First Look: Springfield 911 .380

By Firearm Patriot

The Springfield Armory 911 is an excellent new pistol designed for concealed carry and chambered for the .380 ACP cartridge. I recently had the chance to get one on the range for a little testing, and I was impressed by how well the gun handled and shot.

I’m not the only one. Check out Massad Ayoob’s 911 380 review for his take on the pistol.

Basics

The handgun is made with an aluminum frame and a stainless steel slide. Springfield Armory also uses stainless steel for the barrel.

Included with the pistol is a pair of magazines. One is a flush-fitting 6-round magazine for optimal concealment. The second is an extended magazine that increases the capacity by one additional round.

Another benefit of the extended magazine is the floorplate that gives your hand more purchase on the pistol.

G10

Assisting with the control of the pistol is the fantastic set of Hogue Thin Line grips. These grip panels are made of G10 – a polymer laminate that is extremely durable. An aggressive texture offers a great look and helps the grips stick to the hand when shooting.

The trigger is also made of G10 laminate. Like the grips, Hogue makes the high-strength laminate trigger shoe that is used on the 911 pistol. It matches the light, crisp pull perfectly.

Lefty-Friendly

Heavily influenced by the classic 1911-style pistols, the 911 handgun shares many standard features – just in a reduced size. As designed by John Moses Browning, the original 1911 pistol had a thumb safety only on the pistol’s left side.

Springfield Armory elected to deviate from that design choice and use an ambidextrous safety on the 911 pistol. This gives the gun greater flexibility for southpaw shooters as the function is perfectly mirrored on both sides of the gun.

Some say that the 1911-style pistols are not good for CCW. I disagree. These pistols have been used for more than 100 years to defend men and women all over the world. I think they are perfectly acceptable and carrying the Springfield 911 makes a lot of sense to me.

Sights

Springfield Armory also deviated from the original Browning design with the sights selected for use on the 911. Even traditionalists will appreciate this upgrade.

Ameriglo Pro-Glo sights are standard on these .380 pistols. The Pro-Glo sights are true combat night sights that incorporate the following features:

• tritium vials all the way around for three-dot alignment in all lighting conditions
• a photoluminescent circle around the front tritium vial for a large, bright aiming point
• wide U-notch rear sight for fast front sight acquisition under stress
• hard, front edge to the rear sight for one-handed slide manipulation

All-in-all, the Springfield Armory 911 pistols are impressive handguns that would serve many people well in a personal protection role. With modern defensive ammo, the .380 ACP is a respectable cartridge that provides adequate stopping power. When launched from the 911, you can be sure rounds will fly true when you do your part.

Alternatively, if you prefer the additional speed and stopping power the 9mm offers, there is a 911 chambered just for you. Check out Dan’s 911 in 9mm review.

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