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If you have seen the Springfield "Hunter" model in GUNS magazine...

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G
I purchased the magazine as a birthday gift to myself (Dec, 1st.) On the cover was the Springfield 6" barreled "Hunter" model, chambered for the 10mm Auto cartridge. While impressive, I harbored some reservations concerning some of them following accoutrements bestowed upon the piece:

a: A retail price of almost $3500.00!

b: A set of "ports" on a 6" 10mm barrel.

c: A highly polished finish.

From the beginning, I liked the pistol. This custom-built handgun is an excellent "bit of kit." But $3500 for a Springfield? IMHO, a 6" barreled 1911 chambered for the 10mm pistol doesn't need a ported barrel, because it should have no more muzzle "flip" than an identical piece chambered for the .45 ACP +p cartridge. As a range or house gun, a polished fininsh may be okay, In the field, however, their camouflage, or possibly muted finish may prove better suited for hunting. (I believe that another finish was mentioned in the article.)

Does anyone else have any thoughts or impressions?

Scott
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Bud White
Haven't seen it how about pics ?
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Bud White
I think ill pass.. Even though it looks cool not at that price
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[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]Could[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]A 1911[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]Hunt?[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]Springfield Armory's [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]10mm Long Slide Can.[/FONT]​

[FONT=Times New Roman,Georgia,Times]Story By Mark Hanten[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman,Georgia,Times]Photos By Ichiro Nagata[/FONT]​
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]The guys at the Springfield Armory Custom Shop have done it once again. They’ve created another 1911 masterpiece, but this one is a little different than most. This camo-clad pig-slayer is a serious hunting gun for those inclined to take up the challenge of hunting medium-sized critters with a pistol. Uniquely chambered in 10mm, this gun has plenty of horsepower to cleanly take deer and pigs at distances consistent with open sight shooting. Of course, that presupposes you’re using the right ammunition. As for the gun, it is not your average 1911 by any stretch.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]Since this gun is really a handmade, custom shop pistol, where the emphasis is maximum performance, not shaving man-hours and costs, the pistol lacks a specific name or model number for reference (other than “The 10mm 1911â€). After numerous conversations with its creator, Dave Williams, and shooting the gun numerous times, we have adopted an appropriate moniker for this awesome gun. We call it “The Blaster!†That may not do justice to the precision and craftsmanship oozing from this gun, but after shooting it a bit, “The Blaster†seems to fit it just fine. When you’re throwing 200 grains of lead and copper at more than 1,150 fps, that qualifies as blasting.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]The Blaster[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]The heart of the Blaster is the 6" Custom Kart match bull barrel with a supported chamber. The supported chamber is designed to easily handle the pressures of the hottest 10mm cartridges commercially available. A full-profile compensator is attached to the outside of the barrel and the ports are cut through the comp and barrel by Mag-na-port. This allows for a full 6" of rifled barrel, the added weight of the comp at the muzzle of the gun, and of course, the two ports on top to minimize muzzle rise. Don’t confuse this with a more traditional bushing compensator attached to the slide. Bushing compensators are effective, but in my opinion, the system employed on the Blaster is superior. [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]Of nearly equal importance to the overall performance is the precision-made National Match light-rail frame and the mated National Match slide. When I say mated, I mean these forged components are machined oversize and initially won’t even fit together. Then, the fitment surfaces are reduced, by hand, to the absolute minimum allowing them to move cleanly with no up-down or side-to-side movement. The Custom Shop experts can create the delicate balance between precision accuracy and flawless function.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]Springfield machines many of their own parts, but some are designed by Springfield and the manufacturing is outsourced in order to keep the primary job of hand assembling guns at the highest level of production. The hammer and sear for the Custom Shop guns look like the others, but they are machined from Starrett tool steel and are hand fit to the guns. Likewise, the triggers are made elsewhere, slightly oversized, and prior to hand fitting, won’t even fit in the frames. Only when these precision parts are honed and polished will they mate together and give the crisp clean functioning that defines a “handmade†pistol.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]As for the slide, no details were spared here. Machined into the top is a 1/2"-wide band of 40-lpi serration running from the rear sight to the muzzle. It reduces glare and creates a natural eye reference to the alignment of the sights well before the rear sight is in your sight picture. The rear of the slide is also serrated in a 40 lpi horizontal pattern, giving it a distinctive look complementing the overall package. The slide has aggressive serrations at the front and rear for ease of functioning, and it has a lowered and flared ejection port. The sights are comprised of a Bo-Mar deluxe low-mount rear sight and a custom dovetail front sight. The sight radius is nearly 8", which enhances the accuracy potential for those shots at longer range . [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]Get A Grip [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]The Blaster’s grips are a distinctive black micarta and an aggressive pattern of serrations matches the overall look of the gun, while allowing a positive no-slip hold. Combined with the 20-lpi “diamond plate†60-degree checkering pattern on both the frontstrap and the flat mainspring housing, you can be assured of a solid grip on this gun in any conditions. One of my shooting buddies commented he thought the checkering on the frontstrap was too aggressive and would wear your skin a little thin after a prolonged range session. That may be true in a multi-day combat course where you put thousands of rounds down range, but I had no problem shooting it without gloves for 200 to 300 rounds per session. I like the aggressive grip.[/FONT][/FONT]
