The 1911 pistol was exactly 111 years old in 2022. I will repeat that: the 1911 pistol was 111 years old. It is still one of the most powerful fighting pistols ever made, even though it is more than a century old. It is still used by professionals and enthusiasts who are well-trained. It makes sense that Springfield Armory would continue this platform with its Emissary. The Springfield Armory Emissary. The 1911 is a man-stopping weapon with a payload of.45 ACP. The FBI has reintroduced 9mm as a popular choice because of its improved bullet technology and performance. These improvements were not limited to the 9mm cartridge. They were also applied to all calibers. Regardless of how good the 9mm cartridge is,.45 ACP will always be better. At least, that’s my opinion. This is why I love the 1911 pistol. It is a reliable delivery system for all-American bullets, which seem to have originated in Texas. Everything seems bigger there. With all the customization and development that has been made to the 1911 over the past century, you would think that the 1911 story is finished. Springfield Armory may disagree with you on this point. This is especially true for production guns. Exhibit A was created by the company to illustrate its point. Reimagining a Classic Usually, a diplomat representative. This is almost exactly what Springfield Armory 1911 is all about. The Emissary represents Springfield’s 1911 platform. Its mission is to redefine the possibilities of what can be done at production level. The 1911s of the past have been reconfigured and customized almost in every way possible. All of this extra work requires a lot of money. The Springfield Armory Emissary aims to bridge the gap between production and custom pistols while remaining affordable. The new Emissary is in some ways a contradiction. It is a striking combination of elegance and beauty, with its two-tone appearance. However, it also has practical features that make it an extremely useful and effective fighting pistol. The Emissary’s dual-tone appearance is made up of a stainless steel frame and a carbon steel slide. Both are made from a forging process. The slide’s blued finish highlights the elegance of the package. The “Tri-Top” cut slide adds to the Emissary’s visual appeal. It includes what Springfield calls “lightening holes.” However, they could be used by some as pseudo-cocking serations. These grooves are just deep enough to reduce weight and allow for a little more control over the slide’s front. To reduce glare, the slide’s top features include a set 40-line-per-inch serrations. Springfield’s U Dot Sight Installation The best thing about the slide is the excellent U Dot sight arrangement. This setup includes a rear sight with a white U and a front sight with a high-visibility yellow outline and a tritium insert to make it easier to see in low light. This arrangement was new to me when I first saw it on the Springfield Hellcat. These sights are great for precise and quick work. This sight package would have been a great addition to all my pistols. What’s Inside? We now turn our attention inwardly for a moment to see the bushingless barrel configuration. It comes with a full-length guide rod assembly. Springfield chose a bull barrel with a high profile that is claimed to be designed for maximum accuracy. It also has a bit more weight at the front to reduce muzzle flip. The barrel’s effectiveness is further enhanced by its fully supported feed ramp, which yields greater strength and reliability. The ignition chain also includes a skeletonized Hammer and Springfield’s Gen2 speed trigger. Things become a lot more practical as we get to the bottom. The frame is the interface between the Springfield Armory Emissary’s human and machine parts. It offers features that maximize this interaction. The forged steel backstrap and front strap are machined with grenade pattern texturing to lock in the user’s grip during recoil. The VZ Grips Thin Line G10 grip panels reproduce the same texture pattern. This ensures that the grip is secure at all points where it touches the hand. The Emissary’s triggerguard is squared off and oversized, which allows for the use of a gloved trigger fingers. Although it may seem minor, this is a crucial feature. This is because a small guard’s single-action trigger can be accidentally engaged by a gloved hand. The square triggerguard is something you won’t find on many 1911 pistols. However, you will need a custom holster to fit this 1911. The frame also features a Picatinny rail that can be used to mount your favorite accessories. The Emissary is 40 ounces. It measures 8.4 inches in length and 5.25 inches high. This pistol is heavy and will require a sturdy rig to be carried on a daily basis. It is worth the effort and expense for the value it provides. Many will use it as a defense tool for their home or business. To get you started, the Emissary comes with a nylon pouch/case as well as two eight-round magazines. You’ll likely need to buy a few more magazines for trips to the range. A Diplomatic Feedback Range Day