The 1911 pistol originated in the late 1890s as a result of the US Government’s search for a more suitable self-loading pistol to replace its service weapon at the time. Based upon the bad experiences with the .38 revolvers in the Philippines during the Spanish-American War, a change is in order. While the .30 caliber rifles proved to be effective against the attackers, the .38 caliber double-action revolvers demonstrated a lack of stopping power. Several reports showed that numerous Moro fighters were able to absorb multiple pistol bullets while they continued to hack into the Americans (Browning, 2011).
Due to this demoralizing result, the government opened a pistol trial to find the next service pistol. In 1907, John Browning tendered his version of the 1911, but it wasn’t successful due to some deficiencies in the design. However, Browning didn’t stop and continued to improve the design by outshining its closest rival, Savage, and its .45 repeater.
On March 28, 1911, the US military adopted Browning’s new seven-shot .45 caliber pistol. The first 1911s were manufactured by Colt and Springfield Armory. Civilian versions came right after, and it has become one of the most famous handguns ever since due to its simplicity and great design.
Just like any other pistol, the 1911 also had some gremlins. Below is a list of the most common issues reported online.
1. Failure to feed
2. Won’t go into battery
3. Extractor Breakage
Failure to feed is a common occurrence if the pistol is dirty, the magazine spring is due for a replacement, or the magazine itself is broken. If the pistol doesn’t go into battery, it can be because of the recoil spring, dirty internals, and/or a lack of oil. Extractor breakage can happen to a lot of different pistols, and changing them is fairly easy. Properly scheduled maintenance is imperative if you want to have a reliable and working 1911. This is not the kind of pistol that you just leave inside the safe and expect to work after years of being neglected. Oil is the key to most, if not all, 1911 pistols out there.
Now for our testing, I have a stock Springfield Armory 1911 A1 Loaded. I replaced the stock sights with a fiber optic front sight and an adjustable rear sight. I also polished the internals and adjusted the sear spring to make the trigger pull as smooth as possible and light as well. Apart from those, everything else is in its stock form. This pistol has an average trigger pull weight (10 pulls) of 2 lbs. and 6 oz.
I will be using the Hornady American Gunner 185GR XTP for accuracy testing since this is the one that gave me the best result. For reliability, I will be using Hornady Critical Defense 185GR FTX, Speer Gold Dot 230GR HP, and Winchester Target 230GR FMJ.
Since I did not install any upgrades that would increase its accuracy, I will be using this target made by Todd Louis Green specifically for RDS, so I can try and keep it within the 2-inch circle.
The Range
The temperature here in California is 86 degrees Fahrenheit, with a relative humidity of 42% and an elevation of about 1,053 feet.
I did not experience any failures during the warm-up phase. Since I replaced the sights, I zeroed it with a 6 o’clock hold. I spent probably over 200 rounds trying to figure out which ammunition would give me the best result, and that turned out to be the Hornady American Gunner 185GR XTP.
Accuracy Test
I shot seven rounds at 10 yards, and two went a bit to the left side of the circle. Upon measuring, it came out to be 1.7 inches from end to end. Please see Figure 1.2 below for the result.
At 25 yards, I sent another seven rounds; two were inside the 2-inch circle, and the rest were a bit to the left. I would say that this would be more due to my eyesight more than the pistol, as the combination of the gun sight and blurry eyes can be a bit challenging. Regardless, I still got a pretty good result out of it. From the farthest end, I managed to get a 2.1-inch grouping, which is not bad for a production 1911. Please see Figure 1.3 below for the result.
Performance
The pistol is a bit on the heavy side, but this is what you would expect from a stainless steel 1911. The felt recoil is decent, but it is not something that I am bothered by. I can still get back to my target at a reasonable rate. The accuracy is splendid for a .45 caliber pistol that has a classic technical design. The polished internals allowed me to remove the grittiness on the trigger, thus making it smoother than before. As far as the grip, I don’t know if any pistol can beat the 1911s because my experience with them has always been excellent.
On an unrelated note, this pistol has an “NM” on its serial number, and upon research, it is supposedly highly desired since it is made and/or assembled in the US. Rumor has it that SA pistols that have an “NM” designation are more properly built than their custom counterparts, but I cannot verify the authenticity of this claim.
