{"id":9940,"date":"2019-07-13T15:03:06","date_gmt":"2019-07-13T19:03:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/82.147.128.15\/?page_id=9940"},"modified":"2019-07-13T15:03:06","modified_gmt":"2019-07-13T19:03:06","slug":"the-new-ruger-sr1911-officers-model","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/bhspringsolutions.com\/index.php\/the-new-ruger-sr1911-officers-model\/","title":{"rendered":"The NEW Ruger SR1911 Officer\u2019s Model."},"content":{"rendered":"

The NEW Ruger SR1911 Officer\u2019s Model.<\/strong><\/h1>\n

\"\"<\/strong><\/p>\n

Most BHVeterans are a Hi-Power enthusiast, or a 1911 enthusiast. At this point in 1911 history\u2026it has been noteworthy that in the past 7 years (since the 100th Anniversary of the Model 1911), some companies like Remington, and Ruger, started making 1911 pistols. And both were slow to take on the challenges that occur when shortening the barrel of the original 5\u201d Barrel 1911, down to the Officer\u2019s Model\u2019s 3 \u00bd inch measurement. The 3 \u00bd inch barrel and even 3 inch barrel 1911 pistols in .45ACP have been around a long time now, so why the avoidance? Especially when shorter barrel 1911 pistols are very popular in Concealed Carry roles. The core reason seems to be the question of Recoil Control in 3.5\u201d and shorter 1911 pistols.<\/p>\n

The .45ACP was designed by John Browning for the Model 1911 5\u201d Barrel Pistol, which was also designed by John Browning. The typical Recoil Spring in the 5\u201d Barrel 1911 is long, has lots of coils, and sufficient room for an adequate diameter spring wire to be used for the Recoil Spring. These capabilities of the recoil spring in a full-size 1911 live in perfect harmony with the energy of the .45ACP. They typically perform well and enjoy a long service life. When the barrel starts getting shorter, but the caliber doesn\u2019t get smaller, the question becomes how to control that same recoil with less spring \u2013 there is less and less room for the recoil spring as the barrel gets shorter.<\/p>\n

Manufacturers shortening the barrel of the 1911 to 3.5\u201d, and less, have engineered a variety of different approaches: some have just shortened the 1911\u2019s single recoil spring and spread the coils farther apart \u2013 this has downsides because it is literally asking too much of too little spring. This year BHSpringSolutions finally worked out an Optimized 1911 Officers Recoil Spring that has performs extremely well \u2013 but there is no escape that the Service Life of a single Officer\u2019s Model Recoil Spring will be less than a Full-Size Recoil Spring in a 5\u201d 1911. With the single spring approach, function problems present in irregularities in performance \u2013 you\u2019re shooting through a magazine and empty shell casings a landing 6-8 feet away from you\u2026then one sails 16 feet and the next one barely lops out the side of the pistol, or worse yet, even short cycles and jams the pistol. Too much is being asked of too little spring and consistency of performance (reliability) can suffer. As the spring begins to degrade and need replacement, performance and reliability become increasingly more marginal.<\/p>\n

Kimber makes a 3\u201d Barrel 1911 in .45ACP with two recoil springs captured on a guide rod assembly \u2013 and recommends in their owner\u2019s manual to change these springs each 800 rounds. From the perspective of a Spring Designer \/ Manufacturer \u2013 that\u2019s extreme degradation of springs with relatively little use. It\u2019s tough to find consistent performance out of springs that are going away that quickly.<\/p>\n

And there have been other designs of captured recoil spring assemblies, and Flat Wire Springs, and we\u2019ve seen braided wire and flat springs working in tandem on a captured assembly. Another very negative downside of the 3 \u2013 3 \u00bd \u201c Barrel 1911s, for the manufacturers, is that these short barrel 1911s have been sent back to the manufacturers because of function problems at much higher numbers than handguns where the caliber and barrel length are not a mismatch. Not only is a customer\u2019s return-to-the-manufacturer-activity bad for any Company\u2019s financial bottom line, it\u2019s also bad for a company\u2019s reputation for building reliable firearms.<\/p>\n

