Springfield 1911 TRP Review: The Cutting Edge of Iconic

July 20, 2024
By Keith Wood

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In the 1990s, the FBI’s elite Hostage Rescue Team (HRT) went looking for a new handgun. By 1998 its search led the agency to a full-size 1911 built by the Springfield Armory Custom Shop, known as the Professional Model. Later, a similar model was chosen to equip the agency’s regional SWAT teams. The development of those handguns led Springfield Armory to offer a production handgun for the civilian market based on the pistols developed for the FBI. The result was the Tactical Response Pistol (TRP), an enhanced 1911 with many of the bells and whistles that, in those days, you’d expect to see only on a custom pistol.

The 1911 TRP has remained a mainstay of the Springfield catalog ever since, but for 2024 the company has revamped the entire lineup with new features, finishes and configurations. Two decades ago, my brother and I chipped in and bought my father a stainless steel Springfield Armory TRP for Father’s Day. At the time, the TRP had graced the covers of all the great firearms titles, and we had to have one. He has a decent supply of 1911s, but this gun became his go-to. That TRP has remained accurate, reliable and trouble-free ever since.

I’ve owned other Springfield 1911s along the way and, needless to say, I am a fan. Things change though, and some of the design elements that made the TRP a cutting-edge pistol at its release had been surpassed by industry competitors. Thus, the refresh.

New Offerings

For 2024, the 1911 TRP lineup consists of four basic models. For starters, there is the TRP, a full-size pistol with a five-inch barrel and an accessory rail forged into the frame. There is also the TRP Classic, another full-size model but with the traditional non-railed dust cover. Moving to the more compact variants, there is a Commander-size TRP Classic 4.25 as well as a TRP 4.25 CC (Carry Contour) with a rail. Included in the complete lineup are California-compliant models as well as optional guns finished in Coyote Brown Cerakote. I received samples of the four primary guns and tested them extensively.

Build Quality

sa1911trp1 — The TRP Classics—both five- and 4.25-inch versions—feature black Cerakote frames, triggers in the white and stainless finish barrels. All the TRPs have G-10 grips and ambidextrous thumb safeties. (Photo submitted by the author)

The 1911 TRPs are built from forged frames and slides that are then machined to spec. These handguns are constructed using a combination of forged/machined, cast and metal-injection-molded parts. I love an all-billet gun as much as the next guy, but this construction can drive up production prices considerably. Springfield Armory produces a lot of 1911s, and it has a handle on building these guns efficiently and meeting a price point while maintaining accuracy and reliability.

The slides are cut with angled cocking serrations at both the front and rear. Ejection ports are lowered and flared back for maximum clearance of spent cases. The Classic models have traditional stirrup cuts on the slide that taper down to meet the frame, but the railed versions have ball-end mill cuts that radius to meet the angled frame rails. The tops of the slides are machined flat and serrated the full length. Dovetails are cut securing both the front and rear sights. It bears noting that Springfield Armory 1911s use a proprietary front sight dovetail, so only aftermarket sights designed for them are compatible. The TRPs come equipped with Heinie-style Tactical Rack three-dot tritium sights with serrated blade surfaces. These high-quality sights provide a classic square-notch sight picture but with the low-light capabilities of tritium.

may well — (Photo submitted by the author)

TRPs are fitted with hammer-forged 1:16 twist stainless steel match barrels that use a traditional 1911 front bushing. The barrels taper down approximately 0.005 inch behind the muzzle section that engages with the bushing, which should aid reliability.

The five-inch TRP and TRP Classic models use the standard ramped frame while the 4.25-inch guns are fitted with ramped barrels with fully supported chambers. Depending on the model, the barrels are left raw or nitrided black. A small notch where the barrel hood meets the slide serves as a loaded-chamber indicator. Each of the barrels on my test samples locked up tightly with no sign of barrel squat or other undesired play. The five-inch guns use a two-piece guide rod recoil system with a 17-pound recoil spring. This requires a 5/32-inch hex wrench for disassembly. The TRP 4.25 Classic and TRP 4.25 CC use a traditional GI-style recoil spring plug and short guide rod. I prefer the simplicity of the latter system, and with a few inexpensive parts, you can easily convert the five-inch models to this simple arrangement.

Get A Grip

bobtail style cut — All but the 4.25 CC have extended magazine wells and come with eight-round mags. The 7+1 4.25 CC sports a bobtail-style cut in the frame for improved concealment. (Photo submitted by the author)

All four 1911 TRP models are built on full-size forged carbon steel frames. Unlike some of the radically high-cut frontstraps we are seeing nowadays, the frame maintains the basic Government model grip dimensions. The front straps are machined with 20 lines-per-inch checkering that is sharp and even. Combined with the checkering on the mainspring housing and the VZ G-10 Hydra grips, the surfaces are extremely aggressive. There’s no need to worry about these guns slipping out of your hands, but they can be hard on skin over time. Bear in mind that these guns were designed to be used by SWAT officers, who are likely to be wearing gloves.