Ergonomics
The Springfield Armory 1911 is very comfortable to hold. The grip-to-frame angle seems to suit most users, allowing the gun to point to a desired target without inordinate correction. The thumb safety is easy to manipulate and perfectly accessible. The beavertail helps tame the recoil and maintain control. The serrations on the slide give you a lot of grip, whether you want to rack the front or rear parts of the slide. The magazine release button, on the other hand, requires me to break my grip to fully engage it. It is not a deal-breaker, but something that needs to be pointed out.
Appearance
Honestly, the appearance did not change much from the original 1911. It gives you the classic look that a lot of people generally like. Its appearance is easily recognizable around the world, and a lot of military folks still like it, including me.
Customization
There are a lot of customizable parts that are available online. Just like the Glock, 1911 parts can be found almost everywhere. But just like the others, not all of them are made the same, so do your homework.
Conclusion
The Springfield Armory 1911 A1 Loaded scored 8.78 out of 10. It is not bad for a stock pistol. It performs well, and it packs a good amount of stopping power. However, you will have to keep it in top shape to avoid unnecessary failures. One could argue that as long as you oil it and keep it clean, it should be as reliable as the others. That is true, but when we talk about reliability, anything goes. It has to perform even if the condition isn’t ideal. Apart from that, everything went well with the testing. It can certainly play with the big boys, but the accuracy won’t be as good as those that were made to perform great. On a side note, be careful when you’re upgrading your 1911. Just like the Glock, this platform is very sensitive, and you don’t want to waste that money just to get an unreliable pistol in the end. But when done right, it will do some magic for you, and you’ll be glad that you upgraded it.
TEST RESULT
Reliability: 6/10
I did not experience any failures after using multiple different brands of ammunition in both the reliability and accuracy tests. However, outside of the testing phase, I did experience some failures (i.e., staying out of battery and failing to feed) when I did not clean the pistol after roughly 400 rounds. Also, when I was new to the 1911, I did not put on a generous amount of oil, as I am used to the modern way of cleaning the pistols. That instance also led to multiple failures, and that was when I realized the importance of oil in this particular type of firearm. The fact that 1911s are sensitive to dirt or a lack of oil makes this pistol a hit or miss when it comes to reliability. If you keep your pistol in top shape, which you are supposed to, then it will function well day in and day out. But if you accidentally drop this in the mud or you simply ignore the pistol without cleaning or oiling it, then you might get some failures. And that feeling of uncertainty doesn’t sit well with me.
Accuracy: 9/10
The Springfield Armory 1911 A1 Loaded is pretty accurate for a production 1911 pistol. This gun in particular gave me respectable results at 10 and 25 yards, respectively. It is not as accurate as the high-end 1911s, but it can play with them up there, especially if you start upgrading it.
Performance: 8.7/10
With no internal upgrades installed, this 1911 performed surprisingly well. I did not experience any failures during the test, and this can be attributed to the cleanliness of the pistol and the generous amount of oil that I put in. I did notice, however, that I needed to focus more to hit the bullseye consistently and keep the groupings within 2 inches. Otherwise, it will be outside of my 2-inch target, and I wouldn’t be happy about it. If I am shooting a steel target, then it won’t matter, but if I am shooting for accuracy and am aiming for bullseye after bullseye then this will get very tiring in no time. With no internal upgrades installed, this 1911 performed surprisingly well. I did not experience any failures during the test, and this can be attributed to the cleanliness of the pistol and the generous amount of oil that I put in. I did notice, however, that I needed to focus more to hit the bullseye consistently and keep the groupings within 2 inches. Otherwise, it will be outside of my 2-inch target, and I wouldn’t be happy about it. If I am shooting a steel target, then it won’t matter, but if I am shooting for accuracy and am aiming for bullseye after bullseye, then this will get very tiring in no time.
Ergonomics: 9.7/10
The ergonomics of this pistol are very good. The thumb safety is very accessible and easy to engage. The grip gives a lot of traction. The serration on the slide helps a lot when you rack the slide. But just like any production pistol, the magazine release button requires me to break my grip to use it.
Appearance: 9.3/10
A 1911 pistol is a classic. It is one of the most recognizable pistols in the world. Regardless of its vintage design, it still looks great and is stylish.
Customization: 10/10
Customization? 1911 parts are everywhere, and you can get them easily. Do your homework, though, because you might end up with an unreliable pistol in the end. Not all upgrades will work well with your pistol.
Overall Score: 8.78/10
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