Springfield Armory has been known to cause a bit of confusion, around the pieces they produce. One of the most controversial and often misunderstood is the ' NM' prefix on the serial numbers.

Normally this prefix stands for 'National Match'. In this case is does not stand for that. IMBEL forgings located in Brazil stamp a frame that has more than 50% worth of the work done in Brazil with the a prefix designation of 'N'. This is often confusing as the GI models are also made in Brazil and the a prefix of ' WW'. Even the mil-spec models produced by Springfield Armory can come with either a ' N' or ' NM' designation but more commonly found is the ' N'. Springfield Armory's Loaded models can come with either the ' NM' or the ' N' designation.

A lot of debate has gone around on the internet about what the 'NM' serial number prefix stands for. Soundenlsa zvukovoj fajl. Some believe that it stands for 'National Match', which is typically the case when you see that marking, however it's not so with Springfield 1911's. It is well known that Springfield Armory Inc. 1911's start from IMBEL forgings from Brazil.

It's important to note that the ' N' prefix are imported completed with the exception of the sight, and beavertail grip safety cuts. The finishing touches are actually completed at their main plant in Illinois.

The difference with the ' NM' models have majority of internal cuts done, but the rail cuts are performed in the US. The final machining is performed by CNC again, in Illinois. Here is a quote from an email exchange with Deb from the Springfield Armory Custom Shop. If you are looking for a Springfield Armory piece made from the Illinois factory look for a serial number consisting of the following: LW EMP TGO-2 TGO-3 If it's a true Springfield Armory Custom Shop piece it will have this in the serial number: CRG FBI DEA TGO-1 So many of you will simply ask, is the build quality any different? I personally own the NM models, compared to the N model I thought the slide and frame work better together. I hope this helps you identify your Springfield Armory pieces. Like many of you, I'm a fan of this brand, despite their recent run ins with politics and foot insertions.

If you have any other questions related to this please feel free to post them in our Springfield Armory section. Thanks Blackbeard. Regarding this part of your post: 'If it's a true Springfield Armory Custom Shop piece it will have this in the serial number: CRG FBI DEA TGO-1' I am certain some pieces carrying an “NM” prefix in the serial number also belong on this list of full/true SACS buildsas is the case with the Custom Carry model (and other SACS offerings). Such a build is done by SACS on a National Match frame according to SA’s website: (). In Deb’s email she even states: “The only pistols which use the national match frames are the complete custom pistols built through our custom shop. These pistols have 'Springfield Custom' etched on the slide, and will have the 'NM'p refix to the serial number.” Also I think the “TGO-1/2/3” pistols have an “RL” prefix – not 'TGO-1/2/3' in the serial number.