Springfield Armory Emp 4 Concealed Carry Contour Review

Terminal twelvemonth I had my kickoff opportunity to spend some quality time at the range with i of Springfield Armory's 1911-design EMP4 nine mm pistols. This series is set autonomously from the competition by the reduced dimensions of the grip frame. Springfield spent the time and money required to compress the traditional 1911 .45-ACP grip to fit the nine mm cartridge, which is not as easy to do as one might think.

The combination of this shooting-hand-friendly grip configuration with the reduced recoil of ix mm ammunition, lightweight aluminum frame, longer 4" barrel and top-notch controls led me to say of the EMP4 that, "It is ane of the most well-balanced defensive single-stack 1911 pistols I've had the pleasure of working with." I'grand not alone in this opinion because the EMP4 has been a popular model with critics and consumers alike.

Merely when I thought the EMP4 had reached a pinnacle in 9 mm pistol design, Springfield has served up a new model with an intriguing twist, or should I say, curve. Also known as a bobtail grip, the mainspring housing and heel of this pistol's grip frame have been rounded off. This makes the pistol easier to carry curtained considering information technology eliminates the squared-off portion of the grip that tends to poke out or impress through article of clothing.

Depending on your hand size and personal preferences, a bobtailed grip tin too experience more than comfortable to shoot. Generally speaking, a bobtail grip is a custom feature that costs more because of the extra work needed to shape, smoothen and refinish the grip. Adding a bobtail to an existing pistol can price upwards of $200. Nevertheless, Springfield's in-house contour for this pistol is a existent value at half the price.

This version of the EMP4 two-tone, unmarried-stack 1911 pistol retains the features that take kept this model selling similar hot cakes. The satin terminate stainless steel side has rear cocking serrations and a 3-dot sight system which employs a ruddy fiber optic in front and a depression profile white dot sight in back. The 4" stainless steel, lucifer-grade bushing-less bull barrel sports a fully supported ramp. The total-length jumpsuit steel guide rod supports a single round wire recoil jump.

The lightweight frame is forged aluminum with a traditional rounded trigger baby-sit and matte-black hardcoat anodized terminate. The controls, including the slide terminate, round push button magazine release, ambidextrous thumb safety, skeletonized hammer and extended beaver tail grip safety, are all steel with a matte black finish which matches the frame. The skeletonized trigger is aluminum with a matte silver stop to friction match the slide. The pistol ships with three blued steel 9-circular, single-stack magazines.

Along with the bobtail contour, the other changes to this model of the EMP4 tin can exist found in and around the grip frame. The frontstraps and backstraps are both treated with a more aggressive "golf game ball" blazon texturing. The hardwood grips have been replaced with black G10 panels that have the same texture. The upshot is a grip that rests comfortably, simply securely, in the hand. This new model exhibits the aforementioned degree of pinnacle-notch fit, finish and attention to detail every bit its predecessor.

At the shooting range, the EMP performed to my fairly high expectations. The slide exhibited a tight fit to the frame, without any GI milk shake, and cycled smoothly right out of the box. The controls were piece of cake to operate and functioned flawlessly. The clean, crisp single-action trigger pull was dead center of the listed pull weight (5 to 6 lbs.) at five lbs. viii oz. The single-stack magazines locked tightly in place but easily dropped free when the magazine release was pressed.

How aggressive the texturing of a pistol'due south grip should be depends on which school of thought you lot choose to follow. Over the last few years we've seen more than of the highly aggressive tactical textured G10 grips favored past military and law enforcement making their manner into the noncombatant market. These toothy patterns seize with teeth into skin or glove textile to provide a secure buy in wet or cold environments. Sometime-school grips have light textures to prevent wear and tear on clothing. The EMP4 Contour grip effectively splits the divergence with leanings toward the tactical side while not being so abrasive as to need to replace your wardrobe on a regular basis.

The pistol and magazines were utterly reliable without any hiccups or hang-ups throughout the entire course of testing using a full range of practice and premium grade ammunition. Because this is a curtained-carry pistol, benchrested accuracy testing was conducted at 25 yards by firing v 5-shot groups using premium defensive hollow-point armament.

The best performer of the test was the new Filly Defence 124-gr. jacketed hollow point, manufactured for Filly past Double Tap Ammunition. This load produced a best unmarried grouping of 2.59" with an average of ii.75". Blackness Hills 115-gr. +P jacketed hollow points turned in a all-time group of 2.73" with an average of 2.ninety". Winchester PDX1 Defender 147-gr. bonded jacketed hollow points printed a best group of 2.84" with an average of 2.97".

The new 4" barrel ix mm EMP4 Concealed Comport Contour is some other terrific example of how Springfield Armory is diligently working to tune this elegant century-old pattern to fit the needs of the modern curtained-comport practitioner. It's true that polymer single-stack 9 mms tin counterbalance and cost less than this gun. However, they just don't take the same feel, light trigger pull, and accurateness potential right out of the box that this pistol provides. The new bobtail grip makes a very well counterbalanced pistol just that much easier to carry.

NRA Specifications
Manufacturer: Springfield Armory
Model: EMP four" Concealed Carry Contour (PI9229L)
Action: Unmarried-Action Semi-Automatic 1911
Quotient: 9 mm
Slide: Stainless Steel
Frame: Forged Aluminum, Black Hardcoat Anodized
Grip Panels: Black Textured G-10
Front Sight: Fiber Optic
Rear Sight: White Dot Low Profile Combat
Butt: Stainless Steel Match Grade Bull, Fully Supported Ramp
Guide Rod: Full Length, Dual Recoil Springs
Trigger: Match Grade Long Aluminum
Barrel Length: 4.00"
Overall Length: 7.50"
Height: 5.50"
Slide Width: 0.92"
Grip Width: i.fifteen"
Weight: 31 oz. with Empty Mag
Capacity: nine+1 Rounds
Twist: 1:16" LH
Rifle Grooves: six
Accessories: Lockable Bear Case, Three ix-Round Blued Steel Magazines, Cable Lock, Owner'south Manual.
MSRP: $1,220

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Source: https://www.americanrifleman.org/content/tested-springfield-armory-emp4-concealed-carry-contour/

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