Springfield Armory’s Range Officer Elite Champion, by Pat Cascio

The all-new and improved Springfield Armory Range Officer Elite is under review today, and Springfield really went out of their way to update/upgrade this line of fine 1911A1 handguns.

Springfield Armory 1911 Range Officer Review Plans

I’ve been a huge fan of the Springfield Armory line of 1911 handguns since the mid 1980s for a number of reasons. Their very first 1911s were mostly mil-spec in nature, and they were priced extremely “right”; they still are. Springfield Armory offers great value for your money. I had recently received the Springfield Armory full-sized Range Officer (R.O.)1911A1 for testing and review and ran quite a few rounds through it. I was all set to sit down and do my review on this fine handgun, until I got an e-mail from Springfield, announcing their Range Officer Elite line-up. I had to have one, and in a few days, one was in my hand. The Original RO review will be a little later in coming, as we want SurvivalBlog readers to know about the hottest and newest products first, if at all possible.

Favorite Handgun Question and Answer

People are always trying to nail me down as to what my favorite handgun is, and there is no easy or simple answer to this question. It depends a lot upon what your use will be for a handgun. In the case of a handgun for hunting big game, my answer would be different than my answer for plinking on a Saturday afternoon. However, when it comes down to it, my number one choice for self defense is still the grand ol’ 1911 pistol in .45 ACP. In particular, I like the “Commander-ized” version—a 4–4.25” barrel length. This sized slide/barrel just seems to balance better for me, and I can shoot it faster than the full-sized Government-sized 1911. And, to top it off, I much prefer a light-weight version with a frame out of forged aluminum, for weight saving, all-day carry.

A Quick Look At The Range Officer Elite Champion 1911

Let’s take a quick look at the specs for the all-new Range Officer Elite Champion 1911 that Springfield just came out with. First off, the Champion version has the 4” barrel/slide, which is perfect! It has a match-grade (yes, you read that right– match-grade) stainless steel barrel. And it is a heavy-weight bull barrel that fits solidly in the slide without the need for a barrel bushing. This barrel also has a full-supported ramped barrel as well, which is another nice touch for sure and reliable feeding. The slide is forged steel, and the frame is forged aluminum alloy. Both the slide and frame are coated with Black-T, which is a finish that is several types of polymer, and it is a very thin coating, that resists the elements better than bluing or parkerized finishes. Black-T is the same coating that Springfield applies to their coveted Custom Shop Professional Model.

Sights

The slide has a red fiber optic front sight, and you can switch that out to a green fiber optic if you wish. It only takes a minute or two to switch, and Springfield provides spare fiber optic rods in red and green. The rear sight is a new design for Springfield that they call their Tactical Combat sight. It has two white dots, and the rear of the sight has horizontal serrations running across it. This sight is extremely fast to pick-up under all lighting conditions. BTW, the slide-frame fit was perfect with no wobble at all; it was expertly fitted!

Trigger

The trigger is what Springfield calls their Gen 2 model. It is sort of a match-grade trigger, without the set-screw adjustment that I don’t care for. Anytime I have a match-grade trigger, I adjust the set screw to where I want it; then I back it out a half turn and Loc-Tite it in place. I’ve seen many 1911s freeze up with match-grade triggers, when under recoil. The set-screw moved, and the trigger couldn’t be pulled. That’s not a fun thing to happen in a gun fight.

Thumb Safety

The R.O. Elite Champion has an ambidextrous thumb safety. I was going to request a single-side thumb safety, but it would have delayed delivery of my sample. When you want it in-hand ASAP, you can live with the ambi thumb safety. I may replace it later on with a single-side thumb safety. And, unlike some ambi thumb safeties, both sides are trim and neat; they aren’t overly large and stick out from the gun.

Recoil Spring

The recoil spring system is a captured version. This does make field stripping a little bit more difficult; however, I’ve never had to get into a speed race to field strip any handguns in a combat situation. The recoil spring is a new, flat wound version. I knew this was coming for quite some time, thanks to an insider tip at Springfield.

Grips

Last but not least is the G10 thin grips, and these are outstanding. They make the gun feel all that much better in my hand. They are just thin enough, without being too thin, and are milled out on the left side ever so slightly so you have easier access to the magazine release, which is a standard version and not extended. The grips also have angled serrations cut into them, for a sure hold under any weather conditions.

Other Details

Weight of the Champion R.O. is 30 oz. That’s quite a weight savings, thanks to the forged aluminum frame. Each gun comes with two 7-rd magazines. This one puzzles me, as to why they don’t provide 8-rd magazines. However, 8-rd mags are readily available at any number of places, so that’s not a deal breaker, if you ask me. And, for a limited time, each R.O. Elite will come in a very nicely padded soft case with two more 7-rd magazines, a paddle holster, and double mag pouch, all packed inside of a nice cardboard box. WOW!

I really like the Black-T coating on the frame and slide. It is very business-like, non-reflective and can take a beating from the elements. Seems like everyone wants a “tactical-looking” handgun or knife, and that means a black finish. I have no problem with this at all. I much prefer this Black-T coating over bluing or Parkerizing; it will outlast both of those finishes under extreme weather conditions and handling.

