Springfield Armory Ronin EMP 3- and 4-in. 9mm Pistols

The new Ronin EMP pistols from Springfield Armory combine exclusive features from the long-running EMP pistols with the style and strength of the more recent Ronin line.

October 03, 2023 By Joel J. Hutchcroft

Like they say, time flies. It’s hard to believe it’s been two years since Springfield Armory introduced its Ronin family of 1911s. More incredible than that, the pistol that was the foundation for the long-running EMP line (called the Defender) was introduced 17 years ago and was updated and renamed the EMP two years later. In 2007 that EMP pistol had a 3.0-inch barrel, and in 2016 the EMP4, with a 4.0-inch barrel, was added to the line. Now we have a fusion of the unique features of the Defender/EMP with the stylish elements of the Ronin.

The Defender was a game-changer back in 2005. It was a reduced-size-but-enhanced Model 1911 like no other because its fore-to-aft dimensions were shortened. That meant a bunch of its internal parts had to be shortened, too. In fact, close to a dozen parts were shortened. They included the magazine, the slide, the firing pin, the firing pin spring, the ejector, the extractor, the plunger tube, the plunger spring, the trigger bow, the frame, and the grips. The preproduction Defender was designed around the short .45 GAP cartridge, and I was lucky enough to shoot and review one for Shooting Times all those years ago. I thought the .45 GAP had a lot of merit, but unfortunately, it turned out to be not so popular with shooters. No worries, though. The 9mm Luger and .40 S&W cartridges also fit the platform, and the subsequent 9mm Luger EMP pistols carried the Defender concept forward.

Springfield Armory Ronin EMP Skeletonized Trigger — The Ronin EMP pistols have skeletonized, striated polymer trigger fingerpieces without an overtravel adjustment screw. (Michael Anschuetz photo)

The Ronin line of Model 1911s arrived in 2020, and the company stated that strength is a core element in their design. As such, they feature forged-steel slides, hammer-forged barrels, and forged frames (the 5.0-inch-barreled Ronins have steel frames, and the 4.25-inch-barreled and the EMP models have alloy frames). The slides are hot salt blued, and the frames have a Cerakote finish, which give the pistols a classic—and very classy-looking—two-tone finish. Their legacy is one of strength, reliability, and quality, all for a very reasonable price.

Ronin Meets EMP

The new Ronin EMP fusion has resulted in two micro1911s. One has a 3.0-inch bull barrel, and the other has a 4.0-inch bull barrel. The two versions have many similarities and a couple of big differences. First the similarities.

Both configurations are being offered in 9mm Luger, and both have round-top, blued slides with polished sides, Satin Aluminum Cerakote-finished alloy frames, and hybrid checkered wood grip panels. Both have skeletonized, knurled hammers and ventilated polymer speed-type triggers. Both have beavertail grip safeties, extended thumb safeties (not ambidextrous), and flat mainspring housings. Both have slide grasping grooves at the rear only. Both have Tactical Rack ledge-type rear sights with two white dots and horizontal striations and fiber-optic front sights. And both have bushingless barrels with fully supported chambers.

Springfield Armory Ronin EMP Tactical Rack and Two White Dot Rear Sights — The rear sights are Springfield’s dovetailed Tactical Rack unit with horizontal striations and two white dots. (Michael Anschuetz photo)

Now here’s where they differ. The 3.0-inch-barreled version has a captive dual recoil spring assembly with a full-length guide rod, whereas the 4.0-inch-barreled gun has a flat-wire recoil spring and a full-length guide rod. Also, the 3.0-inch-barreled gun comes with one nine-round magazine, whereas the 4.0-inch-barreled version comes with one 10-round magazine. You may have guessed that the 4.0-inch-barreled gun has a longer grip frame. If you did, then you are correct. Technically, the 3.0-inch-barreled gun’s grip frame is the same length as an “Officer’s ACP” size, and the 4.0-inch-barreled gun’s grip frame is the same length as a “Commander,” which, as any serious Model 1911 shooter knows, is also the length of a standard full-size grip frame. However, in the case of these Ronin EMP pistols, the grip frames have smaller circumferences than those “standard” Model 1911 grip frame sizes, so I don’t feel quite right using those names for the grip frames. Both Ronin EMP grips have circumferences of 5.0 inches just below the grip safety, where the standard Model 1911 grip circumference is 5.25 inches at the same site. When you do the math, that makes the Ronin EMP grip circumference 1/4 inch smaller than a standard Model 1911, and that difference is very noticeable in the hand. I have medium-size hands, and while I find a standard Model 1911 grip to be very comfortable, the smaller grip circumference of the Ronin EMP is also very comfortable to me.

