Blog Archives: My Quest for the Ultimate Tactical .45

Springfield Long Beach Operator 1911

by Kelly Crow

This is an article that was written and posted to the old blog, By the Way the Crow Flies, but it had a ton of page views and was very informative. Over the next few months, we will be moving a few articles over from the old blog as part of our "Blog Archives" series - Enjoy!

Recently I had the great pleasure of being able to trade my Remington R1 and a Glock 19 for the most amazing production model Springfield Operator I've ever laid eyes on, a Springfield Loaded Operator Long Beach Police Department Mod 1911. I'm a huge advocate of Springfield's firearms, especially their 1911's - not so much the XD's (I have always been a Glock Fanboy when it comes to Polymer pistols) but I've heard great things about the XD .45's and the XDm in all calibers. Springfield Armory is well known for their extensive lineup of 1911's and M1A/M14 rifles. These two weapons systems are where they excel in my opinion and the rest of their product line is just to retain market share and brand saturation (I'm not knocking the XD and XDm - I've shot both, just wasn't a fan). Anyways, since I love Springfield 1911's I'm always at their website and I know their current product line like the back of my own hand.

The Search for the Ultimate Tactical .45ACP

HK Mark 23

About six months back I started a quest to find a full-size .45 ACP caliber handgun with at least a 5" barrel, a picatinny rail for light/laser mounting, that could fire in some of the most extreme conditions without a single malfunction. Those specs were clear and the gun had to at least meet those to be considered. There were of course things that I could go either way on, such as Threaded Barrel or Not a Threaded Barrel, Lanyard Loop was a plus but not a must, and magazine capacity had to beat the 1911 capacity of 8+1. When I first started spec'ing out this handgun 6 months back, I really wanted a high capacity 45, so my search had me looking at a lot of polymer framed pistols. I started with the
HK Mark 23, but it was way out of the price range I was looking for, then I went to the HK USP .45, but it sure seemed expensive for a polymer pistol and it doesn't have a picatinny or universal rail. It has some weird HK propriety designed rail that requires the use of adapters for all lights/lasers - can 

Glock 21

you say "Stooopid"? Talk about an engineering flaw, what were they thinking there? This is where all those HK Collectors and hardcore HK owners start cursing me....and that's fine if you are but remember, HK was my first choice, I love their guns, and would buy one but the prices have always held me back. I moved from HK to the Glock 21 and 21SF. I am very familiar with the Glock platform having owned a few of them in my day and modified and built many more. I like the modularity of the Glock platform and the fact that if you've shot one Glock you can shoot them all, they all fit your hand the same and function the same, very simply. I also like the fact that Glock does not use a lever safety of any kind (not a big fan of lever safeties, I like my guns ready to go and requiring as little work as possible by the shooter). I like the fact I can purchase a Match Grade Stainless Steel Barrel from Wilson Combat, KKM, BarSto, Storm Lake, or Lone Wolf for the Glock 21/21SF (I like choices)! From Glock I went to FNH and looked at the FNX-45 in FDE Tan with a Threaded Barrel. It has a magazine capacity of 15+1! That's awesome for a 45, but how wide is that grip?? I liked parts 

FN Herstal's FNX-45 Tactical

of what I saw from each manufacturer, but I wasn't completely satisfied with anyone of them in particular. The Glock 21 was the winner as far as price and durability were concerned, but it sure is awfully plain looking and has minimal features. The HK's were great looking, had all the features I wanted, but have the wrong style rail for mounting lasers/lights. The FN FNX-45 was by far the coolest looking pistol, that incorporated all the features of the HK's with the standard picatinny rail of the Glock, not to mention the high round count of it's magazines. But the FN was a polymer pistol and it's price tag is inline with some of the better all steel guns on the market. There's two arguments on this but I personally would rather have an all metal gun for tactical usage. Some may argue that every ounce of weight you can subtract helps, so polymer is the way to go here so as to keep the weight down when your loaded down with gear. I feel like theres better ways you can shed weight so as to allow yourself to carry a steel gun.

