Springfield Armory Tactical Response Pistol

Everything seems to have a shelf life and passes through phases of changes and improvements, and good guns are no exception. As a matter of fact, good guns are just that for those very reasons — they are constantly honed, focused and pushed forward as technology and demands change.

In The Beginning …

In 1998, the FBI reached out to Springfield to develop a specialized 1911-style pistol to equip the Hostage Rescue Team (HRT). Being the shooters those guys tend to be, they demanded excellent accuracy, 100% reliability and the ability to digest tens of thousands of training rounds.

The gun meeting those specs was eventually built in the Springfield Armory Custom Shop, and went on to spend many years in HRT holsters. Knowing a good thing when they saw it, Springfield developed a model that we mere mortals called the “Professional” — an appropriate moniker if ever I saw one. LE agencies being what they are, many tend to follow the FBI’s bandwagon so Springfield’s Professional model also soon rested in SWAT holsters of all types around the country.

Springfield guns have always been famous for their fit, finish, engineering excellence and reliable accuracy. The Professional took it several steps higher, assuring buyers they’d be getting what were essentially handmade, custom pistols with enhanced fit, custom barrel work, action-tuning and a more formal slide-to-frame fit than production guns. This alone is amazing to me, since “stock” SA 1911s are fit beautifully as delivered, so to ramp that game up is intriguing, to say the least.

As time passed and those “enhancement” ideas took hold, SA eventually developed a lineup of 1911-based autos called the “Tactical Response Pistol,” which is where the magical “TRP” name comes from. These were — and are — guns you take out of the box, clean, lube, test fire and then go to work with them. They’re rugged, accurate, reliable and have been proven to be recognized as one of the best of the breed when it comes to first-line fighting 1911 pistols. It’s easy to see why, as each generation built on the last, compiling a long list of what works in the real world then applying it.

2001 — A Springfield Odyssey

The TRP has been making waves since 2001 but sensing market needs, SA decided to spice things up and restore the lineup, offering six new models at our press time. But I suspect there might be more by the time you read this.

My “4-Pack” has two 4.25″ models (call them “Commander-sized) and two 5″ models. These will be available in .45 ACP initially but I predict you’ll see them in 9mm soon. You can get them in black, or Coyote Brown (Cerakote). I’m partial to the brown, I confess. All models can be had with or without a light rail. Frankly, this is a fighting pistol and getting one without a light rail just doesn’t make sense to me. But if you’re a weekend warrior at your local gun club matches, then a standard model would be fine.

I also particularly like the 4.25″ Concealed Contour model with a round-butt option and built on a lightweight forged aluminum frame. Speaking of which, the slides and frames on all the models (steel or aluminum) began life as a forging so it’s tough as hell and machines beautifully. It really shows in the fit of these remarkable guns.

The idea behind all this is summed up by Steve Kramer, VP of Marketing for SA: “The TRP has long been one of the most respected 1911 pistols not only in the Springfield line but also in the broader 1911 community. With these new TRP variants, Springfield Armory is taking a proven classic into the 21st century.”

Couldn’t have said it better myself! While many pine for the old days of “old world craftsmanship” and such, taking advantage of light-year advances in engineering, materials and machining technology is where the game is at and SA knows that.

Do keep in mind these guns all receive personal attention at every level. Once the slide and frame are mated, all succeeding parts are kept with the gun as the final platform is created. It’s the old “sum of the parts” equation. The attention shows in the lack of sharp edges, flawless fit of the barrel, hood, lugs, bushing and more. If you don an Opti-Visor and look at these guns, you won’t see any tool marks — period.

Aspects And Particulars

The entire lineup is a series ’70s-style operating system. There are no optic cuts by the way, and I consider it just fine. If you want an optic, buy another model, sorry. Only, not sorry.

The 5″ guns have standard, classic, un-ramped barrels showing all the polish and fit you’d expect on a gun like the TRP. The 4.25″ guns showcase ramped barrels, also with polished ramps and other such niceties.

