Springfield Armory® Raises $22,500 To Benefit Chris Kyle FROG Foundation
Legend Series 1911 TRP™ Serial Number CK0001 Auctioned At 2016 NRA Annual Meeting
GENESEO, IL, June 2, 2016 – (ArmsVault.com) – Springfield Armory® is pleased to announce that a very special, one of a kind pistol now has a new home. More importantly, the Chris Kyle FROG Foundation is the beneficiary of a new $22,500 donation.
The company recently launched a limited edition line of Springfield Armory® Legend Series 1911 TRP™ Pistols. Modeled after the TRP™ that American Sniper Chris Kyle chose to carry on his deployments overseas, the Legend Pistols share many of the same features that Kyle chose for his personal model.
While the company is making one thousand Legend Series pistols, numbered CK0001 through CK1000, the gun with serial number one was reserved for a special purpose. Springfield Armory® donated this pistol to Taya Kyle, who now oversees the FROG Foundation. Upon receiving the pistol at a special presentation by company CEO, Dennis Reese, at the 2016 SHOT Show, Taya Kyle immediately announced plans to auction the pistol to benefit the FROG Foundation.
“We’re honored to be able to support this organization,” said Dennis Reese, Springfield Armory® CEO. “The Chris Kyle FROG Foundation is doing fantastic work to support our service members, and every bit as importantly, their families.”
According to Taya Kyle, “One of the big benefits of doing the Legend Series project with Springfield Armory® is that part of the proceeds will go to the Chris Kyle Frog Foundation. The mission of the foundation is to honor God, country and family by serving those who serve. To us, that represents the marriages and family life of our law enforcement, EMS, and military communities.”
Springfield Armory® placed the first Legend pistol on the auction site GunBroker.com on May 1, 2016. Thanks to the support and generosity of gun enthusiasts across the country, the unique pistol’s bid price quickly skyrocketed from $500 to over $20,000. The addition of a live auction at the Springfield Armory® booth during the recent NRA Annual Meeting carried the winning bid to $22,500 – all of which was immediately donated to the FROG Foundation.
An NRA Life Member, present for the live auction, placed the final winning bid and commented: “I’m going to take this home and tuck it in my safe with all my other Springfields.”
Fortunately for other Springfield Armory® TRP™ enthusiasts, there are 999 other Legend Series pistols available now at gun stores across the country. The Legend Series pistols feature five-inch stainless steel match grade barrels, low-profile three-dot Tritium combat sights, and black and gray G10 grips with an attractive American flag engraving. The slides are forged carbon steel with Black Nitride™ treatment for durability and corrosion resistance. A National Match full-length guide rod rounds out the 8.6-inch long government model 1911. Each pistol ships with one seven-round stainless steel magazine with slam pad.
The Legend Series pistols will come packaged in a custom and serialized mahogany presentation case. Additionally, a memorial copy of the best-selling book, American Sniper, signed by Taya Kyle will accompany the package. The attractive presentation case also includes a .999 pure silver Chris Kyle limited edition challenge coin and a Springfield Armory® certificate of authenticity.
“The fact that Chris Kyle chose a Springfield Armory® TRP™ to carry while on deployment inspired this project,” stated Reese. “Our team at Springfield Armory® knows that people like Chris depend on the quality of each and every detail of our design and manufacturing processes, so they go the extra mile to do it right. We wanted to reflect that dedication to excellence while honoring a true American hero and benefiting his namesake charity.”
About the Chris Kyle Frog Foundation
The Chris Kyle Frog Foundation, www.chriskylefrogfoundation.org, is a 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to serving military and first responders through meaningful interactive experiences that enrich family relationships. Founded and led by Taya Kyle, Chris’s wife, the foundation is entrusted to shepherd a community where the successes and struggles of these families can be shared. Its programs and partners reflect the service excellence that these individuals and families provide in service to their communities and country.
About Springfield Armory®
“The First Name in American Firearms,” Springfield Armory® was founded in 1777, when George Washington ordered the creation of an armory to store ammunition and gun carriages during the American Revolution. In 1794, the armory began to manufacture muskets and spent the next 150 years supplying firearms for every major American conflict. The original armory closed in 1968. In 1974, the Reese family took ownership of the Springfield Armory® name and began making the M1A™ rifle. Today, Springfield Armory® develops many products loyal to the company’s heritage, like the 1911 pistol, while ensuring its future with innovative products, including the XD®, XD® Mod.2™ XD(M)® and XD-S® polymer pistols.