Springfield Emissary AOS, the stylish "all steel" 9mm pistol

The Springfield Armory Emissary AOS is a 9mm semi-automatic pistol developed by the US manufacturer in collaboration with Agency Arms, a company based in Caldwell, Idaho, founded in 2015 by a group of law enforcement and special forces veterans. Agency Arms specializes in long guns and handguns tuning for professional use and transferred much of its expertise into this pistol, which incorporates as standard most of the technical features desired by those seeking a gun that is classic in its design but modern and versatile in its features.

Springfield Emissary AOS: classic and modern

The Springfield Emissary AOS is a pistol built on a classic 1911 design, i.e. with a forged steel frame and slide – the former stainless steel, the latter carbon steel – external hammer and SA trigger. Aesthetically, the Emissary features an all-black Cerakote finish and several custom enhancements ideal for a serious carry pistol. The magazine is single-stack, with a capacity of 9 rounds in 9mm caliber. (Two magazines come with each pistol.) There is also a two-tone version of the Emissary, with a stainless steel frame and blued slide.

The Springfield Emissary's heavy profile bull barrel has a classic length of 5"/127 mm (a 4.25"/108 mm barrel version is also available), a nitrided finish and 1:16 twist rate. The barrel is paired with a single spring recoil assembly, both inside a Tri-Top cut slide. The slide top is finely serrated to reduce glaring and making target acquisition easier, especially in very bright light conditions. The three front grip serrations are cut into the sloping sides of the slide and help to make it lighter.

The Springfield Emissary also offers the user the Agency Optics System (AOS) that allows direct mounting of red dot optics with plates compatible with popular footprints such as RMR, Shield, Delta Point Pro and Docter. Each AOS plate is equipped with an integrated rear notch to ensure proper optic height and an intuitive sight picture, providing co-witnessing between the metal sights and red dot in almost all configurations. The dovetail-mounted front sight is drift-adjustable and incorporates a tritium luminescent dot.

The Emissary grips are from the Thin-Line series by American specialist VZ grips. Made of G10, they have a square checkering that is very original from an aesthetic point of view but also effective in making the gun more grippable. The grip  texture echoes that of the frontstrap. The pistol comes with a Wilson-type grip safety. On the dust cover, the now customary Picatinny rail allows for the mounting of a tactical light or laser sight.

All in all, this Springfield Emissary AOS is an updated 1911 that benefits from all the improvements demanded by today's market. Perhaps the full-size 1911 is not exactly suitable for everyone for concealed carry, but it is certainly a pistol that has a lot to say to those who love "all-steel" guns also, and for recreational shooting on the range in particular.

MSRP in the US is $1,392.

Springfield Armory Emissary AOS technical specifications and price