Posted: 11/13/2011 10:02:47 AM EDT
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I've been wanting to get my feet wet in the 1911 world, and recently came across the Champion Operator. It looks amazing, and the 4" barrel is what I was looking for.
Can some owners give me the pros/cons? Buds has them in stock for $819 shipped. Anyone know of a better deal? ETA: I know very little about the 1911 platform. Keep that in mind when explaining the pros/cons. 
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very good choice. mine has run flawless. dont use light handloads for the first couple hundred rounds or you may have some feeding issues. full power loads run great. feeds great with the 10 round mags for range use and the act mag 7 round mags work great as well. I have about 700 rounds through mine and its only jammed with light handloads. also has a lifetime warranty which cant be beat. I have 2 colt 1911s and a kimber and as for target shooting its plenty accurate .keep in mind that guns are like cars and theres always a chance it may need service work done but springfield has a great service dept. owning 1911 style pistols only makes you want more of them.
its a disease that cant be cured. |
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Good info, thanks.
I keep trying to Google some info on this specific model, but it appears it's not a very popular model? At least not recently. Most of the results I find on it are from years ago. One thing I see in a lot of 1911 threads is people talking about not being able to eject a live round due to the size of the ejection port, in some brands/models. Can you eject a live round from the Champion Operator? |
| I have the lightweight champion operator. I like the gun but it did have to go back to Springfield after it choked pretty hardcore in a class. They polished up the feedramp and throat and replaced the extractor. Had trouble with fmj, jhp, Wilson, CMC, and factory mags. Came back and ran a few hundred fmj through it and has been fine but I need to put some more and some jhp through it before I trust it enough to carry. It's a very nice gun though and shoots very well. |
| Have the same weapon and has run without incident through 5-600 rounds. Has had no trouble with any of the hollow point ammo and shoots point of aim. Was thinking of trading for a Dan Wesson Guardian but found that after shooting the Dan Wesson didn't see much of a difference. I did like the thinner grips on the DW so I ordered the thin VZ and a S&A mainspring with magwell. In past few month's people on this forum have been asking where to find this gun, I guess supply has been low in places where the posters lived. I also was watching GunsAmerica and for a month or two saw very few for sale at that site. If you looked today I think they had 8 or 9. For the price I think you will be happy with your choice. |
| Unfortunately, I had major FTF problems with mine. It would jam 1-2 times every mag. Even tried different mags. After 600rds I gave up and sold it. Rounds fired were 230gr FMJ of different manufacture. Went to another 1911 and have never looked back. Hopefully you will have better luck. |
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I have the exact pistol. It is great and runs 100%. I have had none of the mentioned problems. Keep it oiled correctly during break in and it will run perfect for you. If not, don't sale or trade it, send it back to SA to have it repaired. Best bang for your buck 1911 out there in my opinion. Night sights, aluminum frame, army kote, dual safety, rail, great warranty.....all for just over $800. The reason you may not be able to find much on them is because they haven't been readily available for some time. Bud's finally has them after being out of stock for well over a year. Better buy it!
Edit to add pros/cons The only con, in my opinion, is the take down procedure. It is a little cumbersome at first, but not that big of a deal once you do it a couple of times. It comes with a piece which must be snapped on to the guide rod while the slide is back. It holds the guide rod and springs in place during take down. This is different than a traditional 1911 which has a barrel bushing. However, this does come with a match grade bull barrel, so the take down procedure is a very small con considering the nice barrel. Pros? I listed several above. The finish is tough as nails, it is more accurate than I am, comes with night sights,etc.....as mentioned above. I thought not having checkering on the frontstrap would be a problem, but, it doesn't bother me at all. This is a true value at $819. |
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Glad to see all the great reviews. It's definitely on my buy-list. It'll also be the single most expensive gun I've ever bought (I have AR's worth more, of course, but they were bought in pieces).
