Springfield 1911 GI

[Fish Miner]

Any real major reasons not to buy this gun? I know it is not a top shelf 1911 but it is my first 1911 and I can get a brand new one for about 475$ I have a XD in .40 that I love so I am comfortable with Springfield.

If you have one let me know- this is intended to be my training (ie learn the form and function of the 1911 platform) gun so I can add on and doctor it up as I learn more. Plus I want something more like what the guys in WWII carried.

Please do not tell me to buy a wilson combat or a dan wesson or anything like that in those realms. I know they are nice and I know you can shot a fly at 1000 yards with yours...but I have to live in reality.

Thanks

 

[piece of meat]

for the same price, looking for a 1911, id get a rock island tactical over the springfield GI. i researched THOROUGHLY when looking to get a 1911 and between the two, the springfield GI had more reports of jamming/issues, while the RIA had virtually no bad reviews at all. when a guy next to me at the range one time had a springfield GI that kept jamming on him i was sold on the RIA.
not to say they are 'bad' guns, but lots of people will automatically recommend it just because its a Springfield. the RIA tactical i got was less expensive than the SpringerGI and had a couple more features including better sights than the Springer. through 400 rounds its never jammed. id say for an 1911 in that price range RIA is the way to go.

 

[Roswell_Kid]

I say excellent choice. The vast array of custom parts and gunsmithing documentation for the 1911 is such that you can, with little expense, mod it over time to shoot like something far more expensive.

 

[General Tso]

Taurus 1911. Good warranty, many extras included.

 

[Cards81fan]

I would go with the Springfield, for no other reason than I prefer the forging over the cast frame and extruded slides of the RIA.

If you can spring for the Mil-spec over the GI, it has some niceties that are worth the extra $$:

stainless barrel and bushing
loaded chamber indicator
lowered and flared ejection port
high profile 3-dot sights
beveled magazine well
angled cocking serrations on slide

Of course, the above are moot if you wanted the GI for it's authenticity of the original design.

 

[Yo Mama]

Springfield Milspec. Much better gun for not a whole lot more than your looking at. You can check out the differences here, as it gets discussed alot, but safe to say it's worth it.

 

[BP Hunter]

Check out this link
http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/index.php/cPath/21_53
Buds is selling their Paras for only $565. I held one just like it in the store. It felt like a glove in the hands and weighed so much more than the Taurus PT1911 I have.

 

[Lar1911]

Go to the Springfield website to the custom shop. You can have thisthing upgraded a little each year to the gun you want.

So in a few months send it to them and add the night sights, in the spring for about $145 have it re finished in two tone black and green (or Black, Kote or all green)

Upgrade the beavertail and trigger through them.

Check out the service.

 

[Hoxviii]

OK, here's my take as a guy that' been there, too.

Pass on the GI Springfield, either:

1) step up in $ a little and get the Springfield Mil-Spec. If nothing else, you want the lowered ejection port and beveled mag well. Added bonuses, though not "authentic", is the 3 dot sight and a stainless barrel.
2) For the same price get an RIA tactical. It gets you the milspec minus the stainless barrel, but adds a beavertail, commander hammer, ambi safety, and a skeletonized trigger (If that's stuff you'd do anyway).
3) Actually save money and get the Rock Island 1911A1. It has the lowered ejection port, beveled mag well, and standard GI sights. It's pretty much as close as you can get to a 1911A1 right now.

I wanted a 1911A1 and had no intentions of adding sights, beavertails, or anything else so I went with the RIA A1 and saved $150 OTD over what the Springfield MilSpec would have cost before taxes, and have been as happy as can be with it.

The main reason to go with the Springfield over the RIA would be the fact that it already has upgraded sights and is already dovetailed- this alone goes a long way to making up the price difference.

 

[Quoheleth]

Thingster speaks well.

There is nothing wrong with the GI - it's a good pistol. But in dollar-for-dollar comparison, the RIA wins - even if for no other reason than the beavertail grip safety. The first time you get bit by the hammer on a 1911, you'll be shopping for the grip safety and a smith to mill the frame for you - about $100.

Q

 

[Fish Miner]

Thanks for the inputs- Really helpful. One question on the ejection port- Is it that important to have it walled out and beveled? I was figuring on adding the beaver tail and maybe a wilson trigger later- but if the port is that big a deal is this something I want now over having some guy do it later?

Also if someone were to have the port beveled and such will they have to re-parkerize the gun? I have never had work done on any gun I own except an ultrasonic cleaning. Thanks

 

[Cards81fan]

Thanks for the inputs- Really helpful. One question on the ejection port- Is it that important to have it walled out and beveled? I was figuring on adding the beaver tail and maybe a wilson trigger later- but if the port is that big a deal is this something I want now over having some guy do it later?