From a historical perspective it\u2019s quite flattering to John Browning really \u2013 nobody has ever needed to re-invent the recoil spring in the original 5\u201d Barrel 1911 for either functional or longevity reasons in 107 Years. And 107 years later, the technology and engineers of 2018 are still looking for \u201cthee way\u201d to control the energy of the .45ACP in a 3 \u2013 3.5\u201d of barrel in a 1911. John Browning\u2019s formula was to put smaller calibers in shorter barrels which allows caliber and recoil control to co-exist in perfect harmony. The market of handgun buyers wants to believe: the .45ACP is appropriate and can be reliable in a 3.5\u201d barrel 1911, and that the .45ACP is not disadvantaged ballistically by removing 28% of the barrel. So gun makers continue to try to figure out the way to do that with the least downsides.<\/p>\n

The question of how to control the same recoil with less spring has been encountered in history with a different famous handgun \u2013 the Hi Power. The Full-Size Hi Power is 4 21\/32\u201d Barrel. Two Hi Power Compact models were manufactured over the years that did become available in the U.S. in some numbers: The Argentine FM Detective and the Bulgarian Arcus 94C. Both are Hi Power \u201cClones\u201d, both are 4\u201d Barrel Models, and they used different designs for controlling the 9X19mm Recoil. FM used a Full Length Recoil Spring Guide Rod and Two Recoil Springs \u2013 one fits very close to the guide rod and the second recoil springs goes over the first \u2013 so, the two springs work in tandem and both are a smaller diameter spring wire than the Full Size Hi-Power\u2019s Single Recoil Spring. Function with this system is typically good when the springs are fresh \u2013 and these springs have a reputation of requiring more frequent replacement than a Full Size Hi Power Recoil Spring. The Bulgarian Arcus 94C shortened the Hi Power\u2019s standard Recoil Spring Guide Rod and shortened the Full Size Hi Power\u2019s Single Recoil Spring. Likewise, function with this approach is typically good and the single\/shorter spring should also be expected to have a shorter Service Life than a Full-Size Hi Power Recoil Spring.<\/p>\n

This example of the Hi Power\u2019s barrel shortened to a Compact version is offered as a reference point \u2013 a Hi Power Compact involves only shortening a barrel by about 5\/8\u201d or 14% of the original barrel length. Shortening the 5\u201d Barrel 1911 to 3.6\u201d as in the case of the New Ruger Officer\u2019s Model involves shortening the original 1911 Barrel by 28%, AND playing with a larger caliber! It starts to make sense why so many makers of 3-3 1\/2\u201d barrel 1911s have tried so many different recoil spring systems \u2013 it creates a bit of desperation actually because it\u2019s asking a lot from any possible recoil spring system.<\/p>\n

Enter the Ruger SR1911 in 3.6\u201d Barrel Officers Model in .45ACP.<\/strong><\/div>\n

Ruger developed a very easy to install\/uninstall Recoil Spring Guide Rod that uses 3 Recoil Springs \u2013 one over the other, over the next other \u2013 awkward as that sounds. The innermost spring fits snuggly on the guide rod but moves freely, then there is a spring over that, and then an outer spring over the first two. It\u2019s FM Detective style, Plus One. The diameter of the spring wire, of all three springs, is much smaller than the diameter of the spring wire to make a single full-size 1911 recoil spring \u2013 so it can be logically assumed that the lifespan of these three springs will be shorter than a full size 1911 recoil spring. The REAL NEWS about this system of Ruger\u2019s \u2013 it functions and it works \u2013 and Very Well! In our testing, all shooters described the Ruger SR1911 Officer\u2019s Model as \u201cthe softest recoil in a 1911 I\u2019ve ever experienced\u201d and \u201cfeels more like I\u2019m shooting a 9mm\u201d. That reaction was completely unexpected by any us. Ruger\u2019s uses of a bushingless Bull Barrel adds muzzle weight\/balance that also really works. Controlling the 1911 Officer\u2019s Slide Velocity has connections to accuracy \u2013 and the Ruger 1911 Officer\u2019s Model proved to be impressively accurate and fun to shoot. Distance of ejected empty shell casings was precision perfect with no irregularities and no stoppages.<\/p>\n

