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Springfield Armory EMP 1911 Review

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springfield 1911 review

Springfield Armory EMP 1911 Review

I’ve owned the pictured Springfield Armory EMP 4 since they first came out a few years ago. The model has gone through a few different changes since then, including a contoured grip to help the concealed carrier hide his or her gun better.

I have to be honest, this is one of my favorite guns in my collection, and with good reason. The sad part, is that my wife took it over as hers, because she shoots it so flawlessly.

The skeletonized trigger on this Springfield Armory 1911 is exactly what you’d expect in a modern day iteration of John Moses Browning’s crown handgun achievement. It features a light, crisp pull that moves straight back. No bells, no whistles and exactly what you’d expect.

A trigger like this is precisely why my wife loves this gun. You see, I fell into the bad advice trap early on that said, buy your wife a DAO (double action only) revolver. They’re easier to shoot because they’re just point and pull. Horrible advice.

The main reason why people give such shoddy advice, is because “women can’t manipulate a slide” on a semi-auto handgun, or so I’m told. I soon found out, once I got home with my wife’s shiny new 38 special revolver, that if she can’t manipulate a slide, chances are good that she can’t accurately pull the trigger on a DAO revolver, either.

So, we went to the gun range and tried out a ton of different guns for her. Her favorite, to my dismay, is my 9mm 1911. She shoots it very well, and I’m confident that she can use it to defend herself and our children should she ever need to.

I’m just happy she found a gun she liked, and I guess she’s not the only one. This handgun won the Women’s Innovation Product of the Year award from the NRA. Though I do want to say that it’s not just for ladies, as I know plenty of dudes who carry one of these, as well.

We’ve put a combined 5,000 rounds through this semi-auto 1911 pistol with only a few malfunctions that were due to some horrible green lubricant that solidified at the range, on one cold, Pennsylvania day. Leading up to that day and since then, we’ve had no issues.

This is the epitome of a reliable defensive handgun–regardless of what the 1911 haters out there have to say about this platform.

It’s not picky on ammunition flavors and will eat just about anything. My complaints on this 4″ barrel 1911 are limited, but we’ll get to that in a moment.

If you’ve ever handled a 1911 before, the ergonomics are what you’re familiar with, with the exception of an ambidextrous safety mechanism–which is a feature that more guns are coming from the factory with these days.

However, as an added benefit, this is a beautiful pistol.

The black, satin finish on the aluminum frame, stainless steel slide, and Cocobolo grips help the pistol stand out from all others that may be in the vicinity. It’s a looker, and it handles well.

1911 grip
Up close on the Cocoblo Grips and front strap texture.

This 31 ounce pistol chambered in 9mm really helps mitigate any felt recoil, so the more sensitive shooters out there will be able to better tolerate shooting for extended periods of time.

Even better, this Springfield Armory 1911 ships with three 10 round magazines giving you the option to carry 31 rounds after you bring it home. Please note that these are the options for the 9mm version, but there is also a .40S&W model that I haven’t shot much. My opinions are solely based on this 9mm version.

The barrel on this 1911 is what I’d call a match grade bull barrel. It has a 1:16 twist rate to spin that 9mm bullet and get it on target. Here’s an up close picture of the muzzle:

Any Springfield Armory 1911 review would be incomplete without telling you the things I dislike about this pistol. I’ve never seen a gun that was perfect, and this one is no different.

My biggest drawback to this pistol is the fact that I need a tool to take it apart. It’s a small tool that I’ve lost a while ago. On the plus side, a paper clip does work just fine and is usually what I use when it’s time to pull it apart to clean / lubricate.

The sights are great. Something that I enjoy, but many 1911 folks don’t, is a fiber optic front. They make for faster target acquisition for me. And, if my memory serves me correctly, which it might not be, the EMP 4 comes with a red one installed, but also comes with an extra yellow one if you prefer.

I do love my Springfield Armory 9mm 1911. It’s accurate, reliable, easy to carry with good holster options, and is pretty. As an added bonus, recoil is very minimal for you sensitive shooters. What more could you ask for with an MSRP of $1,177, likely found under $1,000 in the store?

Check out our in depth pistol caliber ballistics chart, next.

New guns of SHOT Show 2018

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Say hello to the Ruger Security 9. Photo by Terry Nelson.

Every year, the National Shooting Sports Foundation hosts the annual Shooting, Hunting, and Outdoor Trades (SHOT) Show. The show allows the gun industry to showcase the newest firearms and related gear. SHOT Show just ended last month in Las Vegas, Nevada, where it’s been held for several years. The following is just a few of the appealing new firearms entering the market in 2018.


Ruger’s PC (pistol caliber) carbine in 9mm, has been around for a number or years. The PC now accepts Glock magazines, in addition to Ruger pistol magazines. What’s so appealing to me about this carbine is its takedown ability. It comes apart just like the Ruger 10/22 takedown.

Glock’s new 19X. Photo by Terry Nelson.

Another Ruger offering is the “Security 9″ pistol, a low-cost version of the G19. It comes standard with a manual safety lever, which I would recommend leaving in the “off” position anyway. Nice trigger at five pounds with a crisp reset. For a serious carry pistol, it’s not bad, and pricing is very reasonable.

