Rick_F

I definitely prefer that style mag release over the push button. I heard great things about those pistols, but why did they take styling clues from Hi-Point?

I'm just wondering what your experiences are with 1911 mags. I have a Kimber Eclipse fullsize 1911 that I purchased 3 Kim-Pro Tactical 8 round mags. To date, I've never had single malfunction with either pistol or mags. For some reason, Kimber seems to have a bad rep, and takes quite the internet beating. I'm picking up another SA MC Operator, and I'm planning on buying some extra mags for it. Should I stick with the Kimber mags, or is there something better out there? Please post based on personal experiences. Thanks.

That pistol looks great imho.

SOG Trident Tanto. I never thought to ask if it was legal to carry around . . .

I also anecdotally see less used guns for sale at gun stores. I think that since the availability of firearms has been reduced, and much more difficult to purchase, ppl are thinking twice before frivolously selling them off.

Thanks for the info guys. Please let me know if you find any of these unicorn pistols in-stock anywhere.

Thanks for your reply. I think I can locate a new MKII fairly easily, and at a good price at online retailer I've bought 2 other pistols from. Quite frankly, I'd rather pay more and buy local, but I often like firearms that are difficult to locate. I bought 500 rds of AE 5.7 from Cabelas today for $22/box + $5 shipping. I bought a few hundred more last week from Gander Mtn for $25/box. Also you can pre-order 500 rds of it from MidwayUSA for $200 or so. On a side note, can you put the USG slide cover on the MKII? If it's close, do you think it could be modified to fit well?

Hey guys. I'm looking for a Five-seven USG model with target sights. I happen to prefer the looks of the new one over the old. I know it's been discontinued for a while, and is very difficult to find. Hence, I need to ask, has anyone seen any at any NJ shops, or even online from reputable dealers? Also. are there compelling reason to go with the MKII over the USG? Should I expect to pay more or less for the USG model than the MKII? Thanks.

I just wanted to update. SA was unable to deliver a new MC Operator in a reasonable amount of time, so they refunded my the price I paid plus tax & NICS. I suppose this is the best case scenario. On a side note- I found a SIG P229 classic .22 online. I asked the retailer if it had the new style E2 grips. They emailed me back stating they do indeed. While I was waiting for their response, I called SIG and asked which models come with the new E2 grips. The CS rep I spoke with said they all match the picture in their 2013 PDF catalogue if the manufacture date is 1/1/13 or after. I ordered the pistol and had it shipped. It arrived at my FFL, and as my luck would have it, they had the old style grips. I called SIG to see if all new models had the upgraded manspring, trigger bar, and de-cocker necessary to fit the new grips. I wanted to know if I needed to order them as well. They said it is likely not to if it had the old grips, and they decided to send me the full replacement kit for free to ship out with the caliber x-change kit I ordered. Needless to say, I'm glad I purchased another pistol from a manufacturer I can rely on.

Thanks JTY. SA finally stated on email they will send a refund for the full amount (including tax) in about a week. She said herself and the director of production thought it would be best for us to "part ways." hence they will not send a replacement pistol. I guess my expectations for a properly machined, undamaged psitol is too high a bar for them at this point.

SA has decided to ignore my emails for a week. I'm not sure if I'm getting a refund, a replacement pistol, or anything at all. Does anyone have any supervisor contacts?

I was getting the UMC Target nickel plated brass 9mm for $9.99/box of 50 back in DEC from them. I wonder how long the market will be inflated so high.

Reading comprehension buddy. . . For the custom work, I had no problem paying for it. I just didn't see why I would be charged for re-finishing it after they were going to do that anyway. Same with the shipping. The "custom shop" is the same as their "production shop." The front strap checkering is done by the same people and on the same machines as their regular production pistols as was confirmed by SA. The custom shop designation is a separate paper pusher entity. I offered to pay them the $200 required to checker the front in between them re-fitting the frame/slide and re-finishing. As for your confidence in them getting the pistol right- they told me they could not fix this pistol to 100% condition. I asked for a new one then, and they told me that I had to wait up to 9 months for it. I'm just pissed they sent it back to me f'd up as they had. Anyone with 2 eyes could tell right off the bat that it wasn't right. This is the 2nd failure of QC before a shot was even fired with it.

I'm still waiting to hear what they have to see. They haven't answered my last email. In the meantime I found a SIG P229 classic .22 I've been looking for to keep me busy.

