If you’re a gun guy, at some point you’ll come to the realization that all of your guns will one day be in the possession of your kids. You also realize that, despite your best efforts, your beloved children might not have a true appreciation for both the financial and sentimental value of many of your firearms.
During a recent conversation with my oldest son, he asked me about the guns that I carried when I was a police officer. I sat my son down and told him the story behind my first police duty pistol and now I’m going to relate it to you.
While most folks assume that cops are all “issued” their guns, the truth is that when it comes to small or medium-sized departments, purchasing a personal sidearm is often the responsibility of the individual officer. They issue you uniforms and badges, but you have to buy your own pistol from a list of approved guns. At least, that was the case some thirty plus years ago when I first put on a police uniform.
Dad’s Gun: The Springfield M1911A1
By the time I went to the police academy, I had already served four years active duty in the Marine Corps where I carried both the M1911A1 and the Beretta M9. My first professional firearms training course was completed a year prior to entering the Corps with a rented M1911A1 in US GI configuration.
When it came time to buy a handgun to use in the police academy and then subsequently carry, I could have chosen any of the modern duty guns available in 1992, but my brain led me to a Springfield Armory M1911A1. One might have thought that I would have purchased the Beretta, but I just wasn’t wired that way yet.
The stock Springfield M1911 was very similar to those pistols I had carried before — full-sized with a 5-inch barrel, blued steel, and wooden walnut grips. The controls were traditional 1911 — single-action trigger, spur hammer, manual safety on the left side of the frame, standard grip safety (no beavertail) and mag release button.
The .45 ACP ammo was fed with upgraded 8-round mags, not the 7-rounders that I was issued as a Marine. I’m pretty sure the pistol came with two magazines and I secured a couple more. The serial number on the pistol begins with an “NM” indicating it’s “National Match” and made with a forged slide and frame, not cast parts.
For duty gear, I found a used Sam Browne belt with a handcuff case at my local gun shop. I special-ordered a black leather Don Hume M1911A1 duty-style holster with thumb break retention strap and a dual mag pouch to match it. Those items, plus a case of .45 ACP ball ammo were the bare minimum needed for academy training.
You might have guessed that I was the only cadet carrying an M1911A1 and/or a pistol chambered for .45 ACP. About half of the cadets were still carrying S&W .357 Magnum revolvers, a few had S&W 9mm autos and one had the, then new, GLOCK 17.
Fast forward about ten years and I had fired thousands and thousands of rounds through my SA M1911A1. So much so, that I literally shot the rifling out of the barrel. By that time I was actively writing for numerous gun magazines and was always looking for new projects. It seemed like a good time to turn my Springfield .45 into one of those upgrade projects.
Dad’s Gun Upgraded
From my time writing, I had made numerous acquaintances in the gunsmithing and accessory business. I started inquiring with my friends as to recommended upgrades and features. Naturally, the original barrel, now all but a smooth bore, needed to be replaced.
One of the folks I talked with was Bob Ford, owner of Rocky Mountain Arms (now defunct) in Colorado. Bob and I went back and forth on the telephone as I secured the parts. We agreed that all the new parts would be shipped to him along with the pistol and he would assemble them and refinish the Springfield .45 with his “Bear Coat,” a DuPont Teflon-S coating.
My M.O. back then, when writing a magazine article, was to include as many manufacturers and parts/accessory makers as practical in order to spread the love.
The new barrel was a Les Baer Match version along with a compatible full-length guide rod, spring and bushing to go with it. An Ed Brown beavertail grip safety replaced the original along with an Ed Brown combat (round) hammer to replace the original spur version. A flat mainspring housing combined with mag well came from the Wilson Combat catalog. Also replaced were the firing pin and spring and the extractor.
While Bob Ford and his team at Rocky Mountain Arms had my pistol “under the knife” they added forward cocking serrations to slide and horizontal serrations to the front strap of the frame and the rear of the slide. Also, they lowered and flared the ejection port. The feed ramp on the Les Baer barrel was polished to ensure feeding of “hollow-point” ammunition.
One last bit of machine work was the addition of the word “Dauntless” in bold block letters on the right side of the frame. Dauntless Security Products was the name of the first company I ever formed back in the ‘90s. The final treatment was to apply the polished black-colored Bear Coat finish to all of the major components.
While my Springfield 1911 was in Longmont, Colorado with Mr. Ford, I went shopping for new grips at a local gun show. I found the sexy double-diamond hardwood grips that you see in the included photos and purchased Allen-style grip screws to replace the flathead factory versions
I suppose my pistol was only gone for a few weeks. When it returned, it was very much like a brand new gun. Needless to say, I was eager to get it back into action.
Modern Day and Range Time
I carried the featured Springfield Armory M1911A1 in uniform and occasionally concealed from 1992 until sometime in the late-2000s when I switched over to a GLOCK pistol. While I used a leather Don Hume holster on duty, I had ordered a Galco OWB concealed carry holster around that same time. As you can imagine, being over thirty years old, that holster is a bit rough.
For this review, I went to the Galco catalog and ordered a new Masterbilt Thunderclap in premium leather with a tan/brown color. The holster arrived the day before I started writing this review and it both looks and smells amazing. I pity those in our world who only ever use plastic holsters and can’t appreciate the smell of quality cow hide.
I couldn’t tell you what happened to the original magazines that came with the pistol, but magazines are meant to be replaced over time. For this review I ran the gun with some new stainless steel 8-rounders from Ed Brown with a removable black polymer base.
One fact that younger readers may not be aware of was the tendency for the flat, spot-welded baseplates on the old-style GI 1911 magazine to give way with age and use and come right off. The old school 1911 shooters, knowing that, would reinforce the baseplates on their magazines to prevent such an occurrence. Yes, I am old enough to have experienced the base plate failure of the original GI magazines.
While I was not expecting any surprises, before I finished this review I made a range trip with some Black Hills, Double Tap and Federal .45 ACP ammunition. My old gun ran like a champ with all of the fodder, including the controlled-expansion rounds.
Having been lapped by thousands upon thousands of rounds of .45 ACP, the slide to frame fit and feel is as smooth as butter, a true thing of beauty. While I was never really a “car guy,” I imagine that those who are such look at the standard transmission sports cars of the 1960s and ‘70s the way I look at this Springfield.
Yes, modern duty pistols are lightweight, robust, and carry lots of rounds, but there’s something special about shooting this classic design. If nothing else, it was a most pleasant walk down memory lane and, one day, I hope my children and grandchildren will be able to fully appreciate it.
Paul G. Markel is a combat decorated United States Marine veteran. He is also the founder of Student of the Gun University and has been teaching Small Arms & Tactics to military personnel, police officers, and citizens for over three decades.