David Roberson
New member
I went to the Charlotte gun show on Saturday, intending to buy a Springfield Longslide, but came home instead with a Loaded Operator. (Long explanation available on request.)
This gun differs from the Mil-Spec Operator in that it has Novak night sights and an ambi safety, and also carries the perhaps optimistic "NM" designation before the serial number. Aside from that, I could see no differences between the two guns.
At the range yesterday, I gave the gun a brief shakedown. The first ammo I tried in it was some handloaded 200-gr SWC. Two rounds from the first magazine failed to feed, but after that, the gun worked reliably for about 100 rounds (all of that particular ammo I had on hand). The gun shot about two inches above point of aim, with windage perfect (although the Novak night sights are adjustable for windage and so a windage error could have been easily corrected). We then switched over to some handloads with 165-gr JHP. The first of these rounds also failed to feed, but all subsequent rounds (several magazines worth) worked perfectly.
We had intended to do some time trials to see if shot-to-shot times on falling plates were faster with the Operator or with a Longslide, but a battery failure in our timer prevented us from completing that test. Both of us who shot the Operator, however, agreed it felt more muzzle-heavy than the Longslide and that recoil recovery seemed quicker with the Operator. (Springfield says the Operator weighs .4 oz. more than the Longslide.) We'll see in subsequent tests if there really is a measurable difference.
My initial impressions were quite favorable. I look forward to more extended tests with this gun. Its muzzle-heavy nature should make it a great firearm for anyone wanting a .45 for speed shoots-- falling plates, poppers, etc. With the night sights, I think it would be an excellent candidate for a nightstand gun, and the accessory rail allows easy mounting of a light, which should improve its night-fighting capabilities even more. After a little more breaking in, the gun will probably become my new nightstand gun.
As mentioned in earlier threads, the bulky slide limits holster selection for this gun. It would fit in my Galco belt slide, but couldn't be drawn quickly from it (the mounting grooves on the accessory rail gave an excellent handsaw effect to the inside rear of the holster -- not conducive to a fast or smooth draw). But for open carry on the belt -- say in a flap holster or other full-coverage or duty-style rig -- I would think it would work fine. You could probably even carry it concealed in a full-pancake holster, that is if you wanted to CC a gun this heavy.
Two thumbs up here in NC. Check one out.
This gun differs from the Mil-Spec Operator in that it has Novak night sights and an ambi safety, and also carries the perhaps optimistic "NM" designation before the serial number. Aside from that, I could see no differences between the two guns.
At the range yesterday, I gave the gun a brief shakedown. The first ammo I tried in it was some handloaded 200-gr SWC. Two rounds from the first magazine failed to feed, but after that, the gun worked reliably for about 100 rounds (all of that particular ammo I had on hand). The gun shot about two inches above point of aim, with windage perfect (although the Novak night sights are adjustable for windage and so a windage error could have been easily corrected). We then switched over to some handloads with 165-gr JHP. The first of these rounds also failed to feed, but all subsequent rounds (several magazines worth) worked perfectly.
We had intended to do some time trials to see if shot-to-shot times on falling plates were faster with the Operator or with a Longslide, but a battery failure in our timer prevented us from completing that test. Both of us who shot the Operator, however, agreed it felt more muzzle-heavy than the Longslide and that recoil recovery seemed quicker with the Operator. (Springfield says the Operator weighs .4 oz. more than the Longslide.) We'll see in subsequent tests if there really is a measurable difference.
My initial impressions were quite favorable. I look forward to more extended tests with this gun. Its muzzle-heavy nature should make it a great firearm for anyone wanting a .45 for speed shoots-- falling plates, poppers, etc. With the night sights, I think it would be an excellent candidate for a nightstand gun, and the accessory rail allows easy mounting of a light, which should improve its night-fighting capabilities even more. After a little more breaking in, the gun will probably become my new nightstand gun.
As mentioned in earlier threads, the bulky slide limits holster selection for this gun. It would fit in my Galco belt slide, but couldn't be drawn quickly from it (the mounting grooves on the accessory rail gave an excellent handsaw effect to the inside rear of the holster -- not conducive to a fast or smooth draw). But for open carry on the belt -- say in a flap holster or other full-coverage or duty-style rig -- I would think it would work fine. You could probably even carry it concealed in a full-pancake holster, that is if you wanted to CC a gun this heavy.
Two thumbs up here in NC. Check one out.