Springfield Armory's Defender Legacy Mil-Spec is a full-size 1911 in .45 ACP with a 5-inch forged stainless steel barrel inside a forged carbon steel frame and slide. The pistol runs 8.6 inches overall and weighs 39 ounces. It has the single-action trigger, grip safety and single-sided thumb safety the design is known for, an arched mainspring housing in the 1911-A1 pattern, fixed three-dot sights and a lowered and flared ejection port. Checkered wood grips set the Legacy apart, and one seven-round magazine comes in the box.

For a New Mexico buyer this is the traditional 1911 at its most basic: steel, wood, blued, no rail and no optic cut. The 39-ounce weight tames .45 ACP recoil, which makes it an easy pistol to shoot well at the range, and the flat, slim frame carries well in a belt holster. The grip safety and thumb safety give two separate checks before it fires, which some shooters prefer on a home-defense gun.

Key features

• .45 ACP, 5-inch forged stainless barrel
• Forged carbon steel frame and slide
• 7+1 capacity, one magazine included
• Fixed three-dot sights
• Checkered wood grips, grip and thumb safeties

It transfers through a New Mexico FFL dealer, where you complete Form 4473 and the NICS check; the seven-day wait applies unless you hold a state concealed handgun license.