Springfield Armory

The Springfield Armory saw its heydays between 1794 and 1968 – a period in which it was a major supply source of small arms for the US Armed Forces. The site was selected in 1777 by none other than George Washington himself, based on its excellent strategic location in terms of defense and available manpower and resources. He had initially designated the Armory to store ammunition and gun carriages for war purposes. However, Springfield Armory went beyond this in 1794, when it proceeded to manufacture muskets for the war effort, too.

Despite its rich history, it has been out of active commission since the Defense Department closed it in 1968 to cut back on government overheads. It now carries the nostalgic name of Springfield Armory National Historic Site, and is run as a kind of national heritage site and armament museum by the National Park Service. It now houses academicians rather than gunsmiths, and historians who examine America’s gun-making past. It would have remained at that, but fate had other plans in store for the Armory. A man called Robert Reese, recognizing the commercial potential behind the historic name, purchased the Springfield Armory name for private manufacturing of semi-automatic M1A rifles in1974 and his sons still operate it. A considerable range of firearms is being produced there, including version of the single action, semi-automatic M1911 handgun. The company also imports the Croatian XD (Extreme Duty) line of pistols from HS Produckt, based in the city of Karlovac.

Springfield Armory, Inc.’s XD .45 ACP pistols are single-action semi-automatic handguns with polymer frames that Springfield Armory, Inc. offers in four primary models and in five calibers - 9mm, .357SIG, .40S&W, .45GAP and .45ACP. Springfield Armory Inc.’s XD range of handguns was awarded the prestigious American Rifleman Golden Bullseye Award for ‘Handgun of the Year’ on May 19th, 2006. The company makes this range in four presentations. Among these, the 3” Sub-compact has two variants that are chambered for both 9x19mm and.40 S&W rounds. The 4” Service model, the 5” Tactical model and the 4” Ported V-10 are all chambered for 9x19mm only.

However, despite the high profile, one should not think of Springfield Armory, Inc. as an extension or sequel to the historic company whose name it bears - it is located in Geneseo, Illinois and has no context to the legendary armament company in any way. There seems to be a concentrated effort by the company to obtain all the mileage possible from its iconic acquired label. Apart from that fact, the company has managed to establish its own identity on the firearms market. By rescuing the original Springfield Armory’s most prominent products - the M1 Garand, the 1911 and the M14 and continuing their production, it can even be said that Springfield Armory, Inc. has done its share of preserving history.

Springfield Armory, Inc. has been in the limelight for reasons other than its products, as well. It certainly receives a lot of media attention it regularly receives for sponsoring the practical shooting team Team Springfield, which was launched in 1985, and it has also been politically active. It was one of the armament manufacturing companies to take an open stand against the assault weapons ban tabled by Governor Rodney Blagojevich. Along with other notable companies such as Armalite, Rock River Arms and Les Baer, Springfield Armory, Inc. has indicated that it would vacate its premises in Illinois if the controversial ban were put into effect.

Basically, Springfield Armory, Inc. has managed to link itself to a piece of gun-making history that dates back over one-and-a-half centuries. It claims to have adopted the philosophy that drove its original namesake and seems to have made good on that claim. Certainly, it has resurrected the most historically significant designs produced by the Armory and ensured that these products remain loyal to Springfield's heritage of manufacturing techniques.