Springfield Armory’s Ronin Operator offers a classic two-tone look, in this case a blued steel slide over an aluminum frame. They were roughly $700 if I remember correctly, which was far less than what a custom 1911 with the same features would cost. But that’s not the biggest thing to set them apart-these tricked-out pistols, offering most if not all of the modern upgrades Jeff Cooper by that time had been promoting for twenty years, were priced competitively-not to custom guns, but instead to factory 1911s. Then, roughly 25 years ago, Kimber turned the 1911 world on its ear by offering 1911s straight from the factory loaded with what, at the time, were features only available from gunsmiths or custom shops-combat sights, properly fit beavertails, extended thumb safeties, etc. Even with a lightweight aluminum frame, the Ronin Operator in 9mm is a full-size gun, so recoil is negligible, and between the sights, trigger pull, and low recoil you’ll be able to keep your rounds on target just about as fast as you can pull the trigger. At the time the country was full of the best 1911 gunsmiths in the world, and in fact Springfield Armory itself had an amazing custom shop-just ask Rob Leatham, who has been using their products to win national and world championships since roughly the Jurassic. It was also pretty much ignoring the commerical market while it focused on its military contracts, making a few anti-gun missteps to appease the Clinton administration along the way. In truth, Colt was coasting along on name recognition alone, having done little to update its 1911s in decades. In the factory 1911 market of the 1990s, in the minds of the average Joe, there was Colt, and there was everyone else. However, we can’t honestly talk about the modern 1911 market, or the new retroish Springfield Armory Ronin Operator, without mentioning what Kimber did in the 1990s. Stand by as I commit blasphemy-I am going to start a review of one product by mentioning not just a completely different product, but one made by a direct competitor, something you’re never supposed to do.
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