Springfield Model 1911

By Denny L. Vasquez

I thought some of you might like to see what a 1911 can do in the hands of a real world shooter and not a paper puncher. (Ha! Ha!) I was asked to compose an article about the new Springfield “Professional FBI” model 1911 in .45 ACP pertaining to practical application in the field and not just file another technical evaluation or “street” usage article. So I decided to do a hunting piece from the standpoint of how would the gun work as a sidearm for a hunting guide, rancher, cowboy, etc. in the field.

Date - July 30-31, 2005
Place - Southwest of Mason, TX
Temp - up to 99, clear starting out changing to overcast with heavy thundershowers in the afternoon
Gun - Springfield “Professional FBI” model 1911 in .45 ACP
Ammo - Corbon 230 gr. hollow points
Range - 35-40 yards
Shot placement - straight on as the ram was coming toward me and looking right at us.

Picture #1 is an example of the terrain we had to hunt over, needless to say I was worn out after 12 hours of hunting these rams over this rough country.

Picture #2 is a picture of me and my trophy, a Painted Desert sheep that measured over 32 inches on each side.

Picture #3 is picture us recreating the position from which I made my shot.

For those of you who notice such things, yes, that is a very light colored shirt. My first set of clothes had gotten soaked one of the rain storms that produced some very vivid entertainment for us while we were on the top of one of the hills trying to hide under a low rock outcropping. After all mud on the face and sticks in the hair doesn’t make for good photos, and the first thing on top in my bag when we got back to the truck to change was this shirt.

Enjoy.