Praise for the Range Officer

Got outside Thursday and rebuilt the turning target system so we can start having 2700's again after about a 7 year lapse. After working all day I had had enough and shot a few rounds outdoors for the first time since last October or maybe early November. Now I know that the target isn't exceptional but it does show the Range Officer is a very competent gun even with the factory Winchester ammo from Wal-Mart. The two eights out the left were both called there. The others were called good, and although not all tens I was pleased with the results. I did a report on all what was done to this gun here on the list. Basically a bushing and trigger job along with the parts to make it EIC legal. I see a lot of guys here wanting an entry level .45 and I think they would be very pleased with the Range Officer.
Scott

Everything I read and everyone I talk to suggest getting a range officer as a good starting point for my 45. Hearing your praise makes me want to get one even more. Funny thing is, I live about 0.5 miles from where they make them. Maybe I should just stop by one day and see if they have a spare one sitting around .

I bought one from Joe Fobes this year and I love it! My scores continue to climb and I will easily make Expert with it very soon. I looked at a Colt GI model this week at my gun store and it does not compare to the RO. Loose slide to frame fit and sloppy barrel/bushing fit.

After having the RO suggested by folks here as a great choice for my first .45 BE pistol, I started doing the research. I am absolutely obsessed with getting one now! The only trouble is that I can't seem to locate one. I need to lay it away as I'm cash poor at the moment so if anyone knows a shop that has one and accepts a layaway plan, please let me know. Nice shooting btw!

Just remember to change the mainspring housing with the safty gizmo to a old style, they can give erratic firing pin strikes sometimes

If i could get my hands on more I would help you out, the well has run dry on Range Officers.

There are a bunch on guns America right now. A few still at $799!

Joe Fobes wrote:If i could get my hands on more I would help you out, the well has run dry on Range Officers.

I'm a patient man, if you run across something, PM me please. I'm not into online auctions and all the drama that goes with it. I will also continue hitting all the shops around home. Who knows, maybe I'll get lucky!

DavidR wrote:Just remember to change the mainspring housing with the safty gizmo to a old style, they can give erratic firing pin strikes sometimes

 Is there a specific mainspring housing that I should look for or just any without their internal lock thingy? Anything else that I would need to replace at the same time?
Sorry for the newby questions, I am a reasonable 'parts changer but have no expertise (yet) with what makes a 1911 run right.
Thanks.


Bruce

just decide on the style, arched or flat, flat being the most popular, then get the internal pins and a 19# mainspring and a secure pin to hold it in, you can buy all seperate or most times a pin set is available

Wingshot wrote:

Joe Fobes wrote:If i could get my hands on more I would help you out, the well has run dry on Range Officers.

I'm a patient man, if you run across something, PM me please. I'm not into online auctions and all the drama that goes with it. I will also continue hitting all the shops around home. Who knows, maybe I'll get lucky!

Kame's Sports in North Canton, Ohio had an ad in today's Akron Beacon Journal showing Range Officers for $839.99.
Their phone is 330-499-4558
JLK

DavidR wrote:just decide on the style, arched or flat, flat being the most popular, then get the internal pins and a 19# mainspring and a secure pin to hold it in, you can buy all seperate or most times a pin set is available

My 'present' arrived today from Brownell's so I now have a new 'non-ILS' mainspring housing along with the "B" housing rebuild kit (pin retainer, cap, cap pin and a Wolfe 23 lb spring). I did not remember that you had mentioned a 19 lb so that may have to be changed out. I am still getting used to my Lyman trigger guage and learning to use it consistantly. As best as I can tell my RO trigger is very consistant at 4 3/4 right now, the variation was usually an ounce either way. While certainly not a 'Bullseye' trigger, I am pretty happy with it at this point in my education. Sure it could (and probably will) be better but I can't blame it for any of my off call shots until I get better. Thank you very much for the advice!

Bruce

Not having 'tinkered' with anything on the RO in over a week, today it got it's 23 pound mainspring replaced with a 19 as per recomendations. All went pretty well except for fogetting to catch the slide stop spring and plunger. I did find them and I needed to clean up that part of my 'gun room' anyway! So, I think that I am getting more consistant with the Lyman gauge as I do these 'improvements', the RO now tested a (very, in my humble opinion) consistent 4 pound 5 ounce pull weight.
I really appreciate all the advice here, thank you.