The Glock 19X is essentially a G19 slide on a G17 frame. Some are advocates of this idea, others not so much. Reports are that the trigger has been much improved. Glock will most likely do well with this new offering.


Walther’s well known PPQ pistol now has a smaller version, the “SC.” Short grip and short slide, in 9mm, it’s an 11-shooter. A bit small for some, but many will like it. The PPQ trigger is hard to beat.


Springfield Armory’s hammer-fired XDE is another pistol on its way to gathering a unique following as a hammer fired system. New for 2018 is the 45ACP, but it’s been offered in 9mm last year. It is very flat (single column) and easy to carry. Slide manipulation is reported to be very easy although the double to single action trigger can be challenging.

Springfield Armory’s XD-E9, now in 45 ACP. Terry Nelson photo.

Honor Defense is making a polymer-framed, single-column 9mm (8-shooter) with modular grip components, and comes apart exactly like a SIG 320.

Beretta’s APX pistol is a G17-sized, double-column carry pistol. Reports are that it surpasses all their other models. Many Beretta fans are recommending it.

The Beretta APX. Terry Nelson photo.

Also from Beretta is the model 1301 shotgun, at the top of the list of defensive purposes. Folks are saying it has much less recoil than the model 1201. The model 1301 will be a good option for those looking for a 12ga shotgun for serious applications.

Sig Sauer has a new model, P365. It’s a striker-fired, flat, 9mm concealment pistol, designed to compete with the S&W Shield, Kahr PM9, Walther PPS/M2, and G43. The 365 comes from the factory with night-sights, a nice addition. The magazine is basically single stack that makes the 365 an 11 or 12-shooter depending on which magazine you use.

SIG P365
SIG Sauer’s P365 from their Premier Media Day

Kahr Arms now makes a nice AR selling in the $750.00 range. Kahr pistols are now available in the “C,” “S,” and “P” series, “P” being the nicest-finished and most expensive. All are reported to run well.

DSArms, well known makers of FALs, is making the CTC, a folding stock with magazine-release near the front of the trigger-guard. If you are looking for a serious 308 rifle, take a look at what DSA has to offer.


POF (Patriot Ordinance Factory) is producing the “Revolution” gas-piston AR rifle in 308 caliber. For those who love 308 rifles, this is another great choice in a defensive rifle. It’s about the same weight and size as a typical AR in 5.56×45.

Late breaking … although it did not debut at SHOT Show, Smith and Wesson has come out with the M&P 380 Shield EZ, comparable to their M&P Shield line of pistols. This 380 ACP pistol comes with a grip safety, tactile chamber indicator and adjustable rear sight. The EZ will be available at retailers in February 2018 according to Smith and Wesson.

There is no doubt that the industry is putting much effort into compact and flat pistols of all calibers with the concealed carry market in mind and with good cause … more and more folks are serious about providing for their everyday defense.

For the rest of our SHOT Show 2018 coverage, make sure you check out and subscribe to our YouTube Channel.

NRA Annual Meetings: Rob Leatham Introduces Springfield Armory XDE [Video]

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Springfield Armory XDE

Springfield Armory was out in force at the 2017 NRA Annual Meetings in Atlanta, Georgia. They brought the winner of Night of the Saint Katelyn competition, the Springfield Armory Saint AR-15 itself, and their brand new to market pistol, the Springfield Armory XDE. They brought all of their older guns, too, but the big deal was the XDE.

The Springfield Armory XDE is a hammer-fired DA/SA, single stack 9mm, concealed carry handgun. Say goodbye to the passive safeties you’ve come to love on your XD series handguns, because you won’t find any on this new polymer pistol, even though the older XD pistols will retain them.

Both the trigger safety and the palm/grip safety are gone, and have been replaced by a thumb safety/decocker and a long double action trigger pull. And as you likely already know, the first pull is the DA shot, and the rest of the shots take place in single action with a much shorter, crisp trigger.

In all honesty, I like the length of the trigger in double action, and thought the SA trigger was fantastic. Though, I spoke to plenty of other people who were not fans of the long DA trigger. One of them even said that to remedy that, he’d carry it cocked and locked in single action.

I can say that there are some things on it that I liked off the bat, and some other things that I didn’t like so much. Of course, I have not fired it yet, so keep that in mind for the remainder of the article.

First, I tend to be a fan of DA/SA actions. The pull on the double action trigger, while long, wasn’t incredibly heavy. I haven’t had a chance to measure it, however, so I don’t have a number for you. Also, the controls and thumb safety were well within where they should be, and the decocker was easy to manipulate, as opposed to some others on the market.

The main thing I did not like was the overall shape of the trigger. Because there is no trigger safety, that gives way to designers to have a trigger that is very curved. Because it has such a curve, I wasn’t able to get my trigger finger to rest where it’s supposed to sit.

That would likely be a deal breaker for me, because I’m a firm believer that trigger finger placement is an important shooting mechanic that cannot be ignored. My best guess as to why this is, is because my fingers are much bigger than the average shooter’s. So take that with a grain of salt.

Here is a video of Rob Leatham introducing the Springfield Armory XDE:

What do you think about the Springfield Armory XDE? Is this something you’ve been looking forward to? Are you planning on buying one once the reviews point towards it being a reliable firearm? Let us know in the comments below. Then, make sure you like our Facebook Page.