Springfield Garrison 1911 Pros u0026 Cons
Pros
- Affordable
- Real blued finish
- Accurate
- Reliable
Cons
- No front strap checkering
- May have slight slide to frame overhang
The Bottom Line
Springfield Armory's Garrison 1911 looks great, shoots great, and is reliable and accurate.
Springfield Armory Garrison Specs & Features
Specs
- Caliber: .45 ACP
- Action: Single action, semi-auto
- Width: 1.25″
- Length: 8.6″
- Height: 5.5″
- Barrel Length: 5″
- Weight: 37oz
- Capacity: 7+1
Features
- Forged carbon steel, blued frame
- Low profile 3-dot combat sights
- Thinline wood grips
Whether you love them or hate them, 1911s are everywhere — and they aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.
With classic good looks, a reputation for excellent triggers, and a couple of World Wars to its name, it’s hard not to want a 1911 at some point.
But with options ranging from $300 to $5,000 and beyond, it can be tough to figure out where to start.
To help answer this question, we got our hands on the Springfield Garrison and took it out for a spin to see if this mid-priced 1911 is worth your hard-earned money.
Table of Contents
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Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
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How We Tested the Springfield Garrison
What can I say? I love guns so much I have over 200 firearms (I know, I have a problem).
I shot over 500 rounds of ball ammo and a box of hollow-points for this review. As well as tested the reliability over 7 types of different magazines. I shot at distances ranging from 7-15 yards and included my targets.
But I am also a huge stickler for bargain buys, and I don’t believe in overpaying for products. I enjoy taking the time to find out what works, what doesn’t, and what is worth it.
Springfield Garrison 1911 Background
The 1911 has a long and storied history, having been one of the earliest and most successful auto-loading pistol designs.
Springfield Armory was founded in 1974 (no relation to the original US Military Springfield Armory) and has produced 1911s for decades at this point.
They cover the entire 1911 gamut, from entry-level WWII-style GI guns to full-blown custom shop models and everything in between.
The Garrison is one of their recent models that combines a more traditional look with modern performance features.
These guns are available in hot salt blue or stainless and come chambered in 9mm or .45 ACP. This test was conducted with the blued .45 ACP model.
Who Is It For?
This gun is for those who want a sharp-looking, American-made 1911 with that classic vibe but don’t want to pay $1000.
It is devilishly handsome, affordable, accurate, reliable, and from a company with a lot of 1911 experience. Despite only running $700-800, it is a gun worthy of showing off to your friends or becoming an heirloom for the next generation.
Fit & Feel
1911s are known for their pointability and relatively thin profile. Springfield definitely captured the essence of that iconic feel here.
Great-looking, thin, double-diamond checkered wood grips adorn the sides, and the back strap is aggressively checkered for additional grip.
An extended beavertail and a tactile extended single-sided thumb safety allow for a nice, high grip that works great for those who shoot thumbs forward.
The Low-profile 3-dot sights provide a solid sight picture that doesn’t hinder the shooting experience at all.
Some of the “modern” features include a skeletonized hammer for a faster lock time and a skeletonized trigger.
After five pulls on my digital Lyman trigger gauge, the Garrison averaged a 3.5-pound trigger pull. There is a little bit of take-up to a wall, an ever-so-tiny bit of creep, and then a clean break. It’s definitely a good (and consistent) 1911 trigger.
I have to say, the hot salt bluing is absolutely gorgeous. A slight sheen on the slabs of the slide is accompanied by a bit more of a semi-gloss finish on the frame and other slide areas. This gun looks killer.
Shaking the gun results in only the slightest rattle. Slide-to-frame fitment is very tight but with no sticking or hitching. It passes the maraca test with flying colors — no rattle-trap here.
However, I do want to note that the gun I received had some noticeable slide overhang. It bothered me enough that I contacted Springfield directly to ask about it.
They assured me that it was within spec and that they prioritize the barrel-to-slide locking lug fitment over the blending of the rear of the slide to the frame.
This was my only major gripe fit-wise, but I am inclined to believe them due to how the gun shoots.
How Does It Shoot?
I love 1911s and have quite a few, which meant Garrison was facing some stiff competition. The good news is that this thing is ripping accurate.
Accuracy was outstanding from beginning to end. A solid sight picture, good trigger, and excellent barrel-slide-fitment yielded ragged hole groups at 7-10 yards all day.
Even out to 25 yards, I was able to keep all my shots in the 10-ring and X-ring if I did my part. The gun definitely can outshoot me.
Reliability-wise, the gun ran through 500 rounds of Speer Lawman 230-grain TMJ with confidence (minus one bad magazine) and ate up a box of Speer 200-grain gold-dot hollow points with no issue.
