I'm about ready to conclude that Springfield can't build a decent 1911.  I bought a new Operator model (the $750 version) this summer and have had feeding problems from day 1.  They seem to be getting worse.  I thought initially that maybe the gun just needed to run in a bit.  But after a thorough cleaning and lube it still fails to feed about 3 rounds out of every mag.  What a dog.  Do you suppose some ramp polishing might fix it?  Or should I just send the POS back to Springfield?  BTW, the mags are decent, new Chip McCormacks.

 You poor guy.....I know your pain and so do others....I cannot beging to tell you the probs that I have had with my Armor Coat model.

 Can you tell me exactly what the feed malfunction is???  I might be able to help??
 Are you having extraction issues also??

 I can tell you to try this...it really helped me...go to your local shop and buy an 18.5 lb recoil spring...it keeps the slide shut a bit longer and slows down the rearward travel on the slide.  It also soaks up a lot more of the recoil...this keeps the rounds from bouncing out of the magazine during the feed cycle.  Also if you have rounds that are not sliding into the extractor properly you may want to get a Wilson or Ed Brown 45 caliber extractor and have it fitted to the gun....Springfield puts these cheepo, tiny extractors in the 45's...the girls at S.A. have told me they use them in most of their guns...it is the equivalent of a 9 millimeter extractor  ( or it is a 9 mm one ) I cannot get a straight answer form them.  Half the company tells us they only use 9mm extractors in all of their guns and the other half is saying they don't.  Either way the extractors they are using are often not adequate.

 Good luck, Bro, I feel your pain.

Marvl, try some different mags, either USGI or Wilson 7 rd mags. I am not overly fond of Chip Mc. mags...this may ease some of your pain. If the ramp is rough, a little polishing may be prudent. Is extraction erratic or are the empties mostly landing in a close pile?

I picked up an OD green loaded SA this summer, and have been nothing but pleased with it. Maybe 400rds down the pipe, but so far, so good.

The mags supplied with my Kimbers (Chip McCormack, I think) were essentially crap. I shitcanned one of the 2 that came with my compact,  and also tossed out an out of spec mag that came with a Classic I briefly owned.

desertmoon, your SA is cursed

I have an operator...the mil-spec.  I was having problems with it, occasionally a round in the middle of the mag wouldnt feed,  but the last round never did.

What I did was...18.5lbs recoil spring, Wilson Group Gripper w/ full length guide rod, shok buffs, and removed that BS ILS thing with some real parts and a lighter hammer spring.  18lbs hammer spring to be exact.

What this did was...drastically improve the trigger, make my gun group a hell of alot better (but I also have a once peice barrel...apparantly some mil-specs have 2 peicers), I also have NOT HAD ONE failure to do anything in 400 rounds without cleaning the gun.  I suspect this is due to the 18.5 lbs recoil spring, maybe the guide rod, but still, installing these parts made my gun a world better, and only cost about 75 bucks.  Not bad for what I got out of it.

Try it, you may like what ya get.  My mil-spec is a gun I would 100% place my life on.

 Yeah, that Springy of mine was definitely cursed...however I have finally got the gun working the way it should be. I Completely gutted the weapon, except for the barrel and I replaced and fitted all new everything...it is shooting like gangbusters now.  I have five hundred rounds through the rebuild and so far so good  ( six thousand through the gun total since June)...I will update if anything goes too drastically wrong.
 I saw another Armor Coat at a shop in Phoenix today and I gotta tell you guys it was a real piece of SH*T !!!  The sights were  REALLY crooked the safety was mushy as can be and it felt like someone had poured sand in the entire action...what a hunk of crap.
 I stand behind my practice of advising people NOT to purchase Springfield products.  I wish that was not the case.

Not trying to hijack but..
the other day, I was checking out a friend of mine's Springfield 1911A1 that he bought about 6 months ago.
Maybe I'm crazy, but I could have swore that when I was in, you could put them on half-cock, as some kind of additional carry option. This new 1911A1 did not have a half cock notch.
Am I insane, or did they have a half cock notch at one time??

www.1911forum.com ... go to the Springfield section, then count the number of issues we 1911 fans are having.

I just sent mine back; brand new from the factory (plus some pre-lube) and the darned thing just FTE's every single round.  Tried various ammo, had someone else shoot it (just in case I was limp-wristing it) and it just wouldn't cycle properly.

