I've been meaning to buy a 1911 for quite a while now, and thanks to our member  JackBurton, I am now a proud owner of a Sprinfield Compact 1911. So, what do I need to know about this pistol? Are there any threads on tearing it down? Any other info I need about it?

Thanks,
Kris

Hmmm. There are lots of great and wonderful things to share with you as a fellow member of our flock (The church of JMB). It is very easy to shoot, and breaks down easy enough (MAKE SURE YOU USE COMPACT STRIPPING INSTRUCTIONS, NOT FULL SIZE... the order of operations differs slightly), and CCW is unparallelled for what you get.

I do have some piss for your punch bowl, however. I believe your pistol is an "officer-sized" .45 (with a 3.5" barrel). If it is the 4" compact or 4.25" "commander" then you're G2G. The thing about ANY 1911 with a barrel length below 4" is that it is unreliable by design. A select few run like a swiss watch out of the box, whereas others tinker abit and the pistol shapes up for them, but many of them are "iffy"... from finicky to downright nightmarish.


My Suggestion regardless of barrel length:

- If this is a new pistol then run the sucker with 500-700 rounds before even thinking about disassembly (A light rubdown will suffice if you need 2-3 range sessions for this).  

- Document your range experience (4/2/06.... 300 rds Whinchester WB, 1 FTF @ 200 rds in Wilson Mag #2). If everything runs well you have a "shooter"

- Send a good 250 rounds of carry ammo through her. if that runs without a hiccup you have a "trial established" carry weapon, and if she's a 3.5" you made out well.

The range journal is vital for your experience. If you have any problems, it allows you to pinpoint about how many rounds for each problem, which mag(s) & ammo were used during the problems, etc.


I had a nightmare experience with my 3.5" but that hardly stops me from collecting, buying, shooting and carrying 1911s EXCLUSIVELY (I upgraded to a 4" for carry). They are just amazing weapons, and I am confident that you will enjoy the hell out of yours, even if it turns out to be a little tempermental. Good luck and good shooting!

Quoted: Hmmm. There are lots of great and wonderful things to share with you as a fellow member of our flock (The church of JMB). It is very easy to shoot, and breaks down easy enough (MAKE SURE YOU USE COMPACT STRIPPING INSTRUCTIONS, NOT FULL SIZE... the order of operations differs slightly), and CCW is unparallelled for what you get. I do have some piss for your punch bowl, however. I believe your pistol is an "officer-sized" .45 (with a 3.5" barrel). If it is the 4" compact or 4.25" "commander" then you're G2G. The thing about ANY 1911 with a barrel length below 4" is that it is unreliable by design. A select few run like a swiss watch out of the box, whereas others tinker abit and the pistol shapes up for them, but many of them are "iffy"... from finicky to downright nightmarish. My Suggestion regardless of barrel length: - If this is a new pistol then run the sucker with 500-700 rounds before even thinking about disassembly (A light rubdown will suffice if you need 2-3 range sessions for this).   - Document your range experience (4/2/06.... 300 rds Whinchester WB, 1 FTF @ 200 rds in Wilson Mag #2). If everything runs well you have a "shooter" - Send a good 250 rounds of carry ammo through her. if that runs without a hiccup you have a "trial established" carry weapon, and if she's a 3.5" you made out well. The range journal is vital for your experience. If you have any problems, it allows you to pinpoint about how many rounds for each problem, which mag(s) & ammo were used during the problems, etc. I had a nightmare experience with my 3.5" but that hardly stops me from collecting, buying, shooting and carrying 1911s EXCLUSIVELY (I upgraded to a 4" for carry). They are just amazing weapons, and I am confident that you will enjoy the hell out of yours, even if it turns out to be a little tempermental. Good luck and good shooting!

Well, I measured the barrel, and it is 4".  Thanks for the info. Keep it coming!!

G2G. Silly as it sounds... .5" really can make a difference.

I also suggest Wilson Mags right out of the gate. buy what you want now, but you'll end up buying the Wilsons anyway. My Wilson Combat has the detachable speed chute so I carry a 7 rd compact mag and have an 8 rd "extended compact" as a spare so I have something to clear the chute when I ram it home. Consider that if your SA has the chute or if you are thinking of adding one. Regardless, you should end up with at least 6 Wilson use mags. You can stick one and the chute and have one spare giving you 3 sets to cycle every month or so, or you can have one in the chute and 2 spare giving you 2 sets.

ONLINE MANUAL.  (you can download and save)

www.springfield-armory.com/Manuals/1911man5.pdf

Go here and buy some mags that will WORK and not cost a lot.

www.metalformmagazines.com/style.asp

(get the kind with the Flat followers)

Don't do it?



ETA: oops too late I see.

Quoted: Go here and buy some mags that will WORK and not cost a lot.

Not saying they don't work (I never used them myself). All I know is that round or flat follower, after plugging in the specs they come out to as much or more than what I paid for Wilson's