Yes, I scanned a copy of the original receipt. I could've disputed it with my CC company, but I didn't want to screw over the shop I purchased from. I hope they refund the tax and NICS. Not to mention the loss of a permit, and driving around to ship it out 2x, driving to FedEx to pick it up, all the time spent trying to contact them, buying a box to ship it in, etc. It's been a pain in the ass.

Thanks for all of your comments Wojo. Springfield said they are working on getting me a refund, and made a snarky comment about it being a "tiny blemish." I asked if they could send me a replacement pistol, and they said that I would have to wait 6-9 months. I asked for the customer service person's supervisor to see if they could arrange a replacement pistol to be sent any sooner.

Thanks for letting me know about that groove. I didn't think that was right. SA told me that it happens from the barrel lug or whatever rubbing during assembly, and basically I didn't know anything about 1911s. Funny how everyone rips on Kimber for their crappy customer service. Maybe they do, but I've never had to call them. My Eclipse functions perfectly, and fits together like a Swiss watch. I still kind of want an Operator for some reason. What would you think Springfield should do for me? - Send me a refund - Send me a different Operator right away - Send me an upgrade (TRP Operator) - Repair this one again, and give me a partial refund? ($500)

I got it like that last Friday, and sent it back to them again. They got it yesterday morning, but haven't looked at it yet. All of their Operators are already allocated, so I would have to wait in line like everyone else if I wanted one that actually works. They *should* be able to send me a refund, but they ren't sure yet, and idk if they will refund the tax and NICS. Also of note, my friend, who is a 1911 expert said the gouge running down the center of the inside of the frame is not normal, and should not be doing that. Also he said the guy was too lazy to buff down the edge of the barrel bushing, as the new one they fit has razor sharp edges. Other 1911s I own or handled are not like that, but I can't recall if the Operator was like that initially. Anyway, I'm not a happy camper.

In case anyone was interested, this is what's going on now. Springfield sent the gun back to me like this:

Can you use them at the range? I bought a bunch at prices just north of target ammo a few months back. I want to make sure all of my firearms function with JHPs at the range before I potential try t odefend myself with them.

I've done it twice. Really easy, and they will even return ship back to your home, but the catch was you have to be present to sign for it. Can you get a 5" barrel? I like that over the 6" for weight distribution.

I would like 4 with ranger plates if possible.

Here's my latest response from SA: First, the repair dept. has to determine if the issues are warranty and then address them. That department usually quotes around 2 to 4 weeks. If you would like to have any upgrades done then it would go into the Custom shop. Machine checkering (an upgrade) is what takes +/- 12wks not the Repair dept. If the frame is not correctly machined and the Repair dept. has to refit slide to frame or any other work then it “usually” takes them 2 to 4 weeks. They will refinish in that department and all warranty work is of course free. The Repair/Warranty dept. would address issues that are under warranty and reship back to the owner of the firearm all free. Any upgrades goes into the Custom shop, such as Checkering which is running around 12 weeks – there is no rushing in this dept. If you have checkering done and it will require refinishing then the procedure is to charge for that cost and return shipping. I cannot override this procedure. I will forward this email to Mr. Williams and ask him to reply back to me or you with your request. The departments are separate. The Repair/Warranty all under warranty and the Custom shop a department of “upgrades” . If you have no upgrades done and the Repair/Warranty dept. finds your pistol to be all warranty then of course it will be repaired and returned with no charge. So basically they have to do the warranty work, refinish, and return it to me. Then I mail it back, they strip it again, and do the front strap, and refinish? That is the type of bureaucracy only a liberal could create. I'm sorry, but this makes no sense to me. I had an issue with my SIG a while back, and it was fixed under warranty. After I sent it, I asked the CS rep if I could add their "Action Enhancement Package." He said "no problem," asked for my CC#, and it was a done deal. He obviously didn't charge shipping becasue it was already covered under the warranty process. I thought I would go ahead and do the same thing here. Maybe Mr. Williams will be able to do something here, as my experiences with his company and product so far have been gutter.

In their defense, although it did take them a full week to respond to my emails, ever since their first reply, they've replied to my future emails very quickly. The woman I've been corresponding with did just leave me a courteous voicemail. I'm at work, and in this climate I cannot pick up my phone and have a conversation about a gun, so I didn't get to pick up. I understand they are very buy right now, and I just hope it's a misunderstanding. Regardless, I will not accept anything more than a 2 week turnaround time, as this is brand new, and quite clearly a failure on the part of their QC team. I made it to the store 1/2 hour prior to closing, and had I actually looked it over, I probably would've eyeballed it.