is always more enjoyable when you are with friends. It’s even more fun when testing pistols, as you can get feedback form multiple shooters. During one of my testing sessions with Emissary, I was fortunate enough to have some friends along. It was a huge success. Every man complimented the texturing of the grenade-pattern frame. Although one person thought it was a little too aggressive, all agreed that it held the hand in place as tightly as a bank vault. I don’t like a blued finish on work guns. I prefer something stronger and more resistant to corrosion. Three of the four disagreed with me and said it gave the Emissary an elegant look. It just shows what I know. Although it is classy, I prefer a DLC or Nitride finish for a carry gun. Based on its performance, I would carry the Emissary. The Emissary’s 40-ounce body helps to reduce the recoil of a.45 ACP. The.45 ACP is compact and has some thump. A full-size 1911 is all big-bore power. I was again disagreed with by a few of them. They would like to see Emissary available in 9mm. Not because of recoil, but because you can stack a few more rounds in your magazine. We had men of all sizes and shapes there and everyone was able to keep their eyes on the target for quick and accurate follow-up shots. The U-Dot sight package was also a key factor in the precise shot placement of the Emissary. Everyone was impressed by how quick it was to align the sights, and how clear the sight picture was. Two men mentioned how clean and simple the sight picture was. The yellow outline was mentioned by both men as being easy to pick up in daylight when presenting on targets. The Gen2 Speed Trigger was another part of the equation. My review pistol had a little pre-travel. The break was extremely crisp at 3.98 pounds. There was no staging or indication of when it would release. Although it isn’t the lightest trigger I have ever tried, it’s a very positive trigger and perfect for a carry gun. The Emissary was used to carry hollow points, ball ammunition, and a few truncated range loads. The Emissary was able to take in every type of ammo without any problems. The controls were excellent, with the exception of the snappy thumb safety which was a bit too large for easy engagement. The Mec-Gar magazines were easy to use and ejected without any problems. Everything worked as expected and the pistol has a refined, sleek look. On Target The last litmus was to test the accuracy at 25 yards shooting from the bench. I will just say that the Emissary also gets an A+ in this area. The Emissary was an extremely accurate production pistol with a wide range of ammunition. Average group sizes were well below 2 inches. The best five-shot group was just 1.38 in., while the average group size was 1.57 in. This was shot using Winchester’s Personal Protection load of 230 grains. The rounds from Speer and Sig Sauer were close enough to make it the dealer’s choice. Winchester’s load had a little more recoil than the other two loads. However, that round traveled 50 feet per second (fps), faster than the others. The Speer and Sig rounds averaged 849 and 860 fps respectively. The Winchester load averaged 918 FPS. That’s not enough for me. I will be looking into +P loads for Emissary. I like a little bit of sizzle when I have my.45s. After everyone had had their turn, we discussed a few more points and I asked them to guess the price of the Emissary. The estimates ranged from $1600 to $2200. A few jaws dropped when I explained to them that the MSRP was only $12,79. All of them realized that custom work was necessary due to the pistol’s accuracy, machining, and angled slide. That tells me Springfield Armory accomplished what it set out for with the Emissary. All About the Mission To be fair, Springfield isn’t revolutionizing 1911 with the Emissary. This pistol has the same features as previous models. Some of these features are now available in a lower-cost, production-level gun. The Tri-Top slide, the barrel with a high profile barrel and the machining to the frame are all examples of this. This is in addition to the exceptional accuracy that is normally reserved for high-end custom pistols. The Emissary’s execution is what matters most. Springfield’s seamless integration of all components allows for a better experience and lower prices. With the Emissary’s features and the very reasonable price, I can confidently say that they succeeded in their mission. For more information, please visit Springfield-Armory.com. Springfield Armory Emissary Specs Caliber :.45 ACP
Barrel: 5 Inches
Overall Length: 8.4 Inches
Weight: 40 ounces (empty).
Height: 5.25 inches
Grips: G10 Thin-Line
Sights: U.dot, tritium front
Action: S/A
Finish: Blued
Capacity: 8+1
MSRP: $1.279 This article originally appeared in Combat Handguns January/February 2022 issue. Subscription is available in print and digital editions at OutdoorGroupStore.com. Or call 1-800-284-5668, or email [email protected]. Continue Reading Search The post Send In the.45: The Springfield Armory Emissary 1911 appeared originally on Personal Defense World.