Bruce

Just some updates on the range officer, the quality of newer guns coming from springfield has deteriorated. The frame to slide fit has now become much looser, i imagine because of customer complaints from the people who had issues you have with tight guns till they get broken in, the last several ive seen were a little loose compared with those first run ones. The ro is still a great starter gun, and im seeing them on gunbroker all the time for in the 750.00 range.

A July 2013 production RO that I've worked on and shot is just as tight as the early ones I've seen.  Perhaps David R encountered a loose one?

I have looked at several made in the last 6 months and all were looser than the two i ordered for friends a year or so ago, best thing to do if possible when buying one is to find a place with them in stock where you can sample a few, gun shows are great for this, even though you may have to pay a little more. gun show prices im seeing are 775.00 up to about 809.00

I just wouldn't want to scare any new bullseye shooters away from their first .45 in this sport by saying the only stock gun under $1000that is capable of bullseye service is showing signs of "poor quality". 

Frame to slide fit isn't the first or last word in 1911 accuracy.  Barrel Lockup is.

If any shooter ended up with an RO that couldn't shoot decent, I'm sure Springfield would fix the problem under warranty.

Just saying as with many things the more something gets popular and production rates go up often corners get cut and some things change. It's still the best entry level 1911 for the sport

Bruce,

Did your RO have a retaining pin in the factory mainspring housing?  Or did the mainspring and follower just come out when you removed it?

Rob Kovach wrote:Bruce,

Did your RO have a retaining pin in the factory mainspring housing?  Or did the mainspring and follower just come out when you removed it?

My RO did not have a 'retaining pin' for the cap and spring as found on a 'normal' 1911.
I followed the Springfield directions. They include a short pin (really just a bent 3/4", piece of rod the diameter of the hole in the housing), you cock the hammer, insert the pin and decock. The pin will hold the spring and cap in place while you strip the gun. Since I was following a suggestion to replace the housing with a non-ILS version (an easy choice since I find myself slightly 'offended' by all of the built-in gun locks seen these days), I had a new spring, cap and retaining pin already assembled in my new mainspring housing. The 'old' parts went into the plastic bag for re-installation when we finally lose all ability to choose for ourselves, the supplied pin is still holding it all together.

On my springfield 1911-A1 9mm loaded, I just wacked off a 20# wolf spring to the same length and replaced the 30# spring that came with the gun.

Runs just great with my 1100 fps 115 gr loads....

trigger pulls right at 3.5#, so I might go to a bit heavier spring...

Stumbled into the Springfield mainspring housing lock thing for the first time a couple of weeks ago.  Played with the thing a bit and determined that the only reusable part was the pin lock that sits in the bottom of the hole.  Added a few parts to my parts box to be ready to "fix" that when ever I need to.   The RO looks to be the most gun for the money out there today.  Nice starter gun with good solid frame and slide for that full target gun upgrade some time in the future.   PTL for the Ruger 1911.  I think they helped hold the price of the Springfield RO down..

My examination of the mainspring shows the housing and the spring bottom plunger is reusable.  Add a standard mainspring in the weight of your choice, top mainspring plunger and a standard retaining pin.

Good catch on the housing..  We have reused the original for those guys with small hands..  My working guns all wear the "V" or wedge housing unless it is my EIC 1911 which wears the standard arched..

DavidR wrote:I have looked at several made in the last 6 months and all were looser than the two i ordered for friends a year or so ago, best thing to do if possible when buying one is to find a place with them in stock where you can sample a few, gun shows are great for this, even though you may have to pay a little more. gun show prices im seeing are 775.00 up to about 809.00

Unfortunately, I have to agree with the assessment above of the newer Range Officers. Last year, I bought several and once I added a properly fitted Kart barrel bushing and a trigger job, they became a competetive 2" 50 yard gun. I've handled a couple recently, and the frame to slide fit was definitely looser, which is not a major concern, but the barrel hoods and lugs were not as well fitted as the earlier models I worked on.

Based on this albeit limited sample, I can't recommend them any more, unless the specimen you are buying is checked out by someone who understands the required elements of Bullseye level accuracy in a 1911. Too bad, SA had a winner in this gun.

Walt Jackson
Bull Shooters