Springfield Armory EMP
Pocket Power 9MM

SEE THE EMP IN ACTION!
Dave Anderson test fires
the Springfield Armory EMP 9mm for
americanhandgunner.com
CLICK HERE

By Dave Anderson • Photos By Ichiro Nagata

A New Idea

The Springfield Armory EMP (Enhanced Micro Pistol) shares the virtues of the pocket automatics of a century ago. At 26 ounces, it’s a bit heavier than the FN1910 (20 ounces, six-round magazine in .380 ACP) or Colt 1908 .380 (24 ounces, seven-round magazine). But in terms of size it’s similar to the old classics — slim, trim and flat. And unlike the blowback .380s the Springfield EMP is a locked-breech 9mm with a nine-round magazine. Serious stuff, that.

The EMP shares another quality with the old classics. It’s simply beautifully made, one of the best quality pistols I’ve handled in a long time. The aluminum alloy frame, handsomely matte-finished, doesn’t have a tool mark anywhere. The slide is precisely machined. Edges have been neatly and evenly relieved. There isn’t a sharp edge to cut hands or holsters, to wear holes in pockets or in covering garments. There was no perceptible play in the slide-to-frame fit or in barrel fit. Fit is equal to some custom guns I own, costing double or more the price of the little EMP. I am impressed.

The feed ramp of the EMP is integral with the barrel. At the muzzle, the 3" barrel is enlarged to mate directly with the slide. There’s no barrel bushing as on a conventional 1911. The EMP design uses a double-wound recoil spring and recoil spring guide rod. A little plastic disassembly tool to hold the recoil springs captive during disassembly is provided.

The original 1911 was designed around the .45 ACP cartridge. Slide travel and magazine length (front to back) were optimized for the big .45. The .38 Super cartridge fits the same size magazine, though of course with different feed lips. The 9mm Parabellum cartridge is a bit shorter. Full size 1911s in 9mm have their magazines blocked at the rear to accept the shorter round.

The Difference

The EMP was built around the 9mm cartridge. Magazines are slightly shorter, front to back, than regular 1911 magazines. In turn, the EMP grip frame, front to back, is a bit shorter than a standard 1911. Magazines for full size 1911s in 9mm will not fit the EMP magazine well.

The EMP comes with two stainless steel nine-shot magazines produced by Mec-Gar and carrying the Springfield Armory EMP logo. These are excellent magazines, strongly and precisely built, with plastic base pads. Both seated properly in place when I tried them, locked the slide back when empty, and dropped free (whether loaded or empty) when the magazine release button was pressed.

Operating controls follow the 1911 pattern. The grip safety has an extra hump at its base to help ensure it’s released by a normal firing grip. The ambidextrous thumb safety has a slightly wider shelf on the left side and operated smoothly and positively. The magazine release button is on the left side at the base of the trigger guard, just like we’re used to. The front sight is a post in a dovetail cut. The rear sight, also dovetail-mounted, is similar to the popular Novak design. Sights carry tritium night-sight inserts in a three-dot pattern.

Did It Run?

I started shooting with Black Hills standard velocity 115 grain JHP ammunition. There were two failures to feed in the first two magazines, with the nose of the round pressed against the feed ramp. Thinking the little pistol might benefit from a break-in, I then ran 100 rounds of Black Hills 124 grain FMJ through it, mostly rapid fire. There were no malfunctions.

Switching back to the 115 grain JHPs from Black Hills, box after box ran through the EMP without a bobble. The round count now stands at about 450, all JHPs except the two boxes of FMJs noted, with no malfunctions whatever after those two in the first dozen rounds. At the 250-round mark I lubed the gun again, as I would with any of my match 1911s, but the gun wasn’t cleaned until I ran out of ammunition.

Overall trigger quality (takeup, crispness, over-travel) is quite good, with minimal creep and a consistent break. The weight of pull is a bit heavier than I like, even for a defensive pistol, at five pounds, ten ounces after an average of 20 pulls with a Lyman electronic trigger gauge. But it’s not the end of the world, either.

Recoil is quite modest, but shooting a light gun with a short sight radius and heavy trigger pull is a bit of a challenge. When I did my part, though, accuracy of the little Springfield varied from more than adequate to startling. Unless there’s some compelling reason (lack of range facility, for example) I like to test accuracy at 25 yards. I know the arguments “This little (revolver, auto, derringer) was designed for close range self defense so it only makes sense to test it at (seven, ten, twelve yards).”

I don’t buy it. My objective is to compare accuracy of gun “X” against all the other guns I’ve shot. If the best it will do is a 12" groups at 25 yards, I want to know. I still may decide the gun has other features that make it acceptable for some purposes. But adjusting the range in order to get the same size groups doesn’t make much sense to me.

And The Size Was?

With the Black Hills 115 JHPs, five-shot groups initially averaged 3" to 4", hand-held over sandbags. There was a pattern, three or four shots close together and one or two opening up the group. It wasn’t a case of the first hand-fed round shooting out of the group. I just needed to focus better. I didn’t have inserts or time to order inserts for my Ransom rest, so had to do it the old-fashioned way.

Maintaining sharp focus on the front sight, holding the gun the same way with the same pressure until the heavy trigger broke, wasn’t easy, but when I did, the next group had four shots in less than 1" — the fifth 2" out. Two more groups were similar.

While letting my eyes rest I tacked up a fresh target and dragged the target stand out to what I thought was 50 yards, but which I later checked and found to be 55 yards. With my eyes rested I settled in on the sandbags again and fired five careful shots. When I walked down to check the target I just about flipped. The five shots, at 55 yards, went into 3.7". Plenty of full-sized service pistols can barely match that at 25 yards. Editor’s note: Believe it — Dave knows how to shoot, and if a gun can do it, he can make it happen.)

The group, moreover, was right on line for deflection and about 3" low. I tried several more groups at the same range and couldn’t match the first, maybe in part due to eye and trigger finger fatigue after 400+ rounds. Even so, not one shot got outside an 8" circle. Such accuracy certainly speaks well of the little gun’s overall quality of workmanship (not to mention the quality of the Black Hills ammunition). From the 3" barrel velocities typically averaged around 70-80 fps below factory ratings.

Dave’s Decision

Objectively I can’t find anything about the EMP to criticize. As a matter of personal choice I would want the trigger tuned to a clean four pounds. And I wouldn’t mind having a couple of witness holes in the magazine body, say at full capacity and five rounds.

Whether the EMP’s compact size and short length are an advantage depends on your needs and how you carry the gun. For me it’s a too heavy for carry in a side pants pocket. Slide width of the EMP is similar to standard 1911s and I found it fit holsters made for “Officer’s ACP” sized pistols. In a high riding belt holster, the short length of the EMP may allow it to be concealed by an untucked shirt, where a longer gun might not be covered. In an inside-waistband holster the compact size may be more comfortable than a longer gun, depending on body size.

It also worked very well with a Galco Miami Classic shoulder holster. This holster carries the pistol horizontally. With a full sized or Commander-length 1911 the gun muzzle protrudes from the holster and can print under a light covering garment. The EMP is fully covered by the holster and conceals better.

The little Springfield is about the same size and weight as the old Colt Detective Special but is flatter, easier to conceal, holds ten shots instead of six, and is faster to reload. And it will fit any pocket the older gun will fit. What’s not to like?

Specs: Springfield Armory EMP

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