Whew! I meant to make the above brief, but with so many new features, I just wanted to lay them all out for our readers!

Ammo For Testing

As always, I had an outstanding selection of .45 ACP on hand for testing. BTW, this gun is also available in 9mm as well. From Buffalo Bore Ammunition, I had their Outdoorsman load, which is a 255-gr Hard Cast FN load that is +P rated, Barnes TAC-XP 160-gr all-copper hollow point Low Recoil load that is standard pressure, 230-gr FMJ FN +P, 200-gr JHP +P, and the Barnes 160 and 185 TAC-XP all-copper hollow point that is +P rated.

From Black Hills Ammunition, I had their new 135-gr HoneyBadger load, which is an all-copper solid bullet that has an “X” shape milled into the bullet, is the new realm of self-defense loads, and is NOT +P rated, 200-gr lead Match Semi-wad cutter, 185-gr JHP, 230-gr JHP, 230-gr JHP _L, and 185-gr Barnes all-copper TAC-XP hollow point +P. So, there was a great selection of .45 ACP ammo to run through this new Range Officer Champion Elite.

Testing

I fired more than 500 rds over several shooting sessions, and I did not have a single malfunction of any kind with any of the above ammo. No break-in period was required from the Elite, though many 1911s actually need a break-in of about 200-rds before they function 100%. That’s not so with this Range Officer Elite. The sights were zeroed dead on for 25-yards with 230-gr loads, too.

Black Hills HoneyBadger

The Black Hills HoneyBadger 135-gr solid all-copper bullet is screaming along at about 1,300 feet per second, and keep in mind that this is NOT a +P load, so it is safe to shoot in any gun chambered in .45 ACP. With that speed, this light-weight bullet doesn’t drop at all at 25-yards. It had the same point of impact that the heavier 230-gr bullets were hitting. That’s outstanding. The HoneyBadger is loud. It is breaking the sound barrier, so be advised.

Buffalo Bore

I really like the Buffalo Bore 255-gr Hard Cast FN Outdoorsman +P load for taking care of dangerous game out in the boonies. This bullet will easily penetrate the skull of a black bear,, probably a brown bear, too. It is “the” load to have in your .45 ACP chambered gun if you are out in the boonies, where you might encounter dangerous game! I did learn that this particular bullet will not chamber in a Kahr Arms .45 ACP pistol, though, You probably wouldn’t enjoy shooting this heavy load in that light of handgun. So, be advised. You should always test-fire any ammo you plan on carrying for self defense or protection from dangerous animals.

Accuracy

Accuracy testing was done at 25-yards, with the Elite rested on a sleeping bag over the hood of my pickup truck. I was blown away with the accuracy of this Champion 1911A. With the Black Hills 200-gr lead Match SWC load, if I did my part, I could obtain groups of 1.5-inches. Next up was the Buffalo Bore Barnes TAC-XP 160-gr all-copper hollow point low pressure, standard recoil load, which gave me 2-inch groups, again, if I was on my game. No load exceeded 3-inches, and most were well below that, again, if I did my part. The Black Hills 185-gr JHP load kept most shots just around 2-inches, and the Buffalo Bore 200-gr JHP +P did the same. This load is fast becoming a favorite for self-defense work for many shooters.

Black Hills HoneyBadger For Self Defense

I just wanted to mentioned the Black Hills HoneyBadger load again. I believe this is the future of self-defense handgun ammo. It will sure get the job done. Tests have shown the temporary cavity when fired into ballistic gel to be the same or greater than JHP ammo, and this load will penetrate about 18-inches. It’s outstanding, and the recoil is very light, too.

My Take on the R.O. Elite Champion

I carried the R.O. Elite Champion for more than a week. I wanted to carry it longer, but I also wanted to get this article submitted ASAP. The gun was carried in a Blackhawk SERPA hip holster, and it rode high and tight to my side. I also tested the Black Hawk tactical thigh holster that is similar to the SERPA hip holster on an outing down a logging road for a short hike. It was a very comfortable rig.

As regular readers will no doubt be aware, I always think I need to change something on any 1911 handgun that I get my hands on. Well, the only change I made was to put some skateboard friction tape on the front strap of this fine handgun. That’s it. Nothing else was changed, which is very rare for me to not want to make more changes to customize a 1911 to my liking. But Springfield already did it for me.

It’s a good Value

Springfield Armory did the new R.O. Officer Elite Champion up right with all their improvements. And here’s the good news: with all the added and improvements, the retail value of them comes out to $370, yet Springfield only increased the price over the standard Range Officer line-up by a mere $125. As I said, there’s value for your money. Full retail on this particular Range Officer Elite is $1,030. I’m here to tell you the truth, like I always do; in the past I’ve had some big name, very expensive 1911s that cost $2,500- $3,000, and none of them were one lick better than this new Springfield Armory Range Officer Elite Champion. “Yes”, this gun is “that” good in my humble opinion. Check one out, and I think you’ll be hard-pressed to put it down and walk away from purchasing it.

– Senior Product Review Editor, Pat Cascio