MtnRock, can I ask why you didn't send it in for warranty work? |
| I've got the same gun as in the picture. The only issue I've ever had with it was with some 8rd magazines. Right now I'm running Wilson Combat ETM magazines in it with no issues. I use it for my carry gun and home defense gun. I even shot a few USPSA matches with it and had no issues in the matches with it. |
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I just picked one of the Lightweight Operators up last Friday. Took it to the range this afternoon and run it thru the paces. Shot 200 mixed rounds of WWB, Federal and PMC 230 gr. FMJ and another 50 rounds of Hornady and Winchester PDX HPs. No malfunctions of any kind. The ejection pattern was very consistant, no dented brass and all primer strikes were dead centered. Scary accurate for a 4" lightweight gun as well. I used Chip McCormick 8 round Power Mags and the factory 7 rounders and all worked great. The is the first aluminum frame gun I have owned/fired in several years, and I was very surprised how controllable it was and how easy follow up shots and controlled pairs were. My only complaint is that the left side of the ambi-safety is rather sharp and left the thumb fairly raw after my range outing. I plan on taking a Swiss file to it tomorrow and blending the edges to make it a little more user friendly. Hope this helps.
NY Shooter: Mine will eject a live round with no problem. |
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Quoted:
Glad to see all the great reviews. It's definitely on my buy-list. It'll also be the single most expensive gun I've ever bought (I have AR's worth more, of course, but they were bought in pieces).
MtnRock, can I ask why you didn't send it in for warranty work? Honestly, I was super frustrated with that gun and my emotions got the better of me. I tried everything to make that gun run. I also really hated that you needed a plastic cap to remove the slide. Thinking back on it I should have sent it back to Springfield to get fixed. |
If you use the "Glock" type hold(read that as overhand on the slide), you can disassemble by pulling back to the takedown notch, and removing the slide stop. Then, carefully remove the slide as a whole assembly and remove the springs without the little piece of plastic, just like any other weapon with a dual spring guide rod. A little tricky at first, but no plastic required
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Quoted: Can you guys confirm/deny if a live round can be ejected? Not a huge deal, but Im curious. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile yes they can be. some rounds have a longer overall length and might get stuck. I carry winchester ranger and don't have any problems ejecting live rounds. You will love this pistol  |
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Can you guys confirm/deny if a live round can be ejected? Not a huge deal, but Im curious. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile yes they can be. some rounds have a longer overall length and might get stuck. I carry winchester ranger and don't have any problems ejecting live rounds. You will love this pistol
Good to know. I use Rangers in my G21, so that's a plus. |
| I just bought one yesterday, I cant believe the way it shoots. I had about 20 minutes of daylight, rushed out back and consistently hit my 6" steel plate at 35-40 yards. Maybe that's not a big deal to some shooters but I was amazed at the accuracy out of a lightweight 4" gun. |
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Did you end up getting this pistol? I have one and love it myself. The one thing I would say in regards to take down if you haven't done so yet is while that piece over the guide rod isn't required, it makes putting the weapon back together much simpler. Hope you are enjoying it.
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Did you end up getting this pistol? I have one and love it myself. The one thing I would say in regards to take down if you haven't done so yet is while that piece over the guide rod isn't required, it makes putting the weapon back together much simpler. Hope you are enjoying it. Unfortunately, no, I didn't. I waited too long and it's now out of stock at the only place that had for a decent price. Buds had them for $814 shipped, brand new. Just another "I'm an idiot because I didn't order it when I should have" story.
It's on my "one day" list though, for sure. |
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Quoted:
I've been wanting to get my feet wet in the 1911 world, and recently came across the Champion Operator. It looks amazing, and the 4" barrel is what I was looking for. Can some owners give me the pros/cons? Buds has them in stock for $819 shipped. Anyone know of a better deal? ETA: I know very little about the 1911 platform. Keep that in mind when explaining the pros/cons.
http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/images/D11/43/43523.jpg I was at the Florida gun exchange today, and these guns were $769. It was even in their advert. I'm sure they ship, here is the web address, they just changed the website today, and I can't find the flyer, but the price is good till the end of the year. 
http://www.floridagunexchange.com/ |
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Quoted:
I've been wanting to get my feet wet in the 1911 world, and recently came across the Champion Operator. It looks amazing, and the 4" barrel is what I was looking for. Can some owners give me the pros/cons? Buds has them in stock for $819 shipped. Anyone know of a better deal? ETA: I know very little about the 1911 platform. Keep that in mind when explaining the pros/cons.
