Springfield RO 9mm 1911

[azerious]

Anyone have any first hand experience with these? I cannot afford a SACS 9mm 1911, and was wondering if these are reliable enough for EDC?

Also are you forced to only use the factory ADJ. sights?

[Luke]

I had one and my buddy had one. I just shot mine, we ran his in a single stack championship. I loved mine. Had ZERO issues out of the ~400 rounds of ball I shot through it. My buddies had a few issues all due to it being filthy and dry. I wouldn't hesitate to buy one man. I think they are awesome guns for the money!

[HCM]

Heiinie, Harrison and I believe 10-8 make fixed rear replacements for the RO. Some of them have some disconnector drag but it's and easy fix. Member JAD has a thread with a review of his 9mm RO.

[JAD]

It's here. https://pistol-forum.com/showthread.php?t=12976

I haven't shot the gun much since -- still trying to find a range in Dallas that works for me.

I think it's a neat gun, but like I said if I was going to go to the effort of carrying a full size steel gun it would be .45 (and wear different sights). I do think that people who reload get an extra dimension out of a gun like this. The barrel length, accuracy, and sights make load development a hoot.

[rwa]

I had two of them that I was setting up for USPSA single stack. I also had a 9mm stainless loaded. All three were reliable, but none of the three were particular accurate and I tried a huge variety of ammo.

[NorthernHeat]

I was also interested in trying my hand at a 9mm 1911 from Springfield.

I have been looking at the differences between getting a SACS Warren 1911 (at about $2000 if I remember correctly) or getting a 9mm RO and adding a magwell, front strap checkering and different sights (fixed) through the SA custom shop.

Seems like even with the upgrades, the RO would still come in at a lower price and without the wait times that the Warren guns come with.

[Jim Watson]

To carry, I would get the RO Champion. Shorter barrel, fixed sights, lighter weight.

I would be prepared to replace the sear spring even if no other trigger work was done, shape up the integral barrel ramp, and replace the extractor.

[Talionis]

One of the top shooters in my local area has a 9mm RO that he shoots quite well in IDPA ESP when he is taking a break from USPSA Limited with his STI Edge. It is a decent gun, and he has had relatively few issues with it for a full size 9mm 1911. Having played with it, I think it is a decent gun for the money. If I were spending under 1k on a 1911, it would likely be an RO.

That being said, if he were doing it again, he would be using an STI Trojan like mine. Which in my experience is about the best "working" 1911 bang for your buck out there. By the time he got finished setting up the RO for competition, it was very close in price to a Trojan, which is overall a better gun.

[Wobblie]

I had one for a short time and disliked it. That much size and weight for 9mm is a waste. A Dan Wesson bobtail commander in 9mm is a whole different story.

[Robinson]

This was mentioned above, but I recommend Harrison for replacement sights. Do a search and go to the website.

[Andy T]

I can't attest to reliability as I only occasionally shoot mine. But it is able to chew through steel cased Wolff with no issues. Also, you should at least budget some money to get it dehorned as it is replete with sharp edges. I also had to change recoil spring to a heavier one (#13, I believe) to make the slide close a little more "authoritatively".

[JMS]

and I believe 10-8 make fixed rear replacements for the RO.

Nah, that one's for Bomar, not for the LPA cut. From the product description aboard 10-8:

***Does not fit LPA dovetails, which look similar to the Bomar, and are used on most Springfield adjustable sight 1911 models, including Loaded, Trophy Match and Range Officer Models.

Concur on Harrison, I put a blank rear on mine; he makes 1- and 2-dot trit rears, as well. If you do that, BPT to replace the front sight with something around a .220" height.

Added a Wilson magwell, ambi safety, and flat wire recoil spring kit. Had a little work done to the innards, as I suffered from the disconnector seize that's been mentioned, though a Marvel cut was not done (may still be in the future); it helped, but I still had some lingering failures to go into battery, even with a 13# spring. Upped to a 15# spring, which seems to have eliminated that symptom; I'll end up futzing with a 14# variable on the stock guide rod at some point.

This is not a carry gun, so having to play with it doesn't put me off of it in general. Agree with "decent gun for the money...," but for carry 9mm 1911 I'd look at Commander-length and more coin spent.

[rob_s]

What's the street-price difference between the RO and the Trojan?

The Trojan appears to be the go-to and as such has been on my short-list of guns to pick up for quite awhile. If the RO is serviceable and less expensive that may move the purchase up!

[jh9]

What's the street-price difference between the RO and the Trojan?

The Trojan appears to be the go-to and as such has been on my short-list of guns to pick up for quite awhile. If the RO is serviceable and less expensive that may move the purchase up!

$750 for the RO and $1200ish for the Trojan.

The RO has a forged steel (or aluminum) frame. The Trojan is cast. For a 9mm I can't possibly imagine this means anything.

We've had a couple local SSTK/ESP shooters with Trojans and they've been very happy. I assume the difference is more attention paid during assembly. It would explain the cheaper frame and higher cost. Presumably the RO has the same QC/whatever ast he TRP just with fewer niceties, but I hope that isn't true. My ROC, for instance, had a shit ton of metal fall out of the chamber when my smith ran a finish reamer through it, and the Springfield thumb safety has a lot of travel past the off click. The extractor had a fair bit of clocking before work also.

I still love the gun, especially once the smith got done with it. But there are more STI shooters on benos and more camera shooters on the Springfield subsectino of 1911forum.com and that, to me, says a lot.

I would buy a Trojan if I were inclined to shoot the gun as-is, and an RO(C) if i were inclined to use it as the basis of a semi-custom build. $450 worth of custom work will go far, especially if you don't care about looks (blending magwells, polishing things, etc).

edit: just to be fair, most people I know that have taken the time to put a new finish reamer through ALMOST ANY barrel have found it to take off some metal. This example was just particularly excessive.

[somebeach]

I picked up a 9mm RO compact last weekend. First 2 mags= a malfunction every other round. Then I remembered I was shooting a 1911 & not a HK or Glock. Broke it down & lubed it up good. Only two more malfunctions with the remaining ammo I had (200 rounds total). (Note to self...lube your gun dumb£ss) All rounds hit about 4 inches high at 25ft not yards. Took it out today with 100 rounds of 124gr blazer brass & 50 147gr HST. 3 malfunctions with the blazer & none with the HST. Both loads still shooting high even with a 6:00 hold. The HST is noticeably hotter than the blazer. So maybe it needs some break-in time. Then on about the 40th round of HST the front sights fiber optic rod left for parts unknown. Going to call Springfield Monday & try to get a new sight. Got torrential rains here this weekend anyway. So...I like the gun but not its performance so far. Trying again next week if I can get a new front sight. Fingers crossed !!

[JAD]

I can say from experience that Springfield's customer service is excellent.