Also if someone were to have the port beveled and such will they have to re-parkerize the gun? I have never had work done on any gun I own except an ultrasonic cleaning. Thanks

Yes, any blued or other finished gun would have to have the slide redone, as the parts are carbon steel and will quickly rust.

If the gun is stainless, you can just polish, brush, or media-blast any affected areas.

 

[Cards81fan]

Thanks for the inputs- Really helpful. One question on the ejection port- Is it that important to have it walled out and beveled? I was figuring on adding the beaver tail and maybe a wilson trigger later- but if the port is that big a deal is this something I want now over having some guy do it later?

Also if someone were to have the port beveled and such will they have to re-parkerize the gun? I have never had work done on any gun I own except an ultrasonic cleaning. Thanks

There is much debate on extractors and what is best when it comes to 1911s, but the general consensus would be that the flared/scalloped ejection ports add some reliability to internal extractor models. It gives a larger area for the brass (or intact cartridge, for that matter) to exit, mitigating FTEs.

I wouldn't say is is necessary, but then again, you never know when it is helping... meaning you can't exactly un-flare it and fire and suddenly get jams and say "glad I sprung for the flared ejection port" .

 

[Hoxviii]

You don't "need" the larger port, but it allows the gun to function over more less than ideal situations, especially with extractor and ejector geometry.

The way to tell if you needed the flared ejection port or not is gun by gun and there are a couple ways to tell. If your standard port gun won't cleanly eject live rounds, launches ejected brass forward, leaves a dimple on the mouth of ejected brass, catches brass between the slide and barrel hood, or stovepipes you either need to address the ejector and extractor geometry (the actual cause), or lower and flare the port (addressing the symptom).

On an already lowered and flared gun, look at the scallop behind the port. if it's all covered with brass marks, then the lowering and flaring is doing it's job. the brass isn't extracting/ejecting 100% right, but the lowering and flaring is allowing the gun to keep running.

 

[Hatterasguy]

I love my Springfield Mil spec, I wanted a fairly authentic looking 1911 with a few upgrades. For $600 I can't complain. It works perfectly, I shoot the heck out of it.

IMHO I would get the GI or Mil spec. If you decide you want a modern tricked out 1911 save up your money and get a TRP or something like that.


Personaly I enjoy the 1911 in several flavors, modern guns are fun, but the classic are just as fun. I wouldn't try to turn the GI into something it isn't.

 

[tuckerdog1]

Had a Springer GI. Hated it. Jammed a lot. Beat the snot out of the ejected brass. Of course, my experience may not be yours.

I traded it for a Taurus PT1911, which has been flawless.

Tuckerdog1

 

[JTQ]

Fish Miner wrote,
this is intended to be my training (ie learn the form and function of the 1911 platform) gun so I can add on and doctor it up as I learn more. Plus I want something more like what the guys in WWII carried.

Probably the big decision is really what you want. If you want the GI look, the Springfield GI is much more authentic looking than anything made by RIA, especially the Tactical. To me, the most authentic looking option is the Auto Ordnance GI followed by the Springfield GI, then Springfield Mil-Spec and Colt 1911 Series 70 Repro.

I was figuring on adding the beaver tail and maybe a wilson trigger later- but if the port is that big a deal is this something I want now over having some guy do it later?

If on the other hand you want something to "dig around" in and grind up, the RIA models are probably better options. Springfield has the ILS system, and a proprietary size firing pin. Lowering the ejection port is probably most beneficial for the reloader since it keeps your brass from getting dinged up. Making that mod and adding a beavertail will usually require some grinding on the slide and frame. Changing the trigger also requires some skill. The 1911 is not a Glock or AR-15. Parts, even "drop-in" parts, don't always drop in. If you are going to grind on your pistol, be prepared to make mistakes, and some of those mistakes may require a professional to fix, and it may cost more to fix than what you paid for your pistol.

If you really know what you want, it is almost always cheaper to get it that way up front and have the factory do it before they send it to you the first time.

Springfield and RIA both have excellent customer service reputations, you just need to know what you want before you shop.

 

[camacho]

The GI from Springfield is a great gun. You won't regret buying it. There are plenty of other 1911s which are also good bang for the buck, but if you have set your eyes on the GI, get it.

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

For another C-note you can get better sights, an enlarged ejection port and a JHP ramp-and-throat job in the so-called MilSpec. The sights alone would cost you that much to have added to a GI, unless of course you like "bump and hump" sights.