http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/images/D11/43/43523.jpg I was at the Florida gun exchange today, and these guns were $769. It was even in their advert. I'm sure they ship, here is the web address, they just changed the website today, and I can't find the flyer, but the price is good till the end of the year. http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm302/blklizard1/1323897963370.jpg http://www.floridagunexchange.com/ Awesome price! Thanks man. The website isn't loading for me. Maybe they're still working on it. Do you have personal experience with these guys? Good to go? |
I just bought a sig c3 from them, and they were nice as can be. 2nd purchase from me there. I was debating getting the operator, but as I have bought 2 spring fields in the last week and a half I decided to try a mid size from another company. Paid 839 for the c3 with nite sites and CT laser grip. Though I should add that even though the ad does not say it, the Operator comes with nite sites too
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Here is the link to the ad:
http://floridagunexchange.com/adam/images/FGE11Nov11SaleFrontWeb.jpg |
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Unfortunately, no, I didn't. I waited too long and it's now out of stock at the only place that had for a decent price. Buds had them for $814 shipped, brand new. Just another "I'm an idiot because I didn't order it when I should have" story.
It's on my "one day" list though, for sure. I bought mine from Buds myself and shipped to a buddy of mine that is an FFL. What part of SC are you in, I'm in the Greenville area. |
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Unfortunately, no, I didn't. I waited too long and it's now out of stock at the only place that had for a decent price. Buds had them for $814 shipped, brand new. Just another "I'm an idiot because I didn't order it when I should have" story.
It's on my "one day" list though, for sure. I bought mine from Buds myself and shipped to a buddy of mine that is an FFL. What part of SC are you in, I'm in the Greenville area. Myrtle Beach area. Did you get it already? How do you like it? Now Im torn between the Operator version and the stainless steel Loaded version. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile |
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I've only got about 125 rounds through it but I do like it. It shoots great and it's extremely accurate for a 4" gun...more accurate than I am. I bought it for the purpose of a carry gun but I also own a Springfield TRP which is a full size stainless model w/o the rail. I guess what I'm saying is, if you want a 5" in gun why are you buying it as an operator? For the weight or for the rail?
EDITED TO SAY: Are you looking at the MC Operator or a Lightweight Operator? I really dig the MC Operator and it's an all steel frame. Here's my TRP...I picked it up for about $1225 a few months ago at a gun show which isn't too much over the cost of the operator in 5" form from what I've seen. 
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ive got the stainless steel loaded. bought it new 2 years ago. just got it back from warranty. i just put it away in the safe kind of disgusted.Gun was horribly inaccurate from day one and had the worst trigger of any gun i've ever shot.Couldn't get any kind of groups and since i bought this for a carry gun i couldnt trust it. Decided about 3 weeks ago to finally do something about it.From everything i've read my customer experience story is pretty typical. The woman i spoke to listened asked a bunch of questions and i sent the pistol back. I had some other concerns. My gun had the slide overhang just like the pic a few posts above.
Got her back tonight and i have to say i'm pumped to get out and take her shooting. Springfield cs did the following to it Barrel replaced Extractor replaced Refit slide to frame Blended the slide to the frame Refinished Function fired – good Range tested - sending target ** after range testing your sights were replaced didnt get out to shoot her yet but it looks and feels like a totally new gun. A lightweight champion is definitely on my to get list. |
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Here is mine
http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/4699/dsc0006sf.jpg[/URL] So far mine as zero problems. It even shoots cheap reloads I bought from local gun show. accuracy is great, better than my father's beretta's and glocks. I guess its because of the bull barrel. mine came with trijicon night sight which I like. stock grip isn't that great. little bit of sweat and it slips and that is not a great feeling shooting 45 on lightweight 1911 (aluminum frame) so I changed mine and I think black grip looks good on this pistol since it make the barrel and trigger stand out. barrel has feed ramp on it, it that bothers you. It doesn't bother me but someone pointed out to me as if it was bad thing. taking it apart is pain because of the spring. It comes with a tool. little plastic piece that snaps on to keep tension on spring off but I feel like I can break this thing. it also comes with sturdy gun case, which I like and magazine and gun holster which are useless. bought mine for $975 about year ago. right now the same store is selling its for over a grand. so those deals these guys are giving you are great. |
. good looker, though.
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Quoted: very sweet. I love the gripsHere is mine...had it for a few years now, runs like a top... the only issue I have ever had with it was from some reloads, and that was just a few rounds. http://web.mac.com/jd_hill/iWeb/Site/WOH_files/CO_dressed_sm.jpg |