1911 Owners...Please Read

S

Sundance

New member
I want to begin by saying that I love the 1911. My current 1911 of choice is the Kimber. I have owned a Colt and a Para in the past. I have friends with Kimbers, Colts, Springfields, and Paras. They are all fine guns and it is more or less a matter of taste which one you choose. So what is the point of all this? Let's not bicker over which one is better than the other. Let's just discuss the attributes of each and let people decide for themselves.

Now on that note, I am interested in picking up a Springfield Longslide. I have always wanted a longslide .45 and have always had an interest in a Springfield. However, there is one thing that has always deterred me from buying a Springfield 1911. And no it is not the "Made in Brazil" stamped on the gun, although I could do without that too. My problem with the Springfield is the frontstrap of the grip. On the Colt and the Kimber the frontstrap is more rounded and it curves all the way around to the point where it meets the grip panels. On the Springfield, the frontstrap is more square and it stops curving well short of the grip panels leaving a squared off edge that feels more blocky and less comfortable in my hand. I have also noticed that on the higher end Springfields such as the TRP, the frontstrap is more rounded like the Colt and the Kimber.

My question is this...does anyone else have a problem with this on the Springfield? Has anyone sent their gun to a smith and had the frontstrap more rounded like a Colt or Kimber or higher end Springfield?
 
Checkering the frontstrap (on the TRP) rounds it off.

Or, you could have it rounded yourself:

V-10:
v10grip2.jpg

Stainless Loaded:
springfield3s.jpg


Interestingly, the Stainless Loaded does not have "FI Brazil" on the frame.
 
I too have a Springfield and do not like the front strap profile. Mine is currently at the gunsmith and it will have the front strap profile fixed (among other things -- won't be many original parts left by the time he's done).

M1911
 
Tamara,

I like the looks of your stainless loaded in the pic. Are you saying that you did that rounding yourself? Or did somebody do it for you? If all SAs looked like that from the factory, I would have bought one long ago.

Springfield has a few other undesireable features (in my opinion) such as the loaded chamber indicator, the locking mainspring housing, and the titanium firing pin as well. All are lawyer and politician inspired. But the great thing is that all are easily removeable. Unlike the Kimber series II thing. You are kinda stuck with it. Unless you don't mind a hole in your slide where the parts used to be.
 
The Stainless Loaded is my roommate's, the V-10 is mine. I did the scribing of the lines I wanted to round to and the initial rough file work on the V-10, but the finishing was done by the 'smith. The Stainless Loaded was also done by the 'smith, and included replacing the locking mainspring housing with a flat Ed Brown detachable magwell one, and fine bead blasting on the whole gun, as well as recontouring the dust cover and frontstrap.
 
From what I understand, the new ones (sold by Springfield after April of 02 IIRC) will have a colt/kimber profile front strap and dust cover.

Definitely a move in the right direction. I've paid to have mine fixed and I love it, but I'd rather not spend the money on stuff like that.

Jim
 
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