NRA Gun Of The Week: Springfield Armory Garrison

by
posted on September 16, 2022

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.

Man shooting silver stainless steel Springfield Armory Garrison pistol M1911 .45 acp


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.

shooting range springfield armory garrsion stainless steel silver m1911 pistol in hands


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.

left-side view m1911 pistol garrison springfield armory


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

Latest

Precision Rimfire Christensen Arms
Precision Rimfire Christensen Arms

Review: Christensen Arms Modern Precision Rimfire Rifle

The Modern Precision Rimfire from Christensen Arms builds upon time-honored blueprints and is crafted from its maker's flash-forged carbon-fiber technology to create an accurate and fun-to-shoot repeating rifle.

New For 2025: H&K MR A4 Series

Building on its existing commercial line of MR556 and MR762 rifles, HK USA now offers A4 versions of both rifles, as well as large-format pistol variants.

Gun Of The Week: Smith & Wesson Model 1854

Welcome to another American Rifleman Gun Of The Week video, and this time we have a modernized American lever-action to take to the range. Meet the Smith & Wesson Model 1854.

New For 2025: Kimber 2K11

With its new 2K11, Kimber now has a dedicated design based on the 2011 concept that comes loaded with a number of added features.

The Armed Citizen® Nov. 22, 2024

Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives.

Red Fifty: The Soviet 12.7 mm DShK Heavy Machine Gun

While the Browning .50-cal. M2 machine gun has been unequaled for more than a century, John Moses Browning’s genius design has had one significant 12.7 mm competitor: the Soviet DShK.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.