Combat Handguns Annual 1999
  Two New Widebody .45s Article

Entreprise Arms Medalist boasts nearly all of the features that a competitive shooter could hope for	Remington's 185gr JHP turned in the best group for the Medalist, measuring just 0.92 of an inch.

Available From Entreprise

For years shooters have known Entreprise Arms for their FAL and M-14 receivers, military style scope mounts and magazines. Two years ago they introduced their version of a widebody frame kit. I reviewed one of these frames and liked it so much that I bought it and used it as the foundation for a custom IPSC Limited Class pistol.
   Less than a year later Entrepnse has begun selling complete guns based on their high capacity frame. Their current lineup should satisfy just about any shooter's needs. The Elite Series is Entreprise's most basic gun, but it's far from standard. Featuring a beavertail gnp safety and extended thumb safety the gun also boasts a lowered and flared ejection port, commander style hammer and lightweight adjustable trigger. Compact, medium and full government size pistols are available.
    The Tactical Series has all of the Elite's features plus ambidextrous safety levers as well as a choice of a ghost ring rear sight or Novak Lo-Mount. Guns in this series also are completely dehorned and smooth to the touch. The Tactical Series is avail able with 3 1/4, 4 1/4 and 5-inch barrels.

A lightweight adjustable trigger and skeletonized commander hammer contributed to the Medallist's remarkable trigger pull	A high ride beavertail and extended thumb safety make the Medalist perfect for IPSC and IDPA competition	The Medallist's protruding slide stop plunger made reassembly difficult.  Note frame's extended ejector.

Next up is the Medalist Series and its pistols feature tighter tolerances and hand fitting for enhanced accuracy. This is the model I evaluated and I'll review its features below.
    Built by master pistolsmith in Entreprise's Custom Shop the Tournament Shooters Models are made one at a time to the customer's specifications. These guns can be adapted for any of the pistol shooting sports and in any of the popular calibers.
   My sample Medalist gun came in a lockable, black plastic carrying case with two 10-shot magazines. The gun exhibited beautiful fit and finish. A matte black finish on the frame contrasts with the polished flats on the slide. The slide is cut to accept an LPA rear sight that's adjustable for elevation and windage. The sharp post front sight is dovetailed to the slide. Wide cocking serrations can be found fore and aft for easy slide manipulation. There's a high ride beavertail grip safety with a hump to ensure it gets depressed and an extended thumb safety. A long lightweight adjustable trigger and skeletonized hammer and reduced power mainspring have been expertly tuned. This Entrepnse gun features the finest factory trigger pull I've experienced, breaking crisply at three pounds with absolutely no take-up or creep. Lawrence Abbott, who heads Entreprise's Custom Shop and oversees production, told me that he designed a fixture to expand the trigger bow at its rear. "Prior to my anti-lash trigger, gunsmiths had to solder a plate on the back of the trigger bow to eliminate take-up. Now it's as simple as replacing the trigger," said Abbott. Readers should note that the anti-lash bigger can also be used in Para Ordnance guns.  

Medallist's ejection port is lowered and flared.	Entreprise Arms hi-cap frames feature a distinctive squared trigger guard.	Medallist's front sight is dovetailed in place.  Wide cocking serrations make slide manipulation easy.

Other evidence of hand fitting is the slide-to-frame fit. I couldn't get a wobble out of my slide yet it rides on the rails with out a hint of drag. "We machine our slides from a solid billet and hold our tolerances incredibly tight. We then machine the frame's rails and handlap the two parts together. The bushings are also hand-lapped to the slide and the match grade barrel's lugs and hood are fit by hand," reported Abbott.
    I ran into my only problems with the Medalist when I field stripped the gun for a better look. I tried to use a bushing wrench to turn the tightly fit part and discovered that the full length guide rod was too long to allow the use of the wrench. This meant that I had to push out the slide stop to take the top end off, remove the guide rod and then the bushing and barrel. Reassembling the gun I found that the slide stop plunger protruded too far into the slide stop window to accept the slide stop. My only option was to remove the thumb safety, push the slide stop plunger back into the plunger tube and insert the slide stop, then reinsert the thumb safety. I reported these problems to Abbott and he requested I return the gun to him. Within days the gun was back to me with the problems corrected. These were relatively I minor problems and my gun was from their very first production run. I would expect that by now they've got all of the bugs worked out.

How It Shoots

These problems were quickly forgotten once I fired the gun. I tried a variety of defense loads from Remington and Winchester as well as some new cast loads from Superior Ammunition. The aggregate of these 5-shot groups measured just 1.58 inches. Remington's 185- grain JHP turned in the best group at just 0.92 of an inch. I didn't find any loads that the gun didn't like and it fired all bullet weights equally well. These groups were fired at twenty-five yards, from the prone position, using a Millett BenchMaster.
    The sharp sight picture, crisp trigger and good ergonomics all contributed to this gun's fine accuracy. I've run about five hundred rounds through it and am happy to report I've yet to experience a stoppage or malfunction. Priced at $979 retail, the Medalist represents a good value for any one in the market for an accurate, depend able high capacity 1911 that's competition ready straight from the box.

