Springfield Armory Emissary 1911 .45 ACP: Slim Is In!

Designated agent. According to the word geeks at Merriam-Webster, an emissary is one designated as an agent of another. More specifically, an emissary is one sent on a mission. A secondary definition considers an emissary a secret agent.

Both descriptions work for this spiffy new 1911 from Springfield Armory. The 1911 Emissary not only looks the dapper part of a secret agent on a mission, it’s built to perform accordingly.

The first thing you’ll notice is the custom-like tri-top slide. Rather than the traditional half-rounded slide top surface, you’ll note the slab sides transition to 45-degree bevels, joining into a narrow flat top in the center. That top surface is grooved longitudinally to disperse light and, ipso facto e. pluribus unum, reduce glare.

Under The Hood

The Emissary is not just a pretty face on the surface, the custom enhancements extend to function too.

There’s no bushing as the barrel is a thick and heavy bull style. At least some of the weight lost on the slide from those full-length beveled cuts is regained by the thicker barrel — not a bad thing for a controllable .45 ACP pistol.

This does change the standard take-down procedure a tad from that of a traditional 1911 pistol. With no bushing to twist, you’ll need to use the included pin or perhaps a bent paper clip to capture the recoil spring for full disassembly of the barrel, recoil spring and slide. The entire slide assembly comes right off using the same slide lock lever removal procedure as any other 1911.

Thin Is In!

If you’re going to carry a full-sized 1911, it might as well be as thin as possible. After the trigger, and proven effectiveness, the inherently skinny nature of the single-stack .45 is right near the top of the benefits list. Especially for IWB carry, where barrel length really doesn’t matter as far as concealment goes, the thin profile hides away with ease.

The first thing I noticed, not counting the space-age appearance of the Emissary, was the thin feel in hand, at least compared to the Springfield Armory 1911 TRP in my carry rotation. Not trusting this admittedly subjective measurement, I broke out my reloading calipers and a good old-fashioned cloth tape measure. I was surprised to learn the overall circumference was only 1/8″ less than that of my TRP: 43/4″ vs. 4 7/8″. To figure out what’s goin’ on here, I graduated to calipers and figured the widest section of the grip is just 1.10″ compared to the TRP’s 1.31″. Since I was on a measuring binge, I went ahead and checked the grip width of a Springfield Armory Ronin .45 too — 1.145″. It’s good to know I’m not crazy. The 1/8″ circumference difference is smaller than expected as the Emissary grip is a tad longer front to back. Mystery solved.

I spent a hot second on this topic because the slender feel was the first thing I noticed on handling the pistol, and I liked it. It’s super easy to reach the trigger unhindered, leading to better trigger control, and if you do your part, more accurate shooting. There you have it.

Grippin’ Blocks

The texture of the grip panels, mainspring housing, and front strap is novel … and effective. We’ve seen it all over the years. Smooth panels, checkering on wood, sandpaper and skateboard tape-type finishes, and various other geometric patterns cut, carved, or downright smashed into the metal of the frame and wood, plastic, or G-10 material of the side panels.

The Emissary defines a new approach. I call them “grippin’ blocks.” I’m not sure we’ll see the term in any Springfield Armory marketing materials, nor is it meant to be derogatory in any way — just descriptive. You also might consider an analogy to “grenade” texturing reminiscent of those WWII-era pineapple toss ’n bombs.

The G10 grip panels feature vertical and horizontal cuts, leaving a series of squares. The cuts are layered so those 0.13″ squares decrease in size from the deepest part of the cut to the surface. Think of those squares rising out of the grip base as beveled if you will. Then there’s a cool cosmetic element too. If you look closely, you’ll see the top surface of the grippin’ blocks featuring a carbon-fiber pattern. They look fabulous in my book.

As for the metal, the same approach applies. The black mainspring housing features a near-identical “checkering” approach, as does the front of the grip frame. So, all surfaces of the grip, front, back and sides, sport the raised square texturing.

As for effectiveness, it grips. Shockingly well. With a slight bit of pressure, skin of the hands and fingers presses into the grooves between the squares providing a solid grip in wet or dry conditions.

Does It Shoot?

Yes. It does. Just fine too.

The handling is outstanding, thanks to the overall think profile, but I realize I’m making a subjective call. I shot the Emissary side by wide with a 1911 TRP for comparison, and as much as I love the TRP in general, the Emissary was a bit easier to control with precision. Perhaps you can chalk it up to a subjective preference of the narrower profile.

I did some accuracy testing at 25 yards using an assortment of factory ammo. To remove my foibles from the equation, I used my new favorite general-purpose pistol toy — the Ransom Multi-Caliber rest. It provides a rock-solid adjustable platform without need for heavy sandbags, or as my previous setup leveraged, bags of lead shot. My back is thankful.

The accuracy winner of the day for five-shot groups was the Black Hills 200-grain SWC. From 25 yards, I measured just 1.6″. I also tried three different loads from Federal Premium. The HST averaged 1.9″, the 220-grain Syntech TSJ 2.6″ and the new 230-grain Punch 2.2″. Norma’s 230-grain SafeGuard came in at 2.3″ while the smokin’ fast Black Hills HoneyBadger measured an even 2.0″.

The Emissary, with its many custom features, carries an MSRP of $1,279 — a price point far below what you’d pay for a full custom pistol.

For more info: Springfield-Armory.com

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