Gun Of The Week: Springfield Armory 1911 TRP 4.25" CC

Springfield Armory’s line of M1911s gained a reputation in the 1990s for reliability, so much so that the FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team adopted the Springfield Professional Model 1911 as its duty sidearm. Soon after, Springfield Armory’s line of Tactical Response Pistols emerged to fulfill consumer demand for a semi-custom option that didn’t involve the wait or expense required to get one of the company’s custom-built Professional models. In 2024, Springfield updated its TRP line with several new models, including this CC variant. Watch our video above to see the 1911 TRP 4.25" CC in use on the range.

One of the hallmarks of Springfield’s TRP line is in how the guns are built. Frames and slides are hand-selected for the best possible fit and then are numbered to each other, so they remain together during the build process. Despite the recent updates to the TRP line, this approach to building the guns remains the same. Another hallmark of the TRP line is that, unlike some of Springfield’s other M1911 lines, the TRP guns are all chambered for the classic .45 ACP cartridge.

The “CC” in this model’s name stands for “Carry Contour,” and that’s the feature that makes this particular option the most visually different from others in the TRP lineup. This angular cut at the rear of the frame is designed to minimize the chances of the gun printing through a cover garment when carried in a traditional strong-side position, thereby making the design easier to conceal for daily carry. In another nod to carry comfort, the CC models of the TRP are built with an aluminum alloy frame instead of steel. The result is that this TRP, with its shortened slide and barrel, weighs in at 27.3 ozs. instead of the 35.5 oz. weight of the TRP Classic 4.25”.

Another stand-out feature of this CC 1911 is, of course, the coyote brown coloring of the gun’s Cerakote finish, the first such gun in the line that doesn’t have an all-black or stainless finish. The gun’s coloring is complemented by the addition of the aggressively textured Hydra G-10 Grips from VZ Grips, which offer a matching black-and-brown color scheme. The gun’s controls, as well as other elements of its construction, are finished in black. The pistol is outfitted with bilateral thumb safeties, as well as a single-sided slide-stop lever and push-button magazine release.

On the range, the superior build quality of the Springfield TRP showed in its performance. The gun ran smoothly and offered a crisp, clean trigger pull you can only get on a well-built M1911. The aggressively textured G10 grips anchored the gun well in the hand, and we appreciated the tritium-illuminated sights, which are a must-have in a dedicated defensive pistol. In an age dominated by polymer-frame handguns and the 9 mm Luger cartridge, the Springfield 1911 TRP CC might strike some folks as being anachronistic. But the reality is that the M1911 platform has been a go-to for many firearm enthusiasts for more than a century. For that group of dedicated fans, the new carry-ready TRP is a premier option that includes welcome updates for even greater utility.

Springfield Armory 1911 TRP 4.25" CC Specifications
Manufacturer: Springfield Armory
Action Type: single-action, semi-automatic, centerfire pistol
Chambering: .45 ACP
Frame: forged aluminum; Coyote Brown Cerakote
Slide: forged carbon steel; Coyote Brown Cerakote
Barrel: forged; 4.25" stainless steel
Magazine: seven-round detachable box
Sights: dovetailed, tritium; two-dot square-notch rear, single-dot post front
Stocks: VZ Grips Hydra G-10
Trigger: single-action
Overall Length: 7.9"
Height: 5.5"
Weight: 27.3 ozs.
MSRP: $1,999