Since the last SHOT Show, Springfield Armory has released plenty of awesome guns but two stick out in my mind.
One is the Ronin Operator and the other is the Hellcat. Both are completely different in terms of use and design, but they each have their place. For the purpose of this article, I’ll be focusing on the Ronin Operator.
The Ronin Operator is an affordable, high-quality 1911 that Springfield just announced on the eve of SHOT 2020. This handgun is available in .45 ACP as well as 9mm in order to please both camps.
If you take a close look at the RO, you will see that the carbon steel slide is blued and the flats on the slide are polished, while the rest of it has a nice, matte finish. The frame, in contrast, is stainless steel and adds an appealing two-tone look to the gun, as well as a durability aspect.
The RO features Tactical Rack White Dot rear sights and a fiberglass front sight that will draw the eye. The gun feels great in the hands, with a nice heft and weight balance. The Cross Cannon Wood Laminate grips add a needed texture for grip but aren’t over-aggressive.
Overall, the Ronin Operator is a great feeling handgun, but we can’t draw any final conclusion until we are able to run it through our tests. Keep an eye on GunsAmerica for a full review!
Specifications
- 45 ACP
- GI style recoil system
- Fiber optic front & Tactical Rack White Dot rear sights
- 40 oz. weight
- 5.5″ tall
- Blued, forged carbon steel slide.
- 5″ Forged carbon steel, match-grade barrel
- 1:16″ twist
- 8.6″ long
- Cross Cannon wood laminate grips
- Forged stainless steel frame
- (1) 8 round magazine
- $849.00 MSRP
Learn more about the Springfield Armory Ronin Operator HERE:
Buy and Sell on GunsAmerica! All Local Sales are FREE!
Riley Baxter is a seasoned hunter, outdoorsman, and competitive shooter with deep roots in the backcountry. He has guided professionally for bears, bighorn sheep, and other big game across rugged terrain, bringing firsthand knowledge of what gear actually works in the field. When he’s not chasing game or running drills on the range, Riley is likely in the garage customizing his rifles, pistols, or backcountry kit.
A competitive pistol shooter and lifelong firearms enthusiast, Riley brings both precision and creativity to every piece of equipment he touches. Outside of the gun world, he works as a perfusionist in Montana, a vital role in heart surgery that demands attention to detail, critical thinking, and mental fortitude.
Experience:
– Professional Hunting Guide – Guided for bears, bighorn sheep, and more in some of the West’s toughest country.
– Competitive Shooter – Skilled USPSA pistol shooter with a passion for precision and performance under pressure.
– Custom Builder – Enjoys building and tuning firearms and equipment to meet the exact demands of the hunt or the range.
– Experienced Marksman – Experienced in long-range hunting and precision rifles to meet the demands of the terrain of the West.
– Montana-Based Perfusionist – Medical professional accustomed to making critical decisions in high-stakes environments.
As a retired federal LE officer, I carried the 10mm for years and love it. I’m a average built 5’10’, 200# guy with smaller hands. The felt recoil is not much more than the old 45 colt. Federal agencies and many military special ops use this caliber and swear by it.
If you can find the Ronin at the MSRP, buy it! You won’t be disappointed.
OK now that you sold me on this 1911 why don’t any of the shops I trade with have it in stock. They tell me they can’t get any from the factory. Time you make this model available I will have moved on to another weapon.
Hammer bounce is a non-issue. Never read even one review of a 1911 with it. Ask US servicemen- non- issue. I’ve shot one since being in the Navy Un 1965 and never had it. I have had 1911s from expensive to cheap, from new and used— still a non-issue !!
Not that I object to functional parts that are reliable and well made.
But stetting up a boogeyman and then “solving” the issue is fake news!
Also $849 is hardly “budget”! Try $500!
In the vid, the interviewer said it was “optics ready”? Uhhh?
Been shooting 1911s for over 50 years, from Colts, to Springfield Armorys, to Kimbers, to Llamas. Have used hot handloads to very mild lead round nose loads. Have never experienced hammer bounce.
PSA a few years back had ATI GFX 45 ACP MIL SPEC 1911A1 going for $299.
Had I the funds I would have gotten 10 of them!
Is it the best 1911 ever made?
No, but it’s not a piece of junk either.
I’d bet just about every part on that gun would swap into a USMC 1911.
Every part does swap back and forth with my Citadel 1911 with the exception of the 9mm specific parts like the barrel and ejector being relocated.
Not as fancy as most but decent quality, shoots better than I can and just like the one I had in the USMC.
“Budget” is always an undefined variable (bait) until you get to the MSRP. BUDGET is often interpreted as “economically priced” but that is seldom the case. Budget is also an individual finance based assumption: fits a guy with a $1K budget buf not a $500 budget.
Are you looking into the AR pistol caliber that uses springfield magazines. I’m tired of hearing “it tires glock mag’s.
Nice looking gun, I have a 1911 Springfield A1 “loaded” that is a very satisfactory gun. My advise would be to add $25 to the price and put a proper steel trigger on the piece. I don’t think I’m alone in this point, I don’t buy Glock’s because I don’t like plastic, I don’t buy Xd’s because I don’t like plastic, I probably will not buy a Ronin because I don’t like plastic. Steel guns that are trying to be tactical tupperware don’t appeal to me.
Plastic triggers on 1911’s are there so a lighter crisper trigger can be achieved with less risk of “hammer bounce” on recoil. Hammer bounce causes your hammer to end up at a half cock position after recoil renduring your 1911 unfireable unless you manually recock the hammer. I’ve been a Professional Gunsmith for over 25 years and would have felt the same way back till befur I got edgeumacated.