ltwguns.com

This is the current Pro Rail that is being purchased by the FBI tactical teams and other "agencies."

I recently had a chance to give it a workout for an article for Harris. It is an exceptional pistol but very hard to get. This was the only one available and I had to wait until after the 07 SHOT Show to get it as it was the display pistol.




All Pro models, both standard and rails have a CRG serial number prefix. If is does not have this prefix, it is not a Professional Model.


It is shown here with BlackHawk's MOD MK I knife.


The front strap is machine checkered and then finished by hand to the Bureau's specifications.


Fit of the mag well was very good.


BlackHawk's Tactical Serpa fits both rail and non-rail 1911s with not modifications. A real plus.


The guns are assembled in lots of 100 or so with the majority going to the FBI. A few are held back for dealer sales to the civilian market. They are everythning they are advertised as.

Enjoy,

Rob

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We sleep safely in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm. George Orwell

That is a beautiful pistol. It's a shame only the Tactical units are getting those, all G-Men should be equipped with such beautiful guns.

So, can you tell us how it shot? Or do I need to go find the article?

-Rob

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No man is worth his salt who is not ready at all times to risk his well-being, to risk his body, to risk his life, in a great cause. -Theodore Roosevelt

It will shoot under 2" at 25 yards with duty ammo. I would have liked to put it in a rest but didn't have access to one. The most important thing is it shot first time, every time. I will have a hard time returning this one.

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We sleep safely in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm. George Orwell

thanks for the pics and prose rob, you have a tough job, but, as they say, someone has to do it -cam

Rob if you don't mind, what was your impression of the 20lpi checkering? It seems pretty aggresive.

How was reliability? When I was deployed, we worked with some Feds who were issued the Pro. The sand was giving them so much trouble, they ended up going back to their Glock 23's. I'm not sure if it was because the Pro is so tightly fitted or what.

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Hard work pays off

I am aquinted with a very well know shooter who works in the Sandbox on short high risk contracts, this guy gets his gear paid for and could buy anything available. He takes the PRO as his secondary weapon.




One of mine at 9k rounds. Stays under an inch at 15 yards offhand easily.

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"The sunshine bores the daylights outta me....."

Keith Richards

Limey - now theres a beautiful Pro pistol....one thats seen some hard use and has the scars to show it! Lovely!

I know that there are several differences in the small parts and fitting, etc, between the pro and the TRP. for the sake us us mere mortals who have never had the luck to run across one of these, can you rank the Pro in terms of feel, accuracy, finish, etc compared to the TRP? Thanks.
(I know that it is about $1000 more, but both are very well liked pistols with way more options than you could get for the price compared to starting out with a Mil Spec gun in my opinion)

1911 Forums, Pro Specifications thread

About five pages long, probably alot of garbage in there too but if you dig through you can probably get the gist of what the pro is.

Comes down to more hand fitting, tool steel parts...etc. The TRP is still a factory style gun...the pro is more of a semi custom gun and receives more "one on one" attention as mentioned by the original poster.

I started off with a GI and had it customized by John Harrison to my likes...in the end it ran close to the cost of a Springfield Pro, but the Pro wasn't exactly what I wanted. However it is a very nice gun no doubt.

gj47 - ref the 20 LPI checkering. I will admit it feels stout to the hand when you first pick up the pistol. However, I shot my Pro in a 2 week FBI firearms instructors school and ran close to 2,500 rounds. It never hurt my hand and I did not have an sore spots or blisters.

Scott - Make no mistake, the Pro is a tight pistol. Mine is tight after 25K or better rounds. Will it run with a lot of gunk in it like a Glock, no. Will it continue to run dirty from normal shooting and carry with minimal care - Yes. The only thing I did during the FBI school was to keep it lubed and it ran like a top.

When the Marines went looking for a new 1911, the Pro was considered too tight and not reliable for their use. It is what it is. A match grade, hand built, custom pistol, built to the end users (FBI) specifications for SWAT operators. Either you like it or you don't. By the way, the Marines did not have a good experience the small number of Kimbers they purchased either. Not bashing Kimber or Springfield.

In the end, the Corp is back to building their own guns to their own specs.


If you want a 1911 to run in really harsh conditions, start with a loose gun like a Springfield Mil Spec and have it slightly worked. A basic 1* from the boys at Yo-Bo is a great start. I love mine!

Here are two pics of my Pro after being shot and carried many miles.





Thanks for the posts.

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We sleep safely in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm. George Orwell

I bought a PRO and man do I LOVE it. It is a great shooter and a very well made gun. I would recomend them to anyone. I have many custom 1911's and I can tell you it performs just as good or better than any of them. On the otherhand it lacks those hand touches on a true custom and also you're stuck with the specs. For the money it is a great bargain and comes with a warranty that can't be beat. To be honest I had a small issue with mine and had to send it back. All I can say is Dave at the custom shop took care of it pronto, I was impressed. Springfield's custom shop does awesome work and at a good price to boot. I wonder why there not as popular as the other semi custom makers. In my opinion they do alot better work. Their guns are worth every penny but the work done by the smiths on this site is truly on another level.

