Springfield Garrison 1911 Review
In this review, we take a look at Springfield's mid-line Garrison 1911s to see how it performs and if it is worthy of your consideration.
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Springfield Armory Garrison 1911 Pros & Cons
Pros
- Affordable
- Accurate
- Reliable
- Real blued finish
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.
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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
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.
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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.
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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 By the Numbers
Accuracy
4.5/5
Reasoning: 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
Reasoning: 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
Reasoning: 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
Reasoning: 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
Reasoning: 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
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Springfield Garrison 1911 Upgrades u0026 Accessories
Wilson Combat 8-round 1911 magazine, standard base pad
Pachmayr Signature 1911 pistol grip
Real Avid 1911 Smart Wrench
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!