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Springfield Armory 1911 Defend your Legacy Mil-Spec

KillerFord1977

SAINT
Founding Member
I posted snippets here and there about getting the new 1911 DYL Mil Spec series on the various posts relative to the firearm. I thought I would give a little more info now that I have 400 rounds thru it in 3 weeks of shooting. No paid ad here. Just average joe that loves to shoot recreationally.

bottom line: fantastic gun !

This 1911 was designed from the git go to be a no frills 1911 of bygone era of WW1-WW2 army issue 1911 at a low intro price for those looking into a first 1911 type pistol. SA gave it just a few modern upgrades.
Basic modern sights, etc ...

fit and finish is excellent. Barrel and assembly does not rattle. When you push down on the barrel with the chamber in the closed position thru the ejection port, the barrel does not flex downward or “give” like other inexpensive guns. I wont name the cheapo’s out there, but we all know them.
There is no rattle or “give” when you “twist” the firearm left to right on some torsion pressure. It is solid and tight all around.

Trigger pressure: A bit stiff, but expected from this type of trigger assembly. Good feel. Crisp and clean. No slack required on take up.
Recoil is moderate, but expected for a 1911. Heavy pistol with 5” barrel mitigates recoil. Recoil is less than my Sig220.
no feed issues or jams reported with 400 rounds. Performed without a hiccup with standard 230gr rounds.

solid sights with white inlay and easy to see, even in lower light.

looks and appeal of the gun are solid in aesthetics and colors-wood grainnothing fancy. Just nice blued finish and dark wood grain.

I was out the door for a smidge over $500. Makes for a great value gun and gun for being in the field and getting muddy on hunting/camping trips and still performing like a solid 1911 should.

it is a sedan, not a Corvette. It will get you there all day long, but dont expect glitz and glitter

extra mags are $19.99 at my local shop and online. Comes with one mag. For that price, I bought 3 more.
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I'm not sure what the difference is between my SA mil-spec 1911A1 and yours, but as best as I can tell, only the slide appears different. That and I put "U.S." style walnut grips from the Armory Store on mine.

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Update:
700+ rounds thru the Springfield Mil Spec .45

zero issues !!
All on Federal Premium .45 230 grain
For $500 and some change, this firearm has performed as well or better than my guns 2-3x its price.

10 yards consistent groups of 2-3”
5-7 yards 1-2” groups

well done Springfield !!!
 
Reminds me of when I took a high round count class and brought my Baer.

One of those loudmouths(you know the type) started talking up how I was gonna be demonstrating failure drills because I had a 1911.

His “basement tuned” Glock 19 crapped the bed on the second drill. He had to finish the class with a loaner from one of the instructors, because his G19 was SOO reliable, he didn’t even consider bringing a backup...my pistol didn’t fail once in the 500 rounds we went through.

And yes, I rubbed it in a bit...
 
Reminds me of when I took a high round count class and brought my Baer.

One of those loudmouths(you know the type) started talking up how I was gonna be demonstrating failure drills because I had a 1911.

His “basement tuned” Glock 19 crapped the bed on the second drill. He had to finish the class with a loaner from one of the instructors, because his G19 was SOO reliable, he didn’t even consider bringing a backup...my pistol didn’t fail once in the 500 rounds we went through.

And yes, I rubbed it in a bit...
I am impressed with a $500 1911.
As I stated before, it is as accurate and reliable as my $1000+ 1911’s.
Now, I still love my more expensive guns, but this goes to show how well made these SA 1911’s are.
 
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