I would be interested in any feedback the members would have on the ongoing problem in obtaining this firearm. It is a Springfield loaded 1911-A1 9mm pistol.
If you look on the Springfield web site, you will find the gun listed but you cannot just order it.
Three YEARS ago at Rio Salado, I saw one for the first time and talked to the guy who owned it and he told me it had been owned by a dealer who had done some work on it and I got a chance to try it out. I liked it and set about trying to find one. They were not to be had. Bud's didn't have them, Able Ammo did not have them and you could not find them readily available on-line.
I went to my local gun store and asked them to order one ( we can get anything quickly ). . .it has been THREE YEARS and they still cannot get one. In the interim I bought a Smith and Wesson Pro Series that is a real good shooter. Still had that hankering for the Springer.
I called Springfield and they told me, the line that those guns run on does double duty for other lines as well and when it does run, the production is allocated to some big distributors and they are allocated in the order they are received by Springfield.
I then try to take advantage of Bud's guns offer to prepay and order the gun. So I did. . .then the wait began. FOR A YEAR!!! I then check with Able ammo and they also have a way to prepay for the gun and an option to be notified when the gun is in stock.
So... sometime in 2013, I get a notice from Able that the gun has been placed in stock and is available to order. As soon as the notice comes in, I call to order and sure enough they are sold out. I get back on the list and a couple of days later, they receive another shipment and I try again to place an order and once again they are sold out.
I call Buds and ask them why it is that Able Ammo has received two shipments of this model and I have prepaid for over a YEAR with Buds and have not heard a thing. Buds tells me they will check into it. A couple of days later, I get a notice from Able that they have received a shipment and this time I am able to latch onto one and arrange to have it shipped to my LGS.
I call Buds and ask them why Able Ammo is able to get three shipments of this firearm and Buds has yet to come up with one although it has been bought and paid for for over a year. A day or so later, I get an email from Buds that the gun has been received and is being shipped to my LGS. I am not complaining though as now I have two of them.
The guns come in and I pick them up and sell one to my son. The guns run fine and I really like them.
Just for giggles, I check from time to time with Able Ammo and Buds and sure enough, neither one has the gun in stock and they do not know when they will get another shipment.
Now I see a thread on TFL where someone is asking about the gun and here again I am looking on-line and can find an occasional used gun but they are certainly not easy to locate.
My question is whether anyone has insight as to why Springfield seems to have such a problem producing this gun and why they would only run the production line for this pistol so sporadically? It seems they can sell every one they can produce and why they would not want to gear up and get with the program just amazes me. It is almost like they are not interested in producing enough of the firearms to fill existing orders.
The last time I actually spoke with anyone at Springfield was at least a year and a half ago and what they told me at the time was that they were installing a new line with new equipment to satisfy the demand for the gun. So far that seems to be an epic fail.
I know I waited for almost two years to get my hands on a Dan Wesson PM9 and when a shipment of ten finally showed up at the CZ Custom shop, I beat feet down there within minutes of getting a phone call and they had already sold four of the ten on the shipment.
Perhaps this is just a useless rant but I truly do not understand the mindset of a company that could, if they wanted, sell every loaded 1911 they could produce. If you check the web sites today, you will be hard pressed to find a dealer that has the gun in stock and some will not even accept a back order.
How does this train get back on the track?
If you look on the Springfield web site, you will find the gun listed but you cannot just order it.
Three YEARS ago at Rio Salado, I saw one for the first time and talked to the guy who owned it and he told me it had been owned by a dealer who had done some work on it and I got a chance to try it out. I liked it and set about trying to find one. They were not to be had. Bud's didn't have them, Able Ammo did not have them and you could not find them readily available on-line.
I went to my local gun store and asked them to order one ( we can get anything quickly ). . .it has been THREE YEARS and they still cannot get one. In the interim I bought a Smith and Wesson Pro Series that is a real good shooter. Still had that hankering for the Springer.
I called Springfield and they told me, the line that those guns run on does double duty for other lines as well and when it does run, the production is allocated to some big distributors and they are allocated in the order they are received by Springfield.
I then try to take advantage of Bud's guns offer to prepay and order the gun. So I did. . .then the wait began. FOR A YEAR!!! I then check with Able ammo and they also have a way to prepay for the gun and an option to be notified when the gun is in stock.
So... sometime in 2013, I get a notice from Able that the gun has been placed in stock and is available to order. As soon as the notice comes in, I call to order and sure enough they are sold out. I get back on the list and a couple of days later, they receive another shipment and I try again to place an order and once again they are sold out.
I call Buds and ask them why it is that Able Ammo has received two shipments of this model and I have prepaid for over a YEAR with Buds and have not heard a thing. Buds tells me they will check into it. A couple of days later, I get a notice from Able that they have received a shipment and this time I am able to latch onto one and arrange to have it shipped to my LGS.
I call Buds and ask them why Able Ammo is able to get three shipments of this firearm and Buds has yet to come up with one although it has been bought and paid for for over a year. A day or so later, I get an email from Buds that the gun has been received and is being shipped to my LGS. I am not complaining though as now I have two of them.
The guns come in and I pick them up and sell one to my son. The guns run fine and I really like them.
Just for giggles, I check from time to time with Able Ammo and Buds and sure enough, neither one has the gun in stock and they do not know when they will get another shipment.
Now I see a thread on TFL where someone is asking about the gun and here again I am looking on-line and can find an occasional used gun but they are certainly not easy to locate.
My question is whether anyone has insight as to why Springfield seems to have such a problem producing this gun and why they would only run the production line for this pistol so sporadically? It seems they can sell every one they can produce and why they would not want to gear up and get with the program just amazes me. It is almost like they are not interested in producing enough of the firearms to fill existing orders.
The last time I actually spoke with anyone at Springfield was at least a year and a half ago and what they told me at the time was that they were installing a new line with new equipment to satisfy the demand for the gun. So far that seems to be an epic fail.
I know I waited for almost two years to get my hands on a Dan Wesson PM9 and when a shipment of ten finally showed up at the CZ Custom shop, I beat feet down there within minutes of getting a phone call and they had already sold four of the ten on the shipment.
Perhaps this is just a useless rant but I truly do not understand the mindset of a company that could, if they wanted, sell every loaded 1911 they could produce. If you check the web sites today, you will be hard pressed to find a dealer that has the gun in stock and some will not even accept a back order.
How does this train get back on the track?