
 
Range report: Shot 200 rounds today; started with 100 Federal and finished with 100 WWB. In the first 60-70 rounds, I had 2 double feeds but didn't experience any issues after that. I'm not sure if I should blame the brand new gun or factory mags. When I get some extra cash I plan on buying some new magazines for it...not sure whether I'm going to get Chip McCormicks, Mec-Gars etc but I will get a few and see if that makes a difference. The wife still needs to shoot it so another range session will be in the works here shortly and I'm anxious to see how it performs then also.

Accuracy was pretty good from the 7-10 yards I was shooting at. I'm a Glock guy so shooting this 1911 was much different for me. Occasionally I was shooting dead-on, other times I was shooting low left. I would bet my trigger control is to blame for this and will improve with experience. I was going to take a picture of the targets I was shooting at but I completely forgot to do so before I left the range.

Overall I'm happy with the gun and look forward to putting more rounds downrange with it.
 
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Your magazine release's locking lug is a little too long. If used in that condition it will start to wear a groove in the top left edge of the magazine. A smith can fix it in five minutes with a file. The "screw" is not really a screw, it is a slotted locking pin and is used only to remove and lock/install the mag catch. You should not have to force the magazine past the catch, it should smoothly move out of the way. McCormick mags are the best deal for the price out there. Wilson's are nice but overpriced.
 
McCormick mags are the best deal for the price out there
Click to expand...
Can you comment on the different variations of the McCormick's out there? Is it worth the money to go with a 'match grade' or the 'power mags' over the 'shooting stars'?
 
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I use Ergo Grips, they come in coyote, olive drab, black... fit nice, good grip-a-bility, no I don't work for them.

Bob
 
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