NRA Gun Of The Week: Springfield Armory Garrison

Springfield Armory is no stranger to the M1911 platform, having offered some of the best commercial variants on the market, from the company’s entry-level Mil-Spec models to elite custom guns with hand-fit components and top-tier features and performance. In recent years, Springfield has focused on incorporating as many custom-grade features as possible into affordable packages. The Garrison is one of the company’s latest takes on an heirloom-quality gun. Watch the video above to see the .45-cal. Garrison M1911 in use on the range.

Each Springfield Armory Garrison is built with a forged frame and slide that comes fitted with match-grade 5" barrel, which is also a forged unit. There’s a U-shaped cutout at the rear of the barrel hood, which allows users to easily see whether or not the chamber’s loaded at a glance. A traditional M1911 barrel bushing, guide rod and checkered recoil-spring plug is provided, too. Topping the matte-finished slide are a set of low-profile sights for a traditional three-dot sight picture.

The Garrison's frame provides a single-sided, extended thumb safety, as well as an extended beavertail grip safety with a raised memory bump. While traditionally styled, there are some welcome upgrades on the Garrison, such as the skeletonized hammer and a three-hole trigger. The sample provided for NRA Gun Of The Week is constructed entirely of stainless steel, but Springfield also offers a carbon-steel model, complete with a hot-salt blued finish. Both guns come with Springfield’s checkered thinline grips and are outfitted with a finely checkered mainspring housing.

On the range, the Garrison performed like a premium product, even though it’s a very affordably priced gun. While it’s available in the classic .45 ACP, of course, there is also a 9 mm Luger model that’s available in a stainless steel or blued finish. We appreciated the matte finish at the top of the slide, which reduced glare in bright light and made the sights easy to see. In today’s world double-stack magazines, polymer frames and accessory-heavy platforms, there’s something refreshing about heading to the range with a pure M1911 that has all the right updated touches without taking anything away from the essence of the original Browning design.

Specifications
Manufacturer: Springfield Armory
Model: 1911 Garrison
Action Type: recoil-operated, semi-automatic, centerfire pistol
Chambering: .45 ACP
Frame: forged stainless steel
Slide: forged stainless steel
Sights: drift-adjustble, low-profile, three-dot
Stocks: Thinline wood
Magazine: seven-round, detachable box
Overall Length: 8.6"
Height: 5.5"
Weight: 37 ozs.
MSRP: $899