Like a structurally sound foundation fortifies a house, a solid grip underpins pistol marksmanship. Without it the front sight breaks into a dance, recoil becomes a fistfight, and target transition devolves to Federal Government-level efficacy.
Steeping yourself in the basics of building a solid grip, learning the push and pull of dominant and off hand and where exactly to place all those digits is the key that unlocks much of this cornerstone skill. But lost in the minutia of body mechanics is an aspect as easy to overlook as the pavement under your feet — pistol fit.
As Luke Hartle deftly observes in in the above video, rare is the gun that fits large hands and small. But Springfield Armory might have hit the sweet spot for a great swath of the shooting public with the 911. The new 1911-style .380 ACP pistol is Momma Beared to provide superior handling, no matter if a burly man or a petite woman is behind the trigger.
The Gun Digest Editor-in-Chief gets a rundown of this purpose-built concealed carry gun from Springfield’s Stefany Reese. And in the process, he learns that, above and beyond superior handling capabilities, the Springfield 911 has a deck worth of aces up its sleeve. Muzzle to beavertail, not only is the pistol designed to shoot like a star, but operate like one as well.
A great deal of this is due to the manufacturer needling in on the fine points that make the Springfield 911 second nature to get into the fight. Where the company really puts its thinking cap on is the safety and keeping it large and easy to find, not always the case with diminutive pistols. And in a critical scenario, when fine motor-skills melt under the heat of adrenaline, shooters will be glad there’s ample safety for the thumb to catch.
The other aspect, difficult to perceive on a glimpse, is the pistol’s frame-to-slide-to-trigger guard relationship. Tinkered to an optimal layout, the pistol handles like a larger 1911, rather than the near mouse gun it is. This is always a welcome attribute in this generally snappy class of handguns.
With an MSRP of $600, it’s at the affordable end of the metal-framed pistol market. Which might give shooters plenty of reason to look to the new Springfield 911 to help handle emergencies.
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