Anyone who knows me knows I have a love affair with 1911s, everything from classic models true to John M. Browning’s original design to modern designs that are chuck full of features that have kept them relevant as current fighting pistols.
The Springfield Loaded Operator is one of the modern incarnations of this classic and while it’s no longer sold it was easily the best option for me. It has every feature I could want or need without all the added costs of their higher-end models.
The Loaded Operator is a big step up from the standard 1911 and has all the features somewhere who carries a firearm everyday need, with none of the features you don’t. 1911s are single-action pistols which means the hammer must be cocked in order for it to work, they do this safety by having a manual safety. Carrying cocked and locked is perfectly safe but you need to be able to quickly disengage the safety without hesitation. Springfield accomplishes this by having an extended and ambidextrous safety.
In real world bad day situations you may very well go through all the rounds in your magazine, facilitating a quick and easy magazine change is essential. That’s why the Loaded Operator comes with a magazine well installed from the factory. It’s a perfect fit as it’s not too big to get in the way while carrying while remaining large enough to help with reloads.
Of course what good is this if you can’t identify your target? To this end, it comes with a rail, mine has a Surefire X300U weapon light attached. Once you’ve identified the bad guy you need to get your sights on target quickly, this is accomplished with tritium night sights that come standard.
It comes with 8-round magazines but since 1911s can have issues with lesser quality magazines I only feed mine with the highest quality magazines available. I use Wilson Combat ETM-V magazines. These are their Elite Tactical Magazines that have flat wire springs and according to Wilson, the springs never need to be replaced. I for one am not one who believes a spring can never need to be replaced but it is nice knowing they’ll last longer than a traditional spring. They are also designed specifically to work with +p ammo which is what I carry. I went with the Vickers Tactical version of the magazine which has some adding improvements including having the magazine sealed without the extra openings on the side to keep dirt and debris out.
To date I have shot several thousand rounds through this firearm and have yet to have a single issue, it’s been 100% reliable which is absolutely necessary for any duty sidearm.
While there was nothing wrong with the stock grips I did replace mine with the VZ Operator II grips. They have a more aggressive texturing which allows me to get a stronger grip and no amount of water, snow, or blood will stop me from getting the grip I need.
Sadly Springfield no longer sells this model which is a real shame. I never understood why it didn’t sell better as it was barely more than the lower-end models but came with so many extras. Now if you want to have all of these features your only option with Springfield is to pay extra for their TRP model which is a great firearm but you will be spending more.
Stay safe, be kind, and help those in need.