The more I thought about what I truly wanted and needed from a Tactical .45, the more I realized that

Springfield Loaded Stainless Steel 1911

MEUSOC 1911 built by Marine Armorers from a WWI Era

Ithaca frame and mid-1980s Springfield slide.

a polymer frame just wasn't going to cut it. This pistol was developing into something more specific as time went by and I read more reviews and forum postings. I finally decided that I needed a 1911. I currently owned a Stainless Steel Springfield Loaded 1911 that I have had for about 5 years now. I love it! It's the most accurate shooting gun I've ever owned, I can punch 2" circles out of paper at 30 yards (90 feet) with it all day long! It has little recoil, is super accurate, very durable, and factory and aftermarket parts are readily available. My spec's were closely aligned with the MARSOC pistol that won Colt a government contract for their M45A1 (a Desert Tan Cerakoted SS Colt Rail Gun). My research led me to discover the MARSOC's predecessor/father the MEUSOC 1911, which were/are built by Marine Armorers for the Marine Expeditionary Unity Special Ops Command. These MEUSOC 1911's have round counts upward of 100,000 to 250,000 and they are still running strong! The MEUSOC 1911's don't have an integrally forged picatinny rail since most are built on WWI/WWII era Colt, Ithaca, and Remington Rand frame. The slides are much newer as the slide is scared after 50,000 rounds or so and new ones are installed, provided by Springfield Armory. Springfield has been doing this since the mid '80s according to their website.  So, I could just buy a Colt Rail Gun and I would have a gun that fits within my specs. Colt makes great 1911's, after all, they are a legend in the industry, but I own a Springfield 1911 and it's awesome, more reliable than any Glock

Colt's Rail Gun won the MARSOC contract a few years back.

The new Marine pistol, the M45A1, is a SS Colt Rail Gun like

the one pictured above, but finished in Cerakote's Desert Sand

and dons G10 Grips to match.

I've ever owned. Marine armorer's chose to purchase Springfield slide's for the MEUSOC 1911 not Colt, a couple divisions of the Marine's carry the Springfield MC Operator, the FBI HRT and some DEA Agents carry the Springfield Professional, not to mention the countless number of other LEO's that carry the Professional and other 1911 models from Springfield's lineup. There's a reason so many of these Government agencies equip their people with Springfield 1911's and it's not the price (the Professional cost's $2400 when you can find one for a good price).  It was at this moment I decided to add one more spec for this 45, it should be a pistol that is in service by a US Government LEO or Soldier, a duty or service pistol so to speak. Before I continue let me list out the spec's again incase I've confused any of you, I know it's changed and I've added to it since the beginning!

The Ultimate Tactical 45 Specifications

• Full Size (Government Model) 1911 Handgun
• Barrel Length of at least 5 inches
• Magazine Capacity of at least 8 rounds
• Picatinny Rail
• Must have Non-Adjustable Night Sights (Novak's preferred)
• All steel Frame and Slide (Stainless or Carbon doesn't matter but must be durable)
• Can have a threaded barrel but not a must
• Should have a lanyard loop but not a must either
• Accurate and extremely reliable
• Should have a next-gen firearm coating to prevent rust and provide adequate lubricity
• Must be a Service/Duty Pistol that is currently in use by a US Gov Official/Soldier or State LEO

These specs really narrow the gap down, especially if I say it should also be a Springfield Armory 

Springfield Loaded MC Operator

1911. The brand isn't a must but I was definitely leaning for Springfield over Colt or Kimber. At this point I was dead set on the Springfield MC Operator, it met all my requirements, but as the days went by, there was just one thing that really began to bug me - that OD Green Armory Kote frame! The more I looked at pics of the MC Operator the more I didn't like the OD Green. Yes I could send the MC Operator into SACS and get the frame Armory Koted black for $80 to match the slide but that would cost extra, require me to ship my gun and be without it for a couple weeks or longer. While searching different retailers stores and websites I ran across a limited supply of the Springfield Loaded Operator Long Beach Police Department Mod 1911's. It's identical to the MC Operator in all ways except it's completely black (Armory Kote Satin Black), has G10 grips by 10-8 Performance (instead of the Pachmayr Wraparounds that are used on the MC Operator), and it has a magwell like most custom and higher end production pistols have. What I especially liked was the fact that these Long Beach Police Operators aren't production pistols that are featured standard in their product lineup, it's a limited edition model that is built in limited quantities once every year or two when Springfield has some extra Satin Black Armory Koted National Match Frames on hand. Since the only other pistols that use a frame like this would be the TRP, Springfield knows they can sell this limited run mod.