The Ruger SR1911 Officer\u2019s Model really shines as a Concealed Cary handgun, because of its size \u2013 and that being the case, reliability and the subject of Recoil Control was our first and primary focus. We were uncommonly impressed by this aspect of the handgun. The possibility of needing to install fresh recoil springs at rather short intervals, will be part of the ownership experience with the Ruger SR1911 Officers, but nobody yet knows how aggressive the change out interval will need to be.<\/p>\n

Satisfied with the engineering of the Ruger SR1911 Officer\u2019s Model, and really impressed by most all the features of the handgun \u2013 we decided to optimize it for Carry. Ruger\u2019s website notes that the SR1911 Officers Model is compatible with standard 1911 after-market parts.<\/p>\n

19<\/a>11 Fast Safety (SFS)
\nThe RDIH \/ BHSS Fast Safety (SFS) for 1911 is an easy install and allows the 1911 to be carried in Condition 1, \u201cHammer-Forward\u201d! The Ruger is a Series 70 design, so the Series 80 SFS parts don\u2019t get installed. The grip frame itself is slightly wider than a G.I. 1911, so we needed to scratch the back-side of the 1911 SFS Ambi-Safety Lever on sandpaper a few times, and fit was immediately excellent. We replaced the Ruger\u2019s enhanced beavertail grip safety with a\u00a0Standard G.I. grip safety\u00a0to create a Carry-Profile that \u201cprints\u201d less under clothing.<\/p>\n

With the Ruger\u2019s original operating system in place, Trigger Pull break weight was a bit inconsistent and ranged between 5 \u00bc – 6 lbs. The 1911 Fast Safety (SFS) replaces the Hammer Assembly, and hence the Hammer Tooth\u2019s relationship with the Sear. It is normal to then need to adjust the 1911\u2019s 3-Way Sear Spring, which we did. We added forward angle on the left leaf (Sear) \u2013 and added forward angle on the middle leaf (Trigger) \u2013 and added rearward angle to the right leaf (Grip Safety). In its out-of-box configuration, the Grip Safety seemed to have very little pressure on it which did not make its function seem decisive \u2013 adding more rearward angle to the right leaf of the Sear Spring improved that.<\/p>\n

After completing the install of the\u00a01911 Fast Safety (SFS)\u00a0\u2013 the Trigger Break weight measured 5 1\/8 lbs. And in a dozen trigger pulls, there was no \u201crange\u201d \u2013 the trigger broke at 5 1\/8 lbs, 12 times in a row. This is another testimony of the improved Hammer-Tooth\/Sear relationship that accompanies installation of the 1911 Fast Safety (SFS) system.<\/p>\n

Finally, the Ruger SR1911 Officer\u2019s Model comes with a long list of great features \u2013 the rounded off Main Spring Housing at the rear bottom of the grip frame makes for comfortable shooting, since the grip frame is also shorter than a full-size 1911 grip frame. The adjustable trigger is a great feature. And the Stainless model\u2019s finish is also very nice.<\/p>\n

The real story of the Ruger SR1911 Officers Model is: It runs, and impressively. A real eye-opener. We think it just might be that Ruger will NOT be seeing great numbers of this handgun being sent back to them for repairs and adjustments due to function problems \u2013 which has frequently been the case with short barrel 1911s.<\/p>\n

After installing the\u00a01911 Fast Safety (SFS)\u00a0with\u00a0Extended Slide Stop, the Ruger SR1911 Officer\u2019s Model immediately became a firearm we wanted to hold onto for a while!<\/strong><\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The NEW Ruger SR1911 Officer\u2019s Model. Most BHVeterans are a Hi-Power enthusiast, or a 1911 enthusiast. At this point in 1911 history\u2026it has been noteworthy that in the past 7 years (since the 100th Anniversary of the Model 1911), some companies like Remington, and Ruger, started making 1911 pistols. And both were slow to take […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-9940","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bhspringsolutions.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9940","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bhspringsolutions.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bhspringsolutions.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bhspringsolutions.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bhspringsolutions.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9940"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bhspringsolutions.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9940\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bhspringsolutions.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9940"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}