Springfield EMP problems? (2014)

[Josh3239]

Mine needed a break in. Lots of failures to feed initially. Just kept shooting and finally I stripped the slide, greased the rails and just hand cycled slide over frame back and forth until it wore in. Now, never an issue. Most people send it back to SA quite quickly, i was ready to, just keep shooting and it will wear itself in. It's just a right little handgun.

[jyo]

My info is a few years back---I've had the chance to shoot three different EMPs, all in 9mm---love the little pistol---I was told by the owners that two of them had to sent back to the factory for various problems---one worked fine right out of the box. In the end all three pistols now function 100%.
I could own one---probably will at some point...

[Old4eyes]

I have two EMPs. I had one of them give a light strike, I pulled the firing pin and cleaned off the pin and the channel, no problems after that. I have had some stove pipes due to wrist arthritis and extended shooting sessions. I have shot one of them far more than the other simply because they were bought years apart (2011 & 2013) so I can't say thousands of rounds and no problems since I haven't shot 1000's of rounds in each.

The first EMP had a loose rear sight, tightened it down and applied thread lock. That's the sum total of problems I've had.

There are three downsides to the EMP:
1. Proprietary Mags - If SA has a bad batch, you can't compare with another brand.
2. The takedown is a little odd. I got an aftermarket metal tool to hold the recoil spring tension rather than use the stock plastic one.
3. The big problem - the cost. Well that's the price of the 1911 world, what can you say.

[IVC]

I have a 9mm version and the only problem I had was that at one time the firing pin got stuck. It was just a cleaning issue. Although it was a bit unexpected, it's the same as with Kahr-s, where the recommended procedure is to spray-clean a factory new gun.

[Dubels]

Bought my EMP in August, so far I have had three problems and only one was with me firing the gun. All the problems came with my 147 flat point reloads that were loaded to be soft shooting in my Glock 17 for GSSF matches. I have not had any problems with any other loads so I assume that my 147 loads are too light for the EMP. I contacted CS about the issue and they offered to have it sent in and tuned for free. I opted to keep shooting the gun before sending it in because it was most likely my load that was causing the problem.

[dfletcher]

Hello all,

I'm in the market for a compact 1911-style 3in. 9mm. The Springfield EMP piqued my interest and I have decided to research a week in advance before I drop cash on it. Two weeks have passed and I still can't make up my mind. Every time I search through forums and read on experiences of others, I've encountered many who have complained about reliability issues out of the box. The most predominant issues seem like extractor problems, something about a pinned ejector, firing pin issues, and FTF/FTE. Most of these are old posts from 2010, 2011, 2012.


1. It's 2014 now. Did SA iron out these problems, or did these old issues prevail in to new production EMP's?

2. Share your experiences with this firearm. (personal/from a friend)

3. Some have recommended me the Colt Defender, STI Escort & other 3 inchers from STI. Thoughts?


-Gary

I may be on few of those "EMP problem" posts. After having mine corrected the pistol has worked perfectly. I have a Colt Defender and the pistol has worked 100% right out of the box. I tweaked a few things - metal trigger & mag release, housing. Different thumb & grip safety too. The EMP is clearly the better quality product but the Colt has been extremely reliable for me. I carry it over the EMP.

[himurax13]

Bought my EMP in August, so far I have had three problems and only one was with me firing the gun. All the problems came with my 147 flat point reloads that were loaded to be soft shooting in my Glock 17 for GSSF matches. I have not had any problems with any other loads so I assume that my 147 loads are too light for the EMP. I contacted CS about the issue and they offered to have it sent in and tuned for free. I opted to keep shooting the gun before sending it in because it was most likely my load that was causing the problem.

The problem with certain 147g loads is that you might have to run a lighter spring to get them to work. I am not sure how easy it is to replace the recoil springs but you should get a package so you can find out which spring will work best.

[Dubels]

The problem with certain 147g loads is that you might have to run a lighter spring to get them to work. I am not sure how easy it is to replace the recoil springs but you should get a package so you can find out which spring will work best.

I think I am going to just do separate "gamer" loads for my glock. Hopefully, I can find a 147 load that would not require changing of springs. The 147 HP I had on hand cycled perfectly.

[gmoney9438]

Wait, so how picky is this gun with ammo? even after a trip back to springfield?

[IVC]

"Picky with ammo" is not what the "light reloads" is about.

When there is not much power in the load, the slide and spring assembly might be too much to overcome and the pistol might not cycle. It would require a lighter spring. On the other hand, if the spring is too light, it won't sufficiently slow down the slide and the slide will keep hitting the frame really hard, which can damage the components over time.

When talking about "picky," it's usually about the angle of the feed ramp or some similar property that would make *feeding* rounds from the magazine a problem. EMP is not "picky" in that respect.

[postal]

Wait, so how picky is this gun with ammo? even after a trip back to springfield?

He was talking about really low power gamer loads... you know... since a 9mm has such massive recoil...... He wants it to shoot like a 22 since he cant handle the recoil....

[gmoney9438]

I see. It's already been a long day and being sleepy makes me borderline-dyslexic.

Gosh, that 9mm. I almost broke my wrist trying to shoot one of those things. What were they thinking when they invented this round?

[The Shootist]

Mine has run flawlessly so far about a 1000 rounds of various types of ammo. All guns have issues you can google. It's been a great little gun for me this far no problems at all.

[gmoney9438]

So, despite all the comments about sending the gun back to springfield to have it work properly (my number 1 deterrent), I'm going to give it a chance. I've already made my purchase and it is now being shipped to my FFL.

By the way, why do 3 inch guns need to be respring'ed more often than full size guns?

[Old4eyes]

Rather than get the answer from the forum members (and we all know that all of us are honest as the day is long and would never pull an answer from our hind quarters) why not contact Springfield and ask them the question directly?

What round count a 3" 1911 in 45 from SA vs Kimber vs the EMP in 9mm/40 constitutes suggested recoil spring replacement is best left to the guys that design that particular gun.

I'm not trying to be a wise*** here, just saying why not get the suggested maintenance from the factory?