Springfield Armory Operator 1911, .45 ACP

with M-6 Tactical Light and Laser

I will start with my daily carry weapon. My primary handgun of choice is a Springfield Armory Operator 1911. Those of you working for agencies that restrict your carry weapon to the weapon issued will appreciate that in October of 2004 my department hired one of the greatest supervisors I have ever worked for. Among the immediate changes he made was to request policy change allowing us to carry our weapon of choice, rather than being required to carry the weapon issued to us. Shortly after the policy change took place, my birthday rolled around, and our local gun shop (which we refer to as the 4th Street substation), happened to have a Springfield Armory Operator with integrated light rail in the case. As you can probably guess, I bought myself a birthday present.

This firearm was excellent right out of the box. The trigger pull was crisp, fit and finish was top notch. I have several Colt 1911 pistols and one other Springfield. The other Springfield is a 1990 production. Although I have no complaints about the function of my old Springfield, it is a typical 1911 rattle trap, complete with slide that can be visibly moved side to side on the lower frame. This Springfield is in a totally different class than my old Springfield. I have had opportunity to handle and shoot many of the high end 1911 pistols, including Wilson, Kimber, Caspian, Colt customs, and several competition handguns. The quality and workmanship in this Springfield is on par with the quality of the combat weapons from Wilson and Kimber, at about half the price.

When my department required that I carry the issue weapon, I was carrying a Glock 21, .45 ACP. I was raised on 1911s, and the Glock 21 just didn't feel right in my hand. The grips were too large, and the grip was tilted too far forward. While carrying the Glock, I had gotten used to having a tactical light on my pistol, and therefore was happy to find a 1911 with an integrated rail.

The only upgrades I have made to the Springfield Operator are the aforementioned M-6 Tactical Light and Laser, a Wilson Combat magazine well, and custom laser etched Alumagrips. I use Wilson Combat 8 round magazines in the pistol. The pistol came with tritium night sights from the factory, so no sight upgrade was necessary. This pistol also comes from the factory with an extended ambidextrous safety, commander style hammer, and a beavertail, raised grip safety. Accuracy is excellent out to 50 yards.

For accessories, I carry Bianchi Accumold nylon duty gear. Nylon is the greatest thing that ever happened to law enforcement. I entered the LE game when the only option was leather. The lighter weight and lack of the new leather squeak are a Godsend. I actually carry a Glock 21 magazine pouch, as it permits me to carry four spare magazines instead of only two. This means that including the ammo in my gun, I carry a total of 41 rounds. With the Glock 21, with two spare mags, I was carrying 40 rounds with double stack magazines. My holster is a Safariland model 6280. Both my partner and I had a problem with the rotating hood on the 6280. When we sat down in the patrol car, our body armor would press down on the hood, rotating it forward. This was solved using the hood cover that is visible in the photo. The hood cover does not effect thumb placement or effect the draw stroke. One of the positive aspects of this holster is that it allows the weapon to be carried with the tactical light affixed at all times.

Any questions, feel free to ask. For my next post, I will discuss my backup pistol, a Glock 26, 9mm.

Be Safe.

SAO1911