Springfield-Armory EMP 9mm guys , tell me about it .

[tercel89]

Who here has one and what are the pros and cons ? I know one of the cons are its crazy price .

Supposedly it was built/designed on the 9mm cartridge and not the .45 which makes it more reliable than a 1911 "converted to 9mm" .

So tell me the good and the bad .

Edited June 23, 2011 by tercel89

[Ruprect]

I bought my father one for carry.

Pros:

Excellent fit and finish, great size for carry (small / thin, but large enough for a proper grip), excellent accuracy, good capacity (9+1 I believe), relatively light weight, very little recoil, no hollow point issues once broken in, plenty of holsters, comes with three mags.

Cons:

Cost (as you mentioned), would not reliably feed an entire magazine until it hit 300 rounds (perfect for the next 500).

[deerslayer]

An EMP is my carry gun. I probably have 3000 rounds through it. It is built around a 9mm and .40 length cartridge. Springfield calls it the "short action 1911." It fed FMJs perfectly, but hollow points would plug on the feed ramp every 50 rounds or so. Not horribly unreliable, but not carry-worthy. I did what many suggested--I contacted Springfield and they polished the feed ramp and opened up the chamber slightly. It didn't cost me a dime. No more hollow point issues. Gun now runs like a Glock, except it's slimmer and easier to carry. It absolutely shoots the lights out for its size. Plus, the magazine holds nine rounds, as opposed to the eight rounds that standard officer-framed 9mm 1911 mags hold. I wish it had a 3.5" or maybe even a 4" barrel, but I still like it. A lot. IMO, if you are serious about a carry gun that's small enough to carry all the time, but big enough to still be seriously shootable, the EMP is worth the money.

Edited June 24, 2011 by deerslayer

[Guest The Highlander]

Worth the money. Mine has been flawless except for a couple of times that are purely my fault (shooting weak-handed, I let my right thumb hit the takedown pin and it slows the slide enough to cause problems. I do it with ALL 1911's unfortunately). Very accurate for its size, extremely carry-friendly. I love mine.

[tnhawk]

I haven't fired a .40 EMP yet, but it will probably be my next purchase.

[Magiccarpetrides]

I'm pretty sure the biggest downside is the 9mm is not recommended or built for +p which is practically a must for a self defense 9. Imho if its purely a self defense gun get a kahr cm9 or pm9 as they are much cheaper and rated for +p

[tmedic]

I have the EMP in 40 and a friend has one in 9. Both have performed perfectly with every brand and kind of ammo we've tried. Mine shoots better than I can. Recoil is very manageable. Neither one of us regret spending the money for them.

[Guest The Highlander]

I'm pretty sure the biggest downside is the 9mm is not recommended or built for +p which is practically a must for a self defense 9. Imho if its purely a self defense gun get a kahr cm9 or pm9 as they are much cheaper and rated for +p

Mine has been test-fired with +p 9's and that is what I carry in it.

[Guest friesepferd]

great gun. i had the kimber ultra aegis, which is essentially the same gun. only reason i didnt get the emp is because it wasnt out yet and the aegis was.

both of them are very reliable and accurate. iv never had any problems.

[deerslayer]

I'm pretty sure the biggest downside is the 9mm is not recommended or built for +p which is practically a must for a self defense 9. Imho if its purely a self defense gun get a kahr cm9 or pm9 as they are much cheaper and rated for +p

My experimentation with the chronograph and +P ammunition has revealed that there is often a much smaller difference between +P and standard pressure ammo than we are led to believe. Often, the two are less than 25 fps apart, especially coming from short barrels. So, I disagree with the statement that +P is a must for 9 defense ammo, especially when using a subcompact.

[Guest Boomhower]

I jumped on the EMP bandwagon early on. Ran across a good deal when I bought it so I really couldn't pass it up and glad that I didn't. That being said, I find myself opting to carry something else for all day carry. The weight is the only complaint that I have. OWB at 3 o'clock isn't bad, but IWB (MTAC holster) at 4 o'clock hurts my back after a while of carrying. I have been looking at the Kahr CW9 & am seriously considering switching to it for carry if it works well for me....I hate the thoughts of selling my EMP, but I know it will only become an expensive safe queen.....Decisions decisions!!

[Guest friesepferd]

consider using speer gold dot short barrel. it is +p and made for subcomacts. you will get good velocity out of it.

[Magiccarpetrides]

I know +p will fire through EMP's but I do remember the manual of the one I had specifically stating not to use it in their guns...but its your firearm to use and abuse as you see fit ;-D In a 3" barrel'd gun even if its only 25fps difference....every bit is going to help since your already at a loss due to the short barrel....jmho

[hipower]

But a short barrel is better than no barrel at all.

[Magiccarpetrides]

But a short barrel is better than no barrel at all.

Touche'

[tnhawk]

As I am not able to get both the 9mm and .40 EMP, I finally made a decision and ordered the .40, as I have several other .40 pistols.

[Deerbnb]

thanks for posting / sharing. I saw one a while back and loved it. I currently don"t own anything with a 1911 style but really would love this one.

[QuietDan]

EMP in 9mm is my daily carry. Form follows function: it is a beautiful gun, very well made, with tight tolerances. Yes, have the feedramp polished, shiny and smooth. It's integral to the barrel and kind of steep -- you don't want hollow points hanging up on it because of boogers of some sort. The gun when brand new is SO TIGHT that you will want to put about 200 rounds through it to loosen it up. After that, it runs like a Rolex watch. It has a bushingless 'bull' barrel, and is very accurate. You can get all sorts of snazzy grips for it, but I just love the looks of the SA crossed-cannon logo grips in cocobolo. Did I mention it's beautiful??

Edited July 10, 2011 by QuietDan
Duplicated word

[tnhawk]

After disassembling, cleaning and lubing, the EMP 40 fired 200 rounds perfectly on its first trip to the range.

[Parrothead]

pictures?>

[tnhawk]

EMP 40 after initial trip to range.

[Parrothead]

Very nice!!

[Bubbas]

Well i found a good deal on one over the weekend and had to pick it up. Went to the range yesterday and it shoot lights out, i did get a few rounds hung up on the feed ramp tho. Is it worth sending it back to SA or should i just spend the 40 bucks to get the feed ramped polished.

[tnhawk]

Many pistols take a few hundred rounds fired thru them before they become 100% reliable. I fired a few hundred FMJ before using any HP ammunition. If the problem continues, call Springfield Armory and they'll send a shipping label for repair.

[deerslayer]

Many pistols take a few hundred rounds fired thru them before they become 100% reliable. I fired a few hundred FMJ before using any HP ammunition. If the problem continues, call Springfield Armory and they'll send a shipping label for repair.

+1

I put over 600 FMJs through mine before firing the first hollow point. All FMJs were flawless. If you want something done to it, I would call Springfield--they will cover all costs, plus, they may work on your chamber, too.