With the exception of the 4.25 CC, the 1911 TRPs use a two-piece mainspring housing with an extended magazine well. The CC is cut with a bobtail-style Carry Contour grip to make it more concealable. The controls are a mix of GI-style and enhanced parts. The MIM slide stop and magazine release are more or less standard GI. The cast grip safety is a high beavertail style with a memory bump that contours nicely with the frame. The ambidextrous thumb safety, which has extended and serrated paddles, is also cast.

The trigger shoes are skeletonized with serrated faces. The trigger pulls on each of the 1911 TRPs that I tested were very good, with clean, creep-free breaks. They did vary a bit in weight, as follows: TRP, 5.0 pounds; TRP Classic, 4.8 pounds; TRP Classic 4.25, 4.5 pounds; and TRP 4.25 CC, 4.0 pounds.

Finishing Touches

1911 TRP coyote brown — The TRPs feature the excellent Tactical Rack sights with three tritium dots. The rear sight can be used to rack the slide in an emergency. (Photo submitted by the author)

In terms of fire-control parts, the 1911 TRPs use a blend of construction methods. The firing pins are made from titanium, with extra-powerful springs. The firing pin stop is MIM, as are the Delta-style hammer, sear and disconnector. While not an ignition component, the extractor is one of the most critical components on the handgun, and on TRPs they are machined.

Each TRP ships with three Mec-Gar steel-bodied magazines with extended polymer base pads. The exception is the 4.25 CC, which uses standard GI-style seven-round mags that fit flush with the frame. The finishes on the 1911 TRPs vary by model. The TRP is completely blacked-out with Cerakote and a nitrided barrel while the Classics combine black Cerakote with raw stainless accents. The 4.25 CC combines a Coyote Brown Cerakote frame and slide with black accents. The TRP railed gun is also available in this brown/black color scheme. Overall, the fit and finish on these guns are held to a high standard as factory guns go.

Function and Accuracy

accuracy results — (Accuracy results provided by Keith Wood)

I function-tested all four pistols, but chose just two of them—the TRP and the TRP Classic 4.25—for bench testing. Ordinarily, I would pick a mix of target and defensive loads for such an evaluation but, given the “tactical” theme of the TRP series, I decided to do all of the testing with full-power duty/defensive ammunition. These various bullet styles and high-pressure loads really put these guns, and me, to the test.

For starters, I experienced zero malfunctions with any of the handguns during my extensive live-fire testing. Federal Premium’s Train + Protect 230-grain VHP load uses a jacketed hollowpoint with a fairly large cavity. A high-dollar custom 1911 that I took to the range with me on the same day absolutely would not feed this ammunition, but the 1911 TRPs swallowed it with ease.

Recoil

All-steel 1911 .45s are pretty pleasant to shoot with hardball-style ammunition, but putting this volume of full-power defensive loads downrange was different, especially from the bench. When it came to controlling recoil and muzzle rise, I really came to appreciate the checkered frame and mainspring housing along with the highly textured VZ Grips.
With the TRP, accuracy was exceptional with two of the three loads I sampled. The TRP Classic 4.25 shot well also, although admittedly recoil likely became a factor when it came to my ability to shoot consistently great groups.

I’ve been shooting 1911s longer than I’ve been driving, so making fast hits on practical steel targets came naturally with each of the guns. The excellent sights and clean trigger pulls were certainly part of the equation, and the secure gripping surfaces made the TRPs controllable and helped speed up follow-on shots.

In terms of handling recoil away from the bench rest, the two five-inch guns were identical. Mounting a light to the rail-equipped model would no doubt mitigate muzzle rise a bit, but I did not add one. The Classic 4.25 had a bit more recoil, thanks to a few ounces less mass near the muzzle, but the aggressive gripping surfaces really helped me keep things under control. I’ve primarily been shooting Commander-length 9mms lately and the difference in recoil is significant, especially with full-power ammunition. With its rounded tail, the 4.25 CC version had the sharpest felt recoil and muzzle rise. Even so, for those looking to maximize concealability, this gun might be a reasonable compromise.

Positive Summation

These handguns are worthy of the TRP name—continuing the accuracy, shootability and reliability that the line is known for. In terms of price and quality, they sit comfortably between run-of-the-mill factory 1911s and high-end customs. Twenty years ago, the 1911 TRP’s suggested retail price was around $1,600, which means that, adjusted for inflation, the reintroduced handguns are significantly less expensive than they were back then. In terms of performance, today’s 1911 TRPs are every bit as good as the one I bought in 2005.