The Garrison comes with standard with one 7-round flush fit magazine (seriously, guys, throw in two magazines), but I received two OEM additional magazines for testing.
I also tested various other magazines to see how they ran. Here are my results:
- OEM Springfield 7-round (3 tested) – 0 stoppages
- Wilson Combat 47D 8-round (4 tested) – 0 stoppages
- Kimber KimPro 8-round (3 tested) – 0 stoppages
- Act-Mag 8-round (1 tested) – 0 stoppages
- Mec-Gar blued 8-round (1 tested) – 1 stoppage (round would not rechamber in a different mag)
- Colt stainless 7-round – 8 stoppages (this magazine has failed in every 1911)
Throwing out that completely garbage Colt mag, which doesn’t even work reliably in the gun it came with, I had one stoppage with the Mec-Gar magazine, which may have been ammo-related.
The OEM mags run flawlessly, although loading the first round is a bit tough. Although the Wilson mags ran 100%, the KimPro mags felt the smoothest both in mag insertion and racking — flame me in the comments if you like.
What Sets It Apart?
Find me another gun in the $750-$850 range with actual hot bluing, this accuracy, and this reliability.
If you want to step up from an entry-level gun like a Tisas but don’t want to spend $1,500 on a Dan Wesson, the Garrison is an appealing American-made option that looks as good as it shoots.
It is a true stand-out when it comes to mid-range 1911s.
Springfield Garrison 1911 By The Numbers
Accuracy
4.5/5
It may not be Les Baer 2" at 25 yards accurate, but it's not far off. This gun is very accurate.
Reliability
4.5/5
This could easily be a 5/5 rating if you decide to toss out what was for sure one bad magazine from a different manufacturer, and one possibly bad round. This gun ran amazingly well with zero break-in needed.
Customization
4/5
The 1911 has a laundry list of modifications and shops willing to do work on them, but this gun is likely best served being left in the classic configuration.
Ergonomics
4/5
The thin grips really nail that 1911 feel, which I personally love. As with most 1911s, your grip does need to be adjusted to reach the slide release and magazine release.
Value
4.5/5
Finding a real blued gun that shoots this well at this price almost makes you feel like its 1995 again. This gun is definitely one of the best in its price bracket.
Overall
4.5/5
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
-
25% off all OAKLEY products - OAKLEY25
Copied! Visit Merchant
Springfield Garrison 1911 Upgrades & Accessories
Final Verdict
Simply put, I feel like Springfield is dominating the mid-range 1911 market. The Garrison looks better, shoots better, and is cheaper than my Colt Series 70.
I have had other trusted sources rave about the accuracy and reliability and even had one friend tell me it almost shoots as well as his Les Baer. After testing it myself, I believe them.
If you have $800 in your pocket and want a classic-style 1911, this is the guy to get.
What are your thoughts on the Garrison or 1911s in general? Let us know in the comments below! Want to check out other options? Take a peek at our article on the Best 1911 Pistols For the Money!
25 Leave a Reply
I’ve owned the SA Garrison for about 5 months now, although it feels like it’s been longer than that - maybe because I shoot it so much. I love everything about this .45 ACP. It looks great and shoots great, too. I own five 1911 .45 ACPs - the Garrison, a Kimber Rapide Frost, a Dan Wesson Specialist, and a Wilson Combat CQB, all full-sized; and an older Kimber Royal Carry. I’m a big fan of 1911s in .45 ACP (chambering a 1911 in any other caliber is anathema to me). I cannot honestly say that the SA Garrison shoots as well as the higher-end 1911s that I own, but for the price, it’s certainly accurate enough. In fact, judging from Wyatt’s test targets, I’d have to say that the Garrison is much more accurate than I am! I just shoot the other pistols a little better - meaning more accurately - especially the Dan Wesson (at 2.5x the price of the Garrison) and the Wilson Combat (at 4.5x the price of the Garrison). So, bottom line, at $750 or so for the SA Garrison, it’s a terrific buy. You won’t be disappointed!
Thank you for your review. Right now, I am looking for my first pistol purchase. I was able to shoot my friend’s Springfield 1911 9mm Loaded Target (as well as other pistols) and absolutely love it, but it comes with a hefty price tag. It has great balance to it, really accurate where I was hitting a target 55 yards away. I do know that they both come with a lot of the same hardware (minus the adjustable rear site), but is the trigger the same between the two, and I noticed a difference in the recoil system as well.
I like the lower price of the Garrison, but just wondering if the difference is that big to warrant me going one way or the other. I hope all that makes sense.
I would really appreciate anyone’s feedback, especially if you have used both of those pistols. Thank you!
