Best 1911 Buy, Ever?
December 14th, 2019
2 minute read
Without a doubt, the 1911 is one of the most recognizable handguns on the planet. Having served as the standard sidearm for United States forces for 74 years — longer than any other — it’s hard to imagine our world without such an iconic handgun.
In March 1911, however, the fate of this latest design by John Moses Browning was very much undecided. U.S. pistol trials had been underway since 1907. For the final trial, pistols were submitted for a 6,000-round torture test conducted over a 12-hour period. Each shooter was instructed to follow a protocol incorporating a five-minute cooling period after each 100-round stage, and a thorough cleaning and oiling after each 1,000-round mark.
When the dust settled, the 1911 appeared to be victorious, having suffered far fewer mishaps than its competitors. The final verdict, though, would not arrive until the end of the month. On March 29, 1911, Lt. Col. John T. Thompson (later of Tommy gun fame) released a letter informing that the design had “passed the prescribed tests and has been adopted” as the new military sidearm.
A Classic, Today
While the design has remained relatively unchanged, one of the most beloved versions of the gun is the M1911A1. That’s the pistol that helped GIs make the world safe for democracy during World War II. And Springfield Armory’s 1911 Mil-Spec pistol carries on the legacy of that particular 1911 design.
The Mil-Spec 1911 from Springfield Armory has a carbon steel frame and slide and a 5″ match-grade stainless steel barrel. All of those parts are fully forged, not cast, for the highest degree of durability. The slide has slanted serrations and the mainspring housing is the original arched style found on GI-issue 1911A1s.
The pistol also features fixed three-dot sights, lowered and flared ejection port, and a single-sided thumb safety. Each Mil-Spec comes with fully checkered wood grips, has a Parkerized finish to combat corrosion, and comes with one 7-round magazine. At 39 ounces, you can literally feel the weight of the Mil-Spec 1911’s history in your hands.
If you’re in the market for your first firearm ever, your first 1911, your first gun from Springfield Armory, or you’re just looking to add another gun to your safe, this would be a good one to choose. Built from a design that has more than a century of battle-hardened tenacity, you can’t go wrong with this Springfield Armory 1911.
Editor’s Note: This article was written by T. Logan Metesh and shared with us by GUN TALK.
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T. Logan Metesh
Logan Metesh is an historian with a focus on firearms history and development. He runs High Caliber History LLC and has more than a decade of experience working for the Smithsonian Institution, the National Park Service, and the NRA Museums. The ease with which he can recall obscure historical facts and figures makes him very good at Jeopardy! but exceptionally bad at geometry.