I bought it from Davidson's, and they are just going to send me a new one.  Some folks say their "new, out of the box" Springfields work flawlessly.  I hope my next one will.  Wish I'd bought a Kimber now.

Definetly check the posts on the www.m1911.org forum.

Apparently Springfield has been shipping .45's recently with 9mm extractors.  Thats sad considering the quality of their guns in the past.

Ever wonder if the FBI got some of these lemons?
That would be truly sad!

Wow! I must be the lucky duck! So far mine has run great- no issues. I have about 1200 rds through it so far, Rem, win, Speer, and hornady. Quite accurate too.

Quoted: Ever wonder if the FBI got some of these lemons? That would be truly sad!

I believe they spend around $2000 to $4000 on their "Professional" models.  I would also assume that Springfield's custom shop spends a little more time and attention on government contract guns.  It sucks for us civies, but that's the way it is.  The gov't pays the extra dough and promises more cash in the future.  If it were your company, which would take priority?  

Yes, I would try to take care of all my products, but there is only so much time in a day and so many people to do the work.  Gov't contracts always take precedence over the civilain market, I mean look at Colt.

That being said, I just bought a "Loaded" model from Springfield a month ago and have no problems whatsoever.  It feeds anything I feed it.  Although I have only fed it Remington GS and Hydra-Shoks.  It seems to like those.  I will try some ball ammo and see if she will feed those too.  

I haven't had a problem with it.  I assume most people who will post here post because they have a gripe.  From the few who have griped on these boards, I am sure there have been dozens more who have had no problems and just don't feel the need to post or even look at this section of the board.  Out of all the people who probably have Springfield 1911's and post on this board, the gripers are relatively few in number.

Also, from what i have read, most of the problems are with the mil-spec models.  Aren't these made, at leasst in part, in South America by Imbel?  I am sure that they are alright, but what do you expect from  an import?  The tolerances are not going to be as high as a "Loaded" model.  You can find a milspec brand new for almost half as much as what a "Loaded" would cost brand new.  For the price what can you expect?  I wouldn't expect my $750 Springfield to compare to a $2000 "professional" model or a similarly priced Wilson.  The "Loaded" is just fine out of the box, probably not always but most units will be.  

I know some have had problems with customer service and that is what sucks the big time.  I have never had to call the customer service department so I don't know.  However, a lot have also complained about olympic Arms' service department.  I have had to call oluympic twice and each time I got great and extremely helpful service.  I know some people who swear by Colt and their service department and some people who hate Colt because of poor customer service.  

Everyone has some bad experiences with customer service departments.  It always depends on who you deal with, what kind of attitude they have, what kind of attitude you have, what kind of day it is, etc.  There are many factors when one person deals with another person.  Keep trying, 9 times out of ten, the next person you talk to will probably help expedite things.

Yes, Desertmoon, I know you had a lot of problems dealing with their customer service and a couple of their guns.  A few on the 1911.org forums also had difficulty.  However a great many people haven't had problems with customer service or even the product.  with the amount of product out there, there is bound to be a problem with a few items or even an entire batch.  Like I said there are a great number of factors that can attribute to a poor product or poor customer service interactions.  

I haven't had a problem with my Springfield 1911 and thousands of others haven't either.  Out of thousands of firearms built, tested, bought and sold there are bound to be a number that are gonna pass through the cracks that are not up to spec.  These people build and t4est great numbers of firearms in their career at Springfield and are bound to let a few slip through due to one problem or another.  It happens to everyone; Bushmaster Armalite, Colt, and Kimber have all let large amounts of poor product slip through QC.  i have seen and heard of them all having problems and one person or a nother telling people to steer clear.  However, I have always seen greater numbers tell people what a superb product those companies put out.

Hello,
 I've never been a fan of either kimber or Springfield lower end pistols. I have seen inconsistency with workmanship 1 looks good the next looks like grap and heard many pro and cons to them. Since I have a BAER Prem.II its hard to compare.
   Having said that just last week I purchased a TRP and its quality and workmanship are really almost that of the Baer. The fit is outstanding much better than any of the Kimbers custom shop guns out there. Shooting was outstanding I've put about 500 rds through her so far.
It wasn't cheap at $1150. but you get what you pay for.
I don't why it should cost that much to get a gun that works and shoots good out of the box other than a glock or sig.