Springfield Armory® Blog

What to Expect

Stop by booth #5823 to check out the latest Springfield products, as well as participate in a few exciting events exclusive to the NRA Annual Meeting:

In competition mode, speed and accuracy in every aspect are paramount.  

The competition holster undeniably provides the shooter with the best opportunity for drawing the gun out of the holster and onto the target in the least amount of time. Essentially, the single most important benefit of using a competition holster is consistency. And also speed. And then there's the flexibility. Well... you get the idea. There are a lot of benefits.

When it comes to drawing a handgun that is carried in a concealed format, a friend of mine has a saying: “The fastest draw stroke in the world is a gun that’s in your hand when the fight starts.” 

This of course leads us to the heart of the matter, which is, "How exactly do we get the pistol out of our concealed holster and onto the target?"

When and where legal, there are many positives to carrying a pistol concealed. Chief among them is the lowered visibility to the outside world. The whole point of concealed carry is to be discreetly armed.

There are a variety of factors involved when choosing a firearm - use, type, size, caliber, cost - the list goes on and on. In many circumstances, you would probably find a rifle or shotgun to be the best choice. They are the most accurate, powerful and easy to use firearms. 

The Long and Short of it

However, there are a multitude of scenarios in which the long gun is simply impossible to have at the ready. Bigger, heavier and too bulky to conceal, rifles and shotguns just don't always fit.  So, when the long gun is unsuitable, the handgun becomes the obvious and best choice. Good news is modern handguns are very powerful, reliable and accurate tools.

First things first - a Springfield terminology lesson.

Springfield Range Officer^® - a 1911 with a minimalist modification package offering basic features for competition.

Springfield Operator^® - a firearm featuring a frame designed with integral accessory rail, allowing mounting of lights, lasers, etc.

Springfield Range Officer^® Operator^® - a 2016 new product and my new base 1911 gun for competition.

I have proudly been a member of Springfield Armory^®'s shooting team for several decades now. Over the years, I have seen many, many shooters come through our program. Some have gone on to become great champions and are still close, personal friends.

Great competitors like Brian Enos, Doug Koenig, Alan Fulford and so many others - all were at one point Team Springfield™ shooters. Sadly, Alan is gone now, but Dougie and Brian are two of the best shooters of all time and still my good buds.

But it isn't just the winning they have done that makes them special. It is something much more than that. Something called character. Character sets champions apart from winners.

And I'm happy to announce that we have a couple more "characters" joining our team.

With SHOT Show 2016 behind us, Springfield Armory^® is proud to unveil its latest set of firearms. With new entries in many of our trusty, fan-favorite series, we got some love online from some of our favorite publications and fans.

Springfield's M1A™ series of rifles can stand up to a lot of wear and tear.  That's no surprise. But what about some extreme wear and tear? Buck and Jason give it a go by dragging the M1A™ Scout Squad™ through the mud.

No, seriously. They literally drag it through the mud.

There was a lot to take in at SHOT Show 2016, but Team Springfield™ was on hand to bring its latest rounds of new firearms to the show. Let the video playlist below serve as your guide through this year's epic gathering of all things firearm, including: