Added a Springfield Range Officer to the pistol box

After reading all the comments about the Springfield Armory Range Officer and then noticing the local Academy Sports raising the price from $749 to $799 recently, I decided to get one and find out what all the commotion was about. After taking it all apart, deburring a few edges, cleaning, lubing and reassembling I have noted a few things about it that I haven't seen mentioned before.
 
The disconnector rail on the slide has the last three digits of the frame serial number engraved on it to keep the two matched up during assembly.The slide/frame fit was very tight to my mechanics fingers.
 
The trigger would pick up a 3.2 pound weight but a 4.1 pound weight would trip it if picked straight up. Trigger fit was good, no wobbles. Hammer hooks were 0.018". The legs of the sear where the disconnector contacts had rough grinding marks on it. The finger spring disconnector and grip safety edges were not dressed.
 
The slide stop had a raised seam from molding and measured 0.1978" diameter, except for the seam. An EGW .200 stop measured 0.2002".
 
The slide overhung the rear of the frame by 0.005", which is a lot better than the reverse would be.
 
The upper barrel lug edges were very sharp.
 
Slide ID averaged 0.6996", barrell OD 0.5806". Bushing OD averaged 0.6986", ID 0.5822". All measure several times at several locations to get a consistent reading.
 
I widened the rear sight notch, replaced the gaudy wood stocks with a Pachmayr Signature grips for now and look forward to seeing what I can do with it soon at the range. While I would like a polished blued gun and all forged parts, I am impressed with the product and think it is a great product at the price I paid for it.
 
I don't mind the ILS housing, but what are recommended spring rates for 185gr JHP target rounds? (Recoil spring and main spring)

Any new gun is a good reason to celebrate. I like the Springfields.

Sa-tevp,
It sounds like you found a good one!

I need more information about your load before I can make a spring recommendation.

When my gun is set up for irons, I run a 19lb ISMI non-ILS mainspring in a non-ILS housing and plungers, and a 19lb recoil spring.  That still spits the brass pretty hard, and it hits my brass catcher like a tennis racket, so you could go with a 21lb mainspring instead to slow the slide down a little bit.  My load is 200gr LSWC over 3.8gr BE.

If I bolt on my slide mount rail and 1" Ultradot, I use the same load and setup except I use a 10lb recoil spring.

The reason I don't use the ILS components is because the plungers are longer than GI and the spring is much shorter--and it looks like it was cut down, not made that length..  If you are a mechanic you know the unpredictable results cutting a spring does for it's spring rate.  I think that the inconsistency from cutting each spring a slightly different length is one of the reasons the triggers on ROs are inconsistent from gun to gun.

Enjoy your new baby!

I've been shooting the RO 45 ACP for 10 months now with about 800 rounds through it so far. It has functioned and shot flawlessly. I did not change out the recoil spring and I find it digests the 3.7 Gr Bullseye with a 200 Grain cast SWC without a hitch.

I did do a trigger job to bring the trigger down from the factory 4.5 lbs to just over 3.5 lbs. I did use the wolf 14 lb hammer spring with this modification. Other tahn that it shoots better than I can. A great target pistol for the money.

Pat,
with a 14lb mainspring you don't have any soft primer hits?  I started having occasional light hits when I got to 17 lbs on the ISMI mainsprings.
Are you sure it's a 14lb spring?  I didn't see anything lighter than 17lbs in wolff hammer springs on Brownell's website.

Thanks for the replies. Since I am just starting out and do not reload yet, I have some Atlanta Arms 45 ACP JHP Match AMU and some NSK Sales 185 JHP to test with.



Part of the reason I'm reluctant to replace the mainspring housing is the crapshoot of trying to find a drop in part to replace it. Just because a part in the Brownell's catalog has a big name on it doesn't garrantee the fit and finish of the part, and in this day and age of CAD/CAM handfitting a part like a British craftsman is bass-ackwards.



[size=13]I failed to mention it in the first post, but the long nose ejector is bonded in and has no retaining pins in the frame that I could see. Not a problem if the engineers who spec'ed this out know how to use their slide-rules.
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My friend runs a 15 lb in his with bullseye loads, open sights

Hi Rob,I must correct myself. I use a 15 Lb hammer spring. It is listed as part of Wolf's "Hammer spring pak reduced power" kit no. 26521. It is for competition use only. Wolf states that the 1911 type pistols with the Integrated Locking System (ILS) must use their hammer springs listed for the ILS such as the Springfield. I myself have not found this to be a problem using the standard 1911 hammer springs in my Springfield RO.

Of course you can replace the factory ILS mainspring housing with the standard military issue housing as they are interchangeable.

Using CCI standard pistol primers I have not had any issues with soft primer hits.

Wolff makes 3 reduced power mainsprings for the ILS housing. Several of us use the lightest (24#-does good things for trigger pull) and have zero ignition problems. 24# sounds hi, but so does the stock 30#. Trust Wolff. - If you know any other RO or Mil-spec owners-order 3 (more?) for discount & share?.  ---- Russ

I can't imagine that you will have a problem getting a replacement mainspring housing to drop in--and you certainly wouldn't have to fit the gun.

I have changed the spring, retaining pin, and plungers over to GI spec while retaining the stock ILS housing with no problems.(other than the ILS not working)

Rob,
  My comment was based on experience with a clone and fitting parts. I've been very pleased with a new Colt Gold Cup National Match and the Springfield Range Office for matching the Kuhnhausen dimensions and tolerances. However, I've handled a few aftermarket parts that were more advertising than product. In the past I was in a group that tested car and motorcycle aftermarket parts on dynos and flow benches, which really turned me off to marketing and magazine tests.
 
Got to zero the sights on the Range Officer today, and was very happy with how it shoots. Chasing everything around at 25 yards was like sorting out 22 sights with nice results. 50 yards was a bit wider, but still to call. I had warmed up with a 22, and was happy with keeping all the 45 shots on the repair center after a while at 50 yards, a big step for a beginner. A good tool to use.

Since I like data, I hope someday to test it in a machine rest.

While just a target from trying to get a 50 yard zero while shooting Slow Fire, I think this shows the pistol's potential. NSK 185 JHP Target loads, offhand, standing on my hind legs.

Obviously the grip nut needs some more work.

I've burned over 1000 rounds through mine over the winter and spring using it for bullseye matches. Shot 90 percent with it. Its a damn fine pistol for the money. I did open up Pandoras box last Sunday with it. I opened up the mainspring housing in an attempt to change out the mainspring. The ILS lock frogs things up for sure trying to get the gun back together. Trying to get everything lined up was impossible. So,,,,it is a good time to swap out the fire control system and mainspring housing. I'll be using a Cylinder and Slide setup.

Schmeg,

You will need a new mainspring top plunger and retaining pin also--unless you order a complete mainspring assembly with housing.

You will notice a lighter trigger pull due to lighter mainspring pressure against the sear.  HAVE FUN!