Springfield Armory Quality Control

Z

ZeusOne

New member
I just took delivery of a NIB 2001 model Springfield Armory 45 full size from a reputable local dealer. I disassembled the gun for it's initial inspection, cleaning and lube before firing. I discovered a horrible tooling mark on the front portion of the guide rod, four or five parallel rows of deep scratches running down most of it's length. The raised edges had not yet damaged the spring follower inner-race when the factory test-fired, but I'm very surprised and extremely dismayed that this got past their QC.

So I called SA customer service this morning, and the best that they will do is send me a new piece, but only AFTER they get the defective one back. They will NOT do an advance exchange of this inexpensive part to get me up quicker.

So I've got a brand new Springfield 45 that I won't be able to shoot for at least another 2-3 weeks now. I will say that I'm definitely not happy about their initial quality, or with their warranty policy on this matter.

My first Springfield, my first impression. The thrill of this new purchase is gone.....

Has anyone had similar experiences with this company? How about you Kimber and Para-O owners, care to 'fess up with similar stories??
 
I have no experience with Springfied but can share my experience with Kimber. After having problems with FTF's with my new Kimber I was told that it was probably due to a faulty slide stop. They sent me a new one free of charge without ever having to send back the faulty one. It arrived less than a week later and since then, over 1000 rounds, no FTF's. I'm not sure if these situations are directly comparable but take it FWIW.
 
My v-10 ultracompact, the open spring plug(reverse plug) was large than the opening in the slide so they forced it in at the factory, I had to force it out and then sand it down to get it back in. I called them and they said " must be a burr on the slide, send the whole gun back (my expense)" Ithen sanded and fitted the part myself.

This same gun which recieves extra attention in Geneseo according to their website and on the phone, had poor slide to frame fit and extremely poor barrel to slide fit, the worst I'v ever seen on a handgun, you could wiggle the barrel 1/8" in any direction when it was locked up. It patterned like a shotgun from a sandbag rest. It jammed frequently 1 or two times per magazine.

It was a piece of junk. I would never buy another springfield.

YMMV
 
It's interesting to note how rarely people say good things.

To be different; my SA didn't perform as I would have liked, NIB. The groups are 6"@25', at best, the link is too long and jams against the dust cover. The lockup is marginal.

In their defense, this weapon has never failed to fire or feed and has only experienced one failure to eject. That one instance was caused by a loosened extractor that allowed the last case to drop down into the mag well. After a 500 round session, that's not bad for a dirty gun.

Accuracy might not be what I might like, but reliability is superb.

I'd buy another.
 
I have a SA TRP which is about two years old.It had one problem;it would periodically go full auto and fire a double or even a triple tap followed by a double feed situation.The factory fixed this but it took five weeks.When I tested it I noted that the trigger pull was heavier than specs.Sent it back and turnaround time was ten days or so and the factory picked up the freight charges.This gun shoots very well,is not fussy about ammo and has the best trigger I've tried in a non custom 1911.
I was moderately pissed at the time but,compared with my ongoing hell after purchasing a Para 7.45 LDA in which I easily found major defects while dry function testing and which at the end of almost a month,has neither been replaced nor repaired'SA service looks first class.
 
Both of mine are fine. I did order some stuff from SA with the Coupon but forgot to fill out form completely. They called and got the info they needed and expressed shipped my stuff. Customer Service is great. That said
Every manufacturer of everything manufactured turns out a lemon sometimes. Generally SA has been outstanding about making things right. They will reimburse you for shipping once they get the gun.
 
here's what ya do...

shoot it WITHOUT the guide rod. It'll WORK. Shoot it and enjoy. Then when you get the new rod, put it in, and voila!
 
...throw it away and shoot the crap out of it...Put the free one in when it comes if you still want to...You'll never miss it.:cool:

...seems like you'd have taken a peek at it before you left the shop with it...It'd be different if it was mail order...sheesh

They don't have QC anywhere anymore...you pay to play and take yer' chances...If it's not what you wanted why'd you buy it?
 
It was not a pistol in my case but on of my M1A rifles. I picked up a National Match M1A a few years back and the rear sight was "rattle" loose. Yes I sent it back, and yes they fixed it, but come on, it was a $2000 rifle, where is the qc these days!
 
i wasn't going to say a word about my springfield. i raised enough hell on another forum when i first had trouble with mine. i purchased a new 2001 loaded model with the parkerized finish. i had to order it and wait for delivery. it looked wonderful when i finally got it and it was one of the most accurate pistols i have ever owned. it would not feed reliably with any ammo and i tried several different mags, including the wilson 47d mags. i sent it back 3 or 4 times, i forget which. it always came back with the same problems. i finally got it to work myself. i turned it into a beretta. nothing wrong with the 1911, it's the manufacturers that are not keeping there end up.
 
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