Springfield EMP 4" 9mm

[gregintenn]

I am not easily impressed with new production handguns, but have to say that so far, I am quite impressed with this little jewel. i can't wait to shoot it.

Edited April 4, 2018 by gregintenn

[jhc77]

Very nice Greg. A fella had one in my HCP class. I was staring at it like a kid in a candy store. I guess this line was introduced in 2007 which was when I was very green to handguns and much less seen a 1911 that close. I do know it was a 3" model. Enjoy it, hope to own one in a few years.

[hipower]

Sweet pistol! I had it's little brother, the original EMP and it was fantastic! 

This should be even better.

 

[krunchnik]

I have the .40 S&W version of 4-and rotate it with my Ultra Carry.My version is a bit heavier than the 9mm but still very well carried.I run mine with a fair amount of FP10 on the rails and have as of yet experienced no feed issues.

[gregintenn]

49 minutes ago, krunchnik said:

I have the .40 S&W version of 4-and rotate it with my Ultra Carry.My version is a bit heavier than the 9mm but still very well carried.I run mine with a fair amount of FP10 on the rails and have as of yet experienced no feed issues.

Looks like it hits where you point it. I think I read somewhere that the 40 had a steel frame instead of aluminum like the 9. Is that correct?

[krunchnik]

On 4/4/2018 at 8:22 PM, gregintenn said:

Looks like it hits where you point it. I think I read somewhere that the 40 had a steel frame instead of aluminum like the 9. Is that correct?

Yup-all steel and heavy at that

[tnhawk]

I have an EMP40 with the 3" barrel and steel frame.  The 9mm does well with the lighter frame but the 40 needs the steel frame.  It has been 100% reliable and accurate.  However if I get the new model it will be a 9mm.

[gregintenn]

I liked this one better before I shot it. The sights seem to be regulated for 115 grain bullets. I thought 124 grain loads should be the standard. Several times, the extractor left an empty shell in the chamber. I guess I should stick to what I know; old, quality firearms.

I now have several 1911s, and my Rock Island 4" is still my favorite.

Edited April 14, 2018 by gregintenn

[hipower]

54 minutes ago, gregintenn said:

It I liked this one better before I shot it. The sights seem to be regulated for 115 grain bullets. I thought 124 grain loads should be the standard. Several times, the extractor left an empty shell in the chamber. I guess I should stick to what I know; old, quality firearms.

I now have several 1911s, and my Rock Island 4" is still my favorite.

I'm a fan of the RI 1911 as well, but my favorite Rock is a GI model in 9mm. Changed the sights to a combat form and a green front and it is a great shooter.

Also have a Metro Arms hard chromed 1911 in a bobtailed version. It is an exceptional pistol.

If I had to choose a fav 1911, I'd be hard pressed to do so. It really depends on the caliber I guess. Sig ranks pretty high for me personally, but all those others out there are sweet as well.

Edited April 14, 2018 by hipower

[gregintenn]

I guess it's too much to expect a gun in this price range to function reliably and hit where you point it.

This is yet another example of why I don't feel as strongly about "buy American" as many others do.

[DaveTN]

2 hours ago, gregintenn said:

I guess it's too much to expect a gun in this price range to function reliably and hit where you point it.

This is yet another example of why I don't feel as strongly about "buy American" as many others do.

Is it American made? Some Springfield 1911’s are made in Brazil and assembled in America; some are completely assembled in Brazil.

My American made guns hit where I point them. 

[gregintenn]

2 hours ago, DaveTN said:

Is it American made? Some Springfield 1911’s are made in Brazil and assembled in America; some are completely assembled in Brazil.

My American made guns hit where I point them. 

Good point. I thought it was American made. I need to look further to know for sure, however.

[deerslayer]

I had a 3" and now the 4" gun.  Liked both a lot. Both went back to Springfield to have the chamber opened a bit and the feed ramp relieved a little.  After that, they both ran like sewing machines.  I still want the bobtail 4" version.  

Both hit where they looked, but a shorter or taller front sight can easily remedy regulation issues.  

[gregintenn]

Not sure where to get the taller front sight.

What I can do is tweak the extractor a bit, and get some 115 bullets to load for it.

I just assumed a 9nm would be regulated for 124 grain loads, and that a 4 digit 1911 wouldn't need tweaking.

It's for target fun only. I'd never carry it for self defense.

[ken_mays]

Believe Dawson Precision has the EMP fronts in different heights.  If they are not in stock, they'll run off a batch if you order one.  

[tntnixon]

13 hours ago, gregintenn said:

Not sure where to get the taller front sight.

What I can do is tweak the extractor a bit, and get some 115 bullets to load for it.

I just assumed a 9nm would be regulated for 124 grain loads, and that a 4 digit 1911 wouldn't need tweaking.

It's for target fun only. I'd never carry it for self defense.

There’s nothing wrong with that weapon. Every 1911 issue is always user error. The more expensive the firearm , the more user error there is. This is why I no longer own a 1911. I was dumb enough to think every jam and failure might have been the weapon. Thank god that cheap polymer striker pistols are user error free. 

[221 Fireball]

I think that you just have to accept that any 1911 needs some tuning to make it run right for the individual owner. Different grip hold, support hand position, grip strength all seem to come into play. But once you get it right, they'll run reliable. Getting together with a 1911 expert/gunsmith would make you happy again with that EMP. Neat guns IMO. I have a Range Officer compact, and it runs well after having a few bugs worked out by some people I know who are smarter about these guns than me. Breaking it in good with lots of rounds down range helped too, and fun to boot! 

My biggest issue with 1911s are finding magazines that will always lock the slide back. I've gone through a half dozen for my RO, but looks like I found some that work.

Edited April 17, 2018 by 221 Fireball

[gregintenn]

6 hours ago, tntnixon said:

There’s nothing wrong with that weapon. Every 1911 issue is always user error. The more expensive the firearm , the more user error there is. This is why I no longer own a 1911. I was dumb enough to think every jam and failure might have been the weapon. Thank god that cheap polymer striker pistols are user error free. 

This ain't my first 1911. I have a pile of em, from cheap to expensive. The rest of em work as intended.

[tntnixon]

4 minutes ago, gregintenn said:

This ain't my first 1911. I have a pile of em, from cheap to expensive. The rest of em work as intended.

I’ve had several  of them over the years , myself . I know there are lots of folks that still love them, hell I used to. I just had too many malfunctions that made my butthole pucker. I’ve only had one polymer malfunction, ever , and that’s cuz I wore the striker spring out (light hits ).  

[221 Fireball]

9 minutes ago, gregintenn said:

This ain't my first 1911. I have a pile of em, from cheap to expensive. The rest of em work as intended.

I've gone through a pile of them. Some of them just made me mad! LOL 

[deerslayer]

On ‎4‎/‎16‎/‎2018 at 8:27 PM, gregintenn said:

Not sure where to get the taller front sight.

 

https://dawsonprecision.com/springfield-emp-black-front-sights/

https://dawsonprecision.com/springfield-emp-fiber-optic-front-sights/