How the Long Beach Police Operator Came to Be

The Long Beach, California Police Department sent an RFQ to Springfield for a custom spec'd gun very similar to the MC Operator. They wanted it all Black, with 10-8 Performance Grips and to come with a magwell.  Originally when the RFQ was sent they were requesting enough of these guns to be able to issue one for each officer in the entire city, so several hundred at most. Springfield made the arrangements, entered into a pre-contract with LBPD, and started to build these fine pistols. Now,

Springfield Professional Operator 1911, the handgun 

used by select FBI and DEA Agents, is built

by Springfield's Custom Shop Master Gunsmiths 

obviously these aren't Custom Shop guns, or the slides would be engraved with it like the FBI/DEA Professional Models. However, it is my understanding that any pistol made for a Government Agency for duty or service use is hand fitted and built by Springfield's Master Gunsmiths and not a regular joe working the assembly line for their production models, but keep in mind that a lot of these pistols are also sold to the Civilian public so the Gunsmith working on the pistol does not know if the gun he is building will be carried by an FBI Agent, a DEA Agent, or on a CHL holders hip on his next trip to the grocery store. This is what I was told by Springfield Armory in an interview I did with them over the phone several months back, so this is the law of the land until I see or am told by them otherwise. LBPD decides to finally follow through with their purchase of these Springfield Operators, but instead of issuing them to the entire force they decided to issue them only to SWAT, lowering their total purchase to only 146 handguns. Meanwhile, back in Genesso, Springfield has already assembled well over five hundred of

these guns. They fill the order and ship LBPD their 1911's. Springfield has no problem selling handguns, they ship the remaining LBPD 1911's out to distributors as a limited run pistol. This was almost 6 years ago......the LBPD 1911's were a hit and sold quickly at prices upward of $1700! Every year or two since, Springfield has continued to build this same Operator 1911 in limited quantities (typically less than 500 of them a year they say), dubbing it the Springfield Loaded Operator Long Beach Police Mod. The MSRP on one is $1450 and most will sell from reputable retailers for $1200 to $1300.

An In-Depth Look at The Long Beach Operator and it's Parts

Springfield Long Beach Police Operator field stripped. Note
that the recoil spring guide rod has been swapped out for a
Wilson Combat Bulletproof version, made from a Tool
Steel Billet. Not only is it much thicker and heavier,
but also secures to the recoil spring better than the stock part.

Springfield spared no expense with this handgun. They start by using one of their highly sought after NM (National Match) serial numbered frames with an integral picatinny rail and then they pair it with an Operator slide. Both the frame and slide receive a coating of their trademarked Armory Kote finish in Satin Black. Yes, I'm aware many think that Armory Kote is nothing more than Gun Kote, especially since the colors are identical between the two, and this could quite possibly be, but I do not know so I'm referring to it as their propriety coating, Armory Kote for the remainder of the article. The slide contains a titanium firing pin as is used in all of their Loaded model 1911's, as well as  Novak Night Sights which contain Trijicon's Tritium for that cool glow in the dark effect we all like so much! The extractor fits snuggly and is not quite flush fitting on the back of the slide but it's close. The slide stop also features a snug fit that could only be achieved by hand fitting. The barrel is Springfield's NM Stainless Steel .45 ACP barrel that are used in their Loaded and Trophy Match 

Springfield Long Beach Police Operator Slide with Barrel.

model 1911's. A stainless barrel bushing is used and a standard GI recoil spring plug and spring guide, both finished in the same Satin Black Armory Kote as the Slide and Frame are finished in. Recoil Spring weight measures 16.5lbs and appears to be built from Chrome Silicon. This gun, like all Springfield 1911's is a series 70 style 1911 so it does not feature the firing pin plunger that is used to prevent the firing pin from moving unless the trigger is pulled. I'm not going to get into a debate on Series 70 and Series 80 1911's, I've owned both and I've never had issues with either, but I do prefer the Series 70 due to less moving parts, which in turn means less stuff to break and/or maintain.