Make no mistake, I am not bashing the Pro. I have no first hand experience with it. I'm was just curious as to what kind of reliabilty those who use them hard have experienced.

What I do know is that I worked with three federal agents with a background in explosives (thats why they were with my unit) who were issued Pro's due to their being on a regional FBI SWAT team. Due to my love of the 1911 I noticed that fairly quickly, their Pro's disapeared and that they were back to their Glocks.

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Hard work pays off

Oh, THAT Rob Garrett

I knew I knew that name and was starting to ask myself, who IS this guy who gets to see all this good stuff?

Great pics and info, Rob! The pics reinforce my high regard for the Springfield Custom Shop.

Ned

Shh - don't blow my cover

I have a Custom Carry Compact from Dave and the guys that I just finished writing up. A Micro frame and Champion frame built to Pro standards.

I will have to get the pics uploaded soon.

Rob

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We sleep safely in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm. George Orwell

One thing I'd like to mention is the 20 lpi on my pro was much more comfortable than the 20 lpi on my stainless trp. I'm not sure if this was due to the black-T finish or extra attention on the checkering points by the custom shop guys.

I see the rear slide serrations are similar to the standard springfield pistols (wider) unlike past professional models, uncertain of the significance with regards to origin of the slides/frames.

I've gone with the surefire MR07 light mount on my pro, fits quite well.

I think the serration difference is due to the Pro w/rail using a different slide than the normal Pro. I have also read that the Operator frames are US made, unlike all other SA frames (Pro included). Anyone know this for sure?

I believe the PRO's frame blank is imported then its finished here.

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"The sunshine bores the daylights outta me....."

Keith Richards

Hey Rob, whose slide stop is on your Professional?

It's a Wilson Combat.

My gun is an older Pro and at the time it was made, the Bureau specified a Wilson slide stop. The newer Pro's have a S/A slide stop.

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We sleep safely in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm. George Orwell

I have been wanting to ask this for some time, and I guess this is the best place. what is the general consensus regarding the springfield Armory Beavertail cut and the thumb safety. I know that the Ed Brown beavertail apparently allows the hand to get slightly higher, but also more forward which may not always fit smaller hands.

I personally prefer the Springfield angle of the thumb safety, which is apparently a variant of the Swenson. It allows a higher thumb hold than the Ed Brown in my opinion.

Hey Ned.... Watch this

Here is the perfect companion to the Pro or Pro Rail. It is a Custom Shop Custom Carry Compact built on an NM compact frame and a Champion slide. Dave and the guys did a great job on this little pistol.

This is a full custom shop pistol that is built from the ground up and carries the Custom Shop banner on the right side of the slide. Finish is Black T. It is built to most of the FBI's Pro specifications. The barrel is a Springfield Armory, not a Nowlin. The knife is a BlackHawk MOD MK II.



It won't get any better than a Sparks Summer Special and light weight ASP cuffs.



The compact frame carries a national match prefix. Bet you didn't know they made those did you Ned?



Pistoleros have always known that the butt was the hardest part of the pistol to conceal. The Officer Model frame and Commander slide are very popular right now. Last year at SHOT, I saw great exampled from Yo-Bo, Cyinder & Slide, and a few other custom and semi custom shops.

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We sleep safely in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm. George Orwell

The full article on the Pro Rail is now on the news stand in the September issue of Combat Handguns. I hope you enjoy it.

Rob

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We sleep safely in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm. George Orwell

Rob, how is it we didn't meet last year at SHOT?

Don't let it happen again

Ned,

I would enjoy a visit at SHOT next year.

Rob

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We sleep safely in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm. George Orwell

....HMMmm...I would enjoy a good SHOT at the visit next year too...any of that good hooch the good Capitain left still layin' around here??? (I already know the answer to THAT question....with this bunch of land sharks !!).

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"There is a true glory and a true honor, the glory of duty done, the honor of integrity and principle."--Gen. Robert Edward Lee

We took the time to really savor that fine, hard-to-get whisky.

It just so happens we are really fast savor-ers

I just received an e-mail from a Combat Handguns reader who saw the Pro Rail article in the September issue. He looked at the inset photo where I showed an MC Operator, a LW Operator, and the Pro Rail and noticed that my MC Operator has 4 cross cuts on the dust cover. His MC Operator has only three. He wanted to know why?

In late 2005 or early 2006, Springfield changed the profile of the dust cover on most Operator series pistols by cutting a reverse radius. This was done for cosmetic purposes only but the cut reduced the space, resulting in only 3 locking cuts instead of 4.

The profile of the dust cover on the Pro Rail has not been changed because the FBI has not asked for it.

Just a little trivia for those interested.

My 2004 MC Operator has the old style dust cover style.



The full-size LW Operator shown here has the new profile dust cover that is now standard on all Operator series except the Pro.



Another view of the Pro Rail.

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We sleep safely in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm. George Orwell