Would you settle on this finish quality on a 1k+ gun?

[BamAlmighty]

I don't know if I am just being picky, but after owning several 1k+, a few 2-3k guns maybe my standards are too high?

My Springfield EMP new from the factory has a couple blemishes which for a $1k gun doesn't seem acceptable.

The front of the barrel has rough gouges on the barrel's crown top and bottom, looks like sloppy lathe work. And the trigger's finish is already worn which looks horrible and stands out on what should be great looking gun.

Am I being too picky? What would you do?

 

[mljdeckard]

Was it not possible to closely inspect the gun before you bought it?

Maybe this is one of the reasons I'm such a cheapskate. I worry 95% about how a gun functions, and 5% about how it looks. For minor cosmetic damage, I remind myself that I'm going to beat it up through regular use anyway. Should I call the factory and complain, insist on a fix or a trade, etc because they caused blemishes I'm going to cause myself anyway?

When I argue in here with people asking, "What's the advantage of a $1500 1911 over a $600 1911?"; and people answer with things like the level of fit and finish, inside and out, and how you can expect a more expensive gun to have more polished internals, etc, I keep coming back to; "Does it work? Yes? Then I don't care."

 

[NMGonzo]

I would apply sharpie on blemishes and be done with it.

 

[NG VI]

That's a really shallow crown.

 

[MCMXI]

Am I being too picky? What would you do?

The only "blemish" that would give me concern are the drag marks on the trigger. Is the trigger consistent in terms of pull? Is it hanging up or binding? You might have a burr inside the frame that's dragging on the trigger. Personally, I wouldn't give a crap about the tool marks or scrapes on the muzzle as long as they're not adversely affecting accuracy, but the trigger is important so I'd want that corrected. If you're not up to it yourself, send it back. I have more than 1,500 rounds through my Kimber after I installed an Ed Brown Videki trigger and there isn't a single mark on it. That's how it should be in my opinion.

 

[PabloJ]

Unless there is some super reliability or accuracy associated with this piece I do not see $1000 gun there. It's mass produced gun featuring blasted type of finish which is easy and cheap to execute. While not as durable high polish blue is expensive to utilize and is seldom found on guns today.

 

[gym]

Return it, that's bull, the taurus I just got doesn't look that bad. That's called a rush job, don't let them get aay with it, it's unacceptable, if they were buying the gun from you they would point all that stuff out as a reason to low ball you

 

[metalman8600]

I wouldn't buy a pistol that costs over $1000

 

[MICHAEL T]

I wouldn't have bought it to start with I inspect a pistol real careful

 

[Zerodefect]

The finish wear on the frame is acceptable. 1911's have weak finish.

The knicks in the barrel crown are not acceptable. Have Springy fit a new barrel or clean up the crown on that barrel.

Then i'd call it even.

 

[xr1200]

This is another example of if you brought this gun into a professional gun smith they would laugh you out of the store.

First the trigger, if is a simple bare aluminum trigger show that rubs against a steel frame, naturally its going to scratch, with firing the gun.

As for the barrel crown there is nothing wrong with it, if your that picky about keeping the end of the chamfer in perfect shape, they just run some 600 grit wet dry sand paper lightly around the edge and it would make it look new.

What you are seeing at the muzzle are simple handling marks, that get transfered from parts coming out of the machine, then placed into bins and moved from station to station during assembly.

The only time I returned a pistol to the factory was a SW 45 auto that the end of the barrel looked like someone had taken a hammer and chisel to it and that was on a new gun, about 7 yrs. ago.

What you are seeing is a simple scuff.

 

[G27RR]

The trigger wear looks a little excessive like it could be dragging on the frame.

 

[Lonestar49]

Was it not possible to closely inspect the gun before you bought it?

Maybe this is one of the reasons I'm such a cheapskate. I worry 95% about how a gun functions, and 5% about how it looks. For minor cosmetic damage, I remind myself that I'm going to beat it up through regular use anyway. Should I call the factory and complain, insist on a fix or a trade, etc because they caused blemishes I'm going to cause myself anyway?

When I argue in here with people asking, "What's the advantage of a $1500 1911 over a $600 1911?"; and people answer with things like the level of fit and finish, inside and out, and how you can expect a more expensive gun to have more polished internals, etc, I keep coming back to; "Does it work? Yes? Then I don't care."

...

I agree with above 100%

This is the same gun you said "I'll take it" and it passed muster then, it should pass muster now..

Having an early one, now, well over, 2yrs old with just over 7K "flawless" rounds, with the exceptional bad bullet here and there, with on-going accuracy in HD/SD ranges out to 40ft, these great guns are tack drivers..

I have somewhat the same handling imperfections on my barrel but they're on the bottom/center and it took me a bit to search them out. right now. Hey, no one see's them but you and I'd bet you 100 bucks, between friends, that each and every person you show your gun to, they're gonna go.. and never see what you see, rather, why it cost what it does.

IF it is a accurate, reliable/dependable shooter, then you've got what you paid for, as they last and keep on going and going and that's what you paid for..