Moving down to the frame - this 1911 features Springfield's three hole slotted Lightweight Aluminum 

A view of the Long Beach Police Operator

frame from the top, looking down into the

frame. The lighting makes it difficult to see,

but the feed ramp is polished to a mirror shine.

Match Grade trigger and Springfield's standard sear and internals found on all Loaded models as well as a Delta style hammer. A flat, checkered mainspring housing featuring Springfield's ILS is installed with a bolt-on style maxwell attached to the bottom. The front of the grip is smooth and has no checkering. A S&A high ride grip safety has been hand fitted and blended to the frame with moreattention to detail than the one installed on my SS Loaded. The Long Beach Operator has a Wilson Combat Ambidextrous Safety identical to the one installed on the Custom Shop Professional model. The slide stop is the standard Springfield slide stop found on all Loaded model 1911's. Springfield installed an extended ejector like they do on most Loaded models, however this one has been pinned to the frame unlike the ejector on my SS Loaded. The inside of the frame and slide are immaculate, with superb attention to detail there are no machine or file marks, and the feed ramp is smooth and polished. Of course since this is an Operator model 1911 the front of the frame features the integral picatinny rail with 3 rail indentations offering a high level of flexibility when choosing laers/lights. 

View of the ejection port side of the Springfield Long Beach

Police Operator

Lets combine the slide and frame and take a look at fit with the recoil spring assembly installed and without. Without the recoil spring, guide rod, and spring plug you can really feel if a 1911 has any play in the slide to frame fit.  Now slide to frame fit should typically only have slight movement, and I'm talking microns of a millimeter in movement, only after it has been completely broken in. Even then it should still be nice and snug, especially when the recoil assembly is installed. The Long Beach Operator exhibits slide to frame fit on par with some of the finest production and semi-custom production model 1911's I've ever shot. Springfield has always been really good as far as slide and frame fit are concerned with all of their upper level pistols. I have never had the pleasure of handling or shooting any GI, Mil Spec, or Lightweight Springfields so I cannot vouch for these entry level 1911's slide and frame fit, but all of the Loaded, Trophy Match, TRP, and Custom Shop models exhibit some of the tightest fits.  Lastly, taking a look at the overall finish on the beautiful pistol reveals a perfectly applied Satin Black coating of Springfield's propriety coating, Armory Kote. At first glance, I was really impressed with Armory Kote. I have never owned a pistol with it before. The  Remington R1 that I traded had a very simple black painted finish, almost a low grade matte bluing, that wore very quickly with handling and holstering of the firearm.  What really impressed me about the Satin Black Armory Kote is the Satin look of the finish. It has just enough shine to it to make it look very nice, but not shiny enough to produce glare during daylight shooting or tactical situations. I use Teflon based Rem Oil to wipe down all my firearms, and it really soaks into the Armory Kote and makes the surface slick! I'll share my thoughts on this finish and how it holds up to the normal wear and tear of Shooting and Holstering after a week of cary and use on my family ranch in West Texas.

Optional Mods

Before I went out to shoot my new Long Beach Operator I made a few mods that I feel are necessary for reliability and to enhance shooting. Wilson Combat sells what they call a "1911 Reliability Kit" it's a bunch of springs to enhance overall reliability and to rebuild or respring a 1911. I took some of my mods from the reliability kit and I change out at least two springs on every 1911 I buy, yes, even