Adjustable for windage and elevation the Medallist's rear sight is expertly installed in the slide.	The Medalist fieldstrips like any other 1911 with a guide rod

About The Springfield

Shooters have long been familiar with Springfield’s excellent frames and slides, which are machined from a solid billet of forged steel. While there are several steel widebody frames on the market, Springfield Armory is the only one to offer a frame machined from a billet of steel rather than cast. A forged frame will have a more dense grain structure, which should help it hold its tolerances and extend its life. Springfield’s engineers spent four years developing the new flame and didn’t release it until everything was just right.
    Springfield’s ace professional shooter Robby Leatham, took time to talk to me at the 1998 SHOT (Shooting Hunting Outdoor Trade Show) in Las Vegas. "We had the advantage of being the last ones to enter the market with a hi-cap. We learned from the other guys’ mistakes and designed a frame without any of the shortcomings. We wanted a gun that would be compatible with 1911 parts, work with existing holsters and take readily available Para mags. The most important thing is that our frame is forged and offers all the strength that shooters could hope for. This frame will stand up to the thousands and thousands and thousands of rounds that a competitive shooter will put through it," reported Leatham.

Springfield excellent ergonomics makes quick follow-ups shots easy	With over 500 rounds fired, the Medalist experienced no stoppages	This tiny group with the Springfield measured just 0.95 of an inch and was shot at 25yds.

    The sample that I received is a standard stainless steel model. It comes with two 10-shot magazines and a blue plastic travel case. The frame of the gun is heavily bead blasted and provides a pleasing contrast to the bright polished flats of the slide. Some beautiful machine work is exhibited in the cuts under the slide stop and around the magazine release.
    The first thing I noticed after picking the gun up is just how comfortable it feels in my hand. It doesn’t have your typical "brick with a slide" hi-cap feel. I have a medium size hand and the gun feels every bit as comfortable as a single stack 1911. Leatham agrees with me adding, "It just feels right in my hand. No other widebody feels this comfortable to me." Springfield undercuts the trigger guard where it meets the frame with a radius to allow the middle finger to ride as high as possible. The grips are ultra thin towards the frontstrap and wider in the rear to provide the shooter with a secure, comfortable grip.
    The slide features a lowered and flared ejection part and fixed combat three dot sights. A commander hammer extended thumb safety and lightweight non-adjustable trigger are fit to the frame. It should be noted that the only Para Ordnance parts that will interchange  the Springfield hi-cap are its magazines and steel magazine releases.
    Because the tight grip panel doesn’t cover the area where the retaining finger of an ambidextrous safety would ride, shooters only have one choice in ambi-safeties if they choose to add one. King’s Gun Works safety uses an extra long hammer pin with a dovetail cut that extends out the right side of the frame. The right side safety lever has a cut to accept the pin and retain it. Leatham told me that he liked the King safety because of the lever’s width and its sturdy design.
    The sample I received is in .45 ACP and uses a standard unsupported barrel. "With a low pressure .45 there’s really no need to have a ramped barrel," said David Williams, head of Springfield’s Custom Shop. The as is the frames feed ramp. "When the .40 SW and other high pressure calibers are offered they will have a ramped barrel and, correspondingly, the frame will be cut to accept It," commented Williams.
    Frame-to-slide fit on my sample was tight and there was some binding as I moved the slide back and forth. Stripping the gun down I first checked to make sure the ejector wasn’t rubbing against the slide. It wasn’t. However, the binding disappeared after about one hundred rounds.

The Springfield frame is aggressively cut where the trigger guard meets the frame for a comfortable, high hold grip	The design of the Springfield's right grip panel limits the shooter's choices for ambidextrous safeties.

How If Shoots

I took the new Springfield and 300 rounds out to the desert for a workout I was concerned about the guns accuracy not only because ft had a standard barrel and bushing but also because ft has an 8-lb. trigger pull. I shouldn’t have worried. With a Laser-Cast 250-grain bullet atop 32 grains of clays, my best group was 0.95 of an inch. Average of five 5-shot groups at 25 yards was just 1.44 inches. This level of accuracy was certainly not expected from a standard, untuned gun.
    Although I didn’t have the opportunity to run the different types of factory defense ammo through the gun like I did with the Medalist, the gun was 100% reliable with my handloads. No stoppages or malfunctions were experienced. The gun’s terrific ergonomics made it very comfortable to shoot quickly.
    Vickie Lawrence, Springfield’s marketing manager, tells me there are no immediate plans to offer a high capacity frame kit. That’s unfortunate as I’m sure that there’s a lot of people that would purchase the frame as a foundation for a custom hi-cap competition or carry gun. If you’re looking for a gun with more refinements like a beavertail safety and adjustable sights and trigger, check out Springfield’s Trophy Match. If you’d like a custom carry or competition gun not listed in their catalog then take a look at Springfield’s Custom Shop. They can build just about anything you can dream up.
   Accurate and reliable, the new Springfield high capacity gun should be able to handle any mission, from law enforcement to concealed carry to IPSC and IDPA competition

The Springfield's frame is beautifully sculpted under the slide stop and around the magazine release	The Springfield's forged frame features a beveled magazine well.

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