Posted: 2/13/2009 10:23:35 AM EDT
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I'm new to the 1911 arena and just ordered myself a Springfield 1911 Lightweight Operator. What class of 1911 does mine fall under and what are the differences between the three versions? Also, are there are two versions that the parts are interchangeable on?
Thanks in advance, Zach |
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Size is the main difference. Some say that the officer's is not as reliable as the commander or government (not me). Definately sight radius is signficant. But size matters for CCW. Generally speaking, most parts from a Government will swap to a Commander size, with the exception of the barrel, slide, guide rod, recoil spring. Everything else is interchangable unless it needs to be fitted. The officer is sized much smaller, so most of the parts will not swap with a government or commander. I think the grips screws, bushings, trigger, slide stop, safety (needs to be fitted), might be the only ones, but I could have left out a few. |
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Quoted:
I've been wondering this also. Is there a difference in grip size? It looks like the officers has a shorter grip than the other two. If so, is there a model that has the officer's grip w/the 4-4.25" barrel? What is it called? Yes, the officers is a bit shorter. The 4.25" barrel w/officers frame is called a CCO or compact or other depending on the brand. |
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One additional thing: Springfield calls their mid-sized version the "Champion". It's a size unto itself, it's smaller than the Govt. model but slightly larger/smaller than the Commander. Specs for bbl length can be found on their web site. All this means is that holsters may have a slight empty space in their bottom with the Champion or the gun may not fit. (I can't recall the size difference, sorry.) Recoil springs are propreitary to this model too, IIRC?
Most experienced 1911 owners will probably suggest going with the full sized Govt. model for one's first 1911 for a variety of reasons. I too would suggest this as well. Be sure to get a copy of the Brownells catalog, this will give you an idea of what your options are for mods. My .o2 |
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Quoted:
One additional thing: Springfield calls their mid-sized version the "Champion". It's a size unto itself, it's smaller than the Govt. model but slightly larger/smaller than the Commander. Specs for bbl length can be found on their web site. All this means is that holsters may have a slight empty space in their bottom with the Champion or the gun may not fit. (I can't recall the size difference, sorry.) Recoil springs are propreitary to this model too, IIRC? Most experienced 1911 owners will probably suggest going with the full sized Govt. model for one's first 1911 for a variety of reasons. I too would suggest this as well. Be sure to get a copy of the Brownells catalog, this will give you an idea of what your options are for mods. My .o2 The Champion and several other Commanderish size guns (like Kimber's Pro Carry) have 4" barrels instead of 4.25" like the Colt original. The also usually have coned bushingless barrels and often are ramped (feed ramp integral with barrel). Opinions vary over which version is better. Commander holsters will be slightly long on a Champion or Pro Carry. There are also other variations that are less common like long slides (6") or full size frames with officers slides. Then throw in the various carry comp styles and competition variants and you have a lot more than the 3 or 4 common sizes. |