Left side view of the Long Beach Police Operator with a
Surefire X300 Ultra installed and VZ's Slant Tiger Stripe
G10 Grips

if they are new. First spring I change out is the recoil spring - stock rating is 16.5lbs and I install an 18.5lb Wolff Chrome Silicon spring as spec'd in the Wilson Combat Reliability Kit. Secondly, and this is something I never hesitate to change out, I install an Extra Power Firing Pin Spring. This not only adds enhanced safety to the gun by keeping the firing pin from being able to strike the primer if dropped, but also ensures that the pin returns to it's zero position within the slide so as to not allow the firing pin stop to drop out the back while the slide is moving through it's motion. The Wilson Combat Reliability Kit utilizes a 20lb hammer spring (mainspring) to lighten the trigger pull up a hair and ease the shooters ability to cock the hammer back by hand. I attempted to change this spring out with a Wolff 20lb hammer spring and it didn't work out. 22lb's is standard for the hammer spring on a 1911 but what happened with the Long Beach Operator was that the factory hammer spring was almost a half inch shorter than the new "lighter" hammer spring from Wolff. I swapped them out and had a hell of a time putting the mainspring housing back on the gun. Once I did, I couldn't pull the hammer all the way down. Anyone familiar with Springfield's 1911's knows that the hammer clicks 3 times while being pulled back. The second click is a halfway spot, while the third and final click happens when the hammer is pulled all the way back - I never could get this third click to happen, the hammer wouldn't go any farther than the second click, which is only halfway back. So, I opted to stick with the factory hammer spring and everything functioned fine during dry testing.

Besides springs I changed out the recoil spring guide rod with a Stainless Wilson Combat Bullet Proof version. Wilson's Bullet Proof line of 1911 parts are cut from a block of tool steel which allows them to don the Bullet Proof name. The factory recoil spring guide from Springfield is made from

Ejection port side view of Springfield LB Police Operator

carbon steel and is hollow through the center, and could very possibly be a MIM part. While the factory recoil spring guide is sufficient for shooting this pistol, remember I was looking for the Ultimate Tactical .45 and part of it being "Ultimate" is that  the internals need to be extra tough, I don't want parts breaking and I feel like Wilson's Bullet Proof line of parts enhance reliability as well. I also changed out the grips with a pair of VZ Slants in their Tiger Stripe G10 pattern. I prefer VZ Grips on my 1911's and have used their Recons, Operators, and Aliens so I decided to try out a pair of the Slants. They feel and look great, especially when shooting with gloves which is how I do the majority of my shooting.

Though it did not necessarily need it, I decided to polish the barrel chamber and feed lip. I started with 1000 grit wet paper, moving up through the grits until I finished with a 10,000 grit cloth based

Left side view of Springfield LB Police Operator

paper. It left a mirror shine. I also run a bit of JB Bore Polish down the barrel several times to really clean it up. The barrel did appear to not have been cleaned after test firing at the factory, polishing it really cleaned and shined it up. I had a Guncrafter Ind's Flat Checkered Mainspring Housing with Integral Lanyard Loop in the toolbox, so I attempted to install it on the Long Beach Operator to use with my Gemtech Lanyard. After installing it and seeing the color difference between the blued Guncrafter MSH and the Armory Koted Springfield MSH, not to mention losing my magwell, I decided to keep the stock setup here. Like I said before, a lanyard loop was not an absolute must but it's nice to have on a tactical handgun. Someday I may in fact go back to the lanyard loop MSH when I'm ready to get the gun recoated in Armory Kote Satin Black.

Range Results and Impressions

I finally got a chance to fire the Long Beach Operator about a week after aquiring it. I ran several mags of 230r M1911 Ball Ammo through it as well as a few mags of +P 185gr Atomic Match Hollow Points. 100rds later I had not a single malfunction or misfire. Recoil was smooth, accuracy identical to that of my SS Loaded 1911 and sighting targets was quick with the Novak Night Sights. 

From left to right: 2 Mec-gar 8rd mags that came from Springfield,

2 Wilson Combat 47D mags, 1 Kimber Kim Pro 8rd mag, and

1 Chip McCormick 8rd Power Mag - all have performed

flawlessly with the Long Beach Police Operator.