[/FONT]
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[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]
[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]Paint Scheme[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]What kind of finish do you put on a pistol destined to become “The Blaster?†The Custom Shop has lots of talented professionals and artists, and in the finishing arena is Jeremy Sides, who specializes in Springfield Armory’s proprietary Armory Kote finish. Armory Kote is a Teflon-based thermo-baked finish created specifically for Springfield Armory. Like many of these finishes, it is available in a wide range of colors, is self-lubricating, and very tough. To create a distinctive look for the Blaster, Dave and Jeremy conspired and came up with a two-tone “Xtremeflage†finish with black as the base color of the slide, and olive as the base color of the frame. The tiger stripe-like pattern is airbrushed by hand and baked on. I like this finish. It suits the character and mission it was designed for, and helps give the gun personality.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]I love shooting this gun, too. Knowing the FBI dropped the 10mm as its primary cartridge because recoil makes it difficult to control for some shooters may give you the impression this gun is a bit of a beast to shoot. It is not. Even with the heavy 200-grain Cor-Bon loads, the recoil is less than my stock Glock Model 21 shooting .45 ACP Federal 230-grain +P HST rounds. Now I realize this is a serious .45 round, but the point is, I’m used to it and I shoot it a lot. The Blaster was somewhat tamer than this with the heavy loads and, with some of the lightweight ammo, it was really a pussycat to shoot.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]Initially, I just shot a few magazines to get a feel for it. Since it’s a 1911, it fits my hand like a glove and points like an extension of my hand already. It feels exceptionally well balanced despite the longer barrel and barrel weight/compensator. The added weight and the ports definitely minimize muzzle rise when shooting. Although this gun isn’t really designed as a self-defense handgun, it makes a great tactical pistol in many ways. Double taps are quick and accurate, and clearly the 10mm cartridge is a stopper. Since it has a light rail, about the only thing missing to make this a super tactical gun would be a beveled magazine well. Hmmm, the mor e I think about that, the more I like it. I’m envisioning a Tactical Blaster down the road …[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]Accuracy[/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]Load[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]Bullet[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]Velocity [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]7-Shot Group[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]5-Shot Group[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular](brand)[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular](weight, type)[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular](fps)[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular](inches)[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular](inches)[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]CCI/Blazer[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]200 TMJ[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]1,084 fps[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]6.35[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]2.89[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]Winchester[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]175 STHP[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]1,191 fps[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]4.33[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]2.53[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]Cor-Bon[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]135 JHP[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]1,442 fps[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]5.56[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]2.08[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]Cor-Bon[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]150 JHP[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]1,341 fps[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]5.00[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]1.71[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]Cor-Bon[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]165 JHP[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]1,260 fps[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]5.52[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]1.89[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]Cor-Bon[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]180 BC[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]1,312 fps[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]3.32[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]1.12[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]Cor-Bon[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]200 RNPN[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]1,151 fps[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]5.22[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]1.94[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]Cor-Bon[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]155 DPX[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]1,276 fps[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]2.28[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]1.37[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]Cor-Bon[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]135 Pow’rBa[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]1,393 fps[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]7.12[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]6.63[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]Hornady[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]200 XTP/JHP[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]1,138 fps[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]2.81[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]1.14[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular].[/FONT]​

