He shot an additional two years of competition in the Precision Rifle Series until old knees told him it was time to retire. He shot competitively in the United States Practical Shooting Association (USPSA) for 32 years achieving Master classification in three divisions.
Joe Woolley is one of the Contributing Editors for Gun Tests Magazine and lives in the Houston, Texas area. He is currently a full-time firearms instructor, teaching, primarily, at American Shooting Centers in west Houston. Written and photographed by Joe Woolley, using evaluations from Gun Tests team testers.
Our Team Said: The RO is a smooth-shooting pistol, full of features at a reasonable price. We also remind our readers to test fire every firearm they purchase - especially for self-defense - and to ascertain the gun’s point of impact with whatever ammunition they choose. We think Springfield Armory should verify the height needed for this sight. We weren’t having the same problems with other pistols that day, so it doesn’t appear to be just the testers. And this was across the board, using several different brands and weights of ammunition. A couple of inches too high doesn’t concern us, but the RO Compact was shooting some ammo as much as 6 inches too high. About the only problems we had came from the sights. A replacement fiber-optic tube is included in the case along with the takedown pin. The front sight is a very visible fiber optic, and the rear is a Novak style with two white dots. We really liked the muzzle-heavy feel when we started doing the speed trials. This pistol performed and shot well through all tests. The required trigger compression was smooth and consistent. The thumb safety was substantially larger than mil-spec but not large enough to be obnoxious. The magwell is properly beveled and was easy to reload into. The mainspring housing is checkered, but the front strap is smooth. The grip safety had the needed memory bump, though it wanted to release just a little bit later than we prefer. The grip panels are slightly thinner than the normally slim 1911 grips and would project just that much less when concealed. Movement of the barrel hood within the slide is virtually nil and speaks well for the craftsmanship in the pistol. It requires a reverse spring plug and a takedown pin, which is provided with the pistol. The barrel is built up at the muzzle and is fitted straight to the slide. The barrel is different in another way - it is a bull barrel (larger diameter) that uses a bushingless lockup. The trigger is brushed aluminum which, along with the polished barrel, make for nice contrasts to the black. The alloy frame, steel slide, and all the controls except the trigger are a matte black. The RO Compact has almost everything you could ask for.
Novak 2-dot in dovetail with set screw, windage adjustableįiring pin drop, manual thumb safety, grip safety
Semi auto, hammer fired, single action only The result is a slightly muzzle heavy, yet very concealable pistol. Namely, a 4-inch Commander-length slide mated to a shorter (think Colt Officer’s Model) frame. We chose the lightweight Range Officer Compact, which comes in a very desirable configuration. The company offers an array of 1911s running the gamut from absolute basic mil-spec to full-blown race guns, so we just had to have one of Springfield’s 9mms for our test. Besides Colt, the 1911 competition market has been well supported and well served by Springfield Armory.