springfield-armory-ronin-emp-9mm-07 — The fiber-optic front sights are also dovetailed, and they are angled to assist in snag-free draws. (Michael Anschuetz photo)

On the Range

I spent a good afternoon on the range, working out the two Ronin EMP pistols you see in the photographs, and I’ll cut to the chase. I liked shooting the 3.0-inch-barreled pistol, but I really liked shooting the longer 4.0-inch-barreled pistol.

Both guns had excellent triggers, with very little take-up and overtravel. Straight from their boxes, the 3.0-inch-barreled gun’s trigger pull averaged 3 pounds, 15 ounces, whereas the 4.0-inch-barreled pistol’s trigger pull averaged 3 pounds, 13 ounces, according to 10 pulls each with my RCBS trigger pull gauge. The 3.0-inch-barreled pistol’s trigger had 8 ounces of variance over the 10 measurements, but the 4.0-inch-barreled gun’s trigger had less than 4 ounces of variance over its 10 measurements.

Springfield Armory Ronin EMP Bushingless Barrel — Both configurations of the Ronin EMP have bushingless barrels. However, the 3.0-inch version has dual captive recoil springs, whereas the 4.0-inch version has a flat-wire recoil spring. (Michael Anschuetz photo)

Both pistols turned in very good accuracy. Overall average accuracy for each pistol was 3.15 inches and 3.69 inches at 25 yards respectively for three, five-shot groups with five different 9mm factory loads, but I think what made the difference for me was the slightly longer sight radius (5.54 inches versus 4.78 inches) and the better trigger pull of the 4.0-inch-barreled gun. I simply shot it better when conducting the accuracy session. This is most likely dependent on the shooter, so another person might shoot the 3.0-inch-barreled gun more accurately than the 4.0-inch-barreled gun, although a better trigger, even when it’s a slight amount, tends to show up when shooting from a bench.

Both guns balanced well and were easy to handle during recoil with even the sharpest-recoiling ammunition, which, according to my internal recoil meter, was the Winchester Active Duty loading.

Springfield Armory Ronin EMP Pistol Magwells, 9-round Magazine for 3-inch, and 10-round Magazine for the 4-inch — With its shorter-length grip frame, the 3.0-inch Ronin EMP comes with a nine-round magazine, and the 4.0-inch pistol comes with a standard-length grip frame and a 10-round magazine. (Michael Anschuetz photo)

As I just said, I preferred shooting the 4.0-inch-barreled gun, but I must admit I would choose the 3.0-inch-barreled gun as an everyday-carry defensive pistol. The shorter grip length and shorter barrel/slide length make it noticeably more compact. And it shot well, especially during some close-range work. To that end, I fired a few offhand drills with it at distances ranging from 15 feet to 21 feet, and I was able to put all shots quickly on point on a reduced-size silhouette target with alarming ease.

Springfield Armory Ronin EMP 9mm Pistols, right side views — The new Ronin EMP micro 1911s are very nice self-defense guns, and both performed well at the shooting range. They balanced well, were comfortable to shoot, and produced excellent accuracy. (Michael Anschuetz photo)

The only thing I would change about these Ronin EMP micro 1911s is their frontstraps.

Of course, I can put some skateboard tape or some specialized grip-enhancing material on the frontstrap, so that leaves me with a hard decision to make: Which one am I going to buy? I’m leaning toward the 3.0-inch-barreled Ronin EMP right now. But that could change. They’re both well-executed micro 1911s, so no matter which one I select, I don’t think I can go wrong.