I tested the trigger on all four of my test guns and found them to all be very consistent in the 4.5- to 5-lb. weight. I don’t think going any lighter is appropriate on a defense pistol, but that’s just me. Interestingly enough, I found the two shorter guns to have a tiny bit of creep prior to breaking, while both 5″ guns were very nice, with classic breaks when the wall was met. However, I suspect the two short guns will smooth out with use, as things like that tend to do on new, tightly fit guns. Oh, the triggers are lightweight and pierced to help with sear bounce and other mysterious things, plus it looks nice.

All four guns parade 20-LPI checkering on front straps and the hammer spring housing. There’s also a simply perfect slide-top serration running back-to-front to keep heat-blur down I suppose, but in my book it also looks very smart and is beautifully done. Touches like this help to set things apart.

Grips are G-10 Hydra-Grips from VZ and show off the eye-catching color and texture VZ is justly famous for. They also feel great in the hand with just enough “catch” to stay put but not enough to wear blisters over a three-day class. You know what I mean.

Sights are the popular three-dot tritium, with the rear being big, bold and high enough to catch on your belt or something if you need to run the slide. Speaking of slide-running, they all have forward serrations many use for press-checking. I’ve never really needed those but many like the idea and if you do, here you go.

There are nicely designed two-piece mag wells on all but the Concealed Contour model, making mag swaps fast and slick. Safeties are big but not too big, and ambi too. The hammers are skeletonized and look pretty cool to boot. There’s no hand-web-biting either as the beavertails offer solace to such events. The two 5″ guns come equipped with full-length recoil guide rods, while the 4.25″ versions are classic set-ups.

Intriguingly, I was able to turn the barrel bushings quite easily by hand yet the barrels lock-up rock-solidly. Mags are eight rounds but the Contour model has standard-looking 7-round mags. The 8-round ones fit nicely though and didn’t stick out appreciably further. Each gun comes with a nylon case and three mags. Seems they’ve thought of most everything.

Don’t forget, for you California outcasts, there are two 5″ models, which are allowed into your state, black, railed and un-railed models and a stainless un-railed model. Better than nothing, eh?

Accurate And Reliable

I took most of one day and carefully shot my way through all four pistols. I used seven different loads, running each over a chrono and targeted them all too. I found the difference in velocities between the 5″ guns and the 4.25″ guns to be meaningless. Some were faster in the 5″ while some were faster in the short guns, so don’t waste any time worrying about such things.

I found the tan, 5″ railed model to be the “most” accurate, but all were within a half-inch of each other at 25 yards and it depended on the ammo involved, too. Some liked one, while another liked a different load. I’d experiment yourself as your results will indeed vary, as they say.

They all ran just fine but I did take the liberty of giving them a light clean and good lube prior to shooting. I also used high-quality factory-loaded ammo to give things a fair chance to work. And work, they did. Total rounds expended was in the 500 range, so call it about 125 rounds per gun. But there were no bobbles at all, which didn’t surprise me either. Keeping a firm firing grip and using good ammo always pays bonuses.

How accurate were they, you wonder? How about a 7/8″ group at 25 yards from a rest with Speer Gold Dot with the 5″ railed model? Gold Dot is, dare I say it, a gold standard when it comes to reliability and accuracy so the only surprise there was just how much the gun liked that load. It was no fluke either as they all hovered in that magical 1″ range with Gold Dot. Simply marvelous and amazing … and satisfying. These guns make you feel like you know how to shoot.

The 4.25″ versions hovered in the 1.25″ to 1.5″ range but I suspect it was simply the shorter sight radius being the culprit, along with my aged eyes. I’m waiting on a Ransom Rest so will revisit things later, I assure you.

Just for fun, I put 25 rounds through the tan, 5″ railed gun at 25 yards and the result was a ragged group just under 1.5″. I don’t care who you are, that’s pretty darn cool. These guns shoot like lasers, run like a Boston Marathon winner and don’t have to hide from anything when it comes to fit, finish and performance. For $1,999 — or a bit less depending on the model — you get to benefit from close to 30 years spent perfecting the lineup you see here. Buy one, check it, load it and enjoy it — period.

As Mike Humphries of Springfield told me: “Made here in the United States at our state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Geneseo, Ill., all six of the new TRP pistols offer shooters a near custom-grade pistol — at a production pistol price.”

Mike summed it up neatly, if you ask me.

Springfield-Armory.com

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