What you see on the trigger, I'm betting it's not rubbing, rather, its within the frame oil/grease and if you take some Flitz polish to it with a Q-tip, it will go away, clean up.. I could be wrong, but see if it is "cleanable".. first before you make it an "ongoing sore spot" which I don't think it really is..

It's pure aluminum, not black/dark under the outer skin/finish

I, once, in the first few days, put just a touch of Eezox (great stuff) right there on both sides (for lubrication) in the event it may want to rub someday and for 2 weeks - it would come out black, right there, both sides on my gun - and just wipe off clean. Then it stopped and it remains pure/clean Aluminum next to the black frame, inside and out during these 2yrs and 7K actual rounds, not to mention God only knows, how many dry-fires (with snap cap chambered)

Work with your gun and it will work for you..

Enjoy it, most out there can't get one, be it one reason or another

You did - and ya have a nice, nice, gun, as is..


Ls

 

[BamAlmighty]

The trigger was like that new from the factory, so I assume somebody did a poor job on the finish work.

And for whatever reason I didn't notice the marks when I purchased it, I guess I was blinded by new gun fever.

 

[AethelstanAegen]

I think the only thing that would bother me would be the problems on the crown as that could, possibly, affect teh accuracy/function of the pistol. The trigger I barely noticed, though I can see your point. I was a little annoyed with a minor finish blemish on a 1911 I bought that was $400 less than yours though I quickly came to the conclusion that it gives the gun character and now I'll be less likely to make it a safe queen and actually use it. The damage to crown is disappointing though. Call Springfield and see what they'd be willing to do. Good luck and enjoy your new 1911!

 

[2wheels]

FWIW, my EMP 9 has the same issue with the trigger. I don't really care.

 

[dprice3844444]

they could have takin a little burr off with a file/stone on the trigger

 

[MCMXI]

First the trigger, if is a simple bare aluminum trigger show that rubs against a steel frame, naturally its going to scratch, with firing the gun.

Not if it's properly fitted and the frame is free of internal defects. I don't have any wear marks on the sides of my 1911 Videki triggers, even after 1,500 rounds through my Kimber and approximately 500 through the Ed Brown.

 

[ckone]

Yes you are too picky, and WAY too concerned with the guns finish, if it works, who cares.

Why not buy a Ferrari and polish it with a diaper instead of driving it..? it's the exact same thing.

I'll never understand you guys who treat these things like musaem pieces, they're guns, shoot them, dry-fire them, holster them over and over, that's what they are made to do, that EMP will never increase in value and is worth 20% less than what you paid because now it's used (whether you've shot it or not), just get over it.

I've had a few STI's where tge bluing seemed to wear off in a matter of hours, they also happen to be some of the best built 1911's available at any price, has me thinking maybe they do the finish like that on purpose so they'll end up in the hands of real shooters...

Shoot the crap out of it and be proud of it's "scars", they mean you're using it properly.

 

[bigfatdave]

What's next, a thread on how to prevent holster wear on your showpiece?

Those little blemishes are a start to a long life of abuse for a niche gun like the EMP, it isn't a $1k gun because it is pretty or because it has collector's value, it is expensive because it is a unique scaled-down design based on the M1911 pistol built from the ground up to feed and function with shorter ammo in modern HP designs.

Shove it in a holster and do a few thousand dryfires, spend a few afternoons beating up snapcaps while watching gameshows and doing draw/fire practice, carry the thing everywhere for a decade and shoot the snot out of it at the range.

That is designed to be a working gun, not cosmetic perfection ... get over it

Or sell the damaged piece of junk to me for $600, I'll take it off your hands if you just can't stand to look at it.

 

[GLOOB]

The only reason I'd spend $1000 on a 9mm semiauto is for the finish. But those blems in your pic seem more like caveat emptor stuff than warranty-worthy problems.

My Ruger MkIII Target came with a small blem on the muzzle. It bothered me a little... until I added a great big scratch of my own on the side of the barrel. What a relief!

 

[InkEd]

Go shoot your gun and stop worrying.

 

[G27RR]

The tone of a lot of these responses seems overly harsh to me. My Springfield RO trigger doesn't look like the OP's (neither do any of my other 1911s for that matter), and it has been shot a good bit already. I can understand why he is asking the question.

I wouldn't be concerned over the blemishes on the barrel, but it could be worth checking if the trigger is dragging on the frame.

For the record, I carry an STI Shadow which generally costs more than an EMP, and I don't worry about wear or fret that my chosen tool is too expensive to carry. It sounds like the concept of smeone carrying something more expensive than what others may choose bothers some of you. It doesn't matter to me what someone else carries or what they spent as long as it works for them.

Different strokes people, lighten up a little.

 

[Drail]

Yes, you would be laughed out of my shop and most other shops I have worked in. That is all normal stuff. It's going to get more dings out there in the real world. Chill.

 

[SwampWolf]

Maybe it's just me or the camera angle/lighting, but the left side of the front of the slide (if you were shooting; right side as pictured) looks a bit thinner than the other side. Call me "picky", but this apparent asymmetrical dimension would be unacceptable to me in a $600.00 pistol, let alone one that cost over $1,000.00- and I don't care how well it shoots.