[Waldo1]

A little help guys?!? Brand new to the forum, but familiar with handguns(own/have owned Taurus, CZ,Glock, S&W, Ruger) and truly enjoy shooting. I stuck with 9mm/revolvers because I had never been impressed with the 1911-A1s that were issued when I was in the service (Inaccurate, rattled like a set of castanetts).
Got ahold of a Kimber at a local range and fell in LOVE with the accuracy, controllability, etc- you all know what I'm saying. I've been lurking on the site for a while and reading Layne Simpson's book to try to educate myself. I'm actually shocked by the frequency of posts on BOTH groups relating to the FTFs and general quality issues. Its not a Kimber v.s. SA issue, its pretty much across the board. Might sound stupid, but I've never bought a 9mm- new or used- that didn't shoot acceptably out of the box. Not a poke in the eye- just an observation based upon limited personal experience. Anyway, now I'm in love again and I've got to do something about it..
I was in a shop today and saw a used SA on the shelf. It looked like a mil-spec that had been dressed-up (parkerised frame and slide, new/custom aluminum trigger with overtravel adjustment). It has a 2-hole compensator and the slide is marked "Springfield Armory" and "Custom Compensated". Does this sound familiar/correct to any of you? How scared should I be of buying something like this? Anything in particular to look out for? I'll get it broken down and look at the bore/internals for wear and other polishing/work. I'll also try to shoot it and see what it feels like. Its general condition and finish looked good, one or 2 minor scratches near the plunger tube/slide release (reassembly?)and the price was about $450.00. Any advise would be appreciated by someone new to the ranks.

 

[Bayrat]

Waldo,

I had almost exactly the same experience you did and wound up getting a "loaded" Springfield Armory off the net.

Before you commit at the store, shop (among other places) at GunBroker.com and GunsAmerica.com. You can find new SA Mil-Specs in the $450 range and new "loaded" (lots of custom features) SAs starting at around $500. Look in the "New Virgin" thread here in the SA forum and you'll find a guy called 45ACP_freak who just got an SA PX9608 (5" bbl, polished blue, cocobolo grips) for $499 + shipping. He also posted an excellent range report elsewhere in this forum. Give it a look and maybe drop him an E-mail about where he got his price.

If you haven't done this before, look at other than your home state and what you'll probably save in sales tax (8% here in New York) will more than cover shipping and the $20-25 your local FFL dealer will charge to do the transfer. By all means though, if you've got a good local guy that'll even come close, buy it there.

In any event, good luck. I think shopping is half the fun.

 

[Waldo1]

BAYRAT,

Thanks for the info/reality check. I've been looking/waiting for a while and a little longer won't kill me. I keep thinking back to the times when I've passed something up at a show or shop and then mentally kicked myself in the arse a month or so later for NOT taking advantage of the opportunity. A new 2001 'Loaded' is what I've been leaning towards and I can keep looking. As long as the local shops continue to wipe my puddles of drool off their glass countertops, I'll continue to browse...

Waldo1

 

[KITT]

Don't panic! I was in the same boat looking for a new .45 and I almost bought a couple of pistols but held back. Then I caught an auction and bought a new SS "Loaded" model for $505. It shoots great and I couldn't be happier. I'm with Bayrat...shopping is half the fun. The Deals are out there keep looking!