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Speed Trap

Next I fired five rounds of 10 different types of ammo over the chronograph to check speed and see if it had any problems feeding the different bullet designs. Not so much as a hiccup or burp from the Blaster. It likes ammunition like I do. We like the expensive stuff, but we’re not too proud to use the cheap(er) stuff too. Then, I just loaded and shot for awhile. I shot fast from three, five and seven yards and slow off-hand from the 15- and 25-yard lines. I blasted off a couple of hundred rounds and was thrilled with some of my one-hole groups. I was definitely in the groove and shooting a little over my head since gun shoots better than I. I definitely had a sense the gun was bringing me up to another level.

On another day, I came back to shoot groups for accuracy. This is not my strong suit as a handgunner. I’m way more into seeing how fast I can make deadly hits at practical gunfight distances (generally inside 15 yards). But I brought my sandbags and set up at a 25-yard bench and settled in for some testing. I opted to shoot seven rounds of each type of ammo, with the plan of using the tightest group of five as an example of the gun’s capabilities.

I figure, more often than not, the flyers of the group are human error and my goal here was to test the gun, not to test my abilities. I’ve included both the 5-shot and 7-shot group sizes in the accompanying table, so you can draw your own conclusions. Just remember, I wasn’t using a Ransom rest. If I were to keep this gun to hunt with, I would reduce the trigger pull from four pounds to about three. This is a very accurate gun and easily capable of hitting the vitals of a deer or pig out to 50 yards, which is about my limit for an open-sighted hunting pistol. It is also accurate enough, I’m not sure I would ever achieve a level of proficiency where I could shoot better than its capabilities.

The great thing about the Custom Shop is they can build you just about anything. If you want this exact gun, they can duplicate the process and build you one just like it. Or, they could put fiber optic sights on it with a desert camo scheme. You name it, they can do it. However, they are considering a limited production run of a similar gun to fill the needs of most handgun hunters without the high cost of all of the handwork done on this custom project. A production version would probably have a 6" barrel and slide, with a yet-to-be-determined recoil reduction system. I guarantee it would still be one heck of a gun.
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]The “Blasterâ€​

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]Maker: Springfield Armory
420 West Main Street
Geneseo, IL 61254
(309) 944-5631
www.springfield-armory.com
[email protected]
[/FONT]​
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]Caliber:[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]10mm[/FONT]​
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]Barrel Length:[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]6"[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]Capacity:[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]8+1[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]Overall Length:[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]9.6"[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]Overall Height:[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]6.7"[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]Weight (no mag):[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]41 ounces[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]Price:[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]$3,435[/FONT]​
[/FONT]
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R
looked great till I seen the price
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G
Let me be the first to say:

PUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUKE!
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Primersinmyshoe
I'll pass, but thanks for the info.
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R
I like it, but holy high prices batman.
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L
I like the idea. It has appeal as a hog/deer gun. However, it would have to be a production run item, priced a little more in line with the rest of SA's standard guns for me to consider it for purchase..
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ZeroTA
It's not too bad,except for the camo. All black would be better. Still too expensive though.
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H
a real nice $900 pistol for only $3000.....
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D
Pass
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R
I would much prefer a longslide in 10mm, no ports at lower price.
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L
I THINK THE FUSION 10MM LONGSLIDE :flag:IS A BETTER LOOKING PISTOL!!! :shades:
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usmcmp
You could go with a custom Fusion for half the price of this. I think springfield has gone :crazy:
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DogRanger
Looks good but thats where it ends.
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