Springfield has shipped the Long Beach Operator with a variety of different mags over the years, but this particular version came with 8rd Mecgear mags with the polymer slam pad on the bottom. I also grabbed a Chip McCormick Power Mag and a couple Wilson 47D's when I picked up the pistol from the gunstore. I already had a couple Kimber Kim-Pro 8 rounders at home that I use in my SS Loaded, I installed the slam pads on them that came with them and now use them with the Long Beach Operator. I know some 1911's can be very particular with what brand and type of mag they function with, using such a wide variety of mags - Mecgear, Wilson, Chip McCormick, and Kimber - I wasn't sure what to expect, but all fed smoothly and locked the slide back on the last round. Shooting the +P Atomics definitely produced slightly more felt recoil but nothing unmanageable by any means.  However, with that said, I do not prefer to shoot +P's for target practice, but I like to shoot a few mags of them through my guns when breaking in new springs. Nothing will help set those stiff extra power springs like some +P ammo leaving the muzzle of your 1911 faster than 9mm velocities (1200fps+). 

Finish wearing on the left side of the slide by the muzzle from

 holstering the weapon

Finish wearing on the right side of the slide by the muzzle

 from holstering the weapon

I spent Thanksgiving week, Deer and Turkey Hunting on my family ranch in West Texas. This was the week after I acquired the Long Beach Operator so I really got to put it through its paces and shoot a couple hundred rounds through it off the bat. I would have liked to shoot somewhere around 1000 rounds but that was near impossible to do since I was there to hunt, not target practice. Remember my initial impressions of the Armory Kote finish were something along the lines of "Wow this is really nice!" I use a Blackhawk Serpa Thigh Rig when at the Ranch with a Level 2 Serpa 1911 holster, it carries railed and non-railed 1911's without accessories attached. After a few days of holstering, drawing, and shooting, the pistol started to exhibit some signs of wear by the muzzle of the slide. At first it was more like dull rubbed areas, which would disappear after allowing a heavy coating of Rem Oil to penetrate the finish. Soon, after carrying the pistol for the 4th or 5th day, what was once a dull rubbed area, started to reveal bare metal. Most of my guns are Cerakoted, I know a guy that does a great job Cerakoting firearms for some of the most impressive prices I've ever seen. In my experience, Cerakote doesn't wear like this, it has a much higher abrasion resistance than most finishes do. Normal wear and tear don't doesn't phase Cerakote, it really takes a beating. So needless to say, I was expecting Armory Kote to wear similarly, but this would mean that it is equally as hard as Cerakote. I guess I should have known right there that I was expecting too much since Cerakote is by far the hardest spray-on gun coating on the market at the time of writing this.

It'll take some time longer for me to really decide how I like Armory Kote's finish overall, I still love the way it looks, but looks aren't everything now are they? Slide wear is normal and prevalent on all well used tactical firearms so it really doesn't bother me as much as it may seem, I just didn't expect it 

Notice the finish wear on the top of the slide by

the ejection port. This is from holstering the weapon

for a week.

to show up so quickly I guess. That's fine though, the frame still shows a solid finish with no signs of wear at all, and after all SACS only charges $80 to refinish a Slide in Satin Black Armory Kote or $150 for an entire gun, which really isn't bad considering it's a professional full featured custom shop at one of the largest and oldest gun manufacturers in America.  The Long Beach Operator is a smooth and accurate shooting forty-five, it retains the GI recoil spring system to make it easier for the operator to field strip, clean and reassemble the gun by hand (without any tools). These are necessary attributes of any great tactical pistol.  I feel that with the few modifications I made and regular maintenance this gun will take anything I throw at it, shoot any type of ammo I feed it, and function flawlessly in a variety of different environments! It was definitely worth trading my Remington R1 and a Glock 19 in so that I could grab this limited run pistol. Unfortunately, for those of you that are now out looking everywhere for one, I hadn't seen one for under $1,500 yet! It's one of those things that if you're wanting one, you just gotta pick it up when the gun store has one. They MSRP at $1300, so a reputable gun store will sell them for just under or right at $1000 - or a trade of two good quality handguns.

Question of the Day

Do you agree that a 1911 with the right setup is the Ultimate Tactical .45? If not, what is the Ultimate Tactical .45 to you? Please post questions and answers in the comments section below!