Springfield EMP vs. Colt Defender (9mm)
I am interested in a small 9mm (for CC and home defense) and have pretty much narrowed it down to either the Springfield EMP 9mm or the Colt Defender in 9mm. Does anyone have experience comparing these two (reliability, accuracy, etc.)? Thank you.
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I cant help with the Colt, but the EMP is a nice carry gun, mine was fine for the first 1,200 /1,500rounds , then started regularly piercing primers and that led to the firing pin hole being clogged with primer brass and failure to fire. I sent it back to Springfield, came back with a work order that said" replaced firing pin,test fired, now working", worked fine for a couple hundred rounds, now sporadically will still pierce a primer, cant trust it as my ccw.
Trying to find a solution to fix this , for now it's just another range gun.
A good friend bought his EMP at the same time as I got mine, he has just as many rounds through his as I have through mine, his has never hiccuped, it has been 100%.
I have read recently on another site about the primer piercing being a fairly common complaint with the EMP.0 -
I have the EMP in 9mm and a Defender in 45 ACP. If there are performance differences between the Colt in 9mm and 45 ACP perhaps others can comment on that specifically.
The EMP is markedly smaller in the grip area, being designed around the 9mm. It's better finished than the Colt, the trigger is better and it comes with night sights. All in all I found it to be just a better made pistol. Durable finish, the Colt scratches a bit easier.
The Colt is a little looser fit in frame to slide, thanks to the Series 80 FP block (which the EMP doesn't use)the trigger pull is heavier and longer - it's not too bad though. Fixed sights are good, deepending on when you buy the grip safety is the poorly fitted "duckbill" or a well fitted beavertail.
Unfortunately, as with 4 of 5 Springfield products I've bought, the EMP didn't work "out of the box" while the Colt has worked perfectly. Same as the above post, my EMP had primer flow problems that required a trip back to SA for correction. The short version is the primer flows into the FP hole and is sheard, plugging the FP hole in the breech. The original heavy FP spring and titanium FP were replaced by a softer FP spring and steel FP. We're not alone in EMP issues, google "EMP primer flow" and you'll get more info. But after repair (all free including shipping) the thing has worked pretty much perfectly for me.
Recoil in the EMP is mild, I suspect it would be the same in the Defender. I've found the EMP to be very accurate, the Defender is fine though.
I did a little spiffing up on the Defender - replaced the plastic trigger and small safety, grip safety and added a great Champion adjustable rear sight.
I'm happy with both, the Defender costs about $900.00 new and the EMP about $1,300.00 - at least in CA anyway.0 -
Thank you very much for your information. 0
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