The snow is finally starting to melt around here, so I'm adding this 1911A1 to the list of items I acquired over the winter (so, since November here in ND) that I've not yet shot:Nice, now go forth and shoot.
I would be particularly surprised if anything ever went wrong with this pistol, but it's great to know that if it did, SAI would have my back.Best part of that Springer? Even though you haven't touched it in a looooong time, I guarantee their CS will still be more than willing to help you out if anything is wrong with it. BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE EVER, and i'm not just talking about gun manufacturers.
If anything, and i mean anything, is wrong with it, call their cs and ask for Deb. She's the best.
Well now... that is interesting indeed. Perhaps I should reach out to them and see if I can still get this one refinished. Would be nice to dress 'er up in an original blue that's fresh and new. (And it rhymes, too!)Quick story, when I got my Springer 1911 it came with a couple scratches on it. Pistol was brand new, but got dinged up at the store. Waited about a year, then called Springfield to see how much it would be to get it refinished since the pistol was still under warranty. Sent them a couple pictures to make sure none of the scratches were too deep. Here is what they responded:
"We would more than happy to refinish that for you for free, including paying for s+h. However, if it does not bother you that much, wait until it has more scratches as you can only get it refinished so many times since we will be taking some material off. Even if it is 10, 20, 30.... years off, we'll still refinish it for free, regardless of who and how the scratches got there."
As far as I'm concerned, the Springfield warranty period never expires. If you research online, you will find similar, if not more outrageous stories, of Springfield going above and beyond for their customers
Yep, it was brand new, in the bright blue plastic box. (Pretty sure I still have that in the gun room, too.) The frame does say Brazil on it. The S/N is in the same place - I just removed it for photo purposes. I don't have the sales paperwork for this gun any more, so no documented means of proving I own it (if it ever came to that), so in those instances I remove the S/Ns from the photo. But it's still there. Promise.It's interesting that you picked that up in '93, was it used? The reason I ask, as it appears to be an early one, showing Brazil on frame, and the serial number missing from the normal location...
Call'em and askYep, knew exactly where the box was. Catalog number PB9608. No born-on date like a SIG might have, but the orange sticker reads 100893, so I'm assuming that's 10/08/1993, or ~2 weeks before I purchased it from Wade's Eastside Guns in Bellevue, WA. (Back at their *old* location, if anyone here knows of them.) I'm not sure if that 10/08/1993 date is a factory sticker showing the born-on date, or if that's just a distributor/dealer inventory date or something along those lines.
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Very good possibility! When they first offered the 1911s, the frames were imported finished from Brazil, and assembled here, hence the markings as you have. Then they imported the raw forgings, and finished them here, along with assembly, and the Brazil annotation was deleted.Yep, it was brand new, in the bright blue plastic box. (Pretty sure I still have that in the gun room, too.) The frame does say Brazil on it. The S/N is in the same place - I just removed it for photo purposes. I don't have the sales paperwork for this gun any more, so no documented means of proving I own it (if it ever came to that), so in those instances I remove the S/Ns from the photo. But it's still there. Promise.S/N N303XXX Do you think it was old stock?
Call'em and ask
I just tried calling them a few moments ago (4:45pm Central), but the message I received indicates their business hours end at 4:30pm Central. So, I sent an email instead. I will report back once I hear from them.Very good possibility! When they first offered the 1911s, the frames were imported finished from Brazil, and assembled here, hence the markings as you have. Then they imported the raw forgings, and finished them here, along with assembly, and the Brazil annotation was deleted.
You may be able to contact their Customer Service, and get a release/ship date, as I would expect sometime around '85, but I could be wrong. I bought my three between late '86 and '88 IIRC.