Dana, the triggers on those two are going to be very close in my opinion - almost to the point where it might vary gun to gun specifically. The 2-piece recoil system is nice, but doesn't make too much of a difference to me, especially if you are eyeballing the 9mm models. The big difference is the adjustable rear sight and front serrations. The Loaded Target usually runs about $200-ish more, but if you are interested in shooting targets further like you mentioned (55 yards), the adjustable rear might be worth it. I don't think you can go wrong either way, as the Garrison can still ring them in there accuracy-wise.
Hi Wyatt,
Thank you very much for your help on this. I greatly appreciate it and value your articles and videos as well. BTW, thanks to your whole crew for having fun in your videos!
Dana,
I used to own 2 Loaded series SA 1911's (at different times) and they both shot very well and served as my basic carry gun. The Garrison I have now shoots at least as well with 5 out of 5 reliability. The Garrison has the traditional recoil system with the short guide rod. This makes it easier to field strip than the 2 piece guide rod systems. The Garrison is fit tighter than the Loaded series were (1990's there) and the groups are tighter. On a good day I can keep all the rounds in 1.5"at 25 yards. My normal is 2.25" with the same ammo.
All my aftermarket magazines are Chip McCormick as they work and are cheaper than Wilson Combat and more reliable. WC has slipped in the past few years IMO.
Sound like a good buy if you are a gun history buff.
It is definitely a great gun if you are into the history of the platform, but it sure makes for a heck of a shooter too.
I have a couple of CMC 10 round magazines for my Garrison and they run great. This is a great "bang for your buck" 1911. Now I need one in 9mm.
John, Chip McCormick mags are great. That is all I run in my .38 Super 1911. As far as the Garrison goes, I hope the 9mm one works as well as the .45 one does. The 9mm one always seem to go on sale a bit cheaper too.
I have a Springfield Operator in 45 ACP and a Springfield Ronin in 9mm and love both of them. Never had a failure in either, so far. Saving my pennies right now for a new Springfield Echelon.
Patrick, the Operator and Ronin are both awesome pistols. If you haven't already, you should check out our review of the Echelon!
Thanks Wyatt I'll do that.
Your gonna laugh at me but i like mone so much i dont shoot it any more that 20 or 30 rounds a month. It just seems too nice to run the rounds through. I know its not an heirloom gun or anything like that, its just so pretty and easy to shoot. Im satisfied just handling it.
Chris, I don't blame you. That hot salt bluing made me feel guilty shooting it too. It definitely looks good even standing still. Glad you enjoy yours.
OK I get the 1911 craze, I have quite a few from Kimber to Colt, Rock Island and others. What I always felt lacked was capacity. With a 45 round its tough to get more that 7+1 I get that. BUT FN Herstal has a KILLER tactical 45 with 15+1 that I would take over an 1911 any day. I BEG Pew Pew to do a review on the FN Herstal 45 Tactical. I Love Mine and would not trade it in for ANY 1911.
The FNX-45 Tactical is definitely a killer gun. We actually have a review on it from a few years back, you can can check it out here!
Good to read. Great looking pistol. My Springfield Operator has been a Jam-O-Matic hot mess with every mag it came with and the seven other 1911 mags I have. Finally, sent it back to Springfield two months ago and still waiting for its return. My Springfield Champion in stainless didn’t have such woes; guess my Operator was made on a Monday.
I’ll keep shooting my Tisas Army, Carry, and Raider in the meantime. Reliable as the day is long in mid-summer.
Bummer to hear about your operator. I have had pretty solid luck across all of my Springfield 1911s so far (knock on wood). How is that Tisas Raider treating you? We really dug the Tisas GI model we tested, but that Raider caught my eye.
The Raider is very accurate. The FDE cerakote has worn quickly in a couple of spots, but they’re all internal. I’m very pleased with the Raider overalll.
Sounds great! Did you have any break in period on it or did she run right out of the box? I've heard a bit of mixed reports on reliability in the first couple hundred rounds but really can't verify anything.
I was amused to read you have 200 fire arms. They do have a habit of growing in number.
Perhaps time to make a list of why do I have this? I only have eight handguns. Should I buy another I need to add like 600 to the cost for the pocket book my wife will surly buy.CLAUD
Claud, I definitely have a reason behind each gun. Now whether it is a good reason or not for some of them is definitely up for debate, haha.
Para Ordnance GI Expert. Best deal on budget 1911....
David, unfortunately Para has been out of business since 2015. I have a few Para LDAs and an Expert Carry. Neat guns, but they are tough to come by and the lack of customer support if there are any issues are kind of a turn off for most folks these days.
Yeah. I figured that would be your position. There's a GI Expert on guns international as we speak, for 540...
Thanks for responding...