Springfield Armory "Champion" in .40S&W?

R

Rainbow Six

New member
Any experience with these? My local gun shop has one. I am considering dabbling in the world of single action "Colt 1911" style auto pistols and this one caught my eye. I like the .40S&W round. Also, I might be able to get a .357SIG barrel for this gun. Are Springfield Armory guns worth the bucks? I think this particular pistol tags at around $650.00.

I was considering getting a Kimber but I have read some negative comments from owners of newer Kimbers that say the quality of their pistols has declined as compared to the earlier production samples. Anything to this?

Any advice from the more experienced 1911 style pistol "believers", especially SA and Kimber owners, will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

R6
 
Are you talking about the one at Wolf Creek?

If you are, I bought it last night!

Nahh... just pulling your leg :)

The only drawback to getting a .40S&W 1911 would be a good source of reliable magazines. But I'm not big into 1911s so I may be all wet on this.

Nice gun though, S.A. "Loaded" guns are sweet!

------------------
Dan

Si vis pacem para bellum!

Check me out at:
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www.mindspring.com/~susdan/interest.htm</A>
www.mindspring.com/~susdan/GlocksnGoodies.htm
 
I have a Champion in .45...I really like it. No problems. It's not the most beautiful gun (I kinda wish I'd gotten the blued not stainless) but it goes bang every time. The magazine thing would be a problems with the .40 versus the .45. The .45 Champion will accept all standard .45 mags, from 1911 forward, and from what I've found, it doesn't care what they are as long as they're decent mags. (I won't even attempt to try Shooting Stars, but with the Champion, I'd bet it would even work with them!
 
Dan, that's dirty. :) On the other hand, you could have saved me $600+ if you had bought it. :o

I never thought about the magazine issue. I guess SA would have me over a barrel right now as far as extra mags are concerned. I think I will skip the .40 for now and look at some .45's.

Frontsight,

Thanks for the reply. Now that you mention it, I think I would prefer blued steel instead of stainless. Blue just looks better on a Colt style pistol, don't you think?

Ok, you guys talked me out of it. I think I'll just watch the pawn shops for a good used Kimber .45 or try to find a really good deal on one from one of the top shelf 'smiths. Glad I didn't buy the dang thing when I first saw it.

Thanks,
R6
 
I have a Kimber 1911 and a Springfield 1911, both "government" sized .45's. I love them both. I have to say that the Kimber has been reliable out of the box, no FTF's, misfeeds, jams, nothing, and is a very accurate pistol. The Kimber is the Custom Royal version, with the polished flats and the rosewood grips.

My Springfield is (I think) their cheapest "Loaded" model, with some very nice cocobolo grips. I didn't like the two-piece guide rod, which loosened after 15 rounds, but that got fixed with a dab of Loc-tite, although I hear some thread tape is a better choice, and I can see how the two-piece rod makes it easier to take down (if you have a screwdriver).

I had cleaned both pistols (they're both fairly new) and lubricated them in the same fashion -- fairly dry. The Kimber didn't hiccup, but the Springfield wouldn't go fully into battery. I thought this was a "breaking in" issue, but came home, oiled the slide and barrel and guide rod, and shot it this afternoon without a hitch.

I still have to say that the Kimber is a more accurate pistol, and a tighter pistol, at least out of the box, but the Springfield will probably go more places with me -- matte finish, more utilitarian grips, Novak sights.

That's my impression of a new Kimber versus a new Springfield. The Springfield was about $100 cheaper. I couldn't be more tickled with either gun.

My last input: I could have bought a Colt 1991-A1 mil-spec for the same price as the loaded Springfield. But I've had one of those, and really see no difference in quality ... plus I'd have to add a beavertail (probably) and replace the thumb safety to get one that doesn't eat the scar on my thumb.

Say, what about a 1911 for coyote hunting?
 
MRH,

I appreciate yor reply. I am going to look at some Kimbers tomorrow to try and get a feel for their quality before I get serious about buying one. I only wish I knew more about what to look for, or avoid, on a 1911 style pistol.

Thanks again,
R6
 
I got the KImber Goldmatch in blue, and it is the most accurate pistol out of the box i have shot other than my SA revolvers.If i make it to the next time we have a get together at Wolfcreek or Hotshots I`ll let you put some rounds through it if you want.I can`t say enough about the kimber i got ,the only bad thing ive had is it doesn`t like the 185 wadcutters very much,but neither does my other 1911`s.

killer45auto
 
Rainbow Six, you and I are in the same boat. I've had a Colt 1991A1 .38 Super, a Browning Hi-Power .40, a Para-Ord P-13 ... and that's been "it" with my 1911-type experience til these two guns. But, hey, I got rid of the .38 Super because of the caliber, the Hi-Power because it was fickle, and the P-O because of the grip frame ... that's experience, isn't it? :) Now my only question is, what next? This 1911 bug is real. No doubt about it. I wonder if it's a sin.
 
killer45auto,

Thanks. I'd love that. I've only shot one Kimber. It was smooth and accurate, but it was an older model, as in the old Kimber address on the frame. My only real concern is a few complaints I've heard from owners of the newer production runs from Kimber regarding fit & finish not being what it once was.

MRH,

Actually, I couldn't be happier with the auto pistols (Glocks and Sigs) and the one revolver (Ruger SP101) that I own. I'm in the "I want to own one of everything" boat and the single action "1911" style pistol is just about the only type of handgun that I haven't owned, other than SA revolvers. :)

R6
 
Rainbow Six, I'm not going to start another war here, but I've owned a Kimber, and after the *ell that I went through with it, I woudn't but another one. I've heard lots of nice things about them lately, but most people agree that their customer service is lacking, while Springfield's is pretty darn good. I own two SA's now because of their great reliability and good customer service, versus the Kimber that wouldn't work and the "custom shop" that wouldn't work.
 
Frontsight,

Thanks. I appreciate you relaying your honest impressions regarding your experiences with Kimber and their products. That's why I started this thread in the first place, to get the good, the bad, and the ugly.

R6
 
You definitely cannot go wrong with a S.A. Loaded pistol. I had one for a short time and it was great (it got traded off for an AR...I'm pretty fickle).

I'm not much of a 1911 guy - too many negative experiences in the past, BUT I saw the Kimber Ultra Carry...Got to get me one, somehow, someway!



------------------
Dan

Si vis pacem para bellum!

Check me out at:
<A HREF="http://www.mindspring.com/~susdan/interest.htm" TARGET=_blank>

www.mindspring.com/~susdan/interest.htm</A>
www.mindspring.com/~susdan/